April 30, 2020
Should Your Brand Be On TikTok?
Kaitlin Cwikla
Social media is constantly growing and changing with society as it evolves. Every year it seems like there’s a new trend or a new viral push to get behind — we’re looking at you, Joe Exotic. As technology evolves and our social media behaviors change, there are also new ways for us to be entertained.
TikTok is the latest social media platform craze, and advertisers have started to explore the app as a means of reaching new audiences in a unique way.
Trendy or Timeless?
Recently acquired by Singapore-based company, ByteDance, TikTok has grown to become the talk of the social media industry for the past couple of years. Prior to its acquisition, the app was known as Musical.ly–a social networking platform that allowed users to create short lip-sync videos to music.
The main change with TikTok is that it leaves much more room for creativity outside of just music and dancing. There are a ton of different ways to create visually engaging content, and it’s even become a popular source of content for creators on other platforms like Instagram and Twitter.
As of 2019, there were 800 Million active TikTok users worldwide, making it the fourth most popular social networking platform in the world. And, the growth doesn’t appear to be slowing down. In February 2020 alone, there were 113 Million new app downloads.
There’s a lot of discussion surrounding the app’s longevity, mostly due to its recent privacy concerns and also from what we’ve seen with its predecessors (R.I.P. Vine). However, TikTok’s unique algorithm has proven successful in attracting not only active users, but also content engagement. Influencer Hub recently surveyed over 100,000 TikTok accounts and found that the app has the highest engagement rate of any other social media platform–reaching almost double the average engagement rate of Instagram.
TikTok Targeting
The primary age group on TikTok sits just between the ages of 16 and 24, so the platform is ideal for brands that are trying to reach teenagers and young adults. However, if that isn’t your target, don’t let it stop you. The app is growing fast and garnering users from all different ages. In the past few months alone, app downloads increased in the US by 43 million.
In either situation, TikTok is going to present some key techniques for advertising your brand in the future. Younger audiences are not likely to engage with your standard ad format, so many brands have already shifted their focus to strategies such as influencer marketing or branded content. TikTok is an ideal platform for both of these strategies, as well as organic audience building because it allows users to view content in an entertaining, to-the-point way.
Advertising on TikTok
Several major brands have taken to TikTok to reach a wider audience on social media. Among these are companies like; Chipotle, Oreo, HP, and ESPN. A lot of times, ads will incorporate something involving a “challenge” where users are encouraged to post creative clips remaking the original challenge video. This works to their advantage because it spreads brand awareness in an interactive way without turning off a younger audience by using ads that are too forthcoming.
TikTok just began “do-it-yourself” in late 2019, so the opportunity for advertising on TikTok is open to anyone for the most part. The catch is you have to be willing to spend more money than you would typically spend for social advertising. We expect the costs to be lowered and the exclusive nature of their advertising platform to dissipate as more advertisers join the fold.
What’s Next for TikTok?
Regardless of your social media strategy, TikTok is something you need to keep an eye on over the next couple years. There’s a lot of opportunity for advertisers to create eye-catching content within the app, while reaching new users and spreading their brand messaging. As TikTok continues to grow, it’s likely that more brands will begin creating on the platform. If you want your brand to be ahead of the curve, now is the time to consider TikTok as a part of your social media marketing strategy.
**Sources: https://influencermarketinghub.com/tiktok-statistics/