Why smart brands are turning to TikTok

BLOG Aug 16 2021

By: Abigail Guthrie, Social Media Community Manager

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media apps worldwide. As of January 2021, TikTok reported over 200 billion downloads and 689 million global users. The number of global users is now believed to be over 700 million.

While it may be commonly known as the dance app, TikTok describes the app as “an entertainment platform home to a new generation of storytellers that are defining “culture” and they’re not wrong. TikTok creates a fast-paced, unique user experience and encourages authentic, feel-good, genuine moments. However, the video only app is heavily driven by sound (which may be surprising to some). In a recent Ad Week Webinar, Vidmop reported that users can expect a 2x lift in engagement when audio (including voice over) and sound (music) are used together on the app.

We’re seeing all kinds of brands join TikTok and in different capacities. For example, President’s Choice, a Canadian food brand, recently joined the app with a #DoYouYuzu campaign to promote their Yuzu Cheesecake for summer and it was almost impossible to ignore. The campaign included an original song, collaborations with popular influencers and ad support which yielded over 41 million views and 484 videos using the sound. There is a value in TikTok that is almost unmatched from other social platforms and has really helped our clients maximize their marketing potential.

Brands like Elf Cosmetics jumped on the app and they did it with a splash. The company released an original sound titled ‘#EyesLipsFace’ to . The song blew up and was used by celebrities like Lizzo and Reese Witherspoon (to name a few). The song was later released on Spotify and Apple Music.

So, if it works for major brands like Elf Cosmetics, MTV, and McDonald’s, will it work for your brand?

A common misconception about the app is that it’s only for Gen-Zers, however, the majority of the app’s users within the US are between the ages of 30 and 50 and only 25% of US users are between the ages of 10-19. So, TikTok is fair game for almost any audience.

Here is why TikTok could be good for your brand:

1. TikTok’s average user spends approximately 89 minutes a day scrolling the app. Which is almost 3x more than the average Instagram user, who spends approximately 30 minutes per day on the app.
2. TikTok provides the ultimate creative freedom. The app encourages brands to go beyond best practices and build their own. They want you to think like you’re constantly in beta and test and learn what works for your brand because almost nothing is off limits.
3. The app averages 118% organic reach for brands. This is almost unheard of for organic content. For reference, Facebook’s average organic reach for brands is only 5.2%.

We know from our social media work with global brands that one of the major keys to success on TikTok is when brands are comfortable with taking risks and trying a whole new style of content they may have never tried before. We’re seeing so much potential with the app for a variety of clients to market their product in a completely unique and engaging way. Each user’s For You Page is completely customized for them based on their interests and behaviors within the app, so there’s a space on TikTok for just about anyone, not just dancers or foodies. It only takes one video or one song to set a trend and you never know what might take off and we’ve seen incredible results with organic and paid efforts for our clients.

So, what does the future look like for TikTok?

The numbers for TikTok are still growing and at records rates. This video app may be here to stay as the platform currently offers targeted, customized ad capabilities and there are even talks of introducing more seamless purchasing and conversion opportunities, and more expansive analytics on the platform. If you haven’t already considered TikTok, now is the time to discover if it’s the right fit for your brand and we’re happy to help.

Schedule a call to discuss how Tag can help you to create, launch and manage your next social media campaign.