Twitter vs Instagram: Which Platform Is Better for Branding?
With over 1 billion monthly users, Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. In comparison, Twitter has around 270 million users worldwide.
Based on these numbers, companies, and brands often choose the bigger platform for their marketing efforts. But is it always a good idea to go where it’s hard to stand out? Isn’t it better to have less competition and more engaged users?
Instagram is a visual platform where brands post images and videos that represent their brand. Twitter focuses more on conversations and updates as a way to keep users in the loop.
Read on below to discover the key differences between Twitter vs Instagram and which platform is better for your brand.
Engagement
When it comes to engagement between Instagram vs Twitter, Instagram is the clear winner. The platform keeps the users constantly scrolling, doesn’t allow direct links to outside websites, and is a visual platform.
These features are great for brands to keep the conversation going, and build solid relationships with their customers. Twitter’s engagement is much lower, though its retweet, quote, and reply features allow for instant communication.
Another major difference between Twitter and Instagram is reposting. Instagram does not offer this option, but you can easily retweet (share) posts on Twitter.
Live Features
Instagram users can go live via Instagram stories, Instagram Live, and IGTV. This gives brands a chance to connect with their followers in real time. This is not possible with Twitter, though posting live news updates comes close enough.
To decide between Twitter or Instagram for your brand, ask yourself if you have enough live content to post. If you don’t have enough content yet, you can always plan ahead and schedule Instagram posts automatically. This way, you’ll always have a rich feed, and plenty of updates to keep your audience happy.
Twitter also offers scheduling posts, but due to its update-based nature, you’d need to plan a whole day’s worth of content. Otherwise, a single tweet will get lost in the sea of constant updates.
Advertising
Both Instagram and Twitter offer ads and sponsored posts, but the engagement might be drastically different. On Instagram, you can monetize posts, stories, and IGTV videos, while on Twitter, you can only use posts in different formats to promote your products or services.
Instagram now offers direct shopping features that brands use to link to their products and online stores. Twitter does not offer a “Shop Now” feature, aside from sponsored tweets linking to product websites.
Who Wins the Battle of Twitter vs Instagram?
Before you decide to use one platform to grow your brand and write the other off, consider the pros and cons of both.
Instagram might be more visual than Twitter, but Twitter allows users to share posts and spread the word faster. You can always use both platforms for different purposes and to reach different audiences in different ways.
For more Twitter vs Instagram posts, keep browsing our blog where we publish the best tips and tools in the social media world.