How TikTok has changed marketing is no recent news. TikTok has been awarded the title of the fastest growing social media platform of all time, giving it the chance to make the shortlist as one of the most downloaded apps globally for the past three years.

TikTok is much more well known among teenagers worldwide, who are generally early adopters of new social media platforms. They figured out how to use the app early and adapted the platform to their tastes and needs, and many of them have gathered thousands of followers over the past few years.

Even though TikTok appeals to young generations, it retains its audience as they age.

TikTok is now available in about 154 countries. Global Web Index statistics from 2019 show that TikTok’s penetration level is seemingly at its highest in Asia, where over one-third of users aged 16 to 64 had an account. There is not much to split the rest of the world, with penetration of 12 percent (North America) and 10 percent (Latin America and Europe).

Global brands have realized the importance of TikTok as a critical way of engaging with young audiences, encouraging user-generated content, and partnering with relevant influencers. 

TikTok has witnessed paid and influencer campaigns on its app from Nike, Skittles, Fenty Beauty, Pepsi, Calvin Klein, Sony, and FIFA, to mention a few. If you are, therefore, a brand looking to connect with TikTok creators, use a tracker tool to identify your relevant influencers.

TikTok had seen a significant increase in celebrity users, primarily during 2020, when many Hollywood stars and global musicians were looking for ways to stay relevant and connect to fans during the COVID pandemic. These include Reese Witherspoon, Snoop Dogg, Dua Lipa, and Kendall Jenner.

Keep in mind that TikTok is different from other video platforms such as Instagram because it values genuine content from its creators. Doja Cat, an artist, is one personality on TikTok that has amassed 14.7 million followers by posting content that shows off her character and comes across as genuine. TikTok users value accurate content they can relate to and believe people because they are like themselves.  

How Popular is TikTok?

TikTok, a short-form video app saw rapid growth during the COVID-19 pandemic; this is because many users found time to explore the platform and connect with their online audiences in new ways. This is key to how TikTok has changed marketing.

In the first quarter of 2020, the rapid increase of TikTok users set the record for it as the most downloaded in a single quarter for a social app, having 315 million installs.

TikTok now has one billion active users worldwide, and this has made TikTok the 7th in social network sites, not including the Chinese version Douyin which has 600 million users, more than Snapchat, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter.

Having this in mind, note that it took Instagram about six years from the time it was launched to gain the same number of monthly active users that TikTok has managed to achieve in less than three years. And for Facebook to hit the same monthly active users mark, it took them the best part of four years.

Marketers are more drawn to TikTok because it reflects a critical social media trend for creative skills and collaboration amongst younger audiences. Because of its fast-paced nature, users can be kept engaged for relatively long periods, spending an average of 52 minutes daily on the app.

90 percent of all TikTok users have access to the app daily. Not just that, they are very much active on the app. A study by GlobalWebIndex in 2019 that observed the behavior of TikTok users in a month showed that 68 percent of TikTok users watch the video of someone else and 55 percent upload their videos.

What is TikTok Known for?

TikTok is a platform known as the “destination for short-form mobile videos.”

This app allows users to create and upload videos with incorporated music with filters and editing effects, or it shows the user lip-syncing or dancing to a song. 

Its videos are usually short, having about 15 seconds duration though TikTok has been increasing the time available – as of March 2022, it started allowing videos of 10 minutes. 

Its rapid video format is not just for dance challenges and lip-synching, even though that is what it has become famous for. TikTok creators are now using the platform to discuss complex subjects, campaign for change, and also educate their audiences on different subjects ranging from healthcare to accountancy. 

Therefore, if you are looking for inspiration or you want to grow your TikTok fanbase, you could check out our blog for more great social media video ideas.

For example, Taylor Price offers Generation Z finance advice to over 1.1 million followers who are very much interested in helping their finance.

How Marketers Take On TikTok

TikTok offers an opportunity that is good for marketers to easily reach younger audiences around the globe in an environment that is highly creative and playful. 

Many of the popular social media memes began on TikTok. Because of this, brands have the chance to increase their credibility by being at the forefront of every one of these cutting-edge trends.

TikTok does not require a large budget for video content creation because standard content created spontaneously in ordinary surroundings has the same chance of cutting through as those with a large budget. 

Many of the TikTok videos have been filmed in the bedrooms, car parks, or gardens of users. TikTok provides marketers with a level playing field to help them reach their audience and increase engagement. 

TikTok accounts with zero followers can still get up to a million views on a new video, unlike other social media platforms such as Instagram or YouTube, thanks to the viral nature of the algorithm. As far as the content you post appeals to the audience, the engagement will follow.

Influencer Marketing Hub, 2019 says that TikTok experiences higher engagement rates from the followers on the app than other social media platforms. This means that marketers can achieve significant results with a carefully planned campaign using content that appeals to the audience on the app.

There are four key ways that marketers can now use TikTok:

1. Starting a brand channel

Brands can now create their own branded page and start to experiment with content types. You can create your content very quickly and with no budget. 

But the best thing for your brand is to follow trending hashtags, get involved with the latest memes, and apply these memes to your brand. 

You can also utilize the app’s built-in filters, effects, soundbites, and editing tools to create and share authentic content. 

The organic reach on TikTok is extensive, but having impactful engagement is only derived if your audience truly resonates with your content, which plays to the platform’s rules. Therefore, posting your corporate brand messaging here simply won’t work.

