For years, a select few conglomerates have dominated the social media world, until short-form video platform TikTok entered the scene with a bang. Ever since its first appearance in 2017, the Chinese social media phenomenon took over the world, first attracting many millennial and Gen Z influencers who became early adopters in creating short, viral videos.
Most often, these influencers are often found testing out their dance skills, lip-synching to the latest trend or commenting on important issues. Today, the app has had over 2.3 billion all-time downloads, with 100 million American users alone. But is it truly important for your business? Come to your own conclusions with the information below.
So, Why Should I Market on TikTok?
When reviewing the 2020 Social Media Marketing Industry Report from Social Media Examiner, almost three-quarters of marketers said that TikTok would not be prioritized over the next year. This statistic alone shows that there is a massive opportunity for marketers and brands alike to implement TikTok marketing into their marketing schema.
With huge risk often comes massive reward. Even when dipping our toe into the waters of the unknown seems scary, the most successful marketers know that taking a proactive approach to marketing will help them to reach digital marketing objectives more effectively. So let’s dive into the reasons why TikTok should be prioritized for your business.
I’ve been using Cloudways since January 2016 for this blog. I happily recommend Cloudways to my readers because I am a proud customer.
Your Target Audience Exists Here
The platform’s rise to the top shocked both its users and competitors worldwide. Not to mention, the virality of the internet was made clear through its earliest adopters who became ‘TikTok Famous,’ rising to the top with hundreds of thousands or even millions of followers in only a matter of weeks. Today, its large audience is demographically diverse, with users from over 150 countries and 75 languages joining the platform. While users still skew on the younger side with 63% of users between the ages of 10 to 29, MarketingCharts.com data showcases that the number of older adults using the platform is growing significantly.
With billions of users from all walks of life using TikTok everyday, you will be hard-pressed not to find your target audience on there, too. All it takes is the right content strategy to target them effectively and you will have another space where you can share key messaging with decision-makers that will enhance your business.
Don’t forget, Facebook and Instagram were initially geared towards the younger generations and now each platform hosts content for every demographic and psychographic category in the world. TikTok is heading in the exact same direction. There are many tools for TikTok marketing already on the market, too.
It Isn’t as Saturated as You Might Think
If you are concerned that it will be a struggle to reach your audience using TikTok, think again. While Hootsuite says just over 75% of companies planned to use Instagram in 2020, we mentioned above that over three-quarters of businesses did not have TikTok on their radar. This could be because of a lack of understanding of how to use the platform, misinformation about its audience, or a plethora of other reasons why it ‘just won’t work.’
One thing that most marketers know – and companies should know – is that video has dominated the realm of social media for several years. Viewers much prefer taking in information through an interactive format instead of reading lengthy captions or scrolling through photo after photo. There is still plenty of time to become an ‘early adopter brand’ of short-form mobile video. 86% of social media users would like to see more videos and TikTok provides the perfect platform to offer valuable information that can go viral, quickly.
Even if you cannot consider yourself a Final Cut Pro expert, there are many affordable, easy-to-use software options online to create beautiful, professional TikTok content with ease. PosterMyWall offers thousands of templates that are easily customizable to the unique needs of your business.
Capitalize on Trends Easily
Trends come and go on TikTok faster than a blink of an eye. One day there could be thousands of TikTokers dancing to a jig, but if you miss out on the moment, hopping in on a trend late to the game can spell catastrophe. On social media, you never want to be seen as outdated or lacking the in-the-know. Instead, you always want your followers to look to you for the latest and greatest information in your industry.
Similar to Instagram, users can capitalize on hashtags to determine the biggest TikTok trends and quickly create content around them. Influencers continue to be critical to your marketing strategy and some of the world’s biggest companies have caught on. Chipotle was one of the first to create a unique holiday-themed #Boorito campaign, offering its food at a discount for users that ordered in a costume!
The trend continues to grow where these trendsetters are seen as trustworthy from their audiences and help disseminate your key messaging through their large audiences. Moral of the story, even if your TikTok audience is still in its beginning stages, collaborating with the right influencers can lead to exponential growth in combination with the right content.
Community-Building is Easy Here
As we have seen on all of our platforms, simply pushing out content without being responsive to our audience is a major faux-pas. It just doesn’t do it when it comes to conversion! Social media was intended to be social, with brands also responding to comments, questions and complaints from its audience, optimally within minutes. But somewhere along the lines, brands forgot the importance of communicating with their audience.
We have this opportunity once again on TikTok. Elf Cosmetics is an excellent example of a company that listened closely to what its audience wanted – and offered it! Believe it or not, its #eyeslipsface filter has been seen in billions of photos to date. This alone offers the idea that when you listen to your audience and provide what they are looking for, your company will reap the benefits.
TikTok offers easier ways to collaborate than ever. Some ideas include filming reactions to user-generated content (or other brands posts to either make it cheeky or showcase your support) or create a post together with another user, multiplying the possibilities for other TikTok users to consume your content. Hashtags make it easy to discover your audience and the platform’s algorithms ensure that the more videos you watch, it will continue to curate the perfect feed to help you reach your audience with ease.
Now, What About TikTok Ads?
Even the most engaging and unique organic content won’t always go viral. A comprehensive advertising budget should always be a critical element of a brand’s digital marketing strategy.
TikTok offers a wide range of creative ad options to cater to the unique needs of your audience. Not only are there different video formats, but also a plethora of filters, lenses and special effects that can help make your content stand out. But don’t forget the importance of devising unique content for each platform (no repurposing from Instagram here!)
We’ve devised some helpful tips to get the ball rolling below:
1. First, Create a TikTok Ad Account
If your company has registered for an account already, it is as simple as clicking here and then following the ‘create ad’ prompt.
2. Start Your Campaign
TikTok has an intuitive ad platform that will help you get started with your first ads with ease – it was made for beginners. Be sure to click the ‘Campaign’ tab at the top of the page and then ‘Create.’ Consider your objective, between awareness, consideration or conversion.
3. Select Placement, Details and Targeting
Similar to its competitors, there are a wide range of options to ensure that your advertising dollars are spent wisely. This means reaching your audience effectively! For beginners, we would recommend using automatic placements, allowing TikTok’s algorithms to determine the best platforms where it will show your ads.
4. Set Spend and Schedule
Next, you will have to determine the amount of money you would like to allocate per ad and how long the ad will run for.
5. Design!
Finally, here comes the fun part. Uploading ads on TikTok is easy-peasy once you know what you are doing. Once you have configured the steps above, both videos and images can be uploaded. If you upload a series of images, TikTok will automatically upload them into video format. PosterMyWall has created an intuitive way to horizontal, vertical or square videos or images. Its templates are easily available at your disposal, without any prior graphic design experience required.
6. And Don’t Forget Optimization
Rule-of-thumb is one call-to-action on each TikTok. You want to avoid overwhelming your audience, after all.
The Future of TikTok for Business
Video marketing is here to stay and they keep getting shorter and shorter. Taking this information into account, it’s only natural to assume that TikTok will continue to be a major player on social media for years to come. Consider creating a unique marketing strategy for this platform when revising your plan for 2021. We look forward to seeing your short-form videos there!
