If you think TikTok is just a bunch of teens lip-syncing and filming choreographed dances, you’re partially right. But it’s quickly becoming one of, if not the most, popular social platforms for rising generations. A social networking site focused on bite-sized videos for millions of (mostly young) viewers, TikTok has exhibited tremendous staying power. With over 2 billion downloads on the App Store/GooglePlay, and 800 million active users, it’s a marketing avenue worth seriously considering. Ready to get started? Take a look at our tips below before you dive in.
Know Your Audience
Like any social media platform, do your research before you dive head-first into content creation. At 41% of users aged between 16-24, TikTok’s demographic is younger than many other social platforms. TikTok’s unique style is not catered to a formal or super professional video. Most users on the app are taking videos on their phones, experimenting with trends, acting silly and testing out filters and yes, often lip-syncing songs and dancing. While silly videos are widely popular, it’s important to stay true to your brand. If creating viral memes aren’t your business’ strength, don’t try. Stick to content that fits your brand, keeping it informal and fun. The Washington Post is a good example of this, turning headline stories into short, reader friendly clips for TikTok users.
Create Your Own Content
If the thought of creating your own content for TikTok is overwhelming, we understand. One of the biggest benefits of TikTok is that you don’t need to create highly-polished videos. Take out your iPhone and start recording. Take a look at the trending page to see if there are hashtag challenges your business can take part of, or, create your own hashtag challenge. Guess, the well-known clothing brand and retailer, was one of the first big brands to make their debut on TikTok. The brand implemented a new hashtag, #InMyDenim, encouraging users to upload their content wearing Guess denim. The hashtag has garnered over 50 million views for the brand, and was a trending hashtag during the brand’s campaign
Advertise
It took a bit of time, but TikTok has finally allowed for ads on their platform. As of now, TikTok supports four types of advertisements: infeed native content, brand takeovers, hashtag challenges, and branded lenses. Infeed native content is similar to Instagram story ads you see. Brand takeovers are exactly what the name suggests, allowing brands to take over TikTok for the day, creating GIFs and videos to landing pages or hashtag challenges. Hashtag challenges like the one created by Guess can be hard to recreate, but TikTok shares promoted hashtags on their “Discover” page, which is a quick way to get more eyes and more engagement on your posts. Branded lenses; think Snapchat 2D and 3D lenses for faces and photos.
Influencer Created Content
Just like any other social platform, influencer and user-generated content are a powerful marketing strategy on TikTok. While TikTok’s appeal is playful and fun, it takes a real strategy and planning to ensure your TikTok content gains, and maintains, an audience’s attention. Like partnering with the right influencer, or skillfully using your UGC. Nike has taken a unique approach to their TikTok page, keeping the brand page private. The #nike, however, has 3.5 billion (yes, with a B) views.
Chipotle partnered with a TikTok influencer to develop a campaign, #chipotlelidflip, where users submitted videos of themselves trying to flip a Chipotle lid onto their food. The challenge got more than 100,000 submissions, and 309 million views. The key to a paid partnership is finding an influencer that resonates with your audience.
