TikTok has grown to be quite a sensation, with over 800 million active monthly users who are predominantly Generation-Z. It has definitely filled the void left behind by Vine, and will probably be toe to toe with Instagram and Snapchat in the not too distant future.
Want to get a slice of that pie? Although TikTok is still relatively uncharted territory for marketing – there are a few ways that businesses can take advantage of it:
-
Create and publish your own content
If you want to go down the conventional route, why not create and publish videos of your own on TikTok? Just remember that the platform is focused on entertaining and lighthearted content, so you should use the videos to show the fun side of your business.
Be creative, think outside the box, and come up with crazy ideas that will let TikTok’s audience engage and learn more about your brand. The videos that you create don’t have to be polished, and in fact less polish may be better to give them a more authentic vibe.
-
Create hashtag challenges
Hashtag challenges are arguably one of the best ways to engage users on TikTok and get them to create and re-create content. A fun challenge coupled with a funky hashtag could go viral and net your business tons of exposure. Research from Betway on TikTok challenges show that last year, some challenges saw more than 1.4bn attempts!
Of course creating a hashtag challenge that is popular is not easy. That is why businesses that want to pursue this option often choose the ‘sponsored’ alternative instead which will be promoted via a banner in the Discover tab.
-
Advertise on TikTok
Not too long ago TikTok introduced four types of advertisements that brands can choose from: Brand takeover, native in-feed ads, sponsored hashtag challenges, and branded lenses. Each type is unique in its own way, which makes it interesting for businesses.
As mentioned previously, sponsored hashtag challenges are essentially the ‘paid’ version of hashtag challenges – but will be promoted more on TikTok which will give it more popularity. On the other hand native in-feed ads are similar to the ads on Snapchat or Instagram, whereas brand takeovers display an ad whenever a user opens TikTok for the first time.
The most unique (but complicated) advertising option would have to be branded lenses, which are essentially sponsored AR effects.
-
Influencer marketing
Just like any other social platform, influencer marketing is definitely one of the ways your business can take advantage of TikTok. That being said it is important to choose the right influencers to partner with, and figure out exactly how you want them to promote your brand.
The cost of influencer marketing can vary depending on the number of followers. However at the end of the day the main element to look at is the return on investment.
Starting to see how your business can make use of TikTok? The fact that you’re already considering it is a good start, but you don’t want to delay too much.
To be frank the best time to start tapping into the potential of TikTok is right now – while the competition is still relatively low. It is safe to say that as the platform becomes more and more popular, there’ll be even more brands that look to capitalize on it.
Suffice to say, the sooner you begin to actually make a move and start to make use of TikTok – the better. Its growth has shown no signs of slowing down, so you can consider it an early investment that will pay off in the long run especially if you want to create your own brand presence on the platform.
