8 reasons to think differently about TikTok for charities in 2023

TikTok isn't, and has never been, a knight in shining armour coming valiantly to the rescue of all the challenges charities face in the current economic climate. It still takes time and patience to grow a following using a particular type of short-form video to flourish.?

And at the very least, the popularity of short-form video is going nowhere fast so, sooner or later it is very likely you will need to integrate this content format into your Marketing and Fundraising Strategy.?

Here are 8 reasons to refresh your thinking on TikTok in 2023:

1. Donors: Young people between 18 and 24 are more likely to donate to charity than any age group, according to new research published in 2022. Figures showed that 90 per cent of 18 - to 24-year-olds donated to charity in some form across the previous 12-month period, compared with an average of 80 per cent among the wider population.

Although TikTok is not a sales channel first and foremost - as point 5 below explains - it is a very good channel to build brand awareness and loyalty among those most likely to donate. Today's 18 year olds are also tomorrow's 28 year olds so future-proof with this key demographic.

2. Data and safeguarding worries - these are relevant to ALL social platforms and not just TikTok. Although they are still important considerations, if your charity is active in the 'digital ecosystem' you will always run the risk of a data breach, inappropriate behaviour online, and worse, safeguarding problems. But don't lump all this at TikTok's door - Meta was recently fined in Ireland for a GDPR violation and there are current concerns over the use of Facebook Pixel and data usage.

3. SEO - TikTok content is highly searchable and will help your SEO. TikTok has even recently launched a 'search widget' for your home page, directly taking on Google and other search engines. Google has admitted that TikTok and Instagram are stealing their search traffic and entering the search race - 40% of Gen Z prefers using TikTok or Instagram for search instead of Google. You just need to optimise your TikToks right - create content round your key search terms and use the terms in the TikTok captions, headline, narrative and description.

4. Short-form video of one kind or another continues to be the content format that will help you reach new audiences on most social media platforms. As the OG short-form video platform, TikTok is the reason for this trend as other platforms struggle to catch up.

According to 1700 marketeers and business owners from 34 different countries from research by SEMRush, the best performing content format was 'video' (45%) which was significantly higher than the second best performing: short-form articles (31%). When asked why type or vide9 content performs best, short-form video was the hugest at 43% (again significantly higher than the second best).

Although it might take you out of your comfort zone, mastering the art of short-form video creation is probably not avoidable in the medium-term if you work in marketing and Comms, so bite the bullet. And acknowledge that it will take a mindset shift for all involved - you will need to be asking colleagues and volunteers to take portrait videos instead of photos and a lot of people will automatically film in landscape. So it's not going to happen overnight.

5. TikTok is not primarily a selling channel - please tell your fundraising team. You need to create content on TikTok that is useful to your audience - either through humour or education. Going in for the hard sell from the word go is never going to work. And trying to use it simply as an advertising channel is never going to work - that's not why people enjoy watching TikTok. You can use TikTok to build brand awareness of your cause, show the people behind your charity, reinforce your message, campaign for change and then make 'asks' through other more appropriate methods.?

6. The trick is to build a quality, loyal, COMMUNITY. Stop obsessing about views and followers numbers - you are much better off having a quality following rather than quantity. All you will do if you effectively buy followers and views through advertising is aquire a following who might not be that interested in what your charity does. Build a loyal following who has a genuine interest in your cause. You also need to stop 'posting & ghosting' - you need to develop a community to develop through timely responses and replies.?

7. TikTok is not a panacea! TikTok has the OG algorithmic news feed - the 'For You' page - and this still provides opportunities for accounts with fewer followers. But this doesn't mean you will automatically go viral overnight. It is not the holy grail that people think it is. It still takes time and patience to grow a following and this will take at least a year, probably more.

8. And finally, don't let the fear of the unknown put you off having a go. As we said, it will be very difficult to avoid the popularity of short-form video if you want to grow an audience on social media in 2023. Just because you have absolutely no clue how to use TikTok and what all the functionality means, let alone how to tap into the type or content that actually works on the platform, do not worry. Rome wasn't built in a day! Try and hire one of your children - or grandchildren - to show you how it works. Sign up for the App and start watching TikTok long before you intend to post anything. Get comfortable with it.

Join us for 'How to create a winning charity TikTok content Strategy' on 29th June: 11:00am - 12:30pm:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/creating-a-winning-charity-tiktok-content-strategy-tickets-643654466837

If you run a charity and want to get established on TikTok, get in touch and fund out how we can help.