INSTAGRAM REELS VS YOUTUBE SHORTS VS TIKTOK - WAR OF THE VLOGS

Social media has taken our lives by storm. It has become a staple and there is little we can do about it. In times like these, we have to adapt to changes and move forward. Businesses are perhaps the ones struggling the most. As we move closer to a digital future, businesses need to move operations into the world of the web and they cannot afford to lose time.

The pandemic has helped accelerate this shift and, in more ways, than one, businesses have managed to evolve and survive. Digital marketing has now become the crux of every marketing strategy; and businesses that fail to jump on board, will soon perish. By using social media, businesses can appeal to consumers, not as an entity but as an identity.

Businesses need to capture the imaginations of consumers and help them feel that they are more than just a product or service. One of the ways to do it is by jumping on trends. The latest trend and more than that a new way of interaction is through short videos. What started as a way to spread happiness and share life moments has become more than that. Today, we can see almost everyone subscribing to the idea of Instagram reels, TikToks, and YouTube Shorts. In a way, these short video platforms have become ways to tell stories and traditional methods such as vlogs are threatened. Take a look at any Instagram reels video and you will see that it accrues more views than any traditional vlog. So, what do businesses need to do? What are these platforms? And which one should they choose? Read on, and find out more about the war of vlogs.  

TikTok: The star of short videos

While these days the reels of Instagram are perhaps the most popular version, the original show stealer was TikTok. The Chinese company ByteDance introduced TikTok in 2016 and while it remained stagnant for a few years, it was around 2018 when it took off and never looked back. They were the first to introduce the concept of short videos in a scrollable format where the algorithm generated other videos to view in a random manner. The initial idea was to help content creators get over the hurdle that is placed by view generation on platforms such as YouTube.

Today, TikTok is one of the largest social media companies in the world, and thousands of businesses have found ways to produce content and succeed in the platform. The algorithm combined with the ever-growing fanbase means that every business can join the fray and gain a lot of impressions. Every digital marketing strategy should consider applications like TikTok, they were the pioneers and their audience base only seems to keep growing.

Instagram Reels: The worthy competitor

The rage among all social media trends, Instagram reels are the happening thing. Running on the mega-popular Instagram platform, Reels is just another name given to the short vlog concept. As they are the direct competitor to TikTok, their videos are in a way a more mainstream version of any other short vlog format. They are easier for businesses to use as you can utilize the promotional tools that are already well integrated into Instagram.

They have a bigger audience, are part of the much larger Instagram ecosystem and you can directly advertise your products through an Instagram reels video. It is leading in terms of user accumulation and for businesses looking to establish their identities online, there is no better way. Digital marketing campaigns already include Instagram marketing but now they should also include a way to incorporate Instagram Reels.  

YouTube Shorts: The new entrant

The latest platform to produce their own version of a short vlog, YouTube Shorts have become popular in a very short span of time. They debuted just a year or two ago and have become a mainstay on YouTube’s home page. In a way, Shorts are a way to take over this short vlog format from virtually every other competitor. You can use virtually every single clip from YouTube as the background for a Short and the interlinking will only help users travel down the YouTube rabbit hole.

For businesses, they can use Shorts to provide informational and promotional content. The former seems to work better as YouTube is known to be a source of information more than entertainment. Businesses can easily tap into the Shorts universe as it is in its nascent stages. You can set up a digital marketing strategy based on Shorts and you will reap the rewards in a short period.

The battle: Which one is better?

Any agency that specializes in social media Marketing Dubai will tell you that there is no clear winner yet. What they do know is that it is good for businesses. As all of these platforms tighten up their algorithms and ensure that the consumer gets as much screen time as possible businesses stand to benefit the most. Your promotional videos and short informational vlogs will get pushed to consumers front and centre.

You can take your pick from whichever platform you feel is worthy of your time, however, it feels as though all of them are winners. Modelling your digital marketing strategy to involve these platforms and to curate content specifically for them will do you no harm. The risks are far lesser than any other format and the rewards can be incredible. If done right, these videos can end up accruing thousands and perhaps even millions of views. Getting even one hit would help you generate enough impressions to offset any other form of digital marketing.

What does it mean for businesses?

Whether it is Instagram Reels or TikTok or YouTube Shorts, it only means one thing; businesses can feast. They have a very wide array of digital marketing platforms and strategies to work with. They can also experiment without the worry of failure. As social media blossoms and takes over our lives, it is only natural that businesses would want to be a part of this. Therefore, for any new business or perhaps even established ones, launching themselves into the world of short vlogs and video formats is a great idea. The reward for success means that your business will reach corners of the globe you did not expect to and gain popularity while building brand identity.  

Conclusion

For businesses to incorporate Instagram reels video and other short formats into their strategy is likely to be a successful endeavour. It is advisable that you do thorough research on how it works and how your business can create content that consumers will love before you jump in. Whichever platform you choose or even if you decide to go all-in on short video format, you will need to create an intensive strategy to succeed. However, as it is an expanding universe it only makes sense to hop on board this trend now rather than later.  Take the first step of your digital journey with Wisoft Solutions. To get the latest news, visit their website or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.