NEWS
Thinking about using TikTok?
October 2020
Reading time: 4 minute(s).
Thinking about marketing on TikTok? Read our guide on what to consider before you ‘Hit the Woah’ to a new audience.
Who is using TikTok?
We’re a big fan of research here at Strand PR, so we’ve collected some key marketing statistics to help you determine if your target audience is ready and waiting for you on TikTok:
- 26% of UK smartphone users aged between 18-24 are using TikTok
- There are slightly more female users than male
- It has over 3.7million active users in the UK
- Users spend around 41 minutes each day watching TikTok content
Should my business be on TikTok?
Allocating time and budget to a new social media platform can be an exciting venture – but should never be rushed. Spend time browsing the platform to see how other businesses speak to their audience, and how this could be applied to your brand.
One factor you must consider is success – how will you measure results on the platform? Will engagement be the main goal, or are you looking to increase brand awareness? By having a clear goal in place, you will prevent the risk of marketing without a strategy.
What is the most liked video on TikTok?
Currently sitting in the top spot with over 25.5 million likes, JustMaiko (Real name Michael Le), has become one of TikTok’s highest-paid earners with his trending dances and skits.
This post alone helped him to amass a $1.2 million fortune from creating content in the past year.
Social Films gathered a list of the top UK TikTok stars and their number of followers. The top three include:
- Holly H who has over 16.6 million followers.
- Jamil Jamel Neffati who has over 9.6 million followers.
- Amelia Gething who has over 7.3 million followers.
TikTok content – paid or organic?
As with all major social media platforms, TikTok offer the option of paid adverts to speed up the building of your brand’s presence. Ways of advertising on TikTok include videos which users can’t skip through when opening the App, and sponsored hashtag challenges.
You may or may not be familiar with the #Savage or #Renegade challenges, but with over a billion views combined, they certainly made their impression on Generation Z, and proved that the use of hashtags is as important as ever.
You may want to test the waters before jumping in with a paid ads budget. This is possible through organic content. It is important to treat TikTok as an independent platform; the young viewers want fun, humorous and relatable content. They want to see people and faces, which brands themselves do not have, but your staff, customers and fans do.
Surprising success stories
We’ve spoken at length about target audiences, but user-generated marketing is becomingly increasingly smart, with even the most unexpected brands are enjoying success on the platform.
When ACCA, an international accounting body, wanted to turn unfavourable perceptions of accountancy being ‘dull, boring and elitist’, they called upon influencers to help strike a chord with the next generation of accountants by positively explaining their time studying at the ACCA with TikTok’s filled with dancing, music and Q&As.
With millions of views from the series and hundreds of positive comments later, this innovative campaign perfectly demonstrated how businesses can succeed in the most unlikely of places.
Time to TikTok
Branded username – Choose the same username you have allocated for other social media channels, if possible. If your customers are searching for you, it is always best to be found.
Switch to a Pro account – Don’t miss out on celebrating your success by not having access to key analytics from your videos. Select the three dots in the top right-hand corner on your profile page, click ‘Manage my Account’ and select ‘Switch to Pro Account’.
Profile optimisation – Ensure your branding is on point with a clear profile picture and suitable keywords placed within the bio. Be sure to also link your YouTube and Instagram profile within ‘Settings’ to help build your followers on all platforms.
