This Is Why Your Brand Should Be Using TikTok Right Now Adding TikTok to your social-media strategy will keep you relevant and improve your bottom line.
By Morissa Schwartz Edited by Amanda Breen
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
TikTok is the social-media platform with the most long-term potential. Why is this, though? There is great organic potential, and there are many active users who create and consume content in a way that feels personal. Unlike other social platforms with heavily edited photos or even quick snippets of text with a hashtag, TikTok allows users to see real faces and hear the voices of their favorite creators, often filter-free. Additionally, TikToks are able to easily migrate to other social-media platforms through sharing. Some content creators upload their TikToks to their other social-media channels, and viewers will share these short videos on other platforms.
The rise of TikTok reminds me of the beginning of YouTube: a lot of people uploading videos and receiving thousands of views over a short period before views stall out. Some YouTubers would become influencers and earn company sponsorships, but most would not.
TikTok does not mimic this ephemeral success YouTube had in its early days, nor does it seem to follow Vine's rise and fall.
Related: 3 Reasons TikTok Is Here to Stay
The app launched worldwide in 2017 and currently boasts 73.7 million active users with over 2 billion global downloads. All these users can potentially see your content, and your brand can earn thousands, if not millions, of impressions on the app. I heard about Ocean Spray earning over 15 million impressions on the platform after creator Nathan Apodaca featured the company's product in his videos.
I tested the organic potential with some of my own silly videos and have been stunned at the millions of views, hundreds of thousands of comments, thousands of duets I have gotten over the past few months on video topics ranging from how impressive the Canadian passport is to DC Villains to facts about books. I also have channels devoted to sharing my favorite marketing tips, which may not garner millions of views like the more general and silly channels, but still get seen by my target audience in an organic way that any other platform would have charged for. Any group you can imagine is on Tik Tok, and creators can reach millions if they wish to reach a general audience or a specific group.
TikTok inspires organic growth
The unique, innovative algorithm of this rapidly growing social-media platform allows your account to reach many people based on how much they like your content. Much like the Instagram algorithm, users see posts or accounts that they interact with the most. The more you watch a specific creator's content, the more likely his or her content is to reappear on your feed.
Video completion is huge on TikTok. When users watch a video in full, the TikTok algorithm becomes more likely to suggest that video to other users' feeds. Thus, the more users who finish the video, the more feeds that video appears on.
Hashtags and user-viewing habits also influence the TikTok algorithm. For example, if you like to watch videos in niche communities, like DanceTok, BookTok and MusicTok, the algorithm will suggest similar videos. Much like other social-media platforms, brands looking to capitalize on TikTok's potential should keep up with trending hashtags, songs and perhaps dances to increase their video's reach.
Related: How to Use TikTok to Promote Your Business
TikTok offers more than other social-media platforms
TikTok makes you feel like part of a community more than other social-media platforms. The niche communities that have emerged within the last year provide a place for everyone, and new niches continually emerge as more users join the platform. For example, BusinessTok or BrandTok are two niche communities where entrepreneurs and business leaders share tips, experiences and livestream some of their events. BookTok is another popular niche where bibliophiles come together to share book recommendations and celebrate new releases.
TikTok allows users to see and interact with each other in a way that other social-media platforms, such as Twitter, do not. Video replies and duets enable creators to connect to provide a more genuine connection.
Related: Instagram Launches Reels and Tries to Beat TikTok at Its Own Game
If you are a business owner, I highly recommend creating a TikTok. Marketers, accountants, restaurant services, cooks, lawyers, doctors and many other professionals have created profiles to have fun and raise brand awareness. As a result, you will reach more people organically, translating to more buyers, leads and even customers. TikTok is an excellent opportunity for any content creator, but especially for entrepreneurs ready to take the next step in their marketing plan. If you are a business owner, you should always stay on top of marketing trends, techniques and new platforms. TikTok is one of them, and it's not going away any time soon.
Take advantage of its viral nature and let it help your brand take its digital-marketing campaigns to the next level.
