Dancing Your Way into Brand Awareness: How to Use TikTok For Your Business
TikTok is so much more than just a way to waste time while social distancing. If you want to connect your brand with your consumer, then think about using TikTok for your business.
As I opened my phone this morning, TikTok influencer Abby Rodgers’ (@abbyartistry) infamous 60 second makeup videos popped up on my screen.
It was a video of her transforming herself into Disney villain Maleficent. The video was recorded to e.l.f.’s catchy original song, “Eyes Lips Face,” a parody of Kash Doll’s “Ice Me Out.” The song exudes all of the confidence and power that customers hope they will exude themselves after putting on makeup.
So you may be wondering – how can you use TikTok for your business?
What is TikTok?
Although you may have seen or heard of TikTok at some point, you may not know what the platform actually does. Essentially, the platform allows users to create, share, and comment on videos that are anywhere from 15 seconds to 60 seconds long.
These videos can range from reaction videos, dance challenges to the wide array of audio files offered to users, and short skits.
Why use TikTok for Your Business?
Since its launch in September of 2016, TikTok has attracted over 1.7 billion users worldwide. The average TikTok user spends 55 minutes a day on the app, and it ranks sixth among apps for consumer spending worldwide.
TikTokhas a wide reach, and because the videos are short (upto 60 seconds) users can’t resist watching. Videos of this nature are useful for marketing your brand.
With TikTok, you can join trends, connect with your audience, and turn customers into brand advocates.
The most successful business accounts are trend-setters. Clean and Clear used TikTok to engage their audience of young, females in India. The hashtag, #UnbottleApnaSwag, invited girls to identify with a personality type and showcase unique content online. Females in India posted their own TikToks, joined the challenge, and in doing so, advertised their product free of charge. They became brand advocates.
The hashtag, #UnbottleApnaSwag became one of the most successful branded hashtag challenges in India to date.
TikTok is working to bring brands the metrics they need to measure marketing success and ROI. Recently, TikTok introduced a self-serve advertising platform that allows you to measure your reach.
What kinds of videos will help you reach your audience?
There are a range of videos that brands will use to showcase and humanize their product. These include:
Branded Hashtags – When companies create new campaigns, they will challenge TikTok users to create videos using a specific song and hashtag.
Apparel company Guess challenged customers to show off their jeans with the #inmydenim challenge. This campaign encouraged 5,550 user-generated videos, 10.5 million video views, 14.3% engagement rate and over 12,000 additional followers for Guess’ business account on TikTok
Video ads – can range from a promoted TikTok videoto a brand takeover. A brand takeover is a 3-5 second video or GIF. These short videos pop up when TikTok users open the app throughout one day. TikTok guarantees that these ads will be viewed over 5 million times throughout the course of the day. Grubhub has used video ads showing happy families receiving their takeout, and snack brand Gushers occasionally uses video ads to promote their product:
Branded Lenses are an opportunity for brands to partner with TikTok to create a branded lens, or “filters.” They can be 2D or 3D, and they’ve proven to be very effective, as 64% of TikTok users engaged with Filters.
Lysol is currently doing the “HealthyHabits6Steps” challenge, which challenges users to complete a dance involving 6 healthy “steps,” or dance moves. The lens is featured below:
Partnering with Influencers. Just like any other social media platform, there are plenty of influencers whose main platform is TikTok. Brands will partner with influencers for a review of their product. For example, beauty company Too Faced partnered with influencer Kristen Hancher to spread awareness of their new Damn Girl mascara. Although TikTok videos aren’t long enough for a full tutorial, you can use before & after shots.
Is Using TikTok for Your Business Right for you?
TikTok is one of many social media tools available to businesses. If your brand has a younger audience, TikTok can be an invaluable asset to your social media marketing strategy. Use TikTok to engage your consumers, connect with your audience and humanize your brand and product. TikTok will turn consumers and customers into brand advocates.
About Channel V Media
Welcome to Channel V Media (CVM). We’re an award-winning PR and communications agency, founded in 2008.
We build market momentum for Fortune 500 and emerging companies, advising and executing on Communications Strategy, PR strategy, and digital marketing. We specialize in breaking clients into new markets and categories, rising to the top of crowded conversations, and reinvigorating enthusiasm for long-standing companies as they compete in new areas.
CVM builds awareness for companies and their products, develops C-suite leaders into industry visionaries, positions clients to be among the most vocal in high-value conversations, and drives inbound leads.
Some of our clients include Sopra Banking Software, GFT, Penn Mutual, IBM, Bluecore, Grapeshot + Oracle, Fortune & Frame, and others.