Tick tock. That’s the sound of 45 minutes flashing by since you downloaded and opened TikTok on your phone. Two minutes of that was the actual set-up. It’s that easy.
The rest was pure amusement, watching hilarious lip syncs (think music, movie scenes, a child’s temper tantrum, politicians’ speeches and talking dogs). Then there are the hashtag dance challenges, family members pranking each other, “how to” cooking lessons, comedy and more. Each video is only 15 to 60 seconds. Swipe up and there’s another!
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a short-form (15 to 60 seconds) video app famous for viral memes, collaborative challenges, lip syncing and comedic content. Since its inception in 2018 TikTok has accumulated over 1.5 billion installs worldwide, including 315 million in the first quarter of 2020 alone. Those numbers are capturing the attention of brands looking to capitalize with sponsored hashtags, advertising and leveraging UGC—user generated content.
Telling Your Own Story
TikTok is one of the most egalitarian platforms. Perhaps it’s because we’ve been required to stay at home for the past few months, but TikTok offers an amazing peek into others’ homes and lives–minus any stereotypes because it’s all self-representation. Then there’s the collaborative, relational nature of TikTok. The platform is based around community engagement and hashtags, so a good practice is to find existing content to build on, react to, imitate and make your own.
How Is it Different than Facebook or Instagram?
Rather than only seeing posts from the same 25 friends in your echo chamber as you might see on Facebook, or carefully curated scenes like on Instagram, your “For You” feed in TikTok shows an unlimited number of top trending videos from around the globe. And while it’s not clear exactly how their algorithm works, anyone, even those with only a few followers, can go viral and become instantly famous on TikTok. That’s part of the allure for users, primarily, but not exclusively, 18- to 24- year-olds.
What Else Should I Know?
Will TikTok surpass YouTube? That battle is fierce in India right now, but in the US time will tell. The short answer to that question is start making videos, because regardless of the platform, video as a marketing platform will only continue to grow.
TikTok’s parent company is based in Beijing and one of its largest markets is India. Lawmakers have taken notice and have expressed concern that TikTok might censor videos on topics the Chinese government finds sensitive. On the positive side of being so internationally focused, some of the most-viewed comedy videos are just faces and dances, an inclusive, universal medium with no language barrier.
Not Sure if/how to Get Started?
Go to tiktok.com on your computer or download the TikTok app to your smartphone. Watch a lot of videos first to get a feel for it (tick tock). And if you think you want to create your own potentially viral video, there are plenty of online tutorials. As for content, Social Media Examiner suggests you use the two magic ingredients: pets and children.
On the “if” side, before diving into any new social media platform for business, always ask—does this medium serve my strategy and objectives in real life? Is the time extended worth the return on investment? Do my potential clients hang out there?
How is your digital strategy supporting you?