Approximately 87.1% of marketers are using Facebook in 2020 alone, making it the most popular choice of social media. Instagram comes in second place with 75.3%, while Twitter is third with a consistent 66.5%.
These three seem to be the hottest platforms for marketing right now, with YouTube, Snapchat, and Pinterest following closely behind.
However, that’s not all there is to social media marketing. TikTok is also entering the scene with promising potential. Businesses have yet to saturate this platform, providing you a good opportunity to be free of competitors.
The best part is that’s only one of the many TikTok advantages for businesses.
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms, with 1.4 billion active users. This earns it a spot above Instagram, which has around 1 billion active users. It’s the seventh most-used social app in the world, putting it above Snapchat and Twitter at 12th and 13th place respectively.
Businesses are already on these two apps, so what’s stopping them from being on TikTok when it has more users than Snapchat and Twitter combined?
They are missing out on a huge audience by not being on TikTok. If your target market is between 16 to 24 years old, it is absolutely vital that you launch on this platform. This demographic comprises the majority the app, making up 41% of the users.
Many marketers make the mistake of thinking it’s only a fad, but the 800 million users don’t agree. Instagram started with teens and young adults as well, and now millions of businesses are on it.
The U.S., India, and China account for the most downloads of TikTok, but that’s not to say that it isn’t popular in other countries. It still has a solid standing in over 150 countries worldwide.
What does this mean for you? It means you have a chance to reach out to your market on a global scale.
For businesses in many locations, it’s a good way to localize their marketing strategies. They can create campaigns in different languages to relate to their various markets.
They can also enlist the help of local creators as TikTok has influencers too.
Users with 10,000 followers and above are considered micro-influencers. Their area of influence is usually within their own city, so they can be a huge part of a local marketing campaign.
They make it possible for small businesses to be on TikTok. These local influencers are preferable because they can interact with the businesses they work with in person. It’s easier to collaborate this way, and you can be sure that you can target the right people.
Looking at the list of the most popular social apps, we see Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and such. All of which are full of brands trying to connect with their customers.
Do you know which one is still unsaturated? TikTok.
Marketers are focusing on the mentioned platforms right now, and they’re still not seeing that the pros outweigh the cons on TikTok.
If you ask them to choose between TikTok and Twitter or TikTok and Instagram, they’ll always choose the latter. After all, they’re more established in the social media scene.
Some brands have already gotten a head start, though. Big brands with an established presence on the app are NBA, Walmart, Chipotle, and others.
HP, Sephora, and more are also starting to get a foothold. Still, their numbers don’t line up with how many of their audience that is using the app.
When you count the businesses that are already there, you’ll see there’s a huge gap between userbase and brands. That’s where you come in.
You take advantage of that gap and launch now, when you still have less competition. The fewer businesses on the platform, the higher the chances you have to get a wider reach.
You can get a higher user engagement this way. It’s easier to cement your place here before all the others realize its potential and come flocking.
Aside from the hashtag challenges and videos you can publish on the app, you can also pay to get a prime spot in TikTok. This allows you to increase your reach to users who might not be following you yet.
Ads are kind of new on TikTok, which is part of the reason why we haven’t seen many advertisers around. Still, the options are enough to get you started. They’re customizable, as you can target who you want and how you want.
Your ad shows as another post on the feed of your target users. This works the same way as Instagram or Snapchat. This type of ad has several features, such as allowing the user to go straight into your website, or your app download page with one click. It lasts for 15 seconds or less, but users can skip it if they want to.
This lets your ad take over the entire screen for a few seconds. You can choose to display a static or dynamic image, video, or GIF for three to five seconds. Like in an in-feed video, you can embed a link that leads to a landing page and put hashtags.
TikTok has AR content, stickers, and lenses that users can put in their videos. In this type of ad, you let the users incorporate your brand into their content.
People don’t like advertisements in general. They skip them whenever possible and they block ads on websites using tools.
