Do I really need to be on TikTok as well?

Do I really need to be on TikTok as well?

With many social media avenues in the market, you need to identify which one fits your own voice.

If you have heard of TikTok, chances are you either have a teenager in your family, or you are a marketer witnessing a social tsunami and are assessing whether you can use the app to promote your product. Or maybe you’re an influencer using another platform and are considering jumping on the bandwagon.

I hate to admit it, but I’m among the latest one, and it wasn’t until just recently that I began looking at it from my own brand perspective (as opposed to lamenting the fact that I don’t get the silly jokes of the Gen-Zs).

I’m a generation Xer working in the creative industry, and also, an Instagram influencer focused on travel. To keep up-to-date in social trends, I need to experiment and put myself in different scenarios to be able to find the most original ways to communicate to specific target audiences.

One important rule of design is “Know your audience” – after all, if you don’t know who your ideal follower/customer is, there’s no way you can appeal to them. So that makes me think that I should test new waters: the exciting territory of TikTok (let’s be honest, if I don’t speak the language of the future generation, I will be a dinosaur in no time).

TikTok is YouTube on steroids. The app was founded in 2017 and has been attracting new users in droves, becoming the most downloaded iOS app of 2018 in the process. This is largely down to its winning combination of snappy 15-second videos set to catchy music, Gen-Z friendly stickers and special effects, and its viral challenges that involve users dancing along to songs. Think pranks, dares, teenagers looking pretty, people rolling across the floor pretending to be tumbleweed…

The videos are mostly produced by adolescents with easy-to-use editing tools. The app makes money from adverts and commissions on digital tips. It may one day generate revenue from e-commerce.

TikTok is also attractive because it is still new territory when it comes to marketing. The app has only just begun exploring paid advertising and offers an open arena for influencers to fight for top positions.

If your goal is to communicate to people from Gen-Z, the first thing that you need to do is to talk their language and be in their skin.

If you have a business and you need to communicate to the younger generation then you should give it a shot. The key here is to be authentic – if you try to create memes that are not your voice or business' vibe, you will fail.

You need to spend time on the app – like any app that runs with algorithms. Make yourself a profile, follow popular users, and create content every day until you feel like you have a handle on what real users like to engage with and what the platform's culture is.

Your content must be focused on bringing value, not only on selling your stuff. No one uses TikTok because they want to buy something, so keep this in mind. They want to have fun.

There is marketing potential in TikTok right now, but how much time you want to commit to it will obviously depend on the results you're seeing, and whether it's actually driving interest to your message. You'll want to keep an eye on your metrics, and measure your results at each step before increasing your investment of ad spend and your time.  

But what is next? TikTok can’t be a one-trick pony. Sooner or later, young people will lose interest in the app’s short-form videos. It will have to roll out new features to keep its followers entertained, and that means more opportunities for marketing and brands to showcase their message.

As for me, I downloaded the app, spent a day navigating through videos (some fun, most really not my style), before I removed the app. And then a few days later I installed it again… The battle continues.



Michael Christodoulou??

Bringing ideas, brands and experiences to life through ideas that resonate, thrive & drive global revenue. B2B??B2C??ABM Pragmatic Perfectionist. ?? Check out a monthly dose of Inspiration & Creativity.

4 年

Great read Ligia, I’ve heard loads about the app but haven’t hit download yet. I think different communities use it as well as the gen z’s. It’s an easy one for people to connect with. Your brand would thrive on this once you build the followers you’re looking for. Go for it and good luck!

Mark Braun

Creative Director at Momentum ITSMA - The Global Growth Consultancy

4 年

Excellent article Ligia. Looking forward to the next. Keep up the great work!

John Fountain

Writer of copy, content and concepts

4 年

Hey Ligia. Nice piece. Another AWESOME string to your bow!!

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