TikTok has over one billion monthly users, making it one of the fastest-growing social networks. There is no doubt that (as much as many of us try to avoid even checking out this social media platform), ignoring its success will not get us anywhere.
The app is not going to disappear anytime soon. Its audience is growing at a speed of light, and its influence is growing as well. It's not a coincidence – some things make the platform truly special. Let's have a look at some of them:
The algorithm is interest-based, which is different from other social media platforms. It takes what users are interested in, so the content is served based on what users interact with and what kind of videos they watch, like and engage with.
The nature of the algorithm has some very interesting consequences.
The algorithm is exciting in itself, and the way they designed it has some very interesting consequences. For example, on TikTok, anyone can go viral. It sounds like an overstatement, but thanks to the algorithm, it's actually true. Videos can receive millions of views, and it doesn't matter what number of followers the account has. It means that individuals and brands can reach a vast audience even without a massive following.
It all happens because TikTok shows content based on what you like rather than whom you follow, so the result is that any brand can be discovered, and it doesn't, in fact, matter what following it has. What's important is to create content that resonates with the targeted audience.
And it's not only about (the crazy) number of people who are using the app, it's also about the time they spend there. Just in the United States, from October 2019 to March 2020, the average time spent on TikTok grew from 443 minutes per month to 858 minutes.
The app is designed to make you engaged. It learns from your behaviour, and by giving you what you like, you are much more likely to keep watching the never-ending line of videos.
Data from Upfluence show that engagement rates are higher than on Instagram and YouTube. For example, micro-influencers had engagement rates of 17.9% on TikTok, 3.8% on Instagram, and 1.6% on YouTube. On the other hand, mega-influencers had engagement rates of 4.9% on TikTok, 1.2% on Instagram, and 0.3% on YouTube.
The average engagement rate is 5.96%, according to Socialinsider data, which is way above any other social network, and it makes it the most engaging social media platform at the moment.
Probably underestimated but still an essential factor – people want to have fun. We are all overwhelmed by what's happening around us in the world. Everything from creation to publishing is straightforward, and it doesn't take much time. Everything is instant. It's easy to get yourself lost in watching entertaining videos when the app automatically serves you one after another.
The creation happens inside the app from start to finish, there's no need to use other apps or tools. You can get genuinely creative because TikTok offers a wide range of effects, filters, and tools to adjust the audio and clips themselves. It takes some time to discover all the options, but it helps that everything happens in the native app – there is no need to go anywhere else.
TikTok provides a bunch of Creative Tools:
A huge marketing team is not a necessity to create content and be successful on TikTok (but don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting that content creation is a one-person job). It's only up to the brands and marketing teams how adventurous and creative they want to be – the sky's the limit.
We are human, and we engage with content that is "human" as well. It's not about massive tv productions, big teams and crazy ideas. Authenticity is much more important. TikTok offers brands space to be authentic and personal.
Joseph Cook, who went viral at the end of 2020, has an interesting insight into the platform: "There's quite a bold internet culture on TikTok; you kind of have to be a consumer of the content to be a good creator. It can feel really forced when an artist who doesn't use the app rocks up and tries to force a viral audio." Remember that people will rather appreciate natural "imperfect" video, that a forced performance.
We've already covered some fundamentals of TikTok, which paints the picture of why it's here to stay. However, there are other reasons for brands to pay attention to this social media platform.
Ads.
In June 2020, TikTok launched its advertising platform called TikTok For Business. You can also boost your existing content using TikTok Promote, in that case, you wouldn't need a TikTok Ads Manager Account.
TikTok Business Accounts offer performance metrics, audience insights and creative tools to implement into your marketing strategy.
The slogan "Don't Make Ads. Make TikTok videos." sets up the tone – TikTok really tries to stick to the fun and authenticity in content creation and uses it to help brands achieve fast growth and visibility.
As TikTok states, most of TikTok's users are highly-engaged Generation Z and Millennials around the world, which allows brands to connect with the next generation of consumers.
It would be a mistake to think it's too late to join TikTok, so don't get fooled by this impression. It's not too late – the platform is evolving, and a lot of potential is hiding there.
Partnerships.
TikTok provides tools to find creators, you don't have to be alone in it. It might also give you a place to start, get inspired and find the right people for your brand.
