Importance of TikTok for Marketing
TikTok tops Google as the most visited website on the internet, it is used to search for things and products, and TikTok proves that it’s a marketing channel most brands should pay attention to.
Yes, the teenagers are the biggest age group on TikTok taking up 25% of all users on the app, but take a closer look.
The Millennials are not far behind with 22%. And when you add to that the 30-39 year-olds who take up 21.7% and 40-49 year-olds with 20.3%, you’ll see that actually the Millennials and Gen X are actually the majority of people using TikTok, also not forgetting the over 50 year-olds who take up 11%.
So, forget the whole “this app is only for teenagers, we don’t need to think about this” mentality.
TikTok has been booming for a few years and it shows no signs of slowing, instead more and more people are signing up and joining the app.
From Horizontal to Vertical
TikTok is dominating social media, and leading the way.
Behind the app's success are vertical videos that are packed with action from start to end; music, effects, challenges etc.
TikTok’s success has forced other social media platforms to shift their focus towards vertical video as well. Even formerly known as the photo content platform, Instagram, changed its focus to video, and now Facebook pushes the vertical video and directly tries to compete with TikTok.
Different Pathways to TikTok Success
You can have a different pathway to success for any type of business at TikTok:
- Creator entrepreneurs can show how they are making their products.
- Small businesses can share how their products are used.
- Large brands can get better ROI for their advertising budgets on TikTok than on some other social media channels.
So, no matter the size of your business, you can and you should already be creating content on TikTok.
People Want To Be Entertained And Informed on TikTok, Not Sold To
Whether it be products or services that you’re selling, remember that on TikTok, users do not want to hear a 3 minute sales pitch.
Instead, turn your focus towards informative and entertaining content. This can be for example a 15-second “how to use video”, a 5-minute video of your company’s history (please, make it entertaining though) or anything in between.
And be sure to make a good first impression, as users scroll through the app quite fast. If you can catch the users attention, you have a very good chance of making them a regular viewer of your content, thanks to the TikTok algorithm.
TikTok also changed how we overall think about social media marketing and the content is more raw and less polished than what used to work on social media. The importance of storytelling, adding value, and being more authentic is spreading to other social media channels, while the idea of publishing perfectly curated and photoshopped content is slowly fading to the background.
TikTok’s Algorithm Hacks
TikTok’s algorithm favors content that is edited on the platform itself. Including sounds and effects that are trending will boost your content.
One thing that is a key factor is the caption of your video and more specifically the hashtags. In TikTok the use of hashtags is very popular and also desired. The reason for that is the user who watches or even creates a TikTok with a specific hashtag will more likely see more content that uses the same hashtag.
How To Actually Get Started With TikTok?
TikTok is the kind of app that you cannot get the hang of if you are not willing to spend time on the app itself.
You have to be willing to spend hours on exploring content ideas, potential sounds and the trends that are on top at the moment.
When I have a “TikTok-day” at work, I can spend up to 70% on the app scrolling the feed saving sounds, effects and videos so that when I start filming everything is ready.
My own TikTok-journey with Tumplate has been full of experiments. One way of doing things that I found successful was posting different kinds of content in a short period of time.
For example, I made and edited a few trending videos on TikTok and combined them with content made on Tumplate. I made up a simple storyline around these videos to compel the viewer to watch all of them, both made with TikTok and Tumplate. With this strategy the trending videos started going viral and getting a lot of views and with that also the content made with Tumplate got that much needed exposure.
Don’t worry, this is not rocket science, just start exploring and by that, learning. One thing to remember before starting is to truly focus on creating genuine content with a meaning. With that, TikTok will definitely help you.
Want To Start Your Own TikTok Journey - But Not Sure Where to Start?
Don’t worry, we’re more than happy to help. Our team is full of moving content experts, with wide knowledge on TikTok and its secrets. Give us a call or book a short meeting to discuss your brand's needs!
