We’re all thinking it! Should my business be on TikTok?
The not-so-simple answer is: maybe.
Despite common misconceptions, TikTok is not just a platform for Gen Z or content creators. More and more businesses are on the platform and launching TikTok ads. So today, we’re going to walk you through a series of questions to determine whether the platform (and its audience) are right for your business objectives.
While TikTok might not be right for every business, it is worth considering because of its low cost and growing popularity. Consider some of these important facts about TikTok:
- TikTok is the most downloaded app in more than 40 countries.
- More than 1 billion people around the world use TikTok at least once per month.
- TikTok now has more than 150 million monthly active users in the U.S.
- The percentage of U.S.-based TikTok users by age:
- 10-19: 24.9%
- 20-29: 22.3%
- 30-39: 21.6%
- 40-49: 20.2%
- 50+: 11.0%
- TikTok has higher engagement rates than Instagram and Twitter.
Despite this, only 18% of marketers are using TikTok … for now. You can expect that number to grow, but perhaps not by leaps and bounds, given the relative difficulty of video marketing.
So again, we come back to the core question: Is TikTok right for you? Well, to get the answer to that question, you need to ask yourself a few others:
Business TikTok Checklist of Questions:
“Who is your target audience, and are they on TikTok?”
What is the ideal age range and typical online behaviors of your target audience?
Keep in mind that the largest two audiences on TikTok, making up nearly half of the user base, are between 10 and 29 years old.
To be fair, the TikTok user-base is aging up, so don’t let its Gen Z reputation fool you. But if your market is predominantly age 40 and older, TikTok might not be the appropriate platform for your business.
As always, your goal should be to ensure that expanding your audience on this platform will reach actual potential customers or community members.
“What are your current business objectives? Brand awareness or conversions?”
If you’re looking to reach younger audiences, TikTok Ads and content can do that, exposing your brand to new audiences. With more than 1 billion active monthly global users and presence in more than 150 different countries, TikTok provides a platform where you can truly meet younger, community-hungry users where they’re at.
Audit your current channels and clearly define how (and if) TikTok will enter the mix to strengthen it. Imagine you’re a startup with a limited monthly ad budget where every dollar should work to yield a more direct conversion as quickly as possible. In this case, we might recommend that your business choose between focusing on one comprehensive strategy on TikTok or managing a presence on other platforms.
“Do you (or your team) have the time and resources to take on a new platform like TikTok?”
Your monthly TikTok content calendar likely won’t fit into your existing process because the nature of the content and strategy differ so much from other platforms.
The learning curve and time investment on TikTok are both high. Before committing your business to this channel, download the app and start using every day to get a feel for what performs well. From tracking trends and challenges, to creating and brainstorming content on the fly, you or your team will have to get up to speed quickly to excel.
In terms of content types, TikTok loves informal, “behind-the-scenes” content because truly authentic content matters to Gen Z. Users tend to reject the “sales-to-drive-leads” marketing that some embrace on other platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.
If your brand or business typically creates sales-driven formal content, utilizing TikTok can help you diversify your content types and display a new, creative side of your business. But you will need to take this new content creation process into account for your weekly tasks. While the content is much more casual and “real” than other social networks, it’s still video, and therefore requires more planning and production.
Pro Insight: It’s not easy to link your website to your TikTok videos. If your website is your primary way of converting leads, you’ll need to get creative and develop additional ways to drive leads.
Let Mischa Help You Establish Your TikTok Presence
If you’ve read through this blog post and decided you’re ready to give TikTok a try, we highly recommend you become obsessed with tracking trends. By tracking trends on the platform, you can incorporate it into your agile content creation strategy and watch performance grow.
We’re here to help! Send us your TikTok questions and let’s launch your channel together.