TikTok for business - Why include the channel in your company's digital marketing palette and how to go about it?
TikTok has grown dramatically in popularity in recent years. If the channel was once seen only as a youth entertainment channel, this is now changing. The golden age shook up our digital media consumption habits, and older age groups are increasingly discovering TikTok's snappy and entertaining videos.
Harto Pönkä, an expert on social media and education technology, has reported in the April 2021 on the website, TikTok had 0.4 million weekly users in Finland in 2020. Of these, 5 % use TikTok daily, and among the youngest users (16-24 years old), the app reaches up to 25 % daily. TikTok report to 27.9.2021, that TikTok has over one billion monthly users globally.
TikTok is therefore popular, but for businesses on fairly fresh ground. This makes it a particularly interesting alternative due to the lower competition. In this article, you'll find out why TikTok can be a great part of a company's marketing palette and how it can work.
TikTok in a nutshell
The idea behind TikTok is simple - short videos that get straight to the point.
Videos can be either 15 or 60 seconds long, and now, as a new feature, 3 minutes. By default, short videos are the most popular, and responses typically accumulate most for videos under 15 seconds.
At TikTok, music is key. You can't even turn off the music when the phone is silent. In fact, it is often the case that music is more important in a video than the footage itself. Videos can be shot on the basis of the selected music, and not the other way round.
TikTok's special features include self-produced soundtracks. When you add your own voice to a video, anyone can use it in their own video. Sometimes, even self-mixed music soundtracks give rise to viral TikTok trends that are used again and again in the background of your own videos. In this way, many old songs have been "rediscovered" and have found their way back onto the lips of young people.
TikTok's algorithm is excellent, and it constantly learns more about the user's preferences as they use the app. The amount of content in a channel is huge, but the algorithm serves each one a unique set of content based on previous reactions - taking into account likes, comments, shares, saves or skipping content.
At TikTok, there is a lot of trust in the opinions of ordinary people. Influencer marketing has also taken off, and influencers are even more trusted than on other social media channels.
TikTok for business - why?
TikTok is a growing social media channel, but it's still a challenger compared to social giants like Facebook. Its position makes it an ideal environment for organic and paid marketing for many businesses.
The benefits of TikTok:
- The potential for really high organic visibility
- Easy to get followers
- An inexpensive way to experiment and test reaching your target audience
- Advertising is possible and (still) affordable
As the channel starts to attract more businesses in the future, the operating model may move closer to Facebook and Instagram. Organic visibility will diminish and advertisers will be required to invest more money. With more users, competition will increase - and so will the cost of advertising.
So my recommendation is to act now and make the most of the current possibilities of the app!
Company TikTok content - what can be shared on the channel?
If you've previously thought of TikTok as a forum for dance videos, it's time to shake up your old ways of thinking. TikTok is also an excellent strategic communication channel for companies, where content can be used to generate interest, build closer relationships with target audiences, entertain and drive purchase decisions.
Need TikTok content ideas? Read our 8 tips:
- Showcase products and novelties
- Show us a glimpse of your working day - real everyday life is what matters
- Share a tip or recipe for using your products
- Give an inspiring DIY idea for products
- Q&A - answer questions from customers or followers
- Version the old - trends are created when users produce their own versions of themes started by others
- Duet video - use content produced by someone else alongside your own video
- Humour and an honest spirit of doing things appeals
A good example of a successful corporate takeover of TikTok is the merchant account of the K-Supermarket in Red shopping centre - the HRA merchant. The entrepreneur creates a wide range of content for his account, including humorous videos, information about new products he has bought for the store and answers questions from consumers. The entrepreneur's genuine, interactive and honest way of communicating has grown an engaged community around him, which he says has been reflected in his sales figures.
The anatomy of a TikTok release
When you decide to start using TikTok in your business, consider these practical factors when planning and implementing your first video:
1) Text section
The text section is short and is used very little. So keep the text succinct.
2) Video and publishing
You can either shoot and edit the video directly in the TikTok app, or import a pre-shot and edited video from your phone. Music is typically added at the publishing stage from TikTok's own archive. At the publishing stage, the video is watermarked with a TikTok watermark.
3) Keywords
The discoverability of TikTok videos is enhanced in the app by the use of subject keywords, or hashtags. So TikTok is a search engine of its own, like Instagram, and many people use user videos and recommendations to evaluate brands, compare options and support their purchasing decisions.
4) Positioning of elements
TikTok videos are vertical videos the size of a phone screen. However, there are various elements that are superimposed on the video, which should be taken into account during the shooting phase. The publishing text is superimposed on top of the video, so that part of the bottom edge is covered. The profile name, reaction buttons, save function and comments will also appear on top of the video. So make sure that the video's subject and main content are optimally positioned in an open space!
+ Interaction
TikTok is, as the name suggests, a social media where interaction is paramount. So get active with content produced by others by liking, commenting and creating your own versions of popular topics. If you use an audio track produced by another person, tag them in the post - this will make it easier for their followers to see the content too.
And remember - TikTok videos don't have to be shredded to perfection. Authenticity and rawness also make the company more approachable in this relaxed channel!
Would you like TikTok to be part of your marketing?
At Digiteam, we are happy to help your company launch TikTok marketing. We can either provide your company with a tailor-made TikTok training course or help you with the actual implementation and paid TikTok advertising - depending on your needs.