2. Collaborate with influencers

A good way of utilizing TikTok is to leverage influencer communities – the statistics placed on influencers leave no doubt as to how powerful they can be for your brand’s success. 

Influencers who spend almost all of their time on TikTok have established highly engaged followers and fan bases because they always post content of high quality which resonates with the audience. 

They are the people who understand TikTok and therefore know how to use its tools, features, and trends to their advantage. Brands can approach one of these influencers and collaborate on campaigns that use the skills and knowledge of these influencers. TikTok has its Creator Marketplace, which is designed to link brands together and also creators.

3. Start a hashtag challenge

When your brand creates a challenge for users to enter, it provides an excellent way for brands to start a cultural trend or meme. Millions of internet users are drawn to the best-performing challenges of producing videos for the campaign.

A great example is the E.l.f cosmetics #eyeslipsface campaign which saw over 4 billion views and 5 million video contributions and has been stated as the most successful TikTok marketing campaign by AdWeek.

4. Run TikTok advertising

TikTok is one of the most exciting new advertising channels because it has the scale of other platforms such as Instagram, but it is also not yet saturated with advertisers. This means generating impressions and clicks can be much more affordable than on other platforms.

Marketers have the chance to run in-feed adverts, sponsored hashtag challenges, and banner ads on the homepage of the app. 

They also have the opportunity to target age, location, and demographics; advertisers can target people who have viewed similar content to theirs. They can also sign up to TikTok for Business to run self-serve advertising campaigns.

Another social media app to remember when trying to connect with a young audience is WhatsApp. This instant messaging app is gaining popularity globally and provides excellent marketing opportunities once integrated with Facebook and Instagram. You can also post your TikTok videos on this platform.

Examples of Brands that use TikTok well

Many brand marketers have begun to explore the power of TikTok by running influencer marketing campaigns on the platform. There is a result of this, countless examples of the fashion industry and beauty brands that are leveraging the help of influencers to promote and review their products and also get involved with particular challenges that have been set by the brands.

1. Chipotle

This is one brand that has received praise regularly for its understanding of TikTok as a platform, and this is the fast-casual restaurant brand known as Chipotle.  

Chipotle’s GuacDance Challenge in 2019, which required guacamole fans to show off dance moves dedicated to avocados, received 250 thousand video submissions and 430 million video starts during a six-day run. The result was the most significant amount of guacamole ordered on National Avocado Day in the brand’s history.

Chipotle launched a new “Chipotle Royalty” challenge in 2020. It gave TikTok users a chance to win 10 thousand USD if they could prove why their Chipotle order is the best among over 4 million feasible combinations.

The campaign required users to create videos with the hashtag #ChipotleRoyalty. Chipotle will feature the three winning entries as an official menu item on its app and website for a set time.

2. Duolingo

This is a language education app that has 1.4 million followers and just like another company called Ryanair, is tapping into the younger generation in its videos. 

Many of the videos of Duolingo feature its bird logo mascot in an office saying and doing funny things. It also makes use of trends to show that it has its finger on the pulse like the POV craze across TikTok. 

It is therefore a great example of a brand capitalizing on organic content that surprises and entertains TikTok users.

3. Gymshark

Gymshark, which is a Fitness wear brand, uses ambassadors on TikTok to gain maximum reach. This brand encourages user-generated content from its followers and fans by enlisting its ambassadors to create fitness challenges, dance, and routines. 

This approach of collaboration it takes is performing well, as it fits with the communal mindset of Gen Z.

4. Ryanair

This low-cost airline company has faced its fair share of difficulties because of the Covid, but this did not stop the brand from creating some excitement on social media. 

The TikTok account of Ryanair does not seem a likely one to get tongues wagging, but it is a funny and quirky video that has attracted several followers which is about 1.2 million.

Its brand campaign is suspected to be run by a popular influencer, Ryanair’s TikTok features a series of videos from the Point Of View (POV) of the cabin crew. 

From a baby crying to the crew being too young or a customer not having enough leg room, it pokes fun at itself and tends to resonate with the Gen Z and millennial audience.

5. The World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a channel on TikTok in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic to help broadcast pieces of information and other trusted health information that offer tips on staying safe, and debunk myths that were spreading via social media.

The WHO also uses TikTok to post videos that give critical health updates, enabling it to connect with the younger audience base of the app, and it also makes the most of TikTok live videos to respond to questions from the followers.

6. BBC Education

The British broadcaster, BBC, is using TikTok to engage directly with school-aged audiences through the use of its BBC Bitesize account. 

All content about exams, revision, and STEM subjects is covered here, and it has young presenters sharing ideas and useful tips.

7. Trojan

It may seem like it would be difficult to sell condoms on social media but this is not true for Trojan on TikTok. Their account features hilarious how-to-do videos to help people to choose the right size of condom or tap into Halloween with a video that features pumpkins and the tagline’ Pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes. 

Its tongue-in-cheek humor has entertained a lot of TikTok users with over half a million followers. 

Conclusion

TikTok is certainly not like the other social media platforms on offer, so it might take a while before you can understand how TikTok works if you are already used to it.

Having this in mind, once you get it, TikTok would often work as a successful marketing channel as you are now able to reach a large number of people at a relatively low cost. This will now allow you to bypass your competition, especially if they have not taken the time to learn how TikTok works.

RELATED: The Complete Guide To Tiktok Marketing (Everything You Need to Know)

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