With billions of active users on social media and digital marketing through photos and videos, it is clear that visual material is always available to any business or marketer.
Companies and digital marketers will find that using photographs and videos to represent their brands, raise brand recognition, and expand their consumer base is a successful and popular technique.
Pinterest and Instagram are popular right now because people are getting even lazier. They want to gather knowledge quickly and easily through simple sensory observations. They will now choose to observe information rather than read it.
In this article, we’re going to provide you with an insight into the details of both platforms’ capabilities and help you decide better when it comes to choosing one of them.
Audience demographic
Knowing where your target audience spends the majority of their time is important since that is where you should invest your money, time, and services.
In comparison to Pinterest’s audience, Instagram’s audience is more diversified. Instagram has a wider audience; Instagram has over 1 billion monthly active users, whereas Pinterest has 25 million monthly active users.
The majority of Instagram users are under the age of 30, and they like to follow fascinating, authentic, and fashion-related Instagram accounts. However, the gender balance is often equal. Females make up 52% of the population, while males make up 48%.
Instagram’s most significant age demographic is 25 to 34-year-olds.
Pinterest users are overwhelmingly female, yet they are drawn to accounts that focus on crafting, recipes, and product and information suggestions. Unlike Instagram, Pinterest caters mostly to women, with 80 percent of users being female and only 20% being male.
Pinterest’s most significant age group (40 percent) is 25 to 34 years old, followed by 35 to 44 years old.
Considering the above stats, it’s obvious why many people try to create or even buy Instagram accounts. Having an Instagram account with thousands of followers can put their products/services in the eyes of their target audience, leading to more sales.
Desktop and mobile versions
Instagram and Pinterest, as previously stated, are both desktop and mobile compatible. Instagram, on the other hand, is mostly utilized on mobile devices. While you may view Instagram from your computer, you can only submit photographs or videos from your phone.
Depending on your business and the marketer creating content on Instagram, this functionality may be a benefit or a drawback.
Source: Instagram desktop version
Pinterest, on the other hand, is completely compatible with both mobile and desktop devices. If the majority of your users prefer to utilize the desktop, Pinterest is a better choice.
Keep in mind that, in this day and age, everyone has a smartphone, so your decision is based more on your audience’s demographics than on how they want to tackle their own personal experience.
Photo editing tools
Before a post is published, the Instagram mobile app enables photo and content modification. As a result, you may quickly and painlessly generate high-quality photography and information.
Pinterest, on the other hand, does not have this functionality; therefore, you’ll have to alter your content using third-party programs before sharing it.
Source: Instagram’s photo editing tool
Storytelling
Instagram is a superior choice if your digital marketing goal is to create a personal experience for your consumers. Instagram has everything you need for a great storytelling platform.
It enables you to showcase and engage your customers with photos and material connected to your products and services. You might also combine Instagram features to avoid appearing overpowering to your followers.
Pinterest, on the other hand, does not have the same narrative vibe. You may plan out your boards and pins, but it won’t provide the same visual experience or platform.
Links
If you want to utilize social media to drive traffic to your website, Pinterest could be a better option because it prioritizes link storing and sharing. It also allows you to rapidly share your website link.
You can’t put links in Instagram posts unless you pay for marketing campaigns. Your Instagram bio can include a link, but not every post. If your goal is to conduct e-commerce through each article, this is a disadvantage.
You may also utilize Instagram story maker for Business to integrate the store function, which allows you to tag items in your pictures and drive Instagram users to your website.
Furthermore, if you have more than 10,000 Instagram followers, you may include links in your Instagram story design to earn e-commerce.
Unlike Instagram, Pinterest allows you to share links from several websites instead of just one. Pinterest might be more beneficial if you have many websites.
Pinterest includes a visual search tool as well. Users may scan an image and receive product recommendations as a result.
If you sell furniture, decorative items, or wedding and party planning services, you should think to consider Pinterest as an e-commerce platform. Even if you have choices for targeting both sites, we recommend focusing on Pinterest first.
However, if you’re selling anything else, Instagram Shopping is a fantastic e-commerce solution. Especially considering Instagram has a larger readership than the other two social media platforms.
Video features
Both Instagram and Pinterest allow users to share videos. A video tab, lifetime stats, video pin, and scheduling tools are all available on Pinterest.
Nonetheless, the videos mostly promote inspiring ideas, recipes, DIY projects, and more, much like the overall social network focus.
If you want to utilize Instagram, you may publish videos from a variety of places and sources, including Instagram Feeds, Stories, and IGTV. This would provide your marketing strategy with greater flexibility and depth. Depending on your products and business, you may post both short and long movies.
Source: Instagram
Algorithm
The algorithm that powers each platform may be the most significant distinction between the two social media networks.
Pins added to posts on Pinterest endure longer. They can endure up to four months, thereby making the post everlasting. This is a big benefit for companies and the visitors to their websites.
Instagram Posts, on the other hand, are far more transient due to the algorithm that supports “momentary” representation. Your posts and items would only earn 24 hours of enhanced engagement on Instagram.
Instagram Feeds display posts depending on time and intervals; thus, fresher material would be moved down from a Home Feed.
Hashtags
Hashtags are one of the most useful features of Instagram. They’re crucial for getting more Instagram followers since they expand an account’s marketing reach to new consumers. Hashtags are essential if you want to enhance your Instagram viewability.
Hashtags can be used in a variety of ways, including:
- Industry-specific information
- Location-Based
- Community-Based
- Subject-specific
- Event-Based
- or a company name
To reach a larger audience by strategically marketing your product, account, and business with hashtags.
Hashtags on Pinterest, on the other hand, although being used, do not have the same impact. Instead, Pinterest displays appropriately labeled “Pins” on search results.
Final thoughts: which platform is better for your business?
It all relies on your social media marketing plan, whether you use Pinterest, Instagram, or both. Finally, think about which platform provides your brand with the greatest clout in the sector.
However, the quality, frequency, and consistency of the photographs, videos, and articles you provide, as well as the response of your audience to the information you present, will determine your success and effectiveness.
Pinterest and Instagram are two platforms that appear similar at first glance but are vastly different when examined in depth.
The users of these sites all have distinct aims and purposes in mind. These extra incentives have also influenced the design of the platforms, explaining why each has its own atmosphere and aesthetic use.