TikTok or YouTube – which platform is more effective for video marketing?

Video marketing is one of the marketing and communication trends that delivers effective results in many aspects, such as brand recognition, revenue, and attracting new customers if it goes viral. So, between TikTok and YouTube, which platform is the most effective for video marketing?

Why has video marketing become a trend?

Marketing is an indispensable part of the business journey or brand development of any industry. Each stage gives rise to different forms of marketing, but all aim at the common goal of reaching more customers, affirming brand value, and generating revenue for the business.

In recent years, video marketing has become the most popular trend, holding immense potential and even capable of propelling small businesses or individuals to "the top" in brand building. Real-world examples have shown that many struggling businesses have suddenly thrived thanks to just one video marketing tool. viral video (trending).

Video marketing brings many clear benefits to businesses.

The impact of video marketing is most clearly seen through the TikTok platform. Businesses of all sizes, even supermarket chains and large corporations, have begun building TikTok channels after recognizing the potential this platform offers. Even giants like Facebook and YouTube have updated their platforms with short videos (videos of similar length to TikTok) to serve various marketing purposes.

So what value does video marketing offer that makes it such a current trend?

• Increase engagementVideos with compelling content will achieve high engagement, demonstrated through likes, shares, comments, and even viewer debates. The higher the engagement of a video, the more naturally and effectively it can reach new customers.
• Increase brand recognition.Disseminating marketing videos will help reinforce the brand image in the minds of viewers – who are also potential customers – thereby arousing curiosity and a need to learn more about the business (or individual) who created the video.
• Understanding customer needs: Comments left under videos are a way for businesses and brands to understand what customers need and want, thereby adjusting and strengthening their products to better suit customer preferences. Furthermore, through these interactions, businesses can even predict future trends and seize opportunities in a timely manner.
• Generate revenueWhether individuals or businesses, marketing aims for the common goal of creating value in terms of both image and revenue, and developing in a better, stronger direction.
• Cost optimization: The shift from offline to online business models is becoming a trend, and video marketing has a huge impact on this process. Just one trending video can sell 1000 shirts in a single day, instead of spending months and a large sum of money on ads as before.

Which is the more effective video marketing platform: TikTok or YouTube?

It's safe to say that YouTube was the first king in the video industry, but the emergence of TikTok truly marked the beginning of the remarkable growth of video marketing. Recognizing this appeal, YouTube quickly updated its features to include short videos, which have also yielded equally positive results.

The common point between TikTok and YouTube is that content is primarily presented in video format (TikTok has updated to include image format), instead of just text content like platforms like Facebook. Twitter, Weibo, etc..  So what is the most effective video marketing platform?

To answer this question, let's analyze the communication potential of video marketing on both TikTok and YouTube platforms.

For TikTok

From its very inception, TikTok has been positioned as an entertainment platform for young people, offering incredibly engaging, interesting, and unique content. Statistics also show that the average age of users is between 16 and 24, so it's no surprise that what's presented on TikTok always feels fresh, youthful, and dynamic.

Businesses can sell thousands of products in just one night if their TikTok video marketing goes viral.

Video marketing on TikTok typically features short videos, ranging from a few tens of seconds to a few minutes, or extremely long videos if developed as livestreams. Video marketing is considered effective when it goes viral, as evidenced by the number of views, comments, and shares.

When it first appeared, content creators on TikTok were mostly young people aiming for entertainment and building their personal brands. However, after more than 6 years since its launch in Vietnam, businesses have begun to actively participate in this platform with the aim of promoting, marketing, developing brands, and generating more effective online revenue.

The strength of using TikTok as a video marketing platform lies in its ability to deliver results in a short time, easily reach a large customer base, and have relatively low production costs while still generating significant revenue. Businesses don't need to directly produce video marketing content; they can leverage other KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) and KOCs (Key Opinion Leaders) for marketing and still achieve desirable results.

TikTok has the TikTok Shop app, which allows you to open a store or attach a shopping cart link directly, making it extremely convenient. A viral video with a shopping cart link can bring you hundreds, even thousands of orders in just one night. In addition, the prices of products on TikTok are considered extremely affordable, especially during live streams from brands and businesses.

However, if you're building a TikTok channel for media, your video marketing content needs to follow a consistent storyline to ensure a stable audience. Unconventional or off-topic content can cause your channel to lose engagement. Furthermore, TikTok's content and policies are quite strict, especially if you're targeting business, creating a shop, or selling products on the platform.

For YouTube

YouTube's initial concept was for videos with a minimum length of 7 minutes or more to ensure optimal marketing. The platform's user base is incredibly diverse, with almost everyone, including older adults, using YouTube. YouTube's video content is also incredibly varied and rich, including content that TikTok restricts or prohibits. Furthermore, YouTube has settings to ensure that content is displayed in an age-appropriate manner.

YouTube video marketing allows for longer video lengths, enabling detailed descriptions of products to help customers understand them better.

While TikTok might leave you curious due to its short duration, YouTube offers a more satisfying experience by allowing you to watch an entire video without interruptions. This enables more detailed descriptions of products, including their uses, features, advantages, and disadvantages, providing a more objective perspective. YouTube also excels at promoting video marketing through its SEO metrics when searching for relevant keywords on Google, contributing to a stronger brand positioning.

Video marketing on YouTube typically features high-quality images and longer video lengths, resulting in higher production costs but delivering a better customer experience. Thanks to its diverse content options, a single YouTube channel can generate countless different content streams without fear of failure.

Additionally, you can deliver video marketing on YouTube through short ads, just a few seconds long, inserted between videos (usually featuring engaging content). However, this feature may be limited, as these ads will not appear if the user subscribes to the Premium plan.

YouTube marketing videos can be entertaining, vlogs, technical or theoretical, or even live streams. Their longer duration allows you to provide more detailed and in-depth content to viewers, thereby retaining loyal customers for your business.

Summary 

It's undeniable that video marketing on TikTok has a powerful reach. A prime example is Caty Food – a micro-startup that skyrocketed to stardom thanks to TikTok. From an unknown brand, the Thanh Long instant noodle craze swept the market, causing everyone to rush to order, even to the point where production couldn't keep up with customer demand, all thanks to one viral TikTok clip.

This is why YouTube has integrated a short video feature into its platform to meet customer demand. Many businesses, in the process of transformation, have also begun shifting from media channels like Facebook and Instagram to TikTok to attract more customers and keep up with trends. Many TikTok content creators have also started cutting long videos into short videos to upload to TikTok.

Combining TikTok and YouTube will bring groundbreaking results in marketing, both in terms of branding and revenue.

Conversely, many people who previously worked on TikTok are now switching to YouTube because they recognize the platform's potential in terms of media. When they begin building a long-term, polished personal brand with insightful content and expanding their loyal customer base, YouTube becomes the most suitable platform.

Determining whether YouTube or TikTok is the more effective video marketing platform requires careful consideration of various factors such as purpose, target audience, and product. For example, for small-scale businesses selling fashion, cosmetics, or shoes, targeting individual customers, TikTok is a viable revenue source. However, if you are a large-scale business aiming for long-term brand building and a professional image, then you should focus heavily on YouTube.

In summary, for optimal marketing results, it's best to combine both TikTok and YouTube simultaneously. With their powerful social media influence, these two platforms complement each other, enhancing your video marketing efforts in terms of both brand building and sales. The key is to dedicate time to research and develop a suitable strategy to create engaging videos that effectively reach potential customers.