That’s because ads tend to feel invasive. They think an ad disrupts what they’re doing, whether they’re watching a video or scrolling.
One way to make your ad feel less invasive is to make the users feel like the video is a part of the platform. TikTok is great for this, as you can take part in challenges and/or use a video ad that doesn’t look out of place in a user’s native feed.
You need to make the users feel like you’re a part of the community. You need to show that you’re not another brand that wants to use social media for exposure. Of course, that’s your goal, but you can be less upfront about it.
Any content you publish on the app will get the full attention of its users. Videos typically demand more attention since a person has to pause whatever they’re doing to see it. They have to focus on the screen, and then turn the volume up to complete the viewing experience.
That’s why video marketing across all social media platforms works when you do it right. The same is true for TikTok, as one of the biggest advantages is that it’s all about creating videos. As such, users already have dedicated their attention to any content the moment they open up the app.
No matter what form of marketing you do in the app, you’ll generate some interest. You’ll generate even more if you become a true part of the community.
There are lower chances of encountering passive users. In other platforms, users are more likely to skip or scroll past your post. They tend to scroll without thought through other apps, so they may not even notice your presence.
Everyone who logs into TikTok is ready to have fun. They’re ready to watch some entertaining videos and attempts at challenges, look for a challenge to try for themselves, or create a fun video for followers.
They’re much more willing to interact with your brand, because the platform provides many opportunities to do so. They can try your challenge if it looks interesting enough, or “collaborate” with you by making a duet. Using your hashtags is also enough traction for your marketing strategy to take off.
In TikTok, there’s a strong likelihood to trend as well. Because users are logging in many times a day, they have a higher chance to see and interact with your videos. Even if you’re new to the platform and you have only a few followers, there’s a possibility to go viral if you do it right.
Trends can change in a day, which is not enough time for businesses to get in on the fun. Many times, brands try to stay relevant and fail because they were a few days late.
On TikTok, you’re at the forefront of the trends. All you have to do is log in for the day, and check the trending videos, hashtags, and challenges.
The beauty of this app is that no one expects polished content to come from anyone. You do the trend and that’s it.
There’s no prep, no storylines to discuss, and no equipment to get ready. This allows you to push out content as soon as possible, letting you stay relevant.
You cut back on production costs, as well, since TikTok trends don’t usually involve props and the like. All you need is a phone and some willing staff members most of the time. You do the challenge and that’s it. You can now enjoy your view count.
Because of the low production value of your videos, your brand comes across as more authentic. The user base is more accepting of raw content than polished ones. That’s because the latter look like ads, and we know how users tend to resist when blasted with an ad.
It helps that the content you publish is similar to what the users do. It will be easier for them to relate to you this way, building trust between consumers and your brand.
However, note that your TikTok account is still a part of your brand. Don’t try to do everything that’s trending even if it’s not in line with your brand personality. Instead of looking authentic, you might look like you’re trying too hard to be trendy.
TikTok gives you a lot of opportunities to create your own content, but you don’t even have to do that to reach a wide audience. Instead, you can take advantage of user-generated content.
Nike has taken this approach quite well. Rather than posting public content, they instead rely on the content posted by their fans.
When you search #Nike on the platform, you’ll see their marketing strategy. You’ll see millions of uploads by users with this hashtag. You’ll see videos and GIFs of their customers dancing in their Nike shoes, getting creative with them, and so on.
When you think of it, Nike gets a lot of free advertising this way with no effort on their part. As for you, you have to encourage UGC whenever you can.
Start a conversation and steer that toward your brand. Don’t forget to make this a part of your TikTok marketing strategy.
We’ve explored quite a lot of the advantages of TikTok, but will you believe that we’ve only scratched the surface? There’s still a lot to learn about this app, especially since it’s a newcomer compared to the heavy hitters of the social media realm. We’re excited about its future, though, and how it can shape the next wave of social media marketing.
Get a head start from your competitors by launching a marketing campaign on TikTok today. If you need any help, contact us, and let’s figure out what you need.
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