TikTok for Business – Using it for Your Business

Can there be anyone left on the planet who has not heard of TikTok? It’s a social media app that all of a sudden burst into our lives. But what is it? And is there room for your business on this vibrant social media platform?

What is TikTok?

It is an app launched by a Chinese company called ByteDance back in 2016. It was originally known as Musical.ly and has been described as a mash-up of Vine (which disappeared in 2017), Twitter and Instagram.

It is a video-based platform with its 500 million-plus users steadily growing. Essentially, users share short, highly engaging video content.

Who uses TikTok?

Over 40% of the app’s users – very nearly half in fact – are aged between 10 and 19. If your brand targets ‘generation Z’ as they are known, then clearly a strong social media marketing plan that includes TikTok could be worth investigating.

And there’s more good news. As a social media app, it is still a relatively unknown and untapped marketing potential for brands which means you could experiment to see what works for you.

As an app, it has only started to explore paid advertising in 2019, for example. For exciting and forward-thinking brands, this could be the ideal platform to experiment and engage with a whole new audience.

Using TikTok – how to get it right

Whether TikTok is right for your business will depend on various factors including your customer demographic, as well as products and services you offer. But if you are keen to explore its potential, there are certain steps to take;

#1 Be active on TikTok

To understand what any social media platform is about, you need to be active on it yourself. Like more social media, there is a strong following on TikTok and that means it has a culture all of its own. Falling foul of these unwritten rules is not a good look. This is important for your brand too – if creating memes isn’t your business vibe, don’t do it.

#2 Consider in-app paid adverts

Currently, there are four paid advert opportunities on TikTok, all of which have only just been developed;

• Infeed native content – similar to Instagram story ads, these are played on full screen but are also skippable. They last between 9 and 15 seconds (like other TikTok videos).
• Brand takeovers – you can take over the app for the day, creating GIFs, videos and images.
• Hashtag challenges – so far, these are the most popular with brands developing a specific hashtag challenge with a prize for the winner at the end of the day. For example, animation studio DreamWorks hosted a hashtag challenge #SpiritRidingFree which promoted their new Netflix show by inviting users to share a video of them dancing to the theme tune. Reaching over 34.4 million users, this is the stuff smaller brands dream of…
• Branded lenses – you can create branded lenses that users can then use on their video or images.

#3 Create fun content

Like other social media platforms, it isn’t just paid ads that reach an audience but your content too. But unlike other apps and platforms, TikTok is about engagement foremost and popularity second. And that means the pressure us one to create fun, engaging content that is in line with your brand.

Is TikTok right for your business?

There are many pros and cons to your business taking to TikTok. It is yet another social media platform to manage alongside all the others… it may not be the right user base… you may be stuck as to what kind of content you should and shouldn’t post.

It is vital that before you make a decision and join the app, that you understand what TikTok is all about. But it could be the fun and vibrant platform that your brand needs.