TikTok is here to stay. What does this mean for advertising agencies?

Perhaps it’s a symptom of the times that TikTok doesn’t feel that new. The speed of development in the internet age means the latest trends and inventions can feel aged and gimmicky in a matter of months. But TikTok has lasted. Previous concerns the platform was unsustainable given the fate of Vine (remember those?) are now the thoughts of yesterday. There are now over one billion users on an app that only truly gained traction in 2018, following the buying of Musical.ly and the subsequent global expansion of the platform. The mega stars that made their names and illustrious fortunes on the platform as influencers-come-legitimate celebrities are also, seemingly, here to stay. Perhaps that’s because the catchy music snippets and voice samples, ever surfacing trends and endlessly gripping algorithm perfectly mirrors the media industry of today. It’s social media before, but bigger, louder, faster, and more—it’s unbelievably fertile ground for social media advertising strategy.

What separates TikTok from other social media from an advertising perspective?

1.?????? The Pure Speed of Content.

2.?????? Natural and Well-Tailored Content.

The first point is based on quantity. Due to shorter videos, content appears faster, and marketing companies must find new ways to grab audience attention. Faster content increases the speed with which online trends, ideas, slang terms, and memes evolve and change. There is a never-ending stream of shifting trends and ways to communicate, hollowing out space for a social media strategy to be creative, fresh and agile.

The second is a question of quality. Content on TikTok appears continually and becomes tailored to a user far faster than on other social media platforms. Tailored content, whether paid, user-generated, or influencer-generated, slides into feeds seamlessly. Essentially, reaching the right audience has never been so easy or felt so natural.

As a result of both points, TikTok’s algorithm has become so well-tailored that communities can exist across the platform and begin to flourish quickly. The algorithm connects and grows niche communities and subcultures, perhaps best illustrated by the rising prominence of the phrase “__Tok”. Booktok, Dancetok, HarryStylesTok. Whether you realise it or not, the more you consume content, the more you are led into your “__Tok”. Pockets of interest grow at an unprecedented rate through a digestible stream of snippets and soundbites. This has implications for entire industries;?UK publishing sales hit record numbers in 2021, thanks to the exposure of the BookTok community. The tagline here is:?TikTok helps to drive culture. Companies can keep their marketing strategy fresh, ever-evolving, and, most importantly, relevant.

However, with TikTok’s meteoric rise to prominence, and as is the case with many social media platforms and search engines, there have been concerns. The ceaseless nature of the algorithm has induced worries about data fatigue, increased screen time, and effects on decreasing attention spans. Numerous articles argue TikTok narrows collective attention span over time, which TikTok have recently attempted to answer with the introduction of a screen time management tool. This is an important step, and it’s significant that brands are willing to support user wellbeing in an industry dominated by getting the most clicks and interactions possible.

However, these concerns are not isolated to TikTok. Similar allegations of censorship, data fatigue, and negative effects on attention spans have been levelled at many other social media platforms and drummed up controversy. Mark Zuckerberg’s grilling at Capitol Hill in 2018 became instantly divisive, a sign of free market internet entrepreneurship becoming uncontrollably dangerous for some and infamously satirical for others. The CNET YouTube channel painted congress as out of touch ageing politicians, needing an enlightened Zuckerberg to?“explain the internet”. Wherever your opinion falls, four years on, the debate remains unresolved and has perhaps never been so heated.

In 2022, TikTok has become cemented in culture and society and should remain a vital part of any social media marketing strategy. By considering the implications of the platform, the point is not to attack innovative forms of media; instead, it is a suggestion that we are mindful and attentive to its flaws. This may have implications for marketing strategy. What is our messaging? What kinds of content are we producing? What influencers are we partnering with? We want to recognise the potential of TikTok and other new social media platforms while practising mindfulness and offering critique. We want to learn to use it?better.

At T11, we can help navigate the TikTok waters to create truly compelling and authentic content. Get in touch to see how we can help ??

https://www.teameleven.co.uk/

Written by Fin Cousins