Using TikTok For Business – TikTok has taken the world by storm over the last four years, but it’s only in the last few years that businesses have jumped on the bandwagon and have begun advertising on this platform as well. But the question remains, is it worth it?
First of all, TikTok was the most downloaded app in 2020 possibly due to everyone being at home more because of Covid-19 and so having more freetime and needing something to fill that time. This led to it being the first non-Meta app to be downloaded over 3 billion times worldwide, which shows its popularity. And considering it was only launched globally in 2017, its success is only going to keep going. In 2017, its revenue was $63 million, but 2021 saw over $2 billion in revenue.
It’s all very well knowing that people are on the app, but are these users your target audience? So is TikTok going to benefit your marketing strategy? Currently roughly 50% of its global audience is under 34 years with 32.9% aged 10 – 19 years and 41% are 16 – 24 years, so if you’re targeting teenagers, those in their twenties and early thirty years, then you’re in luck, but if your main demographic is anything above these ages, you’re less likely to find much return on investment currently. However, like all new social media platforms, there’s a chance TikTok’s age range will increase as more adults join the platform. All new platforms first see the tweens and teens join and then those in their twenties join and so on until your grandparents are onboard as well, this cycle has already been seen on Facebook and Instagram in particular.
If you do decide to join TikTok, remember it’s all about the short form content. People’s typical attention span is decreasing, so most successful videos are 15 seconds or less. Just like Vine didn’t allow videos longer than 6 seconds, TikTok doesn’t allow videos longer than 15 seconds with up to four videos stitched together at once, for a maximum length of 60 seconds.
One advantage of using TikTok for business is that it doesn’t matter when you post your content. For Facebook and Instagram, it’s all about ensuring you post content when the majority of your followers are online, but with TikTok it doesn’t matter. You could post a video today, but it may not take off for another two weeks, whereas once you hit the two day mark on Instagram, you can almost guarantee nobody will see your content anymore.
TikTok also gives you the opportunity to advertise on their platform, but please bear in mind it’s not available in all countries. Like with Facebook ads, you have access to an ads manager where you can launch, manage, monitor and optimise your campaigns to try and boost your brand.
TikTok is also quite a personable platform, where people connect with people. If you have colleagues who are comfortable in front of the camera, bring them in to film your first few TikToks to get a feel for what your business can advertise. Pair those videos with the latest trending music, sounds, filters, and hashtags, you’ll be able to streamline the production process and ensure you have content that positively reflects your business, while also being able to garner interest from the newest platform.
At the end of the day using TikTok for your business is down to you. If you feel your business would benefit from it, then go for it, make a couple, see how they perform and don’t worry about trying different things, whether it’s the latest dance, newest challenge or doing your own thing. After all, users spend an average of 52 minutes on the app everyday.
