Adeline St John, digital director at The Media Snug, on the opportunities available for brands to get involved with TikTok.
TikTok used to be associated with music and dancing teens, but if you’ve dismissed it as a platform for your business, then you might want to think again. TikTok is rapidly growing into a strong platform which can help brands to reach new audiences.
How big is TikTok? Well, the beginning of 2022 saw over 1.39 billion monthly active users, with growth predicted at 1.8 billion by the close of this year. Compared to platforms like Reddit, Pinterest, Snapchat and Twitter, TikTok is roaring ahead.
Should Facebook and Instagram be afraid? Currently, Facebook is still reporting 2.89 billion monthly active users, but with TikTok growing 45% between 2020 and 2021 and predicted growth towards the end of this year – it’s a big fat ‘yes’ from me.
TikTok is maturing while Facebook is aging. TikTok’s main demographic isn’t all about dancing teenagers anymore. In fact, a whopping 37% of worldwide users are over the age of 30, and an eye-watering 70% are over the age of 20.
Still not convinced? Most accounts on Facebook have seen a huge drop in organic reach and engagement, and advertisers are reporting a lack of conversions on advert spend. With TikTok boasting over 1 billion daily video views, they are literally giving away organic reach and engagement – a good reason for businesses to start using the platform. Another bonus? You don’t have to persistently increase your followers to get seen on TikTok – you just need good content.
TRY IT – YOU MIGHT LIKE IT!
I believe in practicing what you preach, so I downloaded TikTok during Covid. Within two days, its algorithm had me all figured out. I was seeing content on my ‘For You Page’ that was truly relevant to me in a way that Facebook/Instagram could never do. I stalked the app, soaked up the feed, and spent time ‘researching’. This quickly turned into a new habit. Before long, one of my own videos took off. I didn’t spend any money and it wasn’t a polished video, but it got 182k views and nearly 5k likes. Would you ever get that kind of reach and engagement on Facebook? Not unless you paid a large sum of money.
Having spoken to many brands in our industry, I know there is trepidation in joining this new phenomenon. However, I’m hoping I have convinced you of the opportunities available. Now, it’s time to take those first steps.
UNDERSTAND THE PLATFORM
If you haven’t already, download the app personally and search for things that interest you. Within a few days, TikTok’s algorithm should start placing good, relevant content on your feed. Get to know the trends and use the discovery search function to explore the app. If you are brave enough, why not start sharing some videos yourself?
STRATEGY
As you start to figure out how the app works and see trends appearing, you will start to get a feel for how this app could work for your business. As a company, you will already know who your audience is, and what tone of voice you use. It’s time to throw that out of the window.
TikTok is all about having fun and showing personality, with raw videos and honest content. I have seen some big corporate brands (in our industry) open TikTok accounts, but they try to share professional, polished videos that instantly divebomb. Why? Because there is no personality, no behind the scenes, no jumping on trends… TikTok should be in the moment, shot on a phone camera and, most importantly, it should be fun.
We have pulled together a How-To-TikTok guide, check it out on www.mediasnug.com. If you would like help or advice with your social media strategy and implementation please call The Media Snug and ask for me.
