Let's Talk TikTok: Should Your Business be on the App?
TikTok, everyone’s go-to app during quarantine, has become a huge influence on people from all over the world no matter the age or gender!
If you don’t know what TikTok is, it’s a social media app where you can post up to 60-second videos of absolutely anything: educational, singing, dancing, creating, and/or pure self-deprecating entertainment. It was first launched in 2016 (with a different name) & by 2020 it was the most downloadable app on the market! Remember Vine? Many people have compared this new app to Vine because of its concept similarities of short videos and humor. Forget about overproduced content; TikTok is an app where you can be as raw and silly as you want -- with no judgment.
This is the new wave for Gen Zs and Millennials. As of recently, we’ve been seeing businesses use their creativity to create relatable content to target their specific audiences. Savvy brands are diving into this platform to gain brand awareness without breaking the bank, but could it be profitable for businesses? The answer is YES. Should your business immediately jump into it? Hm, it depends. First, let’s talk about the infamous app and what makes it so popular.
trend culture
Let’s talk about trends. TikTok has a trend culture like no app has ever seen before. In fact, most of the content on there is made up of trends. Their algorithm is unique and unlike Instagram or Twitter, you don’t need thousands of followers to have a post go viral. By using popular audios or specific hashtags, your videos can reach up to thousands of people in just a couple of hours! It gives the term “overnight success” a whole new meaning.
No one really knows for sure how these social media algorithms work. However, according to Later Media, this is what they’ve gathered:
Exposure is based on the performance of EACH video, no matter how old or recent the video was posted.
Old videos can be resurfaced onto someone’s “For You Page” giving the creator the opportunity to become viral after days, weeks, or months of posting it.
When a TikTok first goes live, it’s usually shown to other users in the same geo-location to start off with. The algorithm then takes off considering multiple indicators (likes, duets, shares, comments, etc).
a creator marketplace, say what?
As most of you know, wherever there is a social media app, there is influence. And unlike any other social media apps, TikTok is taking matters into their own hands. They have created a TikTok Creator Marketplace. That’s right, it’s like a built-in influencer marketing agency. It gives creators and brands a place to collaborate and establish partnerships. If you’re a brand looking to tap into the TikTok influencer marketing, this platform will help you find the best creative creators for your business. It gives you the ability to browse the platform's top sellers, growth trends, best performing videos, and more. Click here to learn more about the marketplace!
should your business be on TikTok?
The beauty of this platform is that there aren’t a lot of brands on there… YET. Millions of people from all over the world are using this platform and brands are beginning to catch on quickly.
So to answer the big question: Should your business be on the new app?
Before you arrive at any decisions, make sure you’re taking a step back to evaluate if adding another social media platform would be beneficial or not. If you’re not feeling inspired and/or motivated to create content on this app, don’t stress it. We know the thought of adding another social media platform can sound mentally exhausting at this point. We don’t encourage you to spread yourself too thin just to jump on the bandwagon.
However, if you do feel inspired and you think your business can be an early adopter of this app but are lacking the time and resources, maybe consider replacing an app you use the least for TikTok. Remember, quality over quantity.
VCM takes TikTok
If you’re curious about how we’ve handled the situation... we’ve totally hopped on the bandwagon. We think it’s a perfect platform for VCM, it’s a space to have fun, get creative, and not take things too seriously. We are really enjoying taking trends and redoing them with content that aligns with our mission and services. We actually replaced LinkedIn for TikTok; we didn’t have a LinkedIn strategy nor did we feel inspired by the platform. The switch was quick. We did a little bit of research, put a quick strategy together and boom… we’re on TikTok! Check us out @vcreativemiami.
all in all…
it’s important to make decisions that feel right for you and your brand. Although we always encourage you to try new things, get creative, and take risks, be mindful of where you are in your business.