When we think about breaking something on the internet, we usually think back to Kim Kardashian’s famous photo. The term used to mean “causing it no longer to function”, but with the power of the internet striking again, it now refers to dominating the conversation in high traffic areas of the internet, e.g. TikTok.
Brands are now embracing TikTok as a fresh way to reach a new, content-hungry audience.
The three main things you need:
Strategy Time Effort
When you combine these things, you have the potential to open your brand up to a vastly diverse audience on a platform that shows no signs of slowing down.
What does TikTok have to offer?
- Around a billion monthly active users. Yep, 1,000,000,000.
- Millions in consumer spending on the platform.
- Monetized content.
Does anyone remember vine? (Miss you) Well, vine’s similar platform to TikTok looked to be set on the same path to success, but the failure to monetize content led to Twitter discontinuing the platform.
Tiktok made the decision to allow creators to monetize their content, presenting a huge opportunity for brands and creators.
If that doesn’t sound worthwhile enough, the numbers speak for themselves.
This year, Tik Tok became the first non-Facebook owned app to reach 3 billion installs, with 68 million downloads in January alone.
“TikTok was the most downloaded and highest-grossing non-game app globally in the first half of 2021, reaching nearly 383 million first-time installs and an estimated $919.2 million (£700 million) in consumer spending.”
“In Q2 2021, TikTok saw its greatest quarter-over-quarter growth in consumer spending since Q2 2020, climbing 39 percent to $534.6 million (£390 million) from $384.7 million (£280.4 million) in the previous quarter.”
It’s there for the breaking
Catch attention quickly with a hook. Instead of “Hi guys, hope you’re well, today I’m going to talk about XYZ”, say “Here’s how to do XYZ” this isn’t YouTube – keep it snappy.
Use trending effects. On the discover page, you can find “trending effects” – and there are some accounts you can follow on TikTok that keep on top of these and will tell you when a new trend is getting popular, meaning you can jump on it and be an “early adopter”.
Use trending music. This can be found on the ‘trending’ tab when you add music to a video, but can also be found out by just spending time on TikTok and seeing what other people are up to.
Create your own music. You can commission the creation of original music tracks that are specifically designed to influence pick and go viral – brands like EFL and Garnier have seen great success with this.
Using the right hashtags – relevant and/or trending – seems old school in the context of Tik Tok, but you can’t knock tried and tested tactics!
Create a community – as with other social media channels, this is vital. Ask questions, ask people to comment etc.
Add value, be creative, show the people behind the brand – people buy from people.
Tell people something they don’t know. And be honest and transparent whilst doing it. As a brand, you’re already at a disadvantage, as this platform favours authenticity. Share interesting behind-the-scenes content that people will not see anywhere else – this is your hook.
Keep it personal – the smaller number of people who are dedicated to managing the platform and content creation, the better – this helps with authenticity, consistency and learning what works/what doesn’t.
Think “outside the box” with your content – Tik Tok is all about discovering new things and being entertained – your content needs to deliver on this.
Short ‘n’ Sweet. Use videos that are 10 – 15 seconds long, people’s attention spans are low and the urge to swipe to the next video is massive. (Hope that you’re still here)Test and learn – keep trying new stuff. Content doesn’t have to be polished as the app is all about finding your unique spin or take on something – keep experimenting, growing and perfecting your channel.
Now what?
Tik Tok is on a huge growth trajectory that doesn’t look due to slow down anytime soon.
There are a few brands that are doing a great job of Tik Tok but, there are a lot that are failing to hit the mark. Take advantage of this and define what looks best for your sector.
Follow these steps, and invest the time and resources to do this properly, and you are well on your way to breaking TikTok.
Have more questions? Get in touch. hello@rascal.co.uk