Instagram versus TikTok: understand why Meta's social network has almost three times more investments
Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2025 4:18 am
Communication experts perceive disadvantages in the short video platform on the market, but believe in growth in the coming years.
TikTok is one of the most popular social networks in recent times, although it is still a few steps away from reaching Instagram in terms of investment. According to a new report from Insider Intelligence, advertisers in the United States invested around US$774.8 million in influencer marketing on the Chinese platform in 2022, while on Instagram this amount was almost three times higher, around US$2.23 billion.
For several communications experts, one of the reasons for this difference is the platforms’ uptime. This is according to Ísis Vasques, executive director of Agência Ecco. “Instagram is already well-established and is generally better known by advertisers. There is already a vast history of returns and benchmarks of successful actions with influencers on the tool. Let’s say it is a ‘safer’ terrain in the minds of clients,” she stated.
Maurício Fernandes, operations director at 270B in Brazil, an sri lanka whatsapp data American digital experience agency with a branch in Brazil, complements this reasoning by highlighting that Meta's social network also draws attention due to its greater data history, since it has been around for more years. “It's not that TikTok lacks credibility, but that it's a new feature that needs to be tested to find the best results for consumers. As the tests are carried out, it will gain more ground,” he said.
Another factor that gives Instagram an advantage in terms of time is its already established audience, as pointed out by Ricardo Tarza, partner and director of innovation and creativity at DreamONE. “The formats and languages are broader and already have user loyalty and brand certification regarding the results and trust that Instagram delivers,” he explains. “The same applies to clustering, which is horizontal for all ages, while TikTok does not yet have these well-defined issues that can reach all audiences. This ends up directing content to younger people, who are now more present on the network,” he emphasizes.
Tarza also emphasizes that cost is another issue that makes investors hesitant about the short video social network. “Metrification of results within a platform ends up being a decisive factor for big players to invest in activations. At the moment, TikTok integrates this service in a simpler way or on demand, unlike Meta and Google, which connect with numerous management platforms. Therefore, the strategy with influencers tends to become more expensive. However, the scenario is changing and the changes in the tool should bring new features that will gradually attract more brands”, he emphasizes.
TikTok Growth
The Insider Intelligence report also estimates that 74.5% of advertisers in the United States will make major investments in Influencer Marketing in 2022; according to the research, this type of advertising action is expected to grow by around 27.8% this year, reaching US$4.99 billion. With this, Tik Tok is expected to gain even more importance in the future.
According to Silas Colombo, founder and CCO of MOTIM, this movement is “almost natural”. “In recent years, Instagram has increasingly placed obstacles in the way of delivering content posted to help influencers grow their follower bases and has also increased the price of promotions. On the other hand, TikTok has an algorithm that delivers better numbers when it comes to promoting content, which gives brands more security, helps new creators gain followers and helps with the variety of names for partnerships”, he stated.
Vasques, from Agência Ecco, also emphasizes the reality of this possible change of positions between social networks due to the mutability of the medium. “The digital media environment is highly changeable. We see new things all the time, with new platforms and formats,” he highlights. “As Generation Z grows, its purchasing power increases and, increasingly, brands will seek to communicate with these people. If, in fact, TikTok proves to be the most efficient platform for communicating with this audience, it will certainly be populated by a new generation of influencers, which will make brands turn their attention and investments there,” he concludes.
TikTok is one of the most popular social networks in recent times, although it is still a few steps away from reaching Instagram in terms of investment. According to a new report from Insider Intelligence, advertisers in the United States invested around US$774.8 million in influencer marketing on the Chinese platform in 2022, while on Instagram this amount was almost three times higher, around US$2.23 billion.
For several communications experts, one of the reasons for this difference is the platforms’ uptime. This is according to Ísis Vasques, executive director of Agência Ecco. “Instagram is already well-established and is generally better known by advertisers. There is already a vast history of returns and benchmarks of successful actions with influencers on the tool. Let’s say it is a ‘safer’ terrain in the minds of clients,” she stated.
Maurício Fernandes, operations director at 270B in Brazil, an sri lanka whatsapp data American digital experience agency with a branch in Brazil, complements this reasoning by highlighting that Meta's social network also draws attention due to its greater data history, since it has been around for more years. “It's not that TikTok lacks credibility, but that it's a new feature that needs to be tested to find the best results for consumers. As the tests are carried out, it will gain more ground,” he said.
Another factor that gives Instagram an advantage in terms of time is its already established audience, as pointed out by Ricardo Tarza, partner and director of innovation and creativity at DreamONE. “The formats and languages are broader and already have user loyalty and brand certification regarding the results and trust that Instagram delivers,” he explains. “The same applies to clustering, which is horizontal for all ages, while TikTok does not yet have these well-defined issues that can reach all audiences. This ends up directing content to younger people, who are now more present on the network,” he emphasizes.
Tarza also emphasizes that cost is another issue that makes investors hesitant about the short video social network. “Metrification of results within a platform ends up being a decisive factor for big players to invest in activations. At the moment, TikTok integrates this service in a simpler way or on demand, unlike Meta and Google, which connect with numerous management platforms. Therefore, the strategy with influencers tends to become more expensive. However, the scenario is changing and the changes in the tool should bring new features that will gradually attract more brands”, he emphasizes.
TikTok Growth
The Insider Intelligence report also estimates that 74.5% of advertisers in the United States will make major investments in Influencer Marketing in 2022; according to the research, this type of advertising action is expected to grow by around 27.8% this year, reaching US$4.99 billion. With this, Tik Tok is expected to gain even more importance in the future.
According to Silas Colombo, founder and CCO of MOTIM, this movement is “almost natural”. “In recent years, Instagram has increasingly placed obstacles in the way of delivering content posted to help influencers grow their follower bases and has also increased the price of promotions. On the other hand, TikTok has an algorithm that delivers better numbers when it comes to promoting content, which gives brands more security, helps new creators gain followers and helps with the variety of names for partnerships”, he stated.
Vasques, from Agência Ecco, also emphasizes the reality of this possible change of positions between social networks due to the mutability of the medium. “The digital media environment is highly changeable. We see new things all the time, with new platforms and formats,” he highlights. “As Generation Z grows, its purchasing power increases and, increasingly, brands will seek to communicate with these people. If, in fact, TikTok proves to be the most efficient platform for communicating with this audience, it will certainly be populated by a new generation of influencers, which will make brands turn their attention and investments there,” he concludes.