TikTok has over 1 billion monthly users, double that of Snapchat. Although it started off as a youth-focused platform, it is on its way to becoming much more mainstream – with over 44% of users aged between 20 and 39, and 31% aged 40+.
TikTok is on a huge growth trajectory. Instagram even tried to rival the app by bringing out ‘Reels’ to compete with them, but they have not seen the same results. Considering Instagram halted Snapchat’s growth by bringing out their own version of Stories, it shows that TikTok is already a very strong app. However, you need to decide for your own company – is it worth your time and money to start investing in this app?
Why use TikTok for your business?
An interesting thing about TikTok is that anyone can go viral, regardless of follower count. The ‘For You’ page shows users content the app thinks they will like based on previous activity, which means you don’t need a lot of followers for your video to be seen by a lot of people. Visibility also grows over time, so even if your content is not successful in the first few hours, this can continue to grow over an extended period.
Considering these engagement possibilities and the growing audience base, the app can be a great place to gain brand awareness and show the more human side to your business.
Best practices on TikTok
- Trends are opportunities – see what is going on and get involved. You can check trending hashtags to see if there is anything your brand could join in on. Trending sounds can also be a good way to gain visibility.
- Consider what topic you will be making content around – depending on your industry it could be travel, food, beauty, or fashion for example. Make a mix of both trending and individual content that showcases your brand’s personality and products or services.
- Decide on your look, feel and tone – funny, aesthetic, personality, scenery etc. Having a sense of humour works best for TikTok’s audience, however a classier tone can also work well for luxury brands.
- Have fun with it! It is best to get your team involved – customers love to see the people behind the brand and team members can bring new ideas, especially if they are regular users of the app.
Consideration for your business
Do you have the time to create content for a new platform?
TikTok is completely different to other channels you may currently be using. Whereas with Facebook and Instagram you can post somewhat interchangeably, TikTok requires completely different content. Trends are unique to the app, so you will need to keep up-to-date and create reactive content.
Video content in general also takes longer to create than simply snapping a quick picture. You may need other team members to help you out for videos, so team workload should be considered to see if this is something you can realistically add to your schedules.
Are your audience on the app?
Although the app is becoming more mainstream, it is still predominantly used by Gen Z. If this is your target demographic, then you should consider building a presence on the app.
Can you effectively showcase your brand?
TikTok is all about showing your product or service in a highly visual, playful way. This is better suited to certain brands such as makeup, hair, food, and hotels to name a few. But you can get creative with this regardless, service businesses may opt to give quick tips relating to their niche instead.
If you can’t visually promote your service, you and your staff are your best asset – just prepare to get comfortable in front of a camera!
Paid advertising on TikTok
Paid advertising is now available on TikTok, its advertising platform is called ‘TikTok For Business’ and allows brands to utilise a variety of ads
Hashtag Challenges
This is a unique way to encourage user generated content (UGC). Users are taken to a landing page with more information when they click on the hashtag.
Brand Takeovers
Brands can take over the app to gain mass brand awareness. Full screen ads are shown to your target audience as soon as they open TikTok, and they can also show up on the ‘For You’ page as images GIFs or videos linking to a landing page.
Infeed Ads
Ads that appear between videos as a user is scrolling through their ‘For You’ page.
Top View
These ads appear on the ‘For You’ page in the first 3 seconds a user opens the app, featuring auto-play and a 60 second slot.
Branded Effects –
these include shareable stickers, AR filters and lenses which can be active for up to 10 days.
However, keep in mind that pricing for TikTok ads starts at the higher end of the scale for social media advertising: your minimum campaign budget is $500, and this doesn’t cover all different campaign types.
Another way to promote your brand on the platform is via content creators. These users are highly influential, trusted by their followers, and much more welcomed by Gen Z than sponsored ads.
Conclusion
If you have analysed all the above points and believe TikTok can help increase your brand’s reach and revenue – then great, go for it! TikTok involves trying something new and creating content you may not be used to. Be sure to follow our best practices if you join the app. If you don’t think TikTok will be beneficial for your brand at this time, or you don’t have enough time to add a new channel to the mix – then that’s fine too. Focus on the channels you are already creating content for and how you can optimise these best.
