The answer is it depends. Like everything in life, it depends. It is clear that we have to adapt to new formats and this translates into starting to use video as a form of communication. It is faster, more dynamic and generates more engagement. As we are about to enter 2022, this is more than a fact, and the figures prove it.

Now, if I have to start creating content in video format, what should I do? This is a question that more and more brands are asking themselves every day. And we must always keep our target audience in mind. How old are they? How do they behave? What do they need?

Therein lies the real key to not investing our time and money in a platform that is not the right one. It is necessary to add that there is no one better than another. They all have their audience and their functions, and that’s why we have to do a little research. In this way we will be able to focus all our attention directly on the one that gives us a benefit.

INSTAGRAM: Long live the King

We can’t talk about content without mentioning Instagram, the origin of everything. The giant has given for many years what to talk about. In it began the collaborations with people who had many followers. What today we call influencers. And thanks to them a new profession has emerged, which is to create content on the Internet as the main source of income.

Without Instagram there would be no Tiktok, no Twitch, no Discord… This new way of bringing brands closer to users through people on the street and not celebrities meant a break in communication as we knew it. That’s why this platform cannot be ignored.

However, are Instagram’s days numbered? The truth is that the platform is trying to adapt to new formats to compete against applications such as TikTok, giving greater visibility to those videos uploaded by creators, rather than to their photos

But Instagram has to face the reality it has run up against: new generations want video that is more immediate, more selective and in line with their interests.

Influencersare not going to cease to exist from one day to the next because they will always have their audience. Those loyal followers who have grown up with them, and who have accompanied them throughout their career. These users are the same ones who continue to use Instagram because they are made to the platform and old habits die hard.

On the other hand, the new generations leave more aside these platforms and make the leap to other ”younger” ones, where the content is demanded by them and where referent personalities abound, because the virality factor is very high.

STREAMERS: The other side of the coin.

What exactly is a streamer? In a simple phrase: people who create live content, without a script or filters, in a natural way, while interacting with the public.

In this way we can find characters likeIbai Llanos or Laura Escanes, who connect every day to talk live with thousands of followers. This is the other extreme of the platforms. While Instagram is based on a constant premeditated and programmed publication of photos that have a great production behind them, on platforms like Twitch or Discord, streamers connect and have a conversation of whatever with their followers, as we could do anyone with our friends.

This type of content generates a direct impact and makes followers feel close and identified with their favorite streamers. They see that there is no trick or gimmick. Conversations, reactions and mistakes are genuine.

It is usually content about video games, but as time goes by, and especially thanks to the pandemic, the content has expanded and varied. core/paragraph And so has its audience. The new generations no longer spend hours in front of a TV, and consume content here and now. They decide when.

However, with Twitch, the type of format can be a bit reminiscent of when we used to turn on the TV at a certain time because we knew our favorite show was starting. Although now we can communicate directly through that same screen, giving our opinions and ideas.

In this way, thousands of people connect at the same time to watch the same content live. A very juicy platform for brands, which can transmit that signal of closeness and transparency, as there is no post-production by the streamer.

TIKTOK: Much more than dances.

Finally, we have TikTok, the giant that has taken everything by storm in the last year. This one combines the formats of the two previous ones. We can create premeditated videos with editing and postproduction, we can make live or we can hit the record button and let what comes out. In TikTok there are no rules.

And the new generations know it. That’s why it’s their favorite platform. The fact of being able to swipe and consume hundreds of 1-minute videos of various kinds has positioned it as the platform of reference among the Z generation.

That’s why many brands have jumped on the bandwagon and are starting to direct their communication there, especially fashion and beauty brands, such as Pull & Bear or L’Oreal collaborations.

The tiktokers are young people, who do not follow the pattern of content creation that we knew until now. Their cynical humor, their participation in society and their knowledge about global issues make them a reference for other young people their age, and all this without the need to leave their room or even get dressed up.

Plus, there’s instant virality thanks to popular sounds, or trends like transitions or effects in the videos; so it’s a very easy way to get noticed. This type of immediate communication is what is sweeping and shaking platforms like Instagram or Youtube, which also included in its strategy the shorts, where content creators can record mini-videos for their followers.

Which one is best for my strategy?

As we have seen, all three platforms have a clear and distinctive form of communication, and are aimed at different audiences. Therefore, we need to understand what we want to communicate and who we want to target.

This way, we can choose what type of content we need to create and choose our ideal content creator. If your brand is targeting the Z generation, it is clear that TikTok is the solution; whereas, if it is a millennial audience or your brand is only looking to build loyalty, Instagram is the one.

If what we want is for our brand to be tested or generate notoriety, Twitch is a good option. All three options will be a success, and is that digital content will never stop, and the here and now content provided by the video format is gaining day by day positions among content marketing strategies.

At Grupo WDiwe have 360º strategies, where digital channels are as important as traditional ones. You can always open our mailbox and consult which type of content creator is the best for your brand.