As of February 2021, TikTok had garnered over 680 million active monthly viewers in just four years. This is what makes TikTok YouTube’s main competitor as the leading video sharing platform.
However, the YouTube vs TikTok debate is more than just about dance videos and memes. Businesses have leveraged these platforms as marketing tools to advance their products and services to a global audience. However, most businesses are having a hard time deciding which platform they should pour their money into.
Choosing both is a viable solution, but not many businesses have the capital to invest in both platforms. The question remains, which platform is better for marketing? Keep reading as we explore both platforms’ pros and cons and try to get a conclusive answer.
YouTube Marketing
YouTube has been hailed as the content king ever since its inception back in 2005. Like TikTok, YouTube allows you to create your own channel to post videos and subscribe to other people’s channels.
YouTube has been an excellent source for entertainment but has also been a marketing goldmine for businesses worldwide. Admittedly, YouTube hasn’t been as popular as Facebook or Instagram in terms of marketing preference. Still, smart companies are tapping into the platform to net a demographic of video-obsessed Millenials.
How to Market on YouTube
The easiest way to market on YouTube is to create a YouTube channel for your business. Through this channel, you can post videos about your products or services. Think of it as a blog for your business with videos instead of articles.
Here’s how you market your business on YouTube:
- Create a YouTube Channel for your business
- Do some research on your target audience and learn what they like
- Post videos that resonate with your target audience
- Learn from the competition and optimize your videos for better viewability
- Upload your new videos with a catchy title and a killer thumbnail, and don’t forget to add links to your social media
If you don’t want to post your own videos, you can settle for YouTube advertising. Did you know that people are 84% more likely to pay attention to YouTube ads than TV ads? That said, let’s look at some benefits of YouTube marketing.
Benefits of YouTube Marketing
YouTube is an incredible marketing tool. Here are some benefits of YouTube marketing:
- No limit on video length– Unlike TikTok, YouTube has no cap on the length of video you can upload. This allows you to get into detail about the product or service you’re selling. A little disclaimer, however, you first have to go through YouTube’s verification process before you can upload videos that are over 15 minutes long.
- Visibility on Google’s search page- Your videos can appear on Google’s search engine results page. This exposes your videos to a wider audience because they don’t have to go to YouTube to get to your videos.
- You can make extra money with Adsense– Google Adsense allows you to make money by posting videos on your YouTube channel.
These are a few benefits of YouTube marketing. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s not without its cons.
Cons of YouTube Advertising
There are a few reasons why some businesses don’t like marketing on YouTube. Here are a few cons of YouTube marketing
- Takes time– It takes a lot of time to grow your YouTube channel, and we all know that time is money, especially in business.
- The algorithm– YouTube algorithm favors quality and consistency. This means you have to invest a lot of time and money into YouTube to reach a wider audience.
That’s pretty much all there is to YouTube marketing. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at marketing with TikTok.
TikTok Marketing
Admit it, you’ve seen probably more than a dozen TikTok videos, and you won’t stop seeing them anytime soon. TikTok videos are everywhere, and they could be what your business needs to get the word around.
TikTok is super popular because creating a short video clip is much easier than creating a long one that requires cameras, proper lighting, and everything else. Just like YouTube, amassing a huge following on TikTok requires a lot of dedication and consistency. However, there are other means to get TikTok followers.
How to Market on TikTok
Marketing on TikTok is way easier compared to marketing on YouTube. The simplest way is to create your own business channel and upload short, relevant clips related to your business. You can also choose to pay a TikTok influencer to market your products to the masses.
The latter is more effective but will cost you a pretty penny. You can also choose to pay to advertise on TikTok, but again you’ll have to dig deep into your pockets.
Benefits of TikTok Marketing
Businesses have taken advantage of the TikTok wave to market their products to a vast audience. Here are a few benefits of TikTok Marketing
- No shortage of creators– Because Tiktok centers on short-length video clips that you can create on your phone, there’s no shortage of creators. You can pay these creators to market your products and get almost immediate results.
- Attracts a young audience– TikTok has been a hit, especially with young people. If your products focus on the younger generation, then TikTok is just what the doctor ordered.
These are the main benefits of Tiktok. However, just like YouTube, TikTok also has its shortcomings.
Cons of TikTok Marketing
TikTok is a popular platform with millions of active customers, sorry users. However, before you invest in TikTok, keep the following shortcomings in mind.
- Only short videos– TikTok allows only short videos. This means you may not get your message across as comprehensively as you can because of time limitations.
- Video removal– Sometimes, TikTok removes perfectly appropriate videos for no apparent reason. If you’re unlucky, the platform might pull down your video, and you can’t do anything about it.
That’s all you need to know about TikTok marketing. Maybe you could give it a whirl first before investing a lot of money into the platform.
YouTube Vs TikTok: The Lowdown
When it comes to YouTube vs TikTok, only you can decide what’s best for your business. The information above should help you make a more informed decision when choosing a video platform for marketing. Remember, you can always use both if your resources and financial muscle allow you to.
Keep visiting our blog for more tips on business marketing.
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