TikTok Overview
By now, you’ve probably heard of the viral sensation that is TikTok. In case you haven’t, TikTok is a video streaming application that has over 100 million users. Using this app, creators can make and post all types of videos ranging from cooking videos to trendy dances, to home renovations, to workout routines. Within the app, users have the ability to choose from hundreds of song snippets and special effects to enhance their content.
The Audience
TikTok is such a powerful app because its user base varies drastically, with a wide range of demographics including age, ethnicity, location, profession, and more. Statista reports that approximately half of its users are 30 years of age or older! This app reaches an astonishingly broad audience, but with such breadth, you might wonder how you as a marketer can reach your target audience. Another key component of TikTok is that it uses an advanced algorithm that places relevant videos in the feeds of individual users on their “For You Page.” Videos are specifically shown to users who have interacted with similar content in the past.
This highly specified algorithm has created a culture of community on the app, as users who share similar interests can find togetherness in the fact they often are seeing the same types of content. Food TikTok, Stock Market TikTok, and Travel TikTok are just a few of the hundreds, maybe thousands of niche communities that have formed on the app. Part of this community building can be attributed to the extremely active comment sections of each video. Comments are almost as important as the videos themselves, and often serve as additional content that is more interactive.
Why It Works for Business
Aside from the fact that the potential reach is incredible, and engagement is a key component of the app’s function, Tik Tik offers many additional benefits to potential marketing efforts. The casual and experimental nature of this app leaves room for all types of content marketing. There is no right or wrong way to create a video, and there is always the potential to go viral. Videos go viral for all sorts of reasons: comedic value, challenges, hot takes on common topics- anything and everything can go viral if it’s perceived well by TikTok users. Videos can become viral so quickly because of a few features unique to TikTok. While most apps (TikTok included) allow you to share videos within the platform, TikTok also allows users to “duet” or “stitch” videos. This means they can create videos within previously published videos, increasing the overall reach of the original content. Add in influencers and celebrity endorsements, TikTok is a gold mine when it comes to getting your message in front of thousands of users.
Technical Benefits
From a brand perspective, there are two ways to promote your content on TikTok: paid and organic. It’s worth mentioning that given the spontaneous nature of the platform, organic content may fare better and can be made with zero cost to the business. However, to be successful it does require posting at least once a day. There are various paid options that may be worth exploring. In-feed ads, branded hashtags, top view ads, branded effects, and brand takeovers are some ways marketers might utilize paid ads. Paid ads come with the relatively standard options for targeting: interest, behavioral, custom audiences, and lookalike audience targeting. In terms of analytics, TikTok offers a free dashboard to all users who switch their profile to a “pro” account. On the dashboard, you’ll find analytics per video, as well as general page data. As a relatively new player in the paid social media and marketing field, TikTok does require a minimum budget of $50 at this time, which for most advertisers is a substantial investment.
With endless possibilities in terms of content and an unmatched digital audience, TikTok is quickly climbing the ranks as the most influential social media platform. If TikTok sounds like something that could work for your business, let’s talk! Paperkite has experience building TikTok strategies and campaigns and knows exactly how to help your business get noticed in this new market.
Next month, we’ll be starting a series of blog posts diving into various industries, highlighting how and why they should utilize this immensely popular new platform.
