With 800 million users worldwide, this video-based Chinese social app is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world.
TikTok allows users to create short videos with music, filters, and other features and is booming, especially among teens and young adults.
Created in 2016, TikTok allows anyone to be a creator! This user-generated content is transformed into customized streams of content, personalized to each of its users, the result? People actually engage. Algorithmically speaking, it’s different from any other platform, it uses artificial intelligence to make personalized recommendations for users and, as they engage, they start to receive daily notifications and highly personalized content recommendations.
But what does this mean for brands?
Tiktokers
First things first, who are fueling the rise of this social app? Most of the content creators on TikTok, or the “tiktokers”, belong to Generation Z.
This generation is full of digital natives, true influencers who have legions of followers. They’ve grown bombarded with advertising, smartphones and tablets, they listen to brands that feel authentic and don’t remember the world before the internet.
Their followers are aware of the latest trends and that includes brands, they are familiar with digital tactics and are drawn to fresh advertising ideas, mainly videos. This is what makes TikTok content and even ads so appealing.
Tik Tok: Who’s there?
“Is getting on TikTok even worth it?” because this is still such a young app, many professionals, including you, might be asking this exact question.
Big brands are successfully using TikTok to create brand awareness and to engage with the younger audiences, creating a connection with their target. TikTok Ads, sponsored influencer endorsement and creative content, are some of the strategies that are working for these brands and making them viral:
A Vaca que Ri
This Portuguese brand left in the hands of the influencers, the task of creating creative videos to communicate their brand and generate engagement with a younger audience. Micro-Influencers run TikTok, they have thousands of followers, and partnering with them allows brands to reach specific audiences that choose what content they want to see. A Vaca que Ri saw an opportunity to communicate their new campaign “looking to the bright side of life” and tiktokers found a fun way to successfully convey the message.
Chipotle
The world-known Mexican restaurant has more than 55,000 fans on TikTok. This brand highlights its menu items through posts with music, memes, and other trend references that embrace pop culture.
NBA
With 5.1 million fans they show a lighter and personal side of the organization.
Content like motivational posts, game highlights with music montages, their players working out to the sound of popular songs and team mascot adventures, make their athletes more relatable to their audience.
IFAD
When we think about governmental groups, we don’t exactly imagine them on these kinds of platforms. The International Fund for Agricultural Development is changing that, by using TikTok to create awareness of their cause to younger audiences. For example, they created the campaign #danceforchange, encouraging the audience to film themselves dancing while using this hashtag.
To TikTok or not to TikTok…
This platform can help your brand create awareness for its products, services and engage with a broad audience. There are several ways you can do it:
Show a personal side of your company with a behind the scenes approach and engage with your audience, making your brand more trustworthy to them. Comments, shares and challenges are simple ways to interact with your audience and even with potential business partners.
Be creative and experiment! Explore its advanced video editing suite to come up with videos or challenges that aim to engage with users and other platforms.
Influencers can help you, through partnerships. Their popular and informative content helps brands get closer to key consumer segments.
Even if you aren’t interested in TikTok now, we recommend you checking out the app! You never know what opportunities it can bring you in the future. We give pretty good advice concerning social media management, talk to us!
