Social Media Tips

Why You Cannot Ignore TikTok Marketing for Your Brands 💃

03 Mar 2021

More and more brands are asking themselves if getting on TikTok is going to improve their marketing strategy. You’re not relevant if you’re not making a TikTok. Even Instagram is trying so hard to be like TikTok nowadays.

But, before you assume that TikTok is only for Gen Z, we have some statistics from the 2021 digital report that might change your mind.

According to the report, TikTok has 689 million active users. It is the 7th most used social platform globally, sitting behind Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, FB Messenger, Instagram, and WeChat.

Yes, you read it right; it already surpassed Snapchat and Twitter!

So, is getting on TikTok worth it for your brand?

What actually is TikTok marketing? 💃

TikTok is a leading platform for short-form mobile videos. Its users can create and upload a video (up to 60 seconds) incorporating catchy music, soundbite, and exciting filters.

Initially, users used this short-form video platform to showcase their dancing or lip-synch to a pop song. Its popularity and reach have skyrocketed, explaining why more brands are getting involved in TikTok marketing nowadays.

TikTok itself is a product of Bytedance—a tech giant in mainland China. Before releasing TikTok worldwide, they released Douyin, a Chinese version of TikTok.

Upon seeing Douyin’s potential, Bytedance decided to purchase Musical.ly to merge with TikTok and help with its release worldwide. After the merger, TikTok was refined further and experienced its surge during the COVID-19 pandemic.

7 Reasons to use TikTok marketing for your brand 🎵

Most people think that TikTok is just a dancing platform for Gen-Z.

The truth is: it’s more than a dancing platform.

You can see people talking about investment, search engine optimisation, or even gardening on this app. But it’s always the content that goes viral that gets your attention, and it’s mostly never planned.

That is why brands can no longer say TikTok is not relevant. Here are 7 reasons you cannot ignore TikTok anymore:

1️⃣ Insane amount of users

As of now, TikTok amasses millions of users.

These users are averaging 52 minutes every day to consume the content on that app. The combination of “TikTok” and “tik tok” is also the third most commonly searched term on YouTube in 2020.

In other words, people are hankering for content from TikTok, whether they are active users or not.

@gordonramsayofficial #stitch with @flavduma Who takes their chips to the shower 🚿 ??? #ohno #ramsayreacts #fyp ♬ original sound – Gordon Ramsay

Also, it’s no longer a place for Gen-Z (born between 1997-2012) because the older generations are in on the fun too. For instance, we saw Gordon Ramsay loving his time on TikTok, and the last time we saw him on National Geographic, we are pretty sure he is not Gen-Z.

2️⃣ “For You Page” (or “FYP”) helps the exposure of your brand

On TikTok, you do not really have to worry about the follower count of your page. Their users mostly spend time on the “For You Page” or “FYP”. FYP is the app’s focal point, where users are served content that the algorithm thinks will be liked by the users.

TikTok is about content discovery, not following specific people or accounts. As a result, if you create good content for your brand, there is a higher chance that users who have never come across your brand will find you through your content on their FYP.

3️⃣ Opportunity to capture their full attention

Every video that you see on TikTok is in a full-screen format, occupying all the space on your screen. As a result, there will be a minimal distraction from your TikTok content as the users can only see the TikTok content and nothing else on the screen.

4️⃣ Catchy soundbite and music

The bread and butter of TikTok is a short-form video with interesting tunes. TikTok also makes it easy for anyone to incorporate catchy tracks on their video. That is why TikTok saw rapid growth because videos with catchy tunes always seem to hit the spot.

5️⃣ Users are actively consuming your content

Nowadays, when users go to YouTube, they treat it like a podcast where they just listen to the audio and ignore the video, playing it in the background, because they are multi-tasking.

It is also common for some people, mostly on Facebook and Instagram, to watch a video without sound. This is why every content creator has started, including subtitles in their videos.

However, on Tiktok, things are different.

The users are not passively consuming your content. They are more active because their current goal of opening that app is to watch and listen at the same time. It’s almost like a black hole; the users get sucked in completely.

6️⃣ Jump in before it is too late

Let’s unlearn entirely that TikTok is not suitable for your business because you think your audience is not there.

Gain a competitive edge by doing TikTok marketing. In fact, you can see that it is an opportunity to captivate new audiences. Are you sure you want to miss that chance?

Furthermore, you do not have to invest heavily to create content on TikTok. Just a group of spontaneous individuals in your team.

7️⃣ TikTok is a fun place

The general perception of TikTok: it is a place to show your goofy side and be accepted for it.

It’s not always about the glamorous influencer life where you have to look dazzling and aesthetic to get likes. For this very reason, you could take this opportunity to show a different side of your brand, explore a more relatable point of view that connects with your audience.

4 ways to use TikTok marketing for brands or organisations ✨

All the reasons above sum up that TikTok could be a place to market your brand in different ways. And if you decide to jump in on TikTok, here are four ways you can blend in:

1️⃣ Start your branded channel

You can start by creating your own branded channel. Follow trending hashtags, memes and build content based on those trends. As previously mentioned, you can make quick content on TikTok with no budget.

When you do create content on TikTok, you have to remember to be authentic and entertaining. Keep in mind that TikTok’s users are there to watch fun videos only, regardless of the topics.

@bbcbitesizeBig up carbon dioxide and water as well. ✊ #ukschool #secondayschool #learnontiktok #science #gcses #gcses2021 #school ♬ original sound – BBC Bitesize

If your niche is not really suitable for dancing content, you can check how BBC uses TikTok for their marketing. Their BBC Bitesize account uses TikTok to interact and teach school-aged audiences through entertaining videos, such as the photosynthesis one.

Another remarkable example is the World Health Organization (WHO), which also jumped onto the TikTok bandwagon. WHO uses their account to share trustworthy health information to younger audiences. It is also their way to combat misinformation that may circulate on social media.

2️⃣ Work with influencers or your audience!

TikTok is a great place for interesting user-generated content. Create collaborative content with TikTok influencers. Suppose the content goes viral or pops up on your audiences’ FYP. In that case, there will be a high chance that they create their own content initiated by your collaboration with those influencers.

Among many success stories that use this way is Gymshark. They work with their influencers to come up with fitness challenges, dance, or routines. As a result, the followers of the influencers also join the trend set by the influencers.

The real winner? Gymshark, because they get an insane amount of reach and currently sitting on 2.4 million followers.

3️⃣ Start or take part in a hashtag challenge

A great strategy could lead to an outstanding campaign, and that is what happened with Chipotle. They started the #guacdance challenge that went mega-viral. In return, a lot of TikTok’s users involuntarily became their content creators.

If you do not have the resources to start a hashtag challenge, you can join any viral hashtag challenge that is not tied to your competitors. Remember, go for entertaining content, so you gain exposure when you enter the hashtag challenge.

4️⃣ TikTok advertising

For brands with many resources, playing around with TikTok advertising or TikTok For Business may help your marketing strategy. A successful campaign could help more people to discover your brand. You can also find the right creators through TikTok Creator Marketplace if you need TikTok influencers in supporting a great hashtag challenge that you have in mind to take off and go viral.