YouTube and Instagram are two very contrasting social media applications with YouTube acting like a search engine and Instagram as the best place to reach out to more people effectively.

When it comes to Instagram vs. YouTube, both social media platforms have been around for more than a decade. Both deserve credit for being the longest-running influencer marketing channels online today since their inception.

But which one should you choose? The answer to that is not very simple, both of them work differently. We will be going through those set facts that prove one superior to another.

 

YouTube vs Instagram

Statistics

Instagram:

• 1 billion active monthly users and 500 million daily users.
• 130 million users engage with shopping content through Instagram.
• 9 out of 10 people using Instagram follow at least one business account.
• 8 out of 10 people have discovered something new through their feed/recommendations.
• Users average at around 53 minutes per day on Instagram.

Youtube:

• 2 billion active monthly users and 800 million daily users.
• 2nd largest search engine, with Google at the top spot.
• 59% of the world prefers videos over text content.
• 500 hours worth of videos is uploaded every minute.
• 55% of the marketers have Youtube in their marketing plan.

 

Now we will see why to use each of these platforms for marketing.

 

Why should you pick YouTube:

YouTube is the second most popular website on the planet. It now has a global audience of over 3 billion people. YouTube videos are useful for people interested in beauty, fitness, cooking, travel, and a variety of other topics. Every day, these sub-niches grow in popularity.

YouTube is a fantastic medium for creating high-quality, evergreen, search-friendly content with a long shelf life. As a result, a sponsored YouTube video might be quite beneficial to your company. Of course, this will be more expensive than creating content for platforms like Instagram stories, but a Youtube ad’s reach and effect is far more superior to the latter.

YouTube is the finest platform for brands wishing to deliver extensive descriptions of the benefits and features of their products and services to their target market. Advertisers only pay for an ad once the user has watched it for at least 30 seconds, making YouTube a cost-effective platform.

 

On YouTube, the most popular companies and goods are those related to technology, gaming, and beauty. Those looking for consumers between the ages of 18 and 54 will have a lot of success on this site.

YouTube’s pre-and mid-roll video commercials, as well as in-picture banner ads, provide the finest advertising experience for marketers, and the company is experimenting with social commerce, such as in-app shopping. Because marketers can simply add hyperlinks and construct video descriptions that rank on Google, YouTube is beneficial for SEO for firms who use social media to drive website traffic.

 

Why should you pick Instagram:

Sponsored videos on YouTube are amazing, but sponsored videos on Instagram are even better. They can not only be devoured swiftly, but they also require less money for content generation. Consumers who don’t have time to watch long videos will appreciate Instagram stories and live videos.

Every month, Instagram has over 1 billion active users. As a result, both influencers and brands benefit from Instagram as a platform. If the material is relevant and visually appealing, a brand can obtain more leads and customers. It also aids in increasing an influencer’s number of followers and interaction. Instagram is a diverse medium for influencer marketing.

Instagram is popular among content creators and influencer marketers for a variety of reasons. Brands may easily republish content organically. Where appropriate, they can also white-label content for paid social. Instagram also gives users easy-to-understand insights and report data. This enables businesses to make quick adjustments in order to keep their efforts on track.

Instagram gives businesses the opportunity to have their own presence. When a firm uses this platform to work with influencers, you may use tagging and brand mentions increasing your own following.

But the biggest downside is not only the reach of the story but also that the story only lasts for 24 hours and can be only 60 seconds long. Yes, other methods like IGTV, posts and reels exist but the reach is reduced with those as only select consumers will be able to view such content.

 

Conclusion

In terms of marketing, both Instagram and YouTube are important. As a result, before deciding between the two, weigh all of the advantages and disadvantages of each platform and sketch out a clear picture of your requirements.

YouTube videos give you the ability to share more information with your audience and have a longer shelf life. Although Instagram content is less expensive, it can only be utilised to provide restricted information. Instagram, on the other hand, can help you reach out to the right people in a timely and effective manner.

Most importantly, make sure that these channels can assist you in achieving your objectives. Make sure your target audience can be found on the platform you chose for your campaign.

I’d like to summarize in this way, if you have the budget then YouTube is the better choice for you while on the other hand if you want to target a very select group of young people then Instagram is your go-to platform. But the best way to approach it is cross-platform as it will provide you access to most of both worlds.

Choose wisely. It’s crucial to examine your marketing goals, products or services, and target demographic when comparing YouTube and Instagram.