TikTok Marketing
TikTok has been named as the fastest growing social media platform of all time, making the shortlist as one of the most downloaded apps globally for the past two years.
The short-form video app saw rapid growth during the COVID pandemic, as many users found time to explore the platform and connect with their online audiences in new ways. In Q1 2020, TikTok set the record for the most downloads in a single quarter for a social app, at 315 million installs.
TikTok has 800 million active users worldwide. That makes TikTok 9th in terms of social network sites, ahead of LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Snapchat.
Putting this into perspective: it took Instagram six years from its launch to gain the same number of monthly active users that TikTok managed to achieve in under three years. And for Facebook to hit the same monthly active users mark, it took the best part of four years.
Marketers are drawn to TikTok as it reflects a key social media trend for creativity and collaboration amongst young audiences. Its fast-paced nature keeps users engaged for relatively long periods of time, with users spending an average of 52 minutes per day on the app.
90 percent of all TikTok users access the app on a daily basis. Not only that, they are extremely active on the app. A study observing the behavior of TikTok users in the span of one month shows that 68 percent of TikTok users watch someone else’s video and 55 percent upload their own videos (Globalwebindex, 2019).
TikTok is available in 154 countries. Global Web Index stats from 2019 show that TikTok penetration is seemingly at its highest in Asia, where over one third of users aged 16-64 had an account. There’s not much to split the rest of the world, with penetration of between 12 percent (North America) and 10 percent (Latin America and Europe).
Global brands have recognized the importance of TikTok as a key way to engage with young audiences, encourage user-generated content, and partner with relevant influencers. TikTok has seen both paid and influencer campaigns on its app from Nike, Skittles, Fenty Beauty, Pepsi, Calvin Klein, Sony, and FIFA, to name a few.
How can marketers use TikTok?
TikTok offers a brilliant opportunity for marketers to reach younger audiences around the globe, in a highly creative and playful environment. Many social media memes begin on TikTok, and brands can boost their credibility by being at the forefront of these cutting-edge trends. TikTok does not require huge budgets for content creation either, as spontaneous content produced in ordinary surroundings has just as much as a chance of cutting through. Many TikTok videos have been filmed in bedrooms, car parks or gardens.
TikTok provides marketers with a level playing field when it comes to reach and engagement. Unlike social media platforms such as Instagram or YouTube, TikTok accounts with zero followers can get millions of views on a new video thanks to the viral nature of the algorithm. As long as the content appeals to the audience, the engagement will follow.
TikTok experiences higher engagement rates from the app’s followers than other social media platforms (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2019) – so marketers can achieve significant buzz with a carefully-planned campaign using content that appeals to the app’s audience.
There are four key ways that marketers can begin using TikTok:
- Start a branded channel: Create a branded page and begin experimenting with content types. Content can be created relatively quickly and with no budget. The best thing to do is follow trending hashtags and get involved with the latest memes, and apply them to your brand. Utilize the app’s built-in filters, effects, soundbites, and editing tools to create and share authentic content. The organic reach on TikTok is huge, but impactful engagement is only derived if your content truly resonates with your audience and plays to the rules of the platform. Posting your corporate brand messaging here simply won’t work.
- Collaborate with influencers: A smart way to utilize TikTok is to leverage influencer communities. Influencers who live and breathe TikTok have established highly engaged followings through posting high quality content which resonates. They understand TikTok and know how to use its tools, features, and trends to their advantage. Brands can approach and collaborate on campaigns which use these influencers’ skills and knowledge. TikTok has its own Creator Marketplace, designed to link up brands and creators.
- Start a hashtag challenge: Creating a challenge for users to enter provides a great way for brands to start a cultural trend or meme. Top-performing challenges attract millions of users to create videos for the campaign. A great example is the E.l.f cosmetics #eyeslipsface campaign which saw over 4 billion views and 5 million video contributions, and has been stated as the most successful TikTok marketing campaign by AdWeek.
- Run TikTok advertising: TikTok is one of the most exciting new advertising channels because it has the scale of other platforms such as Instagram, but it’s not yet saturated with advertisers. This means it can be more affordable to generate impressions and clicks.
Marketers can run in-feed adverts, sponsored hashtag challenges, and banner ads within the homepage of the app. As well as targeting age, location, and demographics, advertisers can target people who have viewed similar content to theirs. Advertisers can sign up to TikTok for Business to run self-serve advertising campaigns.