It’s TikTok’s world, and the rest of the advertising industry is living in it. The short-form video platform by ByteDance launched in 2016 and has fundamentally changed the landscape of advertising and digital marketing. When looking at TikTok’s reach, the numbers are staggering; it has been downloaded around four billion times and was the most visited website in 2021. TikTok is the kingmaker for songs, dances, memes and brands. If you want to get consumers in your pipeline, building a TikTok campaign could be a great choice for you. However, making branded content for TikTok requires a completely different approach than content for most other media. If you try to play by the old media rules, the algorithm will toss you aside. So before you start the next trend, let’s discuss how TikTok has shaped present-day digital marketing and what approaches make the biggest impact with users.
What is TikTok’s Role in the Market?
TikTok has made itself the ultimate disruptor of the creator economy. TikTok is first and foremost an entertainment app, but its wide variety of available content has allowed it to replace sites like Google, Twitter and YouTube as an information source for its users. The app’s user base skews younger, about 60% of them being under the age of 30, and younger consumers prefer easy-to-consume, “snackable” content from an authentic source they feel they can trust. Plus, the TikTok algorithm does an excellent job of presenting users their intended search results based on their previous engagement. More members of Generation Z are checking TikTok for tips on things like where to eat, what to shop for, where to vacation, how to write a professional email and how to perform service on their car. Entertaining, personable content that informs generates engagement and is rewarded by the algorithm.
What Makes An Impact On TikTok Users?
The first thing to know about how people use TikTok is that they use it a lot. Active users are on the app for an average of 95-100 minutes per day. The algorithm is so powerful and well-targeted that users are inundated with content that matches their interests. Satisfying the algorithm by generating engagement is crucial to getting your work discovered on TikTok. The intimacy of video has lent itself to TikTok influencers who show a behind-the-scenes window into their life. On TikTok, user-generated content (UGC) rules all. While Instagram and Facebook continue the quest to present users a flawless and pristine feed, TikTok arrived with production restraints that made repeatedly making highly produced content unattainable for most creators. Content with a more stripped-down look was the result of those restraints and viewers developed an appreciation for that aesthetic. TikTok proved that there is an appetite for more candid content, and that appetite has grown as more users adopt the app.
What are Best Practices for Making TikToks?
We’ve now looked at TikTok from the perspective of the market and the perspective of the user. Between both these views there’s been a theme as to what makes content on TikTok successful – authenticity. Each TikTok for your campaign should have a central character and present content where their perspective is the primary focus, make your TikToks feel like honest testimony. Your TikTok content also must be entertaining. Users are very discerning, and if they hear a call-to-action or feel like they are being sold to, they will swipe away before the video ends and the algorithm will bury your video.
There are two tried and true ways to approach your TikTok campaign that we recommend. First, creating your own TikTok content, either in-house or with an agency. Creating original TikToks is difficult, and many brands don’t succeed. A good way to get started is to keep up with and participate in trends. If a sound, prank or “challenge” is going viral, brainstorm a way to subtly integrate your brand message with that. The second approach is to seek out an influencer. An influencer will likely be better equipped to generate engagement and have a built-in following, but there’s always an inherent risk to relinquishing a promotional message to a third party.
One of the best examples of making branded, entertaining and trendy content that informs with an authentic flair is Duolingo. The language-learning software’s TikTok campaign by Zaria Parvez, starring its mascot owl Duo, has earned numerous marketing awards. Duolingo’s TikToks follow Duo’s adventures around the office, either making humorous life observations or participating in a viral trend, creatively referencing the language service. Rivers Agency creates engaging content for Hampton Farms’ TikTok account that informs the viewer of recipes that utilize peanuts. Along with the occasional trendy post and observational humor, Hampton Farms’ TikToks features a spokesperson walking the viewer through quick, simple recipes using Hampton Farms products.
TikTok is the dominant force in not just social media, all media. Once you nail your brand voice to fit the UGC vibe, you can be successful in reaching more people and growing your pipeline. If you need help crafting your TikTok presence, Rivers Agency has a team of creatives with expertise in branding and video production. Let’s get our work for you on the For You page – contact us today!