Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 12 months (as opposed to just being stuck in your house), you’ll have have noticed the explosion of TikTok onto the Irish social media scene.
Most of us have passed Lockdown being entertained by an abundance of TikTok challanges, dances and skits – and we’ve loved it! Other social media platforms are scrambled to get in on the craze, most notably Instagram, with their version of TikTok called Reels.
But fun aside, what value can TikTok add to business and should it now form part of your social media strategy?
Your first consideration – as with any social media platform – should be ‘Is my audience on TikTok?’ If not, don’t waste your time (don’t let that stop you TikTok’ing on your own time, if that’s your vibe!).
The largest demographic of TikTok users is between the ages of 16 and 24. But don’t let that fool you into thinking TikTok is just a fad for Generation Z. Since its launch in 2018, TikTok has evolved from a video-creation app solely meant for users to express their creativity to a marketing and advertising option….because as we know, where users flock, businesses soon follow.
TikTok is different to other social media platforms in that it allows accounts to connect using video in bite-sized pieces of snappy and engaging content. TikTok allows video to be delivered exactly as it should be online.
2020 has seen an influx of politicians, celebrities, influencers and businesses turn to TikTok to try to enhance their reach and engagement. And to look cool, of course. The algorithm workings of the platform are still a bit of a mystery, but here are some tips to help your business get started:
- Put Your Creative Hat On
TikToks users are young and they like fun! Content should be real and light hearted. If you’re struggling to come up with original content, take part in hashtag challenges or trending dances and songs.
2. Get Started!
TikTok is not for wall flowers – dive straight in and start creating your own videos! If you’re not sure where to begin, look at what others are doing.
Videos can be 15 or 60 seconds and you can add music and effects to the finished project. You can also speed up the video, trim it and edit in real-time. And don’t forget to play around with the dozens of available filters (you’ll find all these on the menu to the right hand side).
3. Share Your Video
Before going live you can add the following to your post:
- Type a description for your video.
- Add hashtags.
- @ your friends.
- Add links.
- Decide who can see the video.
- Save the video to an album.
You can also choose to share your video to WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook – tik, tik, tik!
4. Advertise
Advertising is still a growing concept on TikTok, in particular for small brands. Here are some options available:
Brand takeovers: These ads appear in the user’s feed before they see any other user content. They’re linkable to the advertiser’s landing page and are exclusive to different categories. Basically, only one ad can show in that slot for the specific category per day.
Native ads: These video ads play between user content. They can be between 9 and 15 seconds long and include buttons. However, users can skip or scroll past these ads.
Sponsored hashtag challenges: Hashtag challenges are a big deal on TikTok. When there’s a new challenge on the Discover page, millions of users can see it and join in. Your business can pay to sponsor a hashtag challenge and obtain a custom banner across the Discover page. When users tap it, they’re taken to videos that your team creates explaining and demonstrating the challenge, all while promoting your brand.
Branded lenses: Design a TikTok filter related to your business. Users can select the lens when choosing a filter for their video and it’s live for 10 days. The lens is automatically included in the top 10 trending list and it comes in 2D and 3D. TikTok is currently working on an AR version.
So that’s a quick introduction to getting started on TikTok. According to Ipsos MRBI TikTok was the fasted growing social media platform in Ireland in 2020 and its dominance of the market for the younger audience seems to be here to stay…until the next big thing, at least!
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