TikTok till you don’t stop…

TikTok is the fastest-growing app. Fact. Since its emergence into the social media realm in 2016, the app has continued to grow to stratospheric heights. The short-form video hosting service which was deemed by some as just the app for Generation Z due to its dance challenges, has surpassed that. TikTok has:

• An astonishing 3 billion downloads (including 672 million downloads in 2022)
• 50 million daily active users (including myself)
• The no.1 downloaded app in 40 countries and available in 35+ languages
• The second most downloaded app globally, being runner-up to Instagram in 2022
• 600 million active daily users in China’s version of Tiktok, Douyin and projected to surpass 835 million according to experts.

While these statistics may be jaw-dropping, to say the least, why is the app so popular? According to statistics from Tiktok’s ‘Whats Next 2023 Trend Report’, 90% of users said the app makes them happy and never gets boring.  Free editing tools and templates such as CapCut (which you can download on your Play Store), help make content more engaging. With the first seconds as a user, you want something that instantly grabs your attention. Does the content resonate with you? Does stir up some kind of emotion? Does it tell and sell a story? CapCut helps encapsulate all of this.

However, it is not just short-form videos that make TikTok a success. It is much more. People can buy products directly from the hosting service.  Shops and people can directly sell to their viewers as illustrated below.

This helps with engagement levels. Viewers become consumers, consumers become brand advocates and loyal followers. Having the chance to communicate directly to your audience, and read and respond to comments, creates a personal touch. It makes online shopping more human. 

Let me break it down for you, think of it like this. EBay is a platform that allows people and shops to sell products online directly to a consumer. TikTok’s shopping function does the same but goes the extra mile. It allows viewers to see the sellers on camera and the sellers to talk directly to their potential consumers. Direct selling; face-to-face retail but on an online platform. Kind of like the legendary shopping channels such as QVC but on a mobile app.

TikTok’s capabilities do not just stop there.  You guessed it, there’s more. If you have a following of 800 or more people, you can go live. 

You can talk to viewers, and build more of a following and a community.  Like marketing, you are building your brand and online presence. This makes it more personal to your followers. You can also have battles with other creators and your viewers and followers can send you gifts.

TikTok is disrupting the social media realm and putting the SOCIAL in social media. People can connect and the app can be great for businesses to capitalise on and create brand awareness. Like its counterparts i.e. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, it has the option where businesses can use paid advertising too.

However, businesses should not just jump on the bandwagon. A clear and concise strategy has to be put into place. Does the company’s main demographic use TikTok? Can the company tap into a new audience? These are some of the questions that need to be taken into consideration.

While time may tick away, one thing is certain. Only time will tell what other capabilities the app will introduce and how other platforms will react to this.

Until next time…

Emmanuel #EKsMarketingViews