Innovation on TikTok and Instagram: the new frontier of corporate social media

It's essential that social media and the corporate website are not separate realms, but work in tandem to build a comprehensive, consistent digital presence. 

Here, we give quick insights into which social media channels are most popular with corporates, and examples of innovation on Instagram and TikTok. 

Which channels are most popular in the corporate world? 

Among the top performers in the Bowen Craggs Index, these platforms stand out: 

• LinkedIn: It naturally aligns with corporate communication's tone and topics, and is a great channel to reach specialist and professional visitors. 
• Twitter/X: Despite changes, it remains valuable for and commonly used by corporate communications teams. Most companies are sticking with the channel for organic posting (for now), despite controversy.
• Facebook: It is falling in popularity among younger users, but remains effective for reaching other demographics.
• YouTube: It is often used primarily as a host for corporate videos, in the same way that Slideshare hosts presentations and Flickr images.  
• Instagram: Though it revolves around visual content, the platforms has become a commonplace for a corporate presence.  
• TikTok: An emerging platform for reaching younger audiences, it also creates opportunities for more informal content and for harnessing popular trends. 

Overcoming the limitations of “structure” on social media 

Unlike a website, where you control how information is presented, social media has existing structures that won’t always allow you to present your content in the best way. However, you can take action to ensure good content organisation and visibility, even within these limitations. 

Instagram – Highlights and Links in bio 

On Instagram, where stories disappear after 24 hours, you can use highlights, which are collections of stories aggregated above your posts, to keep these topics visible. It also allows content to be grouped according to topics, and retain visibility at the top of the feed, and mimicking a website’s menu. Novo Nordisk does this particularly well, with visually coherent highlights to navigate key corporate content. Another popular feature on corporate Instagram accounts is the use of “Link in Bio” systems. These systems allow companies to offer a range of links, which cannot be done from posts, as those do not support hyperlinks. Hydro’s link in bio system Is excellent, providing great signposts to other social channels, key pages on the corporate site, and links to content specifically mentioned in Instagram posts. 

TikTok – First steps and Playlists 

TikTok is an exciting platform for reaching younger audiences. Index leaders are slowly but surely making their way to the platform. Nestlé, for example, has launched an account at the beginning of September. Established companies like LVMH effectively structure their content using playlists, a feature similar to Instagram highlights, which help with the structure and visibility of topic-related content.