TikTok Creator Marketplace is a place to find creators, analyze their audience and invite them to collaborate and partner with them. You can view the insights – data provided and maintained directly by TikTok, and even unlock historical creators' performance. At present, business partners can reach creators in over 20 countries.
TikTok Creative Exchange helps advertisers connect with creative experts to create native-looking TikTok videos for ad campaigns.
Have a look at this TikTok post from @Prada. It's part of content created for #pradafw22 – The Fall Winter 2022 collection, using partnerships with influencers waiting for the fashion show.
Whether you want to get into ads or not, there are great tools from TikTok that you can use to your advantage. A ton of inspiration is literary at your fingertips. Why not use something that the platform itself offers for free?
We would recommend starting with TikTok For Business Blog – it offers updates, insights and creative inspiration. It's a never-ending stream of articles and tips for anything connected to businesses on TikTok.
TikTok's Creative Center is an excellent tool for discovering what's currently popular on the platform. You can learn how to create better posts and get inspired by other brands' stories.
The Creative Center includes several tools:
A must! It's almost unbelievable how well TikTok puts together helpful information and tools to make it easier for everyone.
Are you or your team interested in TikTok? Do you feel like sometimes you get lost in the ever-changing world of social media trends? If your answer is maybe, or yes, this is for you. Trend Discovery is a tool which gives you a pretty in-depth overview of the latest trends.
You can explore the most successful ads on TikTok from around the world. Using this tool, you can see their detailed breakdowns to understand what works best.
Insights to help you create a well-performing ad.
Explore quick TikTok tutorials to help you create your best content.
A bi-weekly short article series that provides insights on topics like Communities on TikTok, Seasonal Moments, Vertical Audiences, Trends, Creativity, and more.
Branded Hashtag Challenges, in general, have a dedicated "Challenge page", which puts all entries in one place and provides information and external links.
Subway invited users to record themselves eating Subway Bite and get crazier with their creativity with every bite (to a soundtrack by artist Kilo Kish). The campaign drew in more than 312 million video views and 167,000 entries, and the engagement rate reached 14.55%.
Eco-friendly plastic wrap alternatives brand BeeJoyful
The owner, Jessica, grew her business online, increased sales, and hit 60k followers on TikTok by promoting her products on @BeeJoyfulJess. Although she first opened a local store within her community, after the pandemic hit, she realized she had to go online very quickly. She posted consistently and soon saw an immediate impact.
Spark ad is an ad format that allows brands to boost organic content or any popular content from other creators. and when it plays, the user can directly follow the creator or swipe left to view the profile.
In a case study, TikTok tells a story: "Schwarzkopf wanted to promote its LIVE Colour hair dye range. The transformation trend was already big on TikTok. So to show up natively on the platform and tap into what was already trending in our community, Schwarzkopf harnessed the creativity of top lifestyle creators. Each creator posted two TikToks, the first showing the audience the steps to dye their hair and the second highlighting the creator's transformation."
Boosting videos of the partnered creators discussing the "LIVE Colour hair dye" was a good step for the brand, because it had an organic feel and it perfectly fits the current TikTok trends. The result? More than 20 million impressions and 18 million video views (an average view-through rate 10.1%, far exceeding the average benchmark, and a cost per 6-second view-through of $0.01).
If you have something to do with content marketing in your professional life, you probably use some tool to plan your social media content. The marketing strategy becomes much clearer when you have a place to plan and possibly communicate with your team or with people from a marketing agency.
If you use ZoomSphere, you are in luck! ZoomSphere's Scheduler app now supports scheduling and publishing to TikTok.
Depending on your workflow, you have two main options:
Connect the TikTok account to ZoomSphere and add the TikTok account to any Scheduler app. Here's how.
Create and schedule a new post. Cooperate with your team, leave comments, and change the post status as the process advances until the creation is final.
Schedule and publish your TikTok posts.
When it comes to the publishing mode, auto-publishing is not supported due to TikTok API limitations, and it is necessary to publish TikTok posts manually via the ZoomShere mobile app. This also allows you to add all the fun features like stickers, filters, effects, and songs to your post.
💡 Tip: Schedule Instagram Reels and Tiktoks at the same time. Simply select your Instagram and Tiktok accounts, and the post type will pop up: Tiktok / Instagram Reel.
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