As the most downloaded app in 2020, TikTok now has emerged as one of the fastest-growing social media platforms. People—and now brands—use the app to create video content with text, filters and music. If your business is wondering if TikTok is the right communication tool for you, then you aren’t alone. With reportedly 100 million monthly active TikTok users in the U.S., many brands are determining ways to engage audiences on TikTok. Here are some questions worth asking if your brand is contemplating joining.
- Is your brand entertaining? The majority of respondents in the 2020 GlobalWebIndex survey said they used TikTok to find funny/entertaining content. Do you have what we term brand permission to produce content that is designed to interact with audiences in an entertaining way? With the #chipotlelidflip challenge, for example, Chipotle encouraged customers to create videos of themselves flipping burrito bowl lids. For brands, TikTok offers the opportunity to “let down your hair” a bit and not take yourself too seriously. Your content is considered “good” when people feel inclined to make their own videos using your posts, music and/or hashtags.
- Does your brand have product or category authority? More and more people seek tips and tricks from TikTok accounts. From makeup tutorials to cleaning hacks to fitness advice, TikTok is becoming a hub of informative/educational content. If you feel your brand can leverage its expertise to offer helpful insights, we recommend checking out hashtags related to your field and seeing what content already exists.
- Can your brand interact comfortably? Unlike other social media platforms, TikTok is not a space for brands to showcase more traditional advertisements that appear in feeds. So, if you have a more formal or rigid brand, then this might not be the best channel for you. The most successful ads are those that look like user-generated content, so people don’t initially even recognize it’s an ad at all. Is your brand designed to reach audiences in a relatable way? Can your social content speak with your potential and existing customers and not at them? These are just a couple of points to consider as you assess if TikTok should be part of your larger brand communication strategy.
Is your brand on TikTok? We’d love to hear how you are using the app to interact with audiences in this space. Let’s have a conversation.