The answer to this question is – it depends. But I have compiled a list of useful questions to ask yourself to find out if it’s the right place for your business to be marketed.

Many businesses get slightly intimidated by TikTok. It’s much more tailored to a younger audience overall than the other platforms (although this audience in changing to be an older demographic) and it’s fully video based. Therefore all your content needs to be video.

But hopefully after reading my article, you’ll see that the platform isn’t as complicated and intimidating as some business owners find it. And you’ll be in a better position to understand if it’s the right platform for you to utilise or not. Before we get into it, here are some statistics worth knowing…

• TikTok has been downloaded 3.5 billion times worldwide, making it the 5th app to accomplish this and the first non-Meta owned app.
• An impressive honour for the video-sharing app, TikTok was the most downloaded app of 2021. It beat out long-time social media favourites Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.
• According to TikTok statistics, “entertainment” is the most popular content category on the platform worldwide. This particular hashtag has amassed 535 billion hashtag views. The next most popular categories include dance, pranks, fitness/sports, and home renovations/DIY.

Is your audience on TikTok?

It’s important to do some research, delve into your social media stats, and consider the age range and demographic of your target audience. But here are TikTok’s user-demographics:

• Ages 10-19 are 25% of users
• Ages 20-29 are 22.4% of users
• Ages 30-39 is 21.7% of users
• Ages 40-49 is 20.3% of users
• Ages 50+ are 11% of users

Is this surprising? Most people think TikTok is generally “used by the youngsters”. However the age demographic is changing. The majority of people who actually create posts are younger, whereas there are more people in the older age brackets using TikTok, but they use it more to scroll than to share content.

In terms of gender, females account for 57% of the platform’s active users and males account for 43%.

Can you do things on Tik Tok that you can’t do on existing channels?

The platform can be a highly effective method to reach new audiences, if you’re able to create high-quality, snackable and on-trend content. And if you have the time and resources to invest. But this won’t be suitable for every business.

Perhaps you all work remotely and recording high-quality content with the right hooks is too tricky. Maybe you work in an industry where you work with highly sensitive information. Or you work in a sector where your business needs to show a more sensitive and private image rather than humourous and entertaining. These are all things to think about.

But if you feel you have the time and resources, and your team is eager to collaborate on content creation, it might just be the best next step for your business. And it could become a team building activity for your employees!

Can your business benefit from influencer marketing?

One of the most positive and impactful things social media marketing can offer your business is exposure through collaborations, with other businesses and/or influencers.

Social media has changed the way many businesses market themselves. Many industries now base their entire marketing strategy on influencer marketing and collaborations (such as fashion and beauty brands). With this they can also explore referral codes and affiliate programmes. The opportunities are endless.

Could your business benefit from an influencer/social media collaboration strategy?

Can you create snackable content?

A ‘hook’ is the way you grab the attention of the viewer when they come across your TikTok video. If you don’t have a good hook, they’ll scroll past. If you do, they’re more likely to stay, engage, and then visit your profile to watch more videos.

It’s a little more difficult to market service-based businesses on TikTok rather than product-based. Simply because with a product the viewer has something to see in front of them. That doesn’t mean it’s  impossible. Many people use TikTok to see “life hacks”, meaning if you can provide insightful content, you could also be onto a winner. So it’s important to think about your strategy and the type of content you’ll be putting out.

In conclusion

TikTok has the potential to give your business exposure in a new and exciting way. Even potentially in ways that the other social media platforms currently can’t. But it’s important your business isn’t on TikTok just for the sake of being on it. Use the questions and points above to understand if it’s the right social media strategy for your business – or have a chat with me!