TikTok - The #NewNormal

“Hey yo, famous relative check!” …

“Ahhh, I coulda dropped my croissant!”…

And the familiar, instrumental rendition of Doja Cat’s, Say So coupled with a video of an alluring place to explore, are some of my favorite on my For You page.  These trending sounds can be found on today’s most popular social media application – TikTok.

According to Wallaroo Media , TikTok boasts around 800 million monthly active users as of June 2020. Much of its success is due to the new short form media capability. Users are flocking to the app to learn the latest DIY hacks, the latest dance moves and challenges, and my favorite – the world’s hidden places to explore.  

The usability of the app makes for an easy barrier to entry for users with disparate passions and creativity. In fact, according to Wallaroo Media, 83% of TikTok users have also posted a video. Not only is the app engaging for its audience, but it also provides a quick, easy way to create content. Creators can now post the same content in a shorter form and users can consume the same content in shorter periods of time. 30- minute YouTube tutorials and static Pinterest images are now a thing of the past. Quick, short form media is the trend and other social media companies want in.

As of June 24th, YouTube is also testing out a way to record multi-segmented short form content. According to the YouTube Help page, YouTube is testing out a way for creators to develop multiple clips on the YouTube mobile app to upload it as one video. While the current max recording time is 15 seconds, you may also upload from your phone gallery for longer videos. Once more, the goal is to create short, crisp content that is quick and engaging.  

Per Whatsnewinpublishing, Google is also working on its version of short form content called, Tangi. Tangi is positioned as the “app to share and learn new things in under 60 seconds.”

Facebook, too had their own version – Lasso. Lasso was initially tested out in Brazil, but as of July 1st, per The Verge, Facebook will be scrapping this experiment to focus on their latest project, Instagram Reels. Reels is launching globally next month as the supposed main TikTok competitor. Once more, the goal for other social giants is to engage the audience quicker, while making it seamless to create content.

The transition to short form media by TikTok and now its competitors is due to the way we now consume media. Today, more users seek content to consume in less amount of time, without interruptions. Consumers want to engage, create, and stay up to date on the latest trends. We face FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out – so we have to do it! Every social app focuses on how they can keep you entertained, but TikTok is the entertainment! It’s like a large crowd-sourced entertainment center. Consequently, more brands and advertisers are using the app’s latest social trends to innovate and help stay top of mind.

Brands and advertisers will have to adapt to discover new ways to immerse their brand to an audience that is hyper focused on short clips. The good news is that they can do it natively on TikTok without taking the focus away from the user’s feed.

In the latest Tech Crunch article, they detail the latest TikTok ad platform –TikTok For Business, which hosts the foundation for the next generation of ads.

This new TikTok tool, provides brands and advertisers access to the newest and greatest ad formats, including TopView, which is the ad that appears at the launch of the app. Brands can use other products including Brand Takeovers, In-Feed Videos, Hashtag challenge, and my favorite – Branded Effects.

The last two are the new normal. The Hashtag challenge feature allows brands to invite the TikTok audience to create their own content using the hashtag of their choice. The differentiator here is -that TikTok allows users to contribute with user-generated content. Users can now share their own short form video take to react to a trending hashtag instead of the typical static image or a previously shared video.  

Branded Effects is the future for brands. This feature uses VR to help brands insert themselves in a content experience that the audience can easily replicate and engage. This is very much an improved version of the Snap VR Platform.

As per Tech Crunch, TikTok is positioning their marketing solution as a place where branded content and user-generated content are together in one community. This will result in a more native and authentic appeal to the audience, which is what other platforms seek.

Social media apps have sought after native marketing functions for years. We’ve seen it with Instagram and its latest shopping and Checkout function and Facebook Shops. While brand engagement has improved, the bottom line is that users continue to scroll through. In TikTok however, users see a brand challenge and participate. That is next level marketing!

TikTok developed the ability to engage with brands and create content, almost immediately – and the masses love this! Today, social media fanatics prefer shorter media content and TikTok can be to blame. As a result, other social media companies, brands, and advertisers are altering their plans to strategically invest in the TikTok hype.

In the very near future social media companies will likely develop similar short media capabilities while brands and advertisers will flock to TikTok to engage their audience. The fact is TikTok is today’s most hottest social media platform and it isn’t for its amazing sounds. Ultimately, TikTok perfected the social media #NewNormal and we’re all a part of it.