Since TikTok launched in 2016, its rise in popularity has been sharp. Not only is it one of the largest social media platforms currently in the app store, but it’s also toppled Facebook as the most downloaded social media app in the world.

If you’re new to this platform, you likely won’t be for long, considering its popularity. TikTok involves short video clips that quickly catch the viewer’s attention but aren’t so long that users bounce. Clips can be up to three minutes long, but using all three minutes should be done with caution because this app is built for short attention spans. Users flick fast through content, so you have to grab their attention fast. 

TikTok’s power has been felt by social media giant Meta, which owns both Facebook and Instagram. In fact, Instagram tried to launch its own version of TikTok called Reels, but it hasn’t had the same impact. Now Twitter is trying its hand, but if anything is true of Twitter, their users don’t love changes. 

A New(ish) Social Media Platform

Most companies have become accustomed to using social media to promote their brand and products. Businesses can reach a larger audience and broaden their selling range by using social media. Adding a new platform can be tricky, but it’s smart to consider the power of this platform that is taking the world by storm. Having the capability to promote your brand globally in a 30-second video can broaden your reach immeasurably. 

However, this platform isn’t for all businesses. If you aren’t sure whether TikTok is right for your business, here are a few reasons for adding it to your social media campaign. 

TikTok Aims for Accuracy

While Facebook has long been accused of underplaying how it has allowed disinformation to propagate, TikTok has been working to ensure information is accurate and up-to-date. This can be good and bad, and many see the platform as more trustworthy because of their ambition to be on the right side of facts and science. However, it can also mean your content is under review longer and may even be rejected. 

It Hosts a Younger Audience 

Your new customers are on TikTok – and if they aren’t old enough to purchase yet, they will be soon. That’s not to say your customers aren’t already there. TikTok has continued to grow in its usage. With that growth, the age groups of individuals using this app will continue to increase. Your use of this platform should consider that while there may be a boomer or two, Gen Z is the ruling authority there. Gen X has a presence there, too. Depending on your audience, it could be a great place to grow your brand with an up-and-coming audience. 

It Offers Influencer Advantage

Just like with Facebook, Instagram, and even television commercials, working with individuals with a platform on TikTok could help with brand promotion. Before social media blew up, commercials were where brands would promote their products. In the age of social media, brands use platforms such as Instagram – with its reliance on visuals – to promote products by having popular influencers make posts with the brand’s products. 

TikTok Means Creative Options to Brands

TikTok is also great for having the capability to get creative with videos. There are constant trends that go viral, giving businesses the option to jump on trends and leverage their success. For example, dancing trends are popular and continuously float across this social media platform. You will even see popular celebrities partaking in these different trends in some cases. This could give brands the opportunity to not only participate in the fun that comes with TikTok but to promote their products while showing their target audience more about them as a business. 

Having fun and creating creative content can show your potential audience who you are as a company. It shows your audience that those who work for your brand can have fun while promoting products. Getting employees involved in helping you make TikToks can help with the creative process. 

TikTok Is an Echo Chamber

What you do there depends on your brand and your product or service, and its algorithms get to know users fast. Once a user starts following one creator, other similar creators will show up on the user’s “for you page.” These are TikTok suggestions for the user. It works like this – consider a fitness clothing line that specializes in women’s workout attire. As a brand, the target audience is women between the ages of 20 and 30. Using TikTok, this business can post videos of available clothing to demonstrate what they look like. 

The algorithm that TikTok uses can also be used in a brand’s favor. In the fitness clothing line example, if you were to promote your athletic clothing line, you could likely get onto the “FitTok” side of TikTok. FitTok is a term for individuals who use TikTok as an outlet for their fitness purpose. The algorithm shows viewers TikTok videos like ones that they have previously liked. But FitTok is only the beginning; there’s BookTok (which is different than LibraryTok), MomTok, FoodTok, among so many others. Any such hashtag can help you find your target audience. 

Need Help With Your Social Media Campaign?

Knowing which social media platforms to use for your business depends on a few factors, like your target audience, your brand identity, and how you’re looking to grow. If you’re interested in leveraging TikTok or any social media, let us help. Wine Down Marketing can help your organization explore which platforms are the best to boost your business. Contact our team to work on your digital marketing campaign.