There’s no denying that TikTok is the new app that has been blowing up in 2020. With well over 800 million monthly active users and the average user spending just under an hour per day on the app, these are some serious traffic numbers that are hard to ignore.
If you are under the assumption that this app is just for bored teens who have nothing better to do with their time than dance around to silly songs, think again.
The app is now attracting people of all different ages, celebrities, professional athletes and big-time brands. In this article, we will dive into what the TikTok app is, how TikTok works for brands and influencers, how you can use the app to drive traffic to your website or brand and the type of content that does well on the platform.
What is the TikTok App?
TikTok is a video-sharing app with a social network element that has had tremendous success and growth with GenZ users and is primarily known for quirky and viral dance trends, challenges, lip-syncing and shortening people’s attention span.
The app was previously known as Musical.ly and rebranded to TikTok in 2018. For most millennials TikTok may feel like a rebirth of Vine: the app which limited it’s videos to 6-seconds and eventually ended up closing its doors in 2017.
Will TikTok share the same fate?
Although quite similar to Vine, the app is different and is showing incredible traffic growth along with major interest from large brands and celebrities.
TikTok boasts over 800 million active users and is currently one of the most popular social networking sites in 2021. With numbers like that it’s difficult to ignore its reach and potential for advertisers and influencers.
Some of TikTok’s most popular video creators, like Zach King who currently has over 45 million followers on TikTok started on Vine and has been able to grow his audience significantly over the past year on TikTok. https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2F6831545610642951429&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40zachking%2Fvideo%2F6831545610642951429%3Flang%3Den&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-tiktok-va.ibyteimg.com%2Ftos-maliva-p-0068%2Fee901c7ddcf5416eb13c360d52aac73c_1590593165%7Etplv-tiktok-play2.jpeg%3Fx-expires%3D1593712800%26x-signature%3DEYd%252BN%252FZg19wTxlyaGAsxJ2S0xOs%253D&key=96f1f04c5f4143bcb0f2e68c87d65feb&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok
According to SensorTower, TikTok was the most downloaded app in the world in January of 2020. This accomplishment easily grabs the attention of online media publishers.
Although TikTok is still very much a music/video dance app it’s beginning to evolve with all the innovative and catchy trends that are occurring every day.
Reading advice: Growth Hacking Facebook Strategies to Grow Your Website
Is TikTok Valuable For Brands and Influencers?
The big question is can TikTok really be valuable for brands and influencers with only 15 second quirky videos?
100% Yes.
TikTok’s user base is currently experiencing massive growth and with the current growth in mobile users and traffic it presents massive opportunities for brands to tap into a flurry traffic.
Companies and brands who have made the decision to get on TikTok have been able to grow their following much quicker than other platforms they are on and with minimal capital.
TikTok perfectly fits the mold for brands such as the NBA and they have made the smart decision to start sharing their content on the app. It has helped them gain over 11 million followers and over 270 million likes.
Those are some serious numbers for being on the app for less than a year.
Link to the TikTok Account from the NBA
Recommended Reading: 10 Brands That Rule TikTok
TikTok can definitely help brands to position themselves inside a new and evolving digital movement and also capture the attention of an ever changing younger demographic.
Leave area for your TikTok marketing strategy to be creative, have fun, and go together with the flow.
TikTok For Influencers
Most people immediately begin to compare TikTok to other popular apps like Instagram and Youtube, but the app is much more different in the way it brings traffic to people’s content.
Unlike Youtube and Instagram where you have to grind and work the algorithm in order to get followers, comments, likes and subscribers, TikTok has a much different approach.
TikTok rewards unique content and truly values the viral element. It allows new users to have a much more level playing field when it comes to getting their content discovered.
