Understanding the latest social media platform to hit our smartphones is the first step to expanding your reach.
TikTok was born after an unsuccessful 8 year run as the digital platform Music.ly. The developers rebranded and relaunched the digital platform in 2017 as TikTok. The social media app for discovering, creating and sharing short video content. It has become one of the fastest growing social media platforms. TikTok now reaches over a billion users in less than four years.
The most viewed genres on TikTok include pranks, stunts, comedy, dance and entertainment. A unique characteristic of TikTok is the ability to reach an enormous audiencee. What makes TikTok so successful, is the algorithm with an accuracy more than those of platforms past.
According to TikTok’s about page, each user has a personalized feed. Each feed is populated based on their interaction with content presented to them. The more a user interacts with their feed, the more it reflects each user’s unique preferences. When a user skips a video or left with no interactions, it disappears from a user’s page. There is then almost no almost no way to find it again.
The more interactions a video receives, the more likely it is that that video is boosted to the top of others’ pages.
TikTok could be right for you if your marketing content fits into any of the above categories. If you are still not sure, consider the following:
They make up the largest portion of the TikTok user base. The rest of the user base seems to follow suit with over 60% of users falling under the age of 49.
Names like Addison Rae and Charlie D’Amelio dominate the platform with their dance and entertainment content. Other content creators follow in their footsteps with the same content in the hope of growing their own following.
Consider using an alternative social media platform.
Instagram, TikTok’s biggest competitor, has a statistically older user base and a more diverse range of popular content. Where TikTok is a more video-forward platform, Instagram is a photo sharing app.
Like TikTok, Instagram becomes familiar with user interests. It can then place advertisements into user feeds. Facebook works similarly, with a more mature audience.
Something that might not be considered is the amount of information that each platform allows its users to publish on their profiles.
Facebook allows their users to publish the most information. Things like business hours, phone numbers, website links, event calendars and chat features make it easy for potential customers to reach your business. Instagram has similar features, but the choices are fewer than TikTok.
More mature social media users tend to appreciate the fact that they can gather almost all the information they need to know about your business in their first glance at your page.
This information is not as readily available when using TikTok. Users are limited to a few characters on their profile. This makes it especially difficult to communicate information to potential customers.
TikTok provides users with a platform to reach large audiences, fast. With a remarkably young user base, the most successful content on the app tends to fit neatly under the entertainment category.
Social media is a useful tool for businesses to reach potential customers. Without social media, businesses wouldn’t have the ability to reach so many new potential customers. Not all social media platforms are created equal. What works for Addison Rae, might not be the perfect fit for you.
What are your thoughts about TikTok as a business platform? Let us know. CONTACT US today
Written By Olivia O.
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