Believe it or not, social media has become one of the most important forms of marketing for businesses.
Now, more than ever, consumers are engaging with social media networks to connect with others and stay up to date on current events. With this in mind, business owners have started using social media to build their brand and expand their reach.
TikTok is a video-focused social networking app that allows users to share short clips. It is currently the premier destination for short-form video content. Since its launch in 2016 TikTok has become one of the most-used social apps. As of October 2020, the app has surpassed 2 billion mobile downloads.
TikTok isn’t just about learning new dance moves or taking on the latest trend. But it is a great platform for brands and businesses to build and engage different communities — as long as you know how to use it.
1. TikTok’s Platform Statistics
According to Reuters, TikTok managed to amass over 1 billion monthly active users during the summer of 2021 — a 45% jump since July 2020, surpassing some of the biggest social media platforms to date.
Compared to Facebook and YouTube which both hit the milestone eight years after each app was launched.
TikTok isn’t a rarely used mobile app, either. According to Sprout Social, 90% of all TikTok users interact with the app daily.
In fact, 55% of users upload their own content while 68% watch or engage. This means over half of TikTok users are consuming content created on the platform. Just another reason why businesses should start harboring the power of TikTok to develop brands.
The explanation for the continued growth of TikTok is surprisingly simple: it keeps users engaged for extended periods at a time. On average, users are spending 52 minutes or more on the app each day — whether it’s in a single session or total for the day.
TikTok has 689 million monthly users worldwide, 65.9 million of those users are located in the United States. This allows both international and U.S.-based businesses an opportunity to thrive on the platform. With a good marketing strategy, TikTok can help a business gain brand recognition at home and abroad.
2. TikTok’s Marketing Features
Sometimes making content that is original and creative can be challenging. However, with TikTok, most videos achieve the coveted viral status with current trend ideas.
Current dance moves, popular songs, or items from popular culture can help make a video go viral.
As the word suggests, a trend is just that — popular for a moment but can change quickly. So, if a brand manager or content creator wants to take advantage of the momentum that goes along with a trend — it’s best to act with urgency.
Using trends that are already in place, it is easier to incorporate your brand or business in a fun way.
A new feature recently added to the platform that is perfect for marketing a business are Paid Ads. TikTok uses its own advertising platform called TikTok For Business, which enables large companies and smaller businesses to set up ads or generate branded hashtags and videos.
Is there guaranteed success? Well, nothing is guaranteed, however, due to TikTok’s algorithm, even the smallest following can amass millions of views with the right video.
Brands can find success by creating educational or tutorial videos, branded hashtags, and running a contest — among other things.
3. TikTok vs. Google
While much of the world was put on pause at the start of 2020 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, that didn’t stop individuals from using TikTok. It’s no secret that TikToK is continuing to be a global phenomenon — especially among consumers.
The social network doesn’t just provide consumers with a fun experience. TikTok has also organically grown businesses in all sorts of industries — pushing brands to all different types of demographics.
According to Forbes, TikTok was the most popular domain by the end of 2021 – meaning it surpassed Google.
The upward climb started for TikTok in February 2021, where it landed the most popular spot for a day, and from then on, its popularity grew.
This success can be used as an indicator to show business owners from any industry that the platform has become almost necessary to find success in the world of social media. It goes without saying that having a presence on the platform is the right move to help your brand prosper.
4. Build Brand Recognition
No matter what your business does, or what the brand represents, there will be a place for it on this social network.
Businesses that are currently on the app include Gymshark, the Washington Post, Chipotle, Fenty Beauty, and even the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Each brand targets different audiences but are still able to find success on the platform. It might be expected that some of these brands would be more serious about their business, however, TikTok allows these bigger corporations to show a more personal side to relate to the masses.
TikTok is a great tool to promote products and services of any kind by making a 15-second to three-minute video clip.
Brands like Fenty Beauty have used TikTok to promote beauty products by showcasing makeup tutorials and new product launches. Gymshark is a fitness brand that reached 2 million followers in a short six months by posting fitness-related humor and workout plans.
Companies can even set their own trends and incorporate branded hashtags. A branded hashtag is a custom hashtag that is unique to the brand or business and can range from the name, products, or slogans.
Gymshark used its own name to create a branded hashtag — #gymshark, which garnered 5.9 billion views. Yes, that’s billion with a B.
While Chipotle encouraged engagement and interaction with its fanbase in 2020 with the #LidFlipChallenge — which saw over 300 million views.
Branded hashtags can help a business gain awareness rapidly. Yet another example of the limitless opportunities TikTok presents to marketers and businesses everywhere.
5. Grow Your Audience
Starting anything new can be intimidating but it doesn’t have to be that way.
In order to attain the recognition that is needed for a business to grow, taking advantage of new apps and opportunities to push as much content about the ins-and-outs of your brand may be necessary.
To do so successfully, it is wise for businesses to expand their reach is by researching competitors on TikTok — or by hiring a marketing company to do the leg work.
Business owners, brand managers, and marketing professionals can analyze how the competition utilizes the platform as part of the marketing strategy. This knowledge allows for a seamless incorporation for the brand.
Not only do you want to show what the brand is about but it’s just as important to ensure the audience finds the content engage-worthy.
TikTok has so many different features which can allow an audience to interact with the account. For example, creating polls or challenges can work to keep people interested.
Build Your Brand Through Social Media with Elevation Ten Thousand
It can be hard enough to run a company, but social media marketing can put the workload over the edge.
Although using social media can be beneficial for the growth of a brand, it is most impactful when utilized strategically. To ensure success, consider working with a team of experienced professionals who can manage your social media accounts for your business.
At Elevation Ten Thousand we offer organic social services for multiple platforms, including TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
If you are looking to further improve the social media accounts for your business, contact us today to learn more about how we can create a positive digital experience for the brand.
