TikTok is a social media video-sharing platform by the Chinese company ByteDance. This platform is primarily used for short videos, making it ideal for ongoing content creation and user engagement. TikTok has been proliferating since its initial release in 2016.
TikTok primarily focuses on fun and highly entertaining content, and as such, it may work better for some businesses than others. If your business is often posting this type of content as part of its Digital Marketing initiatives, it may be the perfect platform. Many businesses have found a way to increase their growth using TikTok.
How are other businesses using TikTok right now?
Although the platform may not be feasible for all businesses, famous brands like Chipotle have found significant success.
Chipotle has been growing steadily on the platform, with over 1.5m followers and nearly 30 million likes as of April 2021. The brand has achieved massive success by using brand challenges, which encourages other users to post videos using the #chipotle hashtag and challenge-specific ones.
Chipotle's approach to TikTok has resulted in a massive boost to its brand awareness efforts, particularly with the Gen-Z generation. As you might have guessed, this same demographic group also happens to make up a large portion of both Chipotle's customer base as well as TikTok's user base.
Another brand that had significant success with the platform is the famous clothing company Guess. Some of their marketing efforts included video demos on their profile; they collaborated with big TikTok influencers to further promote the #InMyDenim Hashtag Challenge. Guess's efforts resulted in the overall campaign going viral and gaining millions of views.
There are many more brands that have been successful in using the platform to grow their reach. TikTok has set up a TikTok For Business page, where they have listed some of these brands on their website's Inspiration section.
One thing many of these brands have in common is that they appear to be B2C businesses. Unlike B2B, which usually has a long sales cycle, these businesses typically have a pretty straightforward way of generating revenue, whether it's an eCommerce website or a local restaurant like Chipotle.
Is TikTok right for my brand?
Although TikTok seems to be a platform geared towards a younger generation of users, it is growing very fast, potentially allowing a more diverse audience with different interests. TikTok's paid advertising capabilities are also rapidly increasing.
Based on the brands we've reviewed, it's safe to say that there's potential for many existing brands, primarily those in the B2C space. As such, TikTok's branded hashtag challenge is something you can't take for granted, as it might just be a viable option for your brand.
Photo credit: helloimnik
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