Is TikTok preferable to YouTube? Put another way, long-form vs. short-form content
In recent years, the popularity of video content has caused quite a stir, with more and more social platforms integrating video content, such as reels and shorts, into their interface. In 2020, online video consumption has increased by 96%, with 9 out of 10 viewers expressing a desire for brands and businesses to showcase more video content. As a result, as the demand for video grows, so must the offer; there has never been a better time for marketers and businesses to give people what they want, especially if they want to stay relevant and up to date with industry trends.
However, there has been a significant shift in the type of video content that we consume. It is no longer sufficient to simply create video content; it is also necessary to select the right types that will unlock the best opportunities, engagement, and drive traffic to your website.
Short-form video content is being introduced.
Short-form video content, such as shorts and reels, are 10-15 second videos that are beneficial to both consumers and businesses because they provide bite-sized information that is easily digestible and binge-able. Platforms like TikTok are redefining what it means to consume video content in the digital space.
When we think of long-form video content, however, we immediately think of YouTube. Since 2005, YouTube has dominated the video content space as a platform bursting at the seams with everything from dog and cat videos to cooking tutorials, and it even invented the concept of ‘vlogging’ (i.e video blogging). Youtube has a nearly two-decade-long and successful reign, receiving 14.3 billion visits per month, more than Facebook, Wikipedia, Amazon, and Instagram combined. Its popularity is undeniable, so much so that it has been turned into a verb:
“Need to know how to change a tyre?” for example. “Watch it on YouTube.”
As a result, it appears unlikely that this powerhouse will be threatened or dethroned by shorter content forms. However, in marketing, the answer is never that straightforward.
We’re here to find out if YouTube is truly becoming obsolete for marketing and if businesses should jump on the TikTok bandwagon and start creating shorter-form content. Finally, we’ll debate whether TikTok is superior to YouTube, and hopefully by the end of this blog, you’ll have a better idea of which platform to invest in.
Let’s get started.
What is TikTok and does it have value for your brand?
Ok, so unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ve probably noticed the TikTok boom, and if you’re a member of Generation Z or Millennials, you’ve likely contributed to its success.
Even if you haven’t downloaded the app, you have undoubtedly experienced its effects in some way. With more than a billion active users, the app quickly rose to become the second most downloaded app and the social media app with the highest engagement rate per post. Due to its increasing popularity, the platform has expanded its content types to include live streaming, TikTok TV, and TikTok shopping, providing businesses with numerous opportunities to expand their brands and clientele.
One of the benefits of TikTok is its track record for increasing brand awareness. Take Refy as an example. The UK-based beauty brand founded by social media influencer Jess Hunt in 2018 utilised TikTok to promote their 2021 Black Friday sales, resulting in an engagement rate of 2% and a reach of over 2 million users. Due to the impact of the advertising campaigns on profile traffic, organic performance increased, resulting in a 750% increase in organic revenue.
The campaign succeeds as an illustration of the unrealized potential on TikTok for brands and marketers. Moreover, with a reach of over 2 million users, the business saw a 101% increase in TikTok followers, and the ad format used to drive the campaign was TikTok’s Spark Ads, which enables businesses to promote their organic content in a creative and engaging manner. The feature enables advertisements to appear on the In-Feed Ads, which is TikTok’s standard ad format and enables ad videos up to 60 seconds in length to not only appear but also auto-play on the For You Page as soon as the app is opened.
Additionally, Refy connected their Shopify site to the advertisement, allowing anyone viewing the advertisement to easily purchase the product with a single click. In doing so, Refy was also able to present their product catalogue and views, which they could then peruse to increase their ability to sell more products. The brand was able to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to their eCommerce site, and generate leads and conversions with a single 43-second video ad campaign.
TikTok has a number of different ad formats, each of which has its own benefits. We suggest going to the TikTok website to learn more about all of them and find out what is cable for business. But if there’s one thing we can stress about TikTok for businesses, it’s that it’s all about making content. When TikTok wanted to make more business opportunities, they came up with the slogan:
TikTok for Business.
“Don’t put out ads. Make TikToks”.
To help drive home the point that the app should be used creatively, I’ll say that if you want to make money with it as a business, you have to let go of the old ways of marketing and connect with your customers on a more personal level. Companies like Ryanair have taken this idea and used creative short videos to promote their services in a way that fits with the platform. With videos like the popular personified talking plane, the budget airline company has been able to reach over 1.6 million people and get 13.6 million likes on all of their videos. They have become so popular that their US audiences are starting to build a base there.
TikTok’s website is where you should start when trying to figure out what’s cable for business, as the platform supports a variety of ad formats, each of which has its own set of advantages. But if there’s one thing we can emphasise, it’s that becoming a creator is the most important thing for businesses on TikTok. TikTok’s motto for developing new commercial avenues is:
‘Don’t Create Commercials. Produce a TikTok.”
Commercial Use of TikTok.
To drive home the point that the app is meant to be used creatively, I’d like to stress the importance of ditching conventional marketing strategies in favour of a more human approach to connecting with customers on the app. Companies like Ryanair have jumped on the bandwagon of engaging and humorous short-form videos to promote their services in a way that is consistent with the platform, which is why you may have seen some of their ads. The budget airline’s videos, including those featuring a popular personified talking plane, have attracted over 1.6 million views and generated 13.6 million likes across all of the company’s videos.
YouTube
Nonetheless, not all hope is lost for lengthy video pieces, as many companies continue to prioritise YouTube as a powerful medium for telling their company’s story. When it comes to explaining products and services, for example, it’s undeniable that long-form content provides far more detail and context than short-form content, which typically provides snippets, and that Youtube thus dominates in this regard. Brands like Footasylum, a UK-based street and activewear retailer beloved by millennials, are a great example of how to use Youtube to build an audience and profit from the use of long-form video to connect with audiences and market your business.
By aligning themselves with prominent figures in the UK YouTube community like Nella Rose and Young Filly, they have amassed over a billion views and a million subscribers across their respective channels. It could be argued that platforms like YouTube are responsible for the widespread adoption of influencer marketing because they have benefited from it for the longest. Sponsored videos and affiliate links have made YouTube a valuable tool for businesses interested in using influencer marketing to get their products in front of an engaged and responsive audience.
For the benefit of small businesses everywhere, a primer on influencer promotion
While it’s true that influencer marketing can be effective across all channels and content types, it’s undeniable that longer-form video is superior to shorter formats at helping brands connect with their target audiences and fostering brand loyalty. However, one major drawback is the expense of production, as most short-form videos are shot for no cost and on a mobile phone. Unlike many long-form videos, which take longer and often cost more to produce for what are, at best, similar results.
One of Nike’s most popular 2020 campaigns, “You Can’t Stop Us Now,” is a motivational video that uses sports to acknowledge the challenging and unprecedented times faced by the industry during covid. Campaign content was shared across their various social media channels, where it attracted over 45 million YouTube views and 40 million Twitter impressions. Traffic to Nike’s website increased as a result of the ad, with 46% of viewers more likely to make a purchase than before.
Although this might be considered a successful ad, the resources required to create such a campaign are beyond the means of most businesses. However, the commercial also serves as an illustration of the advantages and effects of long-form video content in reaching and holding an audience.
Conclusion
Long-form video content still has a good shot at helping you reach your marketing goals and expanding your audience, thanks to YouTube’s 2.6 billion monthly users. With the introduction of “shorts,” or videos that are only ten to fifteen seconds long, creators and businesses can now take advantage of the platform by making both long- and short-form videos. When it comes down to it, though, marketing with short-form videos on platforms like TikTok is the clear winner due to their rising popularity, low production costs, ease of use, and high ROI.
TikTok is a better fit for many people than YouTube is because YouTube has higher entry barriers. The YouTube market has matured to the point where sustained, high-quality content production is essential for survival. TikTok, on the other hand, streamlines and accelerates the process of content production, allowing users to make interesting videos without having to spend hours filming and editing.
Particularly for business-to-consumer companies seeking to establish genuine relationships with their target demographic, the possibilities are practically limitless. Both forms of video content have their advantages and disadvantages, so using them separately wouldn’t be a good marketing strategy. It all boils down to the end goal of your company and the strategies you choose to get there.
There is no such thing as right and wrong!
With content marketing on the rise, every business feels compelled to perfect its content marketing strategy. This is not a bad thing, but businesses appear to overlook other aspects in order to achieve their objectives, such as public relations.