TikTok, formerly known as Music.ly, is an app that has exploded in popularity over the last couple of years. With over 2 billion app downloads worldwide across both the Music.ly and TikTok platforms, and 800 million users worldwide, it’s safe to say that this is a great way to market your company’s brand, products, and/or services.
But just what is TikTok? What kinds of people use this app? How on Earth can I use it to market my brand? Will it cost tons of money? Sit back and relax as we dive into the world of TikTok marketing that many Australian business owners can learn from!
Is TikTok Right For My Business?
TikTok is a video-sharing app. Users can record videos that are up to 60 seconds in length and there are a variety of filters and effects to use, as well as A LOT of music that users can introduce into their video clips
To participate in the self-serve paid advertising platform on TikTok, you will need to create some kind of video (or reach out to a TikTok marketing firm to see if they have resources for getting videos created).
If you are looking to promote to a younger crowd, then TikTok may be your platform. Nearly 25% of all of Australia’s Generation Alpha are on the platform. It’s also wildly popular with females, as 1 in 10 females in Australia now use the app (compared to 1 in 20 males). February saw 1.6 Million Aussies and Kiwis using TikTok but, because of quarantining and social distancing, that number had ballooned to nearly 2million in just a matter of months!
There are two main routes to be taken when marketing on TikTok: Do you want to put forth the time and effort to organically market on TikTok? Or do you want the easier route that lets you pay for exposure?
Australia’s most watched sport, The AFL, uses a combination of organic and paid TikTok marketing.
Organic TikTok Marketing
Organically marketing your brand on TikTok can seem like a lot of work at first, but that’s to be expected when marketing on any social media platform. Users of TikTok have their “For You Page” which automatically gives them endless videos to scroll through based on their past activity.
Creating unique, entertaining, engaging, and thought-provoking content is the best way to organically market your company on TikTok. As you start posting more unique content with appropriate descriptions and hashtags, more viewers will see it. As more people like, share, and comment on your videos, you will start to gain traction with others’ For You pages.
Organically promoting your brand on TikTok through third-party services or apps seems to be hit or miss. E.g. Telling your Facebook followers to go check out your new TikTok may not get the results that you were looking for.
You should take plenty of time to sit down and get a feel for the app. Learn what makes other videos so popular, and see how it translates over to your brand or your company’s products or services. Again, a content creation service is always a good option for those that need some help.
Paid TikTok Advertising
Paid Self-Serve Ads – TikTok has recently brought their self-serve advertising platform to the Australian and New Zealand markets. The layout is somewhat similar to other self-serve advertising platforms, such as Facebook ads. You can target specific types of people in specific areas. You can also make use of their re-marketing features that let you show video ads to people that have visited your website or blog, signed up to your email list, or even watched a specific YouTube video.
TikTok Influencers – As with any social media platform there are some wildly popular big-name users who have amassed huge followings. And although you personally might not be able to see why these users are so popular, their followers adore them and will jump on any product or service that these influencers recommend. Reaching out to influencers in relevant industries (e.g. find a popular TikTok cook and pay them to recommend or use your cutting boards) is a great way to pay for some seemingly organic promotion.
Create Your Brand On TikTok
Before you worry about which route you’re going to take, simply download the app and create a profile for your brand. Use relevant usernames and logos, and just sit back and scroll. If you see any videos that you feel are relevant to your industry or brand, give the video a like.
Over time you’re going to see your For You page evolve into this hyper-focused set of users and content producers that is based solely on the past videos you’ve liked or interacted with in other ways. You should also pay special attention to the hashtags used, that’s an entire article in and of itself right there!
The team at All Bases Digital are Social Media Marketing & Content Creation Experts.
Contact us today to see how he can help you use TikTok to leverage your brand and find new customers! In the meantime, check out these popular Australian TIkTok accounts:
