In this day and age, we have access to a veritable smorgasbord of social media platforms. As businesses, we are often told to spread our wings and fly on as many channels as possible to boost engagement. But sometimes, the best course of action is to focus on producing high quality content for just one or two—in this case, Instagram and TikTok.

Salad and beef sandwich on a plate.

 

The food business industry thrives on both of these popular channels. In fact, studies reveal that 75% of users choose a restaurant based on social media photos, and 60% scroll through food porn regularly. Add the fact that 65% of TikTok users say that the app influences their dining choices, and it's easy to see just how powerful social media is.

However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be selective about where you post online. In many ways, choosing the right channel to market your food business is just as important as your business's geographical location.

Channels denote audience type, credibility, accessibility, brand image, and a range of other crucial factors in the successful growth of your business. Below, we’ll fine-dice the differences between today’s two biggest food content magnates: Instagram and TikTok.

Why Choosing the Right Channel Matters

Different channels attract different audiences. Both Instagram and TikTok are currently teeming with short-form video content activity, and food is one of their highest performing content genres. As most brands are aware by now, having a different marketing strategy for different platforms is the key to seeing high conversion rates and sustainable engagement growth.

With unique layouts, demographics, forms of engagement, and myriad other digital idiosyncrasies, it only makes sense to craft a marketing strategy channel by channel.

So whether you’re a food content creator, restaurant, cafe, or delivery service, will Instagram or TikTok bring your brand the most success? We weigh up the pros and cons of each below.

Food Business Marketing on Instagram: Pros and Cons

Instagram is the OG of digital food business marketing. It’s the older, more established platform of the two, with a strong focus on quality short-form video content, which the platform dubbed “Reels.” It also features pristine aesthetics, from profiles to video production.

The main pros of using Instagram to market your food business are that it caters to a very wide audience, has a stable algorithm, and comes kitted out with a plethora of business-friendly features such as geotags, hashtags, and tagged partnerships that make brand awareness arguably much easier and clearer to manage.

However, the standard of video production needed to compete with other brands is higher on Instagram than on TikTok. This means it can be difficult to break through on Instagram with just a smartphone and a mic—you’ll probably need more equipment and expertise to gain traction with your Reels.

If your business is already relatively established and is looking for a way to boost credibility and brand image while operating as an esteemed professional business, Instagram is probably the best place to market your content.

It’s easy to operate but puts you in a higher class of video content, especially if you want to do more interesting content, such as behind-the-scenes videos, process shots, or interviews.

Food Business Marketing on TikTok: Pros and Cons

You’d be forgiven for looking at TikTok and immediately dismissing it as a frivolous song-and-dance app for adolescents. But the amount of success that food businesses (and all sorts of other brands) have had on this highly active, growing app is, at this point, indisputable.

Both small and mega brands have grown their business empires to new heights thanks to this platform’s wide-net approach to algorithm sharing and vast youth demographic.

TikTok is known as Gen Z Central. Many members of this internet-savvy generation prefer it and spend more time on it—58.3 minutes per day as opposed to Instagram’s average of 33.1—making TikTok one of the most powerful tools for reaching Gen Z audiences today.

That said, a whopping 53% of Millennial users have visited a restaurant after viewing it on TikTok. And the number isn’t even close to dipping. TikTok may not have the same association of professionalism just yet, but it can help your business go viral at the drop of a hat.

Food businesses that are just starting to market their brands and wares have much to gain from marketing on a platform like TikTok.

Its following grows exponentially bigger every day, it’s easy to produce viral-friendly videos for it, and it is familiar to a large demographic of consumers. This makes it an ideal platform for marketing new food brands or ones that urgently need rapid engagement both on and offline.

Isn't the Social Media Food Content Scene too Competitive

It would be remiss not to admit that the social media food scene is full of highly competitive businesses and content creators. But that doesn’t mean that producing and marketing your own is not worthwhile. The competition might be fierce, but it’s only a response to the near-insatiable demand for this kind of content from consumers worldwide.

If you believe in your business and know you have something valuable and profitable to put forward, get your content out there and be consistent. Consumers will do the rest for you.

Plus, having a social media presence allows you to expand your online presence in other ways. Whether you’re a food photographer with an online portfolio, a chef, restaurant, or bar with a website, or a supplier with an e-commerce platform, you can add your social media links to your website and vice versa. The opportunities to drive traffic to your sites or pages are huge and help get you noticed.

Put Your Food Business on the Online Map

Knowing which social media platform to market your food business on can be tricky, especially when both Instagram and TikTok have such massive followings. But by looking into the patterns and perks of each, you can decide where your content is most likely to thrive.

We don’t know exactly what the future holds for food content in the online sphere, but what we do know is that people love food content, and there’s room for the industry to grow. A strong content marketing strategy paired with the right platform is a recipe for success.

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