TikTok vs YouTube: which is better for business?

Today, we will reply the most important questions:

1. Which platform is the best choice for your business?
2. Should you really favor one over the other?

Formed in 2017, the user-friendly social media platform from China allows anyone to create content by adding filters, stickers, and text-to-speech for a short video format.

TikTok's monthly audience is a billion users. In 2021 mobile application for iOS and Android became the most downloaded app worldwide.

Video hosting from Google has come a long way from an ordinary service for sharing fun home video content in 2005 to a full-fledged replacement for today's TV.

So, the number of active YouTube users is estimated at 2 billion people monthly.

Interesting fact: on the wave of the TikTok's popularity, YouTube mobile application got the ability to film short videos in a format called Shorts.

The most important point in terms of business promotion, as you need to understand what audience it will work for. In this plan, TikTok is designed for a younger audience (12-24 years old), while YouTube is visited by people aged 18 to 29 years and older.

To keep viewers interested, the length of TikTok's video should be between 21 and 34 seconds. Nevertheless, for effective work, it is necessary to convey the most important information in the shortest possible time.

It is also important to remember that video content on TikTok is vertically optimized for mobile devices, with an aspect ratio of 9:16. Keep in mind platform TikTok LIVE, where you can connect in real-time with the audience (Q&As format, etc.).

If we are talking about YouTube, the user is not limited in any way by audio-visual duration. The best length for viewers is approximately 11.7 minutes. For such timing, it's a good idea to write a script that your video will follow.

With a 16:9 aspect ratio, Google's app is still a popular feature on mobile devices, desktop computers and smart TV platforms.

Business's niche or industry has big opportunities on TikTok, while professionals are connected to
a particular hashtag with content usually dedicated to one specialty. Working with influencers (someone with the power to affect the buying habits or quantifiable actions of others by uploading some form
of original — often sponsored — content) will help sell any service through simple, engaging, potentially viral content.

Business development on YouTube is built on collaboration with so-called YouTubers (an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform, typically posting to their personal channel on video hosting). This platform can be better for products that aren't as easy to show off in short formats. In addition, YouTube tutorials have a tendency to be more serious.

• bumper ads — up to 6 seconds long, these ads need to be watched before a video is viewed;
• unskippable video ads — these ads don't allow viewers to skip this typically 15-20 second video;
• overlay ads — only seen on the desktop, these ads take up the lower 20% screen of a video;
• skippable video ads — a video ad with an option for viewers to skip after 5 seconds.

So, let's answer the questions that we posed at the beginning of the article.

1. It all depends on your brand and the type of content you have the resources for, the customer purchase cycle, your social media goals, and your budget.
2. If used wisely, either of the two options you choose will benefit your business over the long term.

If you are just trying to develop your business through video marketing or this direction does not bring you the desired results, we recommend that you seek the help of professionals, namely the MIM — data-driven marketing agency from Ukraine.

Our experts will give you advice on how effectively use video marketing tools in your company's marketing strategy.