TikTok marketing – Is it a fad or the future?

With over 800 million users spending almost 52 minutes each day on TikTok, it’s no surprise that many brands are adding the popular social media platform to their brand strategy.

If you want to reach Generation Z, TikTok’s audience demographic – 40% of users are aged 16-24 – is certainly hard to beat, and its user engagement levels blow other social media platforms out of the water.

As the world’s most downloaded app in 2020, there’s no denying its popularity and influence are on the rise but when it comes to using TikTok as a marketing tool, is it a fad or here to stay? Or, to put it another way, is the clock ticking on TikTok?

What is this ‘TikTok’ you speak of?

According to TikTok, it is ‘the leading destination for short-form mobile video.’ The video-sharing platform’s range of video editing tools makes it easy for users to create 15-second videos set to music clips that are both attention-grabbing and professional-looking.

Whether it’s lip-syncing, choreographed dancing, or a viral challenge, TikTok’s ease of use has helped make it the number one choice for content creators. As with other social media platforms, users can interact with the videos by tapping the heart icon to ‘like’ it, leaving a comment, or sharing it with friends.

Ok, but what is TikTok marketing?

There are many ways to reach your audience on TikTok.

• Adverts: TikTok introduced ads in 2019. Lasting between 10 to 15 seconds, they appear after the app loads or between videos. As with other platforms, users can skip the ad after a few seconds but due to the huge audience using the platform they’re a great option for getting your brand in front of your target audience.
• Influencers: Partnering with influencers is the perfect way to tap into a popular content creator’s fan base. That’s why nearly 86% of marketers use influencer marketing to generate sales of brand awareness. To help match you with the most relevant creator for your brand, TikTok set up the TikTok creator marketplace. Interesting fact alert! The most popular TikTok user as at December 2020 is Charli D’Ameliowith 102 million followers. Not all influencers are human though – JiffPom, a tiny Pomeranian dog, currently has 21 million followers.
• Hashtag challenges: Creating and taking on challenges is a huge phenomenon on TikTok. You can create a promoted hashtag and encourage users to create content, or create content around trending hashtags. For example, the #raindropchallenge – where you add a raindrop effect to your video and hold out your hand to stop the rain – has over 986 million views. Here’s an example.

The key is to create content that strikes a chord with a TikTok audience. If you’re looking to promote a new product or campaign on TikTok, reusing content created for other platforms won’t cut the mustard. Think quirky, focus on hashtag trends, make it entertaining, and let your creative juices flow.

Oh, and one of the magic ingredients for TikTok videos that go viral is animals, so if you’ve got an office pet it could be time to let your four-legged friend take centre stage.

Can I see some examples, please?

But, of course.

• Gymshark: Over 2 million followers get inspired – and inspire others – with a steady flow of workout-related content
• Fortnite: To launch their arrival on TikTok, Fortnite created the #EmoteRoyaleContest to challenge users to create a new dance for the game. The hashtag was used over 250 million times
• Netflix: What better way to promote new shows than 15-second teaser videos? Netflix also utilise trends and hashtags to make the content topical

A fad or the future?

Clearly, TikTok is enjoying something of a golden age. At this moment in time, if you want your brand to reach a certain audience demographic it can’t be beat. As for what the future holds for social media marketing, well, TikTok didn’t even exist five years ago. Twitter’s only been around since 2006. And Facebook’s not even old enough to drink yet.

So it’s highly likely that the next generation of social media marketing is currently being built in a college bedroom somewhere. Watch this space.

If TikTok’s on your marketing tick list we’d love to help you get started. So let’s chat. #getintouch