Is your brand ready for the TikTok challenge?

By Daisy McCorgray, Social Strategist at Future Fusion on

The wildly popular video sharing app hit two billion downloads in 2020 – is now the time to get involved?

Chances are the meme you’re laughing at on Facebook has already gone viral on TikTok. 

Home to lip syncs, dances and comedy sketches, the viral video app has surged in popularity in the past year. Its downloads have reached the dizzy heights achieved by the social behemoths Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram – but unlike Zuckerberg’s channels, brand saturation is still relatively low. 

The app is owned by the highest valued start-up in the world, Chinese AI company ByteDance – which also owns the content platform Toutiao. TikTok is most popular among Gen Z, with 41 percent of users aged between 16 and 24, according to the Global Web Index.

The app’s appeal is two-fold. Firstly, as an immersive, fast-paced entertainment platform it’s packed with funny and addictive content; according to TikTok, 90 percent of all users access it on a daily basis. You can choose to follow your favourite creators, otherwise your feed will be packed with a personalised collection of content curated by the powerful TikTok algorithm. 

Secondly, it champions creativity and expression – including some seriously surreal stuff (C-section on a banana, anyone?). The platform is aimed at content creators and features inbuilt editing functions that make it super-easy and fun for users to shoot, edit and share their own short videos.

Still not sure if TikTok is right for your brand? Here’s a few things to consider before taking the plunge…

Young girl on TikTok

Test and learn

As with all social networks, the best way to find out what works on TikTok is to start using it yourself: familiarise yourself with the tone and style of content on the platform; check out other brand accounts to see what’s working for them; look at the Discover page for trending hashtags; and read post comments to see how users are engaging with different content formats. And then, when you start creating, use those insights to develop the ideas that perform well – and to prune out less successful content.

What does your brand need? 

Organic TikTok is essentially a brand awareness tool. If you’re looking for a campaign that focuses on reach, engagement or user-generated content, then you’re on the right track. But that’s not all there is to consider. Will the content that your brand has in mind work for the TikTok platform? And is your audience even on TikTok?

Want social with measurable commercial results such as web traffic referral, lead generation or product sales? Woah there! An organic TikTok strategy probably isn’t the best fit for your campaign. At the moment, clickable links aren’t available in individual videos, and links in bio are not yet available to all users.

Despite the vertical video similarities with IG Stories, avoid the temptation to simply repurpose Instagram content on TikTok. Forget the super-polished, highly filtered aesthetic of Instagram, over on TikTok, authenticity reigns supreme. Content that ignores the platform’s native editing style and relatable commentaries or trends will be a jarring presence in users’ feeds. 

Who makes your brand tick?

Brands such as the Washington Post have shown us one thing that really works on TikTok is inviting your audience into the office and celebrating the people who work behind the scenes. A little BTS access can give faceless brands that extra level of personality – plus, audiences get a sneak peek at the culture and daily life of a company.

Huge reach potential for small fry

Unlike Hollywood, in TikTok-land everyone has a shot at viral fame. There are big opportunities for massive organic reach without a popular account. While this can be great news for brand accounts fresh to the TikTok scene, it’s something that should also be applied in reverse when thinking about collaboration. TikTok creators with a large following could have gathered that audience from one viral video. If you’re thinking of running an influencer campaign, do your research to see if they’re a creator with ‘influence’ in their area, or a one-hit wonder.

Pay to play

The channel’s fully immersive ads platform is an opportunity for brands to widen their reach – from in-feed ads and brand takeovers to branded hashtag challenges. And as of  July 2020, TikTok Ads is now available worldwide to all businesses. As with your organic activity, be clear on your brand’s objectives and pay attention to the platform’s marketing slogan: Don’t make ads. Make TikToks.

By Daisy McCorgray

I work for Future Fusion, the content marketing arm of Future PLC. We are experts at building communities around people’s passions and in doing so positioning brands at the heart of incredible content that drives transformative results.

We publish a monthly newsletter with the latest trends in content marketing. You can sign up here if you’d like to be kept informed – Future Fusion Monthly Email.

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