The benefits of TikTok for business are multiple – you just need to have a clear vision of what they are and how to make them work for your brand.
As one of the newest social media platforms, TikTok’s user base is growing rapidly and it’s quickly becoming a great opportunity for businesses to reach new, larger audiences. I’m taking a look at the benefits of TikTok for businesses, so you can gauge whether it’s worth your business investing time and money in the platform.
What are the benefits of TikTok for business?
TikTok has a huge, growing audience
There have been over 2 billion downloads of TikTok, and it has more than 800 million active users worldwide. The platform’s main demographic of users are teenagers and young adults;32.5% of TikTok users in the USare aged between 10 and 19 years old, and 29.5% are between 20 to 29 years.
But the volume of users and the rate at which it’s growing means that it can provide access to a huge audience and it seems to be easier than on other channels to create video content that goes viral and reaches hundreds or thousands of people.
The audience is international
TikTok is used in over 150 different countries, and viral videos on the platform can reach all over the world. If you’re looking at reaching international markets, then TikTok is an effective platform for connecting with new audiences in other countries.
Video marketing is a priority
The trend for video marketing isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, research has shown that 86% of people would like to see more video from brands.
And while 85% of businesses are already using video as a marketing tool, TikTok is a good way to expand the reach of your video content. If you’re not already using video then it provides a fairly accessible way to incorporate video into your existing marketing strategy.
It’s easy to connect with an audience
It’s fairly straightforward to promote your business and reach an audience by launching a hashtag challenge. You can choose an idea or theme and then encourage users to create or recreate videos using a branded hashtag that you’ve come up with. It’s a good way to increase interactions with your brand and encourage engagement.
Is TikTok right for your business?
Is your target audience on TikTok?
While the audience on TikTok is huge, you need to consider whether the people that you are trying to target specifically are going to be using it. That being said, if your target audience isn’t currently using TikTok you also need to consider whether they will be in the near future.
Although TikTok currently seems to be a Generation Z trend, most of the main social media platforms started off with a predominantly younger audience. Instagram for example, was initially used mainly by teenagers and young adults, but now its audience has diversified and there are millions of businesses also using it as a marketing channel.
By getting involved with a new platform early you’ll be able to get a head start on your competitors. You can begin growing your audience before the platform is oversaturated with businesses and promoted content.
TikTok influencer marketing
TikTok is still in its early stages as a marketing channel, butsome major brandsare starting to work with influencers on the platform to extend their reach. These influencers have millions of followers, and now could be a good time to start working with them.
Currently, TikTok influencers are charging considerably less for access to larger followings than influencers on other platforms like Instagram.
TikTok advertising
It’s still not a fully-fledged advertising platform, but TikTok has recently introducedopportunities for advertisem*nts. There are currently five different ad formats including in-feed ads, which are similar to Instagram adverts and appear as you scroll through: Branded Takeovers that appear when someone opens the app, and Branded Effects that use AR filters, stickers and lenses.
While these advertising options offer a lot of potential for connecting with TikTok’s vast audience, they can have a high minimum spend that might not be affordable for small to medium businesses. So it’s worth considering whether your business will be able to pay for advertisem*nts on TikTok or if you’ll need to use it in other ways to promote your business.
Content needs to be original and engaging
One of the upsides of using TikTok is that you don’t need to create high-quality, professionally filmed and edited videos – you can just use your smartphone.
However, you do need to be able to come up with engaging, fun ideas, and your content needs to be original. This kind of content isn’t going to be possible for all businesses, and in some cases, it just won’t match with your product or your brand.
You need to ensure that all marketing channels you use are aligned with your business goals and your brand strategy. If the rest of your business is very serious, and your marketing is focused on providing in-depth blog posts or research papers, then a TikTok hashtag challenge probably won’t be appropriate.
How can you fit TikTok into your current marketing strategy?
Understand your audience on TikTok
Take some time toresearch the platform, understand how it works, and what your target audience and your competitors are doing on TikTok.
You can begin to figure out what kind of content you should be sharing — whether it’s tutorials, behind-the-scenes, product launches, user-generated content, or just funny videos. You’ll also need to compile a list of relevant hashtags you want to target with your videos and come up with some branded ones to use for your business.
Manage all your platforms from a shared inbox
As the number of marketing channels you’re using increases, it’s important to keep on top of them all — don’t neglect your Instagram account because you’ve started using TikTok. Use a scheduler like the one available on Iconosquare to ensure that you’re posting content consistently, and use ateam inboxsuch as Crisp to monitor incoming messages across different channels. Managing all platforms from one shared inbox will ensure you send cohesive communications that are always in line with your brand’s tone of voice. It also minimises the risk of missing any messages or losing track of conversations and will help improve customer satisfaction.
Repurpose your content for different channels
If you’re already producing videos for your other social media channels then you don’t necessarily need to create brand new videos for TikTok. Look at ways you can use avideo editingapp to repurpose the videos you create for Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn so that they’re appropriate for your TikTok account.
It’s also important to ensure that you’re conveying the same messages across all the channels. While TikTok might be a place for more lighthearted content, it’s going to be confusing if the images, language and overall brand is completely different when someone then encounters you on a different platform or visits your website.
Although it requires some planning and it won’t be suitable for everyone, TikTok offers a lot of benefits and opportunities for businesses looking to expand their marketing channels and it’s worth getting involved now to take advantage of the platform as it grows.
This article was originally posted on Iconosquare.
