We have all witnessed the massive growth of social media in the last decade, and we have all probably thought, “I wish I had jumped on that sooner.” Well, you may get that opportunity with TikTok!

TikTok was the most downloaded app in 2020 beating even Facebook & Instagram. The mass popularity of TikTok is undeniable and is now on the verge of shifting the world of social media! Since its launch in 2016, TikTok now has over 1.7 billion users, and the brand estimates the same 1.7 billion being active per month.

TikTok is unlike any other platform because it is solely video content, allowing its users to get creative and show off their skills. So how does this benefit your business? 

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Video Is King

Video content is king when it comes to marketing, we know that most social media platforms algorithms value this format over text and images. Video content allows businesses to connect better with their audience and share valued content. When you create a video as a brand that sparks conversation, educates, or triggers emotion for users, you’re establishing trust, brand awareness and quality engagement. 

The Next Generation

TikTok’s largest audience is people between 10-19 and 20-29 years old. Now you may be concerned that TikTok is only used by “Gen-Z”. For some companies, this may not be their target audience. To that we say, they are not your audience right now, but they will be in the future. You should start making yourself aware of this age group and demonstrating who you are as a brand organically. 

With that being said, during the lockdowns, the number of people downloading TikTok between 30-40 jumped significantly, indicating it is only a matter of time before this age group becomes even more active on TikTok. 

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a valuable strategy in marketing and has been proven time and time again to be one of the most successful ways to establish brand awareness and sales. TikTok has launched a new feature (not yet available in all countries) called  TikTok Creators Market Place.  Here you will be able to browse influencers, see their TikTok stats and ensure you are partnering with the right person. This will save you time and reassure you that the person you have partnered with is someone who has a real following!  

Engagement

TikTok has amazing engagement rates compared to other social media platforms. Case in point: Jennifer Lopez recently posted the same video on Twitter and TikTok. She has 45 million followers on Twitter and 5 million followers on TikTok. The video on Twitter got 2 million views (off 45 million followers). The video on TikTok got 71 million views (off 5 million followers).

The average TikTok user spends 52 minutes per day on the app, and this increased screen time means that there’s ample opportunity for advertisers to reach their consumers.

The Algorithm 

Due to TikTok’s unique algorithm, you’re able to get higher engagement on your videos with much less effort.

According to TikTok, the platform’s suggestion engine determines what to Display in user feeds through a series of feedback loops. The process breaks down as follows:

• When someone uploads a video to the platform, the “For You” algorithm tests it on a small number of users who may or may not already follow the creator.

• The algorithm makes this determination based on several factors, including interests and past behaviour.

• If that first group of users reacts positively, TikTok will keep repeating this process, using the feedback it captures to decide whether to show a video to more audiences. If enough users have a positive response to a video, it can go viral.

• However, if the first test group doesn’t like a video, TikTok will show it to fewer users, thus restricting its reach.

Advertising

As expected, TikTok has launched an advertising platform, TikTok For Businesses in early 2020. The platform is still very new but with such a massive audience reach, it should not be dismissed by marketers! The minimum daily spend on TikTok is £50 per day, which is much steeper than even LinkedIn’s £10 minimum. Although the minimum seems quite high, this does not mean you spend that much every day. Using TikTok’s bidding strategies, you can limit how much of that £50 is spent every day. 

When considering TikTok Ads, you need to keep in mind that you will also need to invest time and money into quality videos that will resonate with your target audience. There is no point in spending this kind of money on ads if you don’t have the time to make the right content!

Conclusion 

If you haven’t signed up for TikTok yet, you should right now. Even if you are not ready to use the platform, secure your handle name for future use to ensure no one else takes the name you want. If you are already making video content for Instagram or YouTube, simply post this content on your organic TikTok feed and get your page started! 

Get creative and have fun with this platform and if you need any advice on content or advertising, Built For Growth is here to help! 

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