Over the last two years, TikTok has quickly become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. Specifically, it is popular for the younger generation of consumers of products and media. Between the ability to create unique content to the possibility of user-generated content going viral, it has a lot of potential for business. If your audience is between the ages of 16 to 30, and you’re looking to expand brand awareness to a younger audience, then TikTok is the perfect social media platform for your business to grow. In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about using TikTok for business.
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What is TikTok?
TikTok is a short-form, video-sharing app that allows users to create and share a minimum of 15-second videos on any topic. Since its launch in 2016, TikTok has grown to have over 800 million monthly active users. The United States is TikTok’s most popular country, having been downloaded over 80 million times. Creating content on TikTok is fairly simple, and every piece of content that you post on the platform has the potential to go viral. The most viral video on TikTok has 2.2 billion views, and the potential for your business to reach even a fraction of this audience can expand your audience more than ever imagined. As the platform grows, so do the different tools that can be used by any user on the platform.
The most unique part of TikTok is the For You Page. In the TikTok app, there are two pages that users can scroll through, the For You Page and the Following Page. The Following Page allows for users to watch videos that have been created by people they follow. This is similar to the Instagram and Facebook feeds that users scroll through. On the other hand, the For You Page is a page that uses TikTok’s unique algorithm to curate videos for each unique user and their interests. This algorithm actively works as the user scrolls, understanding the videos they watch in full, the videos they like, and the videos they ignore. This algorithm allows for your business’s content to not only show up on your ideal audience’s For You Page, but for your audience to actively engage with your content.
The Difference Between TikTok and Other Social Media Platforms
TikTok is different from other social media platforms because of its form of sharing content: videos. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram are primarily for sharing images and text. TikTok allows for their users’ video content to create a new level of connection with their target audience.
The great thing about TikTok is that it is not just a social media platform where you can share content with your followers. Rather, it actually allows users to create their own content with the app. When you create a video as a brand that sparks conversation, educates, or triggers emotion for users – you’re likely to be rewarded by user-generated content and engagement. Users on TikTok are able to use common sounds with another user, duet, stitch, or even react to videos through their green screen feature. These features open your exposure to an audience wider than imagined. Plus, Tiktok’s unique and accurate algorithm makes it likely that your business’ posts will end up on your ideal clients’ For You Page.
Many companies have found success on TikTok not only because of the creativity and authenticity it offers but also because of the algorithm and exposure it offers. TikTok will give your business access to an audience that other platforms don’t. By investing time into building your audience and following now, it will no doubt pay off with consistent effort and valuable content. As a business owner, one of the most important things you can have is exposure. The more exposure you have, the better chance you’re going to have in retaining customers, getting new ones, and building overall brand awareness. TikTok is one of the best ways to gain more exposure. This is because using a video-focused approach allows you to tell your story in the most relatable way possible.
The Algorithm and For You Page
TikTok also offers a unique experience on its platform as opposed to other social media platforms. This includes the ability to create short videos by shooting, adjusting clips, customizing audio, applying effects, and enhancing the video with filters that are all within the app. The opportunity for creativity is maximized with the app, and it’s nowhere near the end of its interface growth. When you use TikTok for business, your digital marketing strategy essentially multiplies indefinitely.
The app has a great track record of listening to its users’ feedback. When active users like specific features or trends, TikTok will create new editing features or effects to allow users to create similar content more easily. TikTok has also implemented an effective algorithm to show users trending videos that are relevant to their interests. This makes it easy to create content that is relevant and on-brand to your industry without doing too much research. The best part about TikTok trends is that there is always a new one that’s coming to light. This makes content creation easier for marketing teams since there is a never-ending list of trends to create and apply to your industry. The For You Page is the app’s “explore page,” which showcases an endless feed of trending videos for users to enjoy and engage with.
How to Use TikTok For Business
Now that you know the basics of TikTok and how it is different from any other social media platform, you need to know all the reasons why it will be fruitful for you as a business to invest time in the platform. As TikTok continues to grow its audience, more and more businesses are using the platform. Here are just a few of the many reasons why you should be using TikTok for your business.
Building Communities
Modern-day users consume maximum content through videos, and thus you should look at your users as a part of a community. Sharing ideas though videos and invoking the interest of like-minded people is what matters. Though the platform doesn’t have a group element yet, TikTok is good for business because community building is at the heart of the platform. Even without a group element yet, users have the unique ability to create their own communities with their audiences. Many artists, creators, and businesses have successfully created communities on their own platforms on TikTok.
Marketing That Doesn’t Look Like Marketing
Generation Z doesn’t like to be bothered by advertisements. In fact, they feel so strongly about it that the majority of them use ad-blockers. It is clear that the old techniques of marketing will not fare well with this generation of users and consumers. As a marketer, you need to find less invasive techniques and quickly grab the attention of your target audience. Once you master the technique of incorporating your brand into well-structured stories, you will be able to capture the attention of your ideal audience.
The Perfect Place for User-Generated Content
Another reason TikTok is good for business is that millennials value authenticity over anything and everything else. They are aware of the marketing tactics and thus will not fall for age-old concepts. User-generated content is one of the best ways to get that authenticity across. And TikTok happens to be the biggest source of user-generated content.
International, Growing Audience
There have been over 2 billion downloads of the TikTok app, and it has more than 800 million active users. The volume of users and the rate at which it’s growing means that it can provide access to a huge audience. It also provides a simple path to create video content that can go viral, reaching hundreds of thousands of people. TikTok is also in use in 150 different countries. This means that viral videos have the potential to reach all over the world.
Use TikTok in Your Marketing Strategy Today!
Including TikTok in your marketing strategy is imperative in this digital era we live in. If you haven’t found your stride with other social media platforms, maybe TikTok is the alternative your business needs. And if you’re already using TikTok for business but struggling, we hope these tips have helped.
FAQ:
- What is TikTok?
- How is TikTok used?
- How is TikTok different from other social media platforms?
- Is TikTok useful for businesses?
- Why should TikTok be used as a marketing strategy?
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