Tiktok, Is It Time for Brands to Put Instagram Aside?

Instagram is currently in its prime with 1 billion users, but there is another app in the market that has potential to take over Instagram’s rank in the future. Since its launch in 2017, TikTok, a social media video app for creating and sharing short lip-sync, comedy, and talent videos, has grown to over 500 million users in as little as two years. TikTok’s rapid growth in such little time is unseen from any other app today and is something that Instagram needs to keep on their radar.

2018 Top App Worldwide Downloads

Source: Influencer Marketing Hub

Instagram became popular because it made photography easier to create and distribute. Similarly, TikTok is enabling its users to create videos through tools like filters, video speed control, access to professional audio, and more. TikTok relies on its users generating content and interacting with each other to thrive. By making this process simpler, anyone can be a creator with potential for monetization—a major opportunity for brands.

Source: Influencer Marketing Hub

Gary Vaynerchuk, entrepreneur and owner of VaynerMedia, is urging companies to start using TikTok and get ahead of the game before it becomes mainstream. In this video, he emphasizes how content creation is the key to increasing engagement and how TikTok will rise above Instagram.

This may be the beginning of the end for Instagram.

Becoming early adopters of TikTok is a must for brands if they want to have an advantage in the future. While the platform is still growing, this is a chance for brands to test the waters and figure out what works before it becomes oversaturated by the rest of the market.

Instagram and YouTube uses algorithmic recommendations to maintain user attention, but TikTok takes it to the next level. This algorithm is designed to consistently give users relevant content so they spend more time on the platform. As twisted as that sounds in an attention-based economy, it works! What makes TikTok different is its “For You” tab, a feed that is based on the consumer’s usage. It is the first thing you see when you open the app instead of typically seeing a feed from people you follow on other platforms. The app is constantly learning from users and keeping them hooked in the endless video feed.

The “For You” tab has potential for increasing brand exposure.

With every rise, there will eventually be a fall. Instagram is at its peak and is not leaving anytime soon, but users will eventually move on to the next big app in search for something new. If TikTok continues to grow at its rapid pace, it could become a direct competitor to Instagram in the near future. Brands can take action now and experiment early before TikTok becomes the place to be.

Do you think TikTok could take over Instagram? Share your opinions in the comments below.