With the many varying social media platforms out there today, it can be difficult to choose the correct one when it pertains to marketing these days.
Out of the masses of popular applications, TikTok has in fact been increasing in popularity, particularly over the last two years, and it appears that many brands, both big and small, are utilising the platform.
But TikTok requires a slightly different form of marketing than your already over-populated social media apps, remember, it’s still an unsaturated platform – which opens up the doors to exploring varying options.
If your brand or business is considering using it, here are a few reasons to convince you further as to why making the move to TikTok is indeed a good choice.
There’s a massive audience including influencers
Only launching in 2016, TikTok has grown exponentially in just a few short years and the app now has 800 million users globally. It was also the most downloaded app for 2020 on Apple’s App Store.
A few short years back, the app’s main demographic sat among our Gen Z users. Looking at 2019 statistics, the eMarketer Report for the US stated that 42% of users were between 13 and 16 years old, whilst 32% of TikTok users were aged between 17 and 21 years old.
However, let’s fast-forward to 2020 in which the worldwide pandemic seemed to have somewhat of a positive effect on TikTok.
Looking at statistics from April, it seemed that users amongst other generations are on the rise. Among the 25 to 34 age group, users increased from 22.4% to 27.4% but more impressively, user engagement by those aged between 35 to 44 years old increased from 13.9% to `17.1%.
Don’t forget to first check though if your audience demographic is on TikTok.
Remember another effective marketing strategy to make use of is working with an influencer. In addition to this, using an organic growth service like TokUpgrade is another effective way to get TikTok followers.
TikTok, like any other social media app, has thousands of influencers and they can help you build brand awareness through your partnership. TikTok allows for many local influencers to gain popularity easily, another up-side of working with a TikToker influencer – chances are you’ll share similar demographics. Partnering with an influencer is a fantastic way to drive not only traffic to your TikTok page but to your brand, business and other website/blogs/pages, and increase your TikTok followers.
Can help to form a connection
In comparison to other applications available, what sets TikTok apart is the fact that it’s a very natural platform where content production costs are extremely minimal compared to other platforms. Most times, all that is required is a mobile camera and you/your content.
This means that followers have the opportunity to get an inside look at the culture of your brand, as well as a feel for what you stand for, and thus, are more likely form a connection with your brand if they do connect with your message.
There are a few TikTok tricks to help you build that connection, especially if you’re a bit camera shy and/or aren’t sure of what to do…
Facetime – Probably the most unique aspect that sets TikTok apart, users love to see real humans doing real things.
Comedy – Feeling nervous? Don’t be, TikTokers love the app for its entertainment value, remember that when posting video content.
Relatability – We all like to feel like we belong, creating content that others can identify with creates relatability between your brand and users.
Authenticity – People love TikTok because it’s real people posting videos about real things. Try not to put on too much of a facade as other apps tend to make us do.
Show off products organically
One important thing to note from the get-go is that TikTok marketing is hugely different to that of other platforms and in this world, traditional advertising is a no-no.
Remember, most of its users are from our Generation Z and in their fast world, adverts are one easy click away from being averted and discarded. And with so many various applications that we visit each day, can one blame them?
However, this leaves room for brands to show off their products organically instead, allowing for user-generated content to be at the forefront of the TikTok experience, in which it most certainly is.
This means social approval can be given more easily, which in turn, naturally means more followers, and ultimately, more sales.
It’s a win-win situation all round.
“A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well.” – Jeff Bezos.