Reading Time: 4 minutes
The short-form video platform TikTok is breaking new ground in the world of influencer marketing. Content creators on TikTok can find fame in a single evening if one of their posts goes viral. In many ways, it is easier to get noticed on TikTok than on “traditional” social media platforms like Instagram. The new influx of influencers on this platform is good news for your brand.
Despite having only about half of Facebook’s monthly active users (~1 billion to Facebook’s ~2 billion), TikTok is gaining popularity quickly, especially among the younger generations. This popularity didn’t go unnoticed by platforms like Instagram and YouTube, which have taken after TikTok’s short-form video style and added their own versions with YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.
So what’s the reasoning behind the success of TikTok? How exactly is the content different, and what does this mean for the influencers on the platform, and ultimately, your influencer marketing campaign strategies? Keep reading to get answers to these questions and learn about five ways that TikTok influencer marketing keeps your brand relevant.
TikTok Is All About Entertainment
The content on TikTok tends to be more focused on entertainment value as opposed to the popularity of the poster. In other words, despite being a “social media platform,” many people regard TikTok’s primary function to be entertainment rather than personal sharing and social connection.
This means that creators on TikTok may connect with their audiences in a different way than an Instagram influencer might. As opposed to being a relatable presence that the followers can connect with, TikTok influencers might be regarded more as entertainers or content creators. Of course, this isn’t the case for every TikTok influencer or user.
The kind of content that is successful on TikTok (more entertainment-based) means that the strategies brands use in influencer marketing campaigns should be fit to match. For example, one-off sponsored posts may not be as common as they are on a platform like Instagram. Instead, brands might work with influencers longer-term and make exclusive partnerships to get the most out of their investment and have a better opportunity of making meaningful connections with their target market on TikTok.
With all that said, take a look below to learn about five ways that TikTok influencer marketing can keep your brand relevant.
#1: Gives You Access to an Exclusive Market
There are over 1 billion active users on TikTok, and about 1 out of 4 of these users can’t be found on other platforms. That’s a lot of potential customers that you won’t be able to reach through other social media channels! The exclusive opportunities for marketing associated with TikTok extend to influencer marketing as well.
#2: Keeps You In Touch With Younger Generations
With a quarter of TikTok’s users falling between the ages of 10 and 19 and nearly 70% of its user base under the age of 39, TikTok is the platform of Generation Z and Millenials. This means that if you’re trying to market to a younger audience, it would likely be in your best interest to launch influencer marketing campaigns with a focus on TikTok instead of platforms like Facebook that have an older user base (about 55% Gen X or older).
#3: Following Trends Increases Your Chances of Boosting Visibility
Life moves fast on the internet, and TikTok is a prime example of this. Dance trends, hashtag challenges, sounds, and video concepts gain massive popularity and then fizzle out in a matter of days, so staying on top of them is crucial if you want videos to do well (and thus have your brand noticed by more people).
The user-generated content on TikTok drives the trends, and following those trends is a smart move for anyone that wants high engagement. One of the best ways of keeping your brand “in the loop” and boosting your visibility is to connect with TikTok creators that have experience following these trends and making successful videos.
An influencer partner that regularly creates content that is seen by a large number of active users is the end goal, and the nature of TikTok trends helps you achieve this goal.
#4: The Effect of Going Viral
Compared to platforms like Instagram or YouTube, it’s much more likely that someone with no following can “blow up” from one successful video on TikTok. This is thanks to the TikTok algorithm, which takes into account view time on videos, likes, comments, shares, and more. It learns about the users’ interests with an almost scary accuracy and then recommends related videos of all levels of popularity, which is good news for smaller creators that post within specific niches.
Going viral on TikTok can launch a creator’s influencer career, give a small business a ridiculous boost in business, reinvigorate an industry (think BookTok), or majorly increase a brand’s visibility. There are a few things that you and your influencer partner can do to increase your chances of going viral on TikTok, including following the trends, as we mentioned above.
#5 Helps You Keep Up With Market Changes
Keeping your brand relevant is all about keeping up with changes in the market and being in sync with the preferences and the patterns of the people you’re marketing to.
TikTok is fast-paced and its content evolves daily depending on the current social climate, world events, viral trends, etc. Partnering with a TikTok creator to be your brand ambassador ensures that you have someone on your side that is deep in the trenches of TikTok as the platform and its users go through changes.
Having a presence on TikTok both with your own account and with an influencer partner helps you stay up to date with industry news, customer opinions, and so much more. Keeping up with changes in real-time ensures you always know what’s going on with your target audience.
