BP Editors
The TikTok app is not just for the cool kids, it can also be a smart marketing tool for businesses.
TikTok is a popular social media video-sharing app with 800 million active users worldwide. It has been downloaded more than 2 billion times and its popularity continues to soar despite rumors that it could soon be banned in the United States (doubtful).
Graphic by VizionOnline
TikTok was originally Musical.ly. It was rebranded after being acquired by ByteDance. It’s an app that allows users to record and post 15-second videos with music in the background. It’s currently the only app in the top 5 global downloads that Facebook doesn’t own.
Users spend an average of 45 minutes a day on TikTok — Yes. 800 million active users (more than LinkedIn, Reddit, Snapchat, Twitter and Pinterest) spend an average of 45 minutes per day on the app. TikTok is a big deal.
However, much of TikTok’s user base are children. Nearly two-thirds of users are ages 10-24.
Promoting Your Business on TikTok
TikTok offers paid advertising on the platform in four ways.
- Infeed Native Content
These are the ads that we’re all used to seeing in our feeds on social media platforms.
- Brand Takeovers
This option allows brands to takeover landing pages for a day, utilizing images, video and gifs with embedded links.
- Hashtag Challenges
Brands can opt to utilize promoted hashtags to boost engagement.
- Branded Lenses
These are branded filters for images and videos.
TikTok-Friendly Content
The TikTok community brought us the Carole Baskin song and dance, among other silly trends. Content intended for TikTok will perform best if it is funny, original and fully entertaining. Audience participation is key on the platform, which means if you’re not getting engagement with your content, fix it and try again.
Influencer Marketing
Some businesses are using influencers to promote their paid hashtag challenges with explosive viral results. The top 50 TikTok influencers are followed by more than 16% of the people on the world, giving them incredible reach.
