Posted by TikTok has become the fastest-growing social media platform of all time. Its rapid growth in popularity was attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. With most people stuck at home, the app gave birth to various trends like viral challenges and memes that resonate with younger users. However, popular crazes aren’t the only things TikTok has up its sleeve. Big brands and small businesses are flocking to the app and riding the wave of virality for more sales and entice new customers.
If you’re planning to connect with younger audiences, goofy short-form TikTok videos are your ticket to success. But even the best social media platforms have their advantages and disadvantages, and the app is no exception. Let’s take a look at how TikTok marketing can work for your small business.
How Does TikTok Improve Your Business?
The App Helps Put Your Business Out There
With 800 million active people on it, TikTok gives you a greater chance to grow your brand’s online presence. Generation Z makes up 60% of the app’s users, letting you market towards a younger audience easier. Promoting your business through fun and engaging videos will open up your brand or business to more growth once you target the younger demographic that thrives on TikTok.
More than that, TikTok recommends content based on the location of its users. It gives you an easy and unique way to reach potential customers in your area. By putting out localized content, your business can boost its local visibility.
TikTok Has High Engagement
Inactive user accounts can slowly stop the growth of social media sites. These profiles exist for several reasons, including decreased interest and inactivity. In turn, they can distort how your business looks at its performance.
TikTok is continuing to rise in popularity, so inactive accounts are at a minimum. Users always go to the app and engage with the content they like, giving your business a higher chance of getting noticed. Additionally, TikTok’s high engagement can push your potential customers to check out your business on other online platforms like Google and Facebook.
It Pays Attention to Insights
Analytics helps marketers discover relevant trends and utilize these findings to their advantage, making it an extremely crucial part of marketing. TikTok’s success can be attributed to two trends: the type of content it delivers and the necessity of short-form content. Looking into TikTok’s trends helps you create more relevant content that is not possible on other platforms.
While users see video content in a positive light nowadays, they don’t want to consume random clips. One HubSpot survey from 2018 revealed that 54% of consumers want to watch videos from their favourite businesses. Looking at this statistic, producing clips that your potential customers can enjoy is not a luxury but a need.
TikTok also knows that short-form content is all the rage today. The app initially had a 15-second limit for videos, but it now lets users make up to 60 seconds of video content. However, the Digital Marketing Institute reports that Generation Z takes eight seconds to see whether the content they’re consuming has the information they need. If you want to step up the TikTok credibility of your business, short-form videos are the name of the game.
What are the Cons of TikTok Marketing?
It Can Harm Your Brand’s Reputation
Your business can damage its reputation in seconds, especially if it delivers inappropriate content and promotes itself in the wrong way. With how fast things come and go on TikTok, one wrong move can spell the end for your viral marketing on the platform.
Goofy videos are currently a hit on the app and some businesses that put those clips out can damage their reputation. That said, using TikTok isn’t ideal if you’re building your credibility. Your potential customers can feel stumped with on-brand videos, so it’s best to follow the trends they’re into.
TikTok Hinders Your Creativity
Digital marketing lets businesses unleash their creativity in numerous ways. They utilize various design aspects to catch the attention of their audience and stand out from competitors. Social media marketing is no exception, with many creative options available for your brand.
If you’re active on social media platforms, you may notice some similarities between these websites. There are platforms where you can post various types of content, including Facebook and Instagram. For example, Facebook advertising lets you create photo, video, or carousel ads. With these options, you can get your creative juices flowing for great campaigns.
Sadly, TikTok offers fewer creative options. You won’t be able to produce text-only posts or share photos as the app solely delivers video content. As a result, you could spend more time making relevant content and figuring out how to introduce your brand through video.
Staying On Top of Trends Is Tough
Various TikTok trends make videos viral, leading to more views from target audiences. However, keeping up with these trends is challenging, especially if you consider how short the lifespans are of these trends. You’d need to look at the latest pop culture phenomena, accompanying references, and Internet memes to keep your content fresh and relatable. If your business isn’t able to follow the newest craze, you can stunt its growth.
The Bottom Line
TikTok can be a great place to promote small businesses. You can be an instant hit among younger customers and audiences if you jump into viral trends well. However, blindly getting into TikTok puts your business reputation at risk, not to mention the numerous limitations it has regarding creativity and trends. With that, we encourage you to go on the platform if you feel that it can help your business grow.
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