TikTok vs Threads – pick your pet business social media channels

There are so many different social media channels out there it can be hard to know which to put your time and efforts into. We all know how important social media is to businesses these days so you should put a bit of thought into which platform might best suit yours. Here we are going to take a look at TikTok vs. Threads, exploring both their popularity and how they work. If you’re picking your pet business social media channels, this article (and the rest in the series) are perfect for you!

What is TikTok?

TikTok is an app used for sharing short videos. It is mainly used on mobile phones, though it is possible to view videos on a web app too. It began with Musicaly.ly in 2014 which was designed for users to share videos of them lip-syncing to songs. However, this app changed hands and became TikTok in 2018 with users primarily posting dance challenges.

This has now evolved into a mixture of informative, cute and funny videos, with video lengths increasing too (now up to ten minutes). Many businesses use a TikTok account to show off their personalities through their videos and inform clients of what they have to offer. However, some businesses just use it for advertising with many TikTok stars being able to earn a living from paid advertisements.

In January 2023 TikTok ranked as the 6th most popular social media platform globally. It has 1.1 billion active monthly users. Age-wise, TikTok is most popular with 18-24-year-olds, with 25-34-year-olds not too far behind. Despite its popularity, the app has come under scrutiny for potential security concerns which threatens its future use in some countries.

Pros

• People enjoy watching and engaging with visual information.
• If you aren’t keen on making your own videos, advertising on TikTok may be an alternative way of utilising the social media platform for your pet business.
• Short snappy videos keep people interested – although you have 10 minutes to play with, most users prefer something shorter.
• You can use TikTok’s filters and features to help edit your videos, which even work when posting live videos.

Cons

• Appeals to a younger demographic which may rule out a large sector of people if you only use TikTok for your pet business.
• TikTok has come under fire in the past for inappropriate content. Like most social media platforms there are adult content filters, but TikTok seems to struggle more than most to remove harmful content.
• TikTok only allows videos to be posted, which restricts the type of content you can share with customers on this app.
• The US government is threatening to ban TikTok. At the time of writing, 18 states are backing this with local bans and other countries elsewhere in the world are starting to follow suit. Concerns around security have driven this.

What is Threads?

Threads is a recent addition to the social media landscape. This app, developed by Meta and launched in July 2023, is the brainchild of the Instagram team. Threads offers users the ability to create posts containing up to 500 characters, share videos of up to 5 minutes in duration, and also share photos and links. It’s positioned as a companion app to Instagram, necessitating an active Instagram account for access. Considering Instagram’s vast user base of 2 billion monthly active users, Threads appears to hold substantial promise.

However, despite a promising debut, Threads has encountered challenges, notably a decline in user engagement. This trend suggests a potential issue with users spending less time on the app, which poses a challenge for its utility as a digital marketing tool. Daily user numbers dwindled significantly, dropping from 44 million around its July launch to a mere 10 million by August 2023.

Pros     

• Threads is integrated with Instagram meaning a large potential user base – this probably accounted for its initial launch success.
• It may fill the gap that Twitter leaves behind, as it evolves into its rebrand (X)
• Threads could be a good platform for short, snappy posts.
• It also allows other content to be posted – short videos and photos which might be useful when advertising your business.     

Cons

• Is a very new social media app so we don’t yet know how successful it will be longer term.
• Current data points to active users dropping away.
• You have to have an Instagram account in order to use Threads which may put some people off.
• Threads lacks some of the other features found on other social media platforms such as private messaging functions, hashtags and trending stories.

So which is best for pet business social media channels – TikTok or Threads?

TikTok is currently the most popular of the two social media platforms, so intuitively this would seem like the best option for your pet business social media channels. However, with potential bans coming into effect, this may have an impact on active user numbers and in turn, the amount of people you can reach globally. Threads may yet take off, it’s too early to say at the moment. So, in this instance, I would say hedge your bets and dip your toe into both. Alternatively, check out some of the other social media heavyweights out there instead.