TIkTok users like Garden Marcus can share their knowledge about plants and gardening and quickly gain a targeted following that enjoys their content. Marcus has managed to get over 548k followers on TikTok in less than a year. https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2F6843508750498712838&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40gardenmarcus%2Fvideo%2F6843508750498712838%3Flang%3Den&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-tiktok-va.ibyteimg.com%2Ftos-maliva-p-0068%2F7a92debce6d140f990d91f39d49cc5f7_1593378550%7Etplv-tiktok-play2.jpeg%3Fx-expires%3D1593720000%26x-signature%3DRZ2QtjLcv1IB9jwnCJEYdDIWwuQ%253D&key=96f1f04c5f4143bcb0f2e68c87d65feb&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok
All it can take is a few short videos for your content to get discovered, not hundreds until the YouTube algorithm decides it’s your time to shine.
Going beyond that, TikTok is currently in the process of testing to allow all users to include a link to their website in their bio-section. This could allow a new traffic avenue for brands and smaller scale influencers to grow their business.
Pro tip: How does the TikTok Algorithm work
At the moment, this is a feature that is only allowed for certain brands and influencers. If TikTok decides to open this up to everyone it could be very big for brands. Depending on when you are reading this article, the feature may already be available.
TikTok For Advertisers
If for some reason you aren’t convinced about the utility and effectives of TikTok, find out for yourself what advertisers are already doing.
TikTok ads are already under use by many large scale brands that have realized the massive exposure and power you can gain from the platform.
In a recent ad push by Guess, they used TikTok ads in order to promote their Fall’ 18 Denim Fit collection with the goal of encouraging TikTok users to upgrade their wardrobe by wearing Guess demin to the soundtrack of Bebe Rex’s “I’m a Mess.”
Their #InMyDenim ad campaign had a huge spread on the app welcome screen along with 4 influencer partnership videos to push the ad in order to reach more users.
The real power behind the ads is not only their massive and growing user base, but the fact that they can tap into individual influencers who already have a strong following behind them.
This combination allows brands to have a deeper connection with audiences which only makes their brand that much stronger.
Checkout the performance of the #InMyDenim ad campaign during a 6-day period. The numbers are quite impressive.
The Type of Content That Does Well on TikTok
TikTok is not like other social networks. While other social networks take time to build and reach an audience, TikTok doesn’t. It has two very viral elements to it that most other social networks lack. It has an element of pop-culture and trend culture.
These two combined equal speed.
You don’t have to wait to build up an audience. If you are unique and have something that grabs the attention of others, it’s only a matter of time until you have an audience.
The type of content that does really well on TikTok is content that is very current to what is going on in music, entertainment and gossip.
Video clips that tend to generate the most traffic include a combination of music and dancing that are easy to replicate by many people.
Video clips such as the #distancedance have been some of the most popular. https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2F6808241395535531269&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40jknight5253%2Fvideo%2F6808241395535531269%3Flang%3Den&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-tiktok-va.ibyteimg.com%2Ftos-maliva-p-0068%2F64a77abd90144a8299f68d2f4eeae456_1585167232%7Etplv-tiktok-play2.jpeg%3Fx-expires%3D1593720000%26x-signature%3D7xKeOBI%252FNpzoF9azbrSBqG%252BGrXM%253D&key=96f1f04c5f4143bcb0f2e68c87d65feb&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok
The #distancedance video clips are responsible for generating over 17.1 billion views. That is an extreme level of traffic and exposure for something as simple as a little dance.
Pro tip: The Most Effective TikTok Marketing Strategies for Brands and Influencers
Check out some of the most popular TikTok dance challenges. >>> 7 Best TikTok Dance Challenges for an example of the type of content that performs really well on the platform.
The dance trends on TikTok are a major part of the platform and pop culture. For music artist looking to gain exposure to their music, getting featured on the platform can skyrocket you to stardom.
It’s worth nothing that although dance trends are extremely popular on TikTok, it’s not the only type of trends that can go viral. The platform has almost everything you can think of: beauty tips and transitions, animals, lip singing, fitness workouts, comedy, pranks and so much more.
Visit the app and check out the Discover section. You will be blown away everything that is available.
Depending on the type of branding strategy your company has, TikTok can be a great addition to your current marketing mix. It gives your company and brand the ability to be unique and recognized by a whole different type of demographic.
Read also; How to growth hack your instagram account