This blog is written from the perspective of a marketer, a content consumer, and a content creator (and they’re all me, Jana, hello). So let me share with you a little bit about Tik Tok, and please let me know what you think and whether you have used the app or plan on using it!
If you’re not too sure what TikTok is, well let me tell you, that’s what I’m here for! TikTok is a video platform where users watch and create 15-60second videos about anything. With the in-app editing capabilities and a plethora of music available for use, anyone can create content. In a post from the Influencer Marketing Hub, they share that more than 500 million people globally use TikTok each day! While the app is gaining popularity it has also received a lot of criticism from its users. I find it quite fascinating and want to share my thoughts with you. When I decided to download the app, I realized that I already spent enough time on social media, but I wanted to try TikTok out especially as someone who consumes and creates content on social media for personal and professional use.
Short videos catered to you
Tik Tok videos are as short as 6 seconds - 15 seconds and you can also string videos together for a total of 60 seconds. This is why it’s easy to get lost scrolling, as 3 hours of scrolling (been there) feels like 30 minutes. The videos you’re consuming either come from the people you follow in the ‘Following’ section of the app or on the ‘For You’ page. On the For You Page, Tik Tok shows you videos that match your interests, depending on where you live and what kind of videos you watch, like and share and how long you spend on that video. Therefore, most of the videos you see on your feed are catered to you and it’s easy to consume hours of content when the videos are so quick.
Original and unoriginal content
You may be wondering, “okay so what kind of videos are on Tik Tok?” ANYTHING. Similar to any other social media platform, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube (some of my favourites), you have the option of creating original content, copying other peoples’ video ideas, or creating a spin on popular videos. The content creator has the freedom of choosing whether they want to make dance TikToks which are super popular, film a recipe, take cute videos of their puppy, or educate people on a certain matter (doctors are quite popular on the app!). Like with other social media platforms, you will see a lot of the same content and a lot of unique content as well.
So many editing capabilities
Tik Tok has a built-in editor with a timer, you can also add filters, transitions, adjust the speed of your video, add music, distort the image, and there’s even a greenscreen option! Anyone, even a little kid with their parents’ phone or tablet can get creative and learn how to edit a video. It’s a fun and creative way to pass time and you don’t need much skill to create a video, but a vision, creativity, and a little bit of patience while you’re exploring all the editing options are key. I’m still trying to figure out how it all works because it’s quite overwhelming.
So much music
A big part of TikTok is adding sound effects and songs to the videos. With the popularity of dance TikToks, artists nowadays make songs in hopes of them being on TikTok. For example, in Drake’s new Toosie Slide he goes on to describe the dance and in a few hours of the song’s release, there were millions of uses of that song on TikTok. The hashtag #ToosieSlide was trending for about 2 days and it’s been used around 1.4B times. TikTok is a great way for consumers to discover new music and for artists to be discovered or for their songs to gain popularity.
Anyone can go viral
What’s great about the app is that anyone can go viral. I recently posted a few videos one of which just passed 500k views and the other at reaching 200k. Both are my parents’ reactions to something and it was very cute and candid and I guess the people liked that! Otherwise, you can see recipes, funny skits, tips from doctors, etc. go viral and receive millions of views.
It’s not just for kids
What I dislike is people assuming that this app is for kids only. Although a lot of the content is catered to the Gen Z population, the videos on your page will vary depending on the content you like to watch. Therefore, if you’re only watching puppy and recipe videos, then that is what you will most likely see on your page. Celebrities are getting the app, various businesses, and anyone can thrive on TikTok and create content.
Great for marketers
As a brand, any video content shared on Instagram or Snapchat can be shared on Tik Tok as well. Additionally, links and commerce URLs can be linked to a TikTok profile which helps drive traffic to a certain site. I believe that Tik Tok will continue to gain popularity and now is the ideal time to think of a Tik Tok strategy that aligns with your brand.
Now that you know a little bit more about the app, here are some brands I like that are using Tik Tok to their advantage.
Chipotle, the American chain of restaurants serving Mexican inspired food, posts consistently and uses Tik Tok to share memes, jokes, and promote new products. Chipotle has a catchy bio “Less Tok, More Guac” on their profile and utilizes trendy filters and songs in their videos. Their content comes across natural, it’s entertaining, and always makes me crave some Chipotle after. They’re having fun with it which is important when using TikTok because consumers enjoy this kind of content.
Another favourite of mine is Elf Cosmetics, an American cosmetics brand. Elf Cosmetics commissioned a song for Tik Tok called Eyes Lips and Face, and I’m humming it to myself as I write this, because it’s quite catchy and I’ve seen so many videos with it. With the song, they started the #eyeslipsface and this hashtag has been used over 5 billion times. Elf Cosmetics uses Tik Tok to their advantage by sharing trendy content, having fun with the app, and partnering with influencers. There’s plenty of other brands, celebrities, and doctors sharing educational and fun content on Tik Tok to connect with their existing fans and a new audience.
Despite being a relatively new platform, TikTok has already redefined social media marketing, and companies that are able to take advantage of this new opportunity have the potential for a lot of success in advertising. TikTok itself does not pay creators to make videos, influential creators with a bigger social media following can get brand deals and show off certain items in their videos. Brands can use the platform to advertise themselves by creating their channel and uploading videos about how to use their product/service, behind the scenes of the team running the brand, or make quirky videos that aren’t related to the brand itself but show the audience that they’re playful. There’s the opportunity to market with influencers who can spread the content to a broader audience. TikTok is still working on this, but brands can also pay to advertise on TikTok as well. Hashtags are also popular, with new trending hashtags daily, and brands can start a hashtags as well. Lastly, there is an opportunity to share user-generated content. When someone mentions your brand in their TikTok or on any other social media platform, you can re-share that, create some kind of a montage, add a fun song, and create a lot from what the users are creating.
Overall, TikTok is an entertaining app that offers a lot to consumers, content creators, and marketers. It is not ‘just for kids’ and I believe that anyone a little curious should give it a chance.
Personally, when I talk to people about Tik Tok they always go “ugh but isn’t it all bad videos, they’re not funny”. What’s important to keep in mind is that, like with any social media platform, there is good and bad content, and opinions are subjective so you will find something that you enjoy and your friends will find the content they enjoy. There’s so much of Instagram that I dislike but there’s also a lot that I like. It’s important to find that balance and consume content at your own risk.
I wrote this blog solemnly based on my personal experience and conversations with my friends about TikTok.
Please let me know what you think about TikTok. Do you have it, and if so, what do you think? If you don’t have the app do you think you’ll be downloading it? Do you see yourself consuming and/or creating content on TikTok for yourself or your company?
I’m very curious because I’m a fan of social media and think there is a lot of potential and creative freedom for content creation.
- Jana with a Y
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