What is TikTok?
TikTok is a newer style of social networking application available for most mobile devices. The main function of TikTok is uploading and sharing home made videos either for 15 or 60 seconds. The videos can be of anything, however, there are a lot of users who use the app to lip-sync to popular songs or memes.
While using TikTok you can also create videos where you talk about your day or make games to play with other people. An example of this could be the ‘never have I ever’ game. This is used to interact with other people who follow you so they can create the same video ‘using your sound’.
Using someone else’s sound is when you create your own video with the same background as the original person, normally this is how videos go viral. TikTok is a huge platform with more than 800 million user’s active per month, the reason it has become so big is because it is so easy to use and fun be involved in.
Another reason it has become so popular in recent months is because many people share a common goal to become TikTok famous. TikTok famous means you have a lot of followers, and get thousands, sometimes millions of views on your videos, almost like an Instagram influencer.
Why a business should use TikTok?
TikTok is a growing platform, and the application will be around for a long time to come as it already has such a large active user group, that will only get bigger. The numbers show that Instagram took six years to get the same number of active users that TikTok currently has.
If your business has a demographic of the younger age groups from around 10-18 years old, then this app is perfect. The majority of users are within that age group, as this app has become huge amongst younger people due to its playful and silly manor.
However, that is not to say older people aren’t using the app, it is just less likely to reach the same numbers of people in older age groups, as there is a smaller percentage of over 18’s actively using the app. Using TikTok to promote a business has become a lot more popular over the last few months.
The developers have noticed this, so they have made it that one bit easier for businesses by adding a couple more functions on top of the originals. These have been made to help brands increase their promotion.
From a business’s point of view, it is a cheap and fun way to promote their products without having to pay too much, and they also can have the enjoyment of making videos and watching the content. The best thing about this app is that it is so easy to make videos and new trends that have the potential of going viral.
Creative, viral content!
The most important way to market your brand on TikTok is to be creative and develop popular and hopefully viral content. Anything that people feel they can replicate or get involved in, then they will. For example, if you replicate a dance or a scene from a meme, users on TikTok will love it and be quick to jump onto trending content.
Anything with grand movements or funny jokes will grab the attention of TikTok users, most of the viral content are video that people can tag along on, for example an easy lip-sync or a couple movements to a song that are related to your brand would be the best thing to put in the video. An example would be a catchy slogan.
Using the different effects and filters that TikTok has to offer can help boost the amount of views you get; certain effects and filters can help represent the brand. Your business can also pay a charge to have their own filter, which could then be made into a challenge and get others to share it and use it. Before you know it, many users will have got involved, and you will be going TikTok viral.
Important things to know and check before you start
Before promoting your brand on TikTok, remember that the demographic is children and teenagers so if that’s not the target audience on your product then TikTok might not be the right platform for you.
Another thing to do before making any videos is to make sure that what you are going to post shows the brand in a fun and interesting way without making it too unprofessional. The middle ground is perfect for this, however can sometimes be challenging to achieve. Make sure that you are watching other people’s content so that you are aware of what sort of videos are trending at the moment.
Also, it is important to make sure that your idea is an original idea. TikTok hasn’t been around for as long as most other large social media platforms, however, having such large numbers of active users trying to find original content is very difficult. Look into all the potential effects and filters that TikTok has to offer but also make sure that you are familiar with the most commonly used and popular filters and effects.
Checking the most viewed videos to see how they were created and also the effects that are on these videos will be helpful, and give you an idea of where to start. This will also help you to make sure that the promotional content your brand makes is in keeping of the theme of TikTok at that specific time. Trends are always changing and improving as TikTok releases new features and better functions.
If your business isn’t currently using TikTok then certainly create an account and check it out. TikTok could be a great marketing tool for your company, if you approach it and use it properly.
If this is something you are interested in, check out the ultimate guide to marketing GEN Z on TikTok.
Dr. Wasim Ahmed 