What’s the hype behind TikTok?

Numbers don’t lie: Tiktok is the fastest growing social media app. Over the last few years the app has been downloaded 1,5 billion times, which makes it the third most downloaded non-game app in 2019 – left behind exclusively by Whatsapp and Facebook messenger. Yes, you read it right – Tiktok is ranked ahead of Facebook, and even Instagram.
Let’s be clear, if you work with anything related to Social media and Digital world, you must definitely create a Tiktok account. That’s the only possible way to understand the success of the app and its outstanding engagement rate of 29% (against 4.3% on Instagram). 

This does not mean that Instagram is being left behind, because it would be unfair to compare Tiktok evenly to Instagram. The content differs immensely between those platforms, and of course, the target audience.

According to Globalwebindex, nearly 50% of TikTok users are in the age range of 16-24, the generation most influenced by content creators. Even more relevant than that is the fact that Generation Z represents at least 40% of the consumers in 2020, and obviously, marketers can’t afford to ignore that.

Saturated by traditional advertising, this generation can spot sponsored posts miles away from them, which explains the reason why TikTok is about to become the main platform to reach Gen Z’s.

What’s their secret?

Authenticity. By escaping the aesthetics perfection found on Instagram, Tiktok allows users to create simple, quick and fun homemade videos that can actually go viral with the blink of an eye. Their filters, songs and challenges easily captivate any user to replicate what is being seen, therefore, the potential for growth on Tiktok is easily accessible.

Differently from other social platforms such as Instagram, twitter or linkedIn, your opinion and lifestyle are nothing but irrelevant to the growth of your account. The keyword to define Tiktok is entertainment, and users just want to have some fun by watching and creating endless content. 

Popular Tiktokers recipe comes down to the following: Nail the art of storytelling and entertainment that lasts as little as 15 seconds. If the entertainment potential is high, it will be shared, replicated and go viral in a place where plagiarism does not exist – the goal is to reimagine fun content and share it in different ways.

How can business use it as an influencer Marketing tool?

Let’s Influencer Marketing principles: authenticity and storytelling. This means you should never attempt to give a script that resembles traditional advertising when working with influencers. On Tiktok, these principles are even more important, and might damage both the influencer and your business image if anything looks slightly superficial. If done in the right way, Influencer Marketing is the most effective form of marketing to be done on Tiktok.

What type of content can influencers share?

Pretty much anything, as long as it is realistic, entertaining and fun.  

Duet reaction to other user’s videos, reusing someone else’s video with a voice over are just a few of the countless features to create viral challenges. People recording themselves while attempting to perform something are extremely popular on tiktok, and the right amount of simplicity and creativity allows users to gather a moment of spotlight. With the right content, it can help you to gather limitless user generated content.

Haribo created a branded challenge where users put hundreds of Haribo Candy on their table to make it look like they were attending a concert. The challenge got so bik that even Kelly Clarkson participated and the hashtag Haribo Challenge got 45,1 million views! 

How do you select influencers?

Regardless of the social platform you choose for Influencer marketing campaigns, you must always choose the right influencer for your business. First of all, make sure your target audience uses tiktok – and we are not talking only about the age. We mean audience demographics, language, and everything that is relevant for your brand.Are they interested in makeup tutorials or are they more into comedy videos? Are they into photography and behind the scenes video making or into cooking? 

Identifying the right profiles when your field of expertise is not social media can be a tough task, especially when it comes to a new concept, such as Tiktok. That is why we advise you to work with experts in the field, meaning Influencer Marketing agencies, Social Media advisors, etc. Experts ensure you focus on the right numbers, and will always choose relevance, rather than big following. 

If you want to learn more about Tiktok, Influencers or social media in general, do not hesitate to get in touch with our team.

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