Social media platforms are constantly evolving and introducing new features for brands and advertisers. Two of the most popular social apps right now are TikTok and Snapchat. But when it comes to advertising, which one should you choose? Here we’ll compare the advertising options and effectiveness of TikTok versus Snapchat to help you decide which is better for your brand.
Popularity and User Demographics
One of the first things to look at is how many active users are on each platform and what their demographics are.
TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide. It’s popular across age groups but about 50% of users are between ages 18-34. TikTok is big internationally as well, with over 65% of users based outside the United States.
Snapchat has 293 million daily active users. The majority of users are between ages 18-34, with 90% of users under age 35. Snapchat still skews younger than TikTok, especially with Gen Z users. Over 50% of Snapchat’s daily users are from North America.
So while both platforms attract a younger demographic, TikTok clearly has a much larger global userbase at the moment.
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Advertising Formats and Options
The advertising formats and options available on each platform can vary greatly, which affects what types of campaigns and objectives you can achieve.
TikTok offers in-feed video ads, brand takeovers, branded lenses and filters, branded hashtags, and TopView ads. Video ads tend to perform very well on TikTok thanks to its video-first, entertainment-style content.
Snapchat offers snap ads between stories, sponsored lenses, filters and geofilters, collection ads, commercials, and augmented reality try-on capabilities. Snapchat pioneered vertical video ads and augmented reality advertising.
TikTok provides robust analytics on conversions, store traffic, and ROI. Snapchat’s analytics focus is on campaign reach and frequency. TikTok offers an ads manager portal while Snapchat uses the Snapchat Ads Manager.
Overall, TikTok may have more options for innovative video ad formats, while Snapchat offers a wider range of ways to interact with AR experiences.
Ad Performance and Targeting
How well ads perform on each platform and the available targeting options can significantly influence where you want to invest your ad spend.
On TikTok, ads can be highly targeted using interests, behaviors, demographics, and more. Conversion tracking allows advertisers to see real sales results from TikTok campaigns. Strong video views and engagement are typical for brands using ads on TikTok.
Snapchat advertising is focused on reach and frequency across different ad units. Targeting includes age, gender, location, device type, interests, and behaviors. Performance monitoring includes impressions, reach, website visits, app installs, and sales.
TikTok seems to have an edge for driving conversions and ROI from ads. But Snapchat can effectively increase brand awareness and exposure with custom experiences.
Content Creation and Management
The content creation and management process for brands on TikTok versus Snapchat also requires different strategies.
Brands on TikTok want to participate in trends and challenges, use music and effects, tell short entertaining stories, and leverage influencer marketing. Content should feel authentic and behind-the-scenes.
Snapchat favors raw, in-the-moment content and sharing your day. Brands use lenses, filters, Bitmoji, and geotargeted filters to deliver fun experiences that users want to play with and share.
TikTok requires carefully creating short videos. Snapchat relies more on users playing with branded AR experiences. Brands will need different teams and creative assets optimized for each platform.
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TikTok vs. Snapchat: Which Platform is Better for Advertising?
So when it comes to deciding between advertising on TikTok or Snapchat, which one wins out?
For brands focused on performance marketing and driving conversions, TikTok is likely the better choice today. Its massive userbase, video ad formats, and precise targeting provide the ingredients for highly effective advertising campaigns.
Brands wanting to creatively engage younger audiences with immersive, interactive content may find Snapchat a better fit. Snapchat is all about fun branded experiences. The platform makes it easy for users to interact and share content with friends.
Of course, the two platforms don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Having a presence on both TikTok and Snapchat can allow brands to achieve different objectives with each audience. TikTok works well for turning interest into action, while Snapchat builds relationships through content experiences.
As TikTok and Snapchat both rapidly evolve, keeping an eye on new developments will be key. But for now, looking at your target audience, content strategy, and marketing objectives can help determine if TikTok or Snapchat is better for your brand’s advertising needs.
