While some of you might have to think of Kesha’s eponymous hit of 2009 in words “Tik Tok,” most of you are probably at a loss. Tik Tok – that reminds of a clock. Right! And that’s precisely what she expresses, the increasingly well-known app called TikTok. Have you not heard anything from the app yet? Then it’s high time!
Because the platform has a lot to offer: The app is primarily known for the fact that their users can upload 15-second videos in which they, in the style of a karaoke show, make their lips to the lyrics. But also for campaigns and marketing purposes, the underlaid with songs and sounds app can make sense – maybe there is one of the other feasible ideas for you?
TikTok – More than a career jump for the very young
While Facebook is experiencing its downturn among teenagers, the TikTok platform is enjoying growing popularity. Especially the 13-year-old classify themselves as the primary target group. However, TikTok achieves a generally young but mixed range of user generations: from 10-year-old students to 23-year-olds, everything is included.
The app’s first success in early 2018 was when it was named the most downloaded app in the international space. It is still in the shadow of Instagram – the question is how much longer. Because here, too, there is an excellent potential for users to reap digital glory and use the platform for a career jump. Otherwise, TikTok is suitable for well-known socialize: make contacts, exchange ideas, have fun.
The operator: a Chinese company
TikTok was founded in 2016 and is operated by the Chinese company ByteDance. In August 2018, the Chinese known under the name Douyin app merged with Musical.ly. The goal: to attract higher usage figures as well as an older community.
TikTok’s headquarters are located in Los Angeles. Branches can be found in any city: there are offices in Berlin, Mumbai, Sao Paulo, Tokyo, Moscow or Shanghai.
And now more precisely: What is TikTok, formerly Musical.ly?
“Make every second count” is the TikTok slogan and inevitably picks up the tick of a clock again. The user has only a little time available. TikTok – the clock is running, and the users have to hurry! Why why why? As the operator himself describes, users should be able to record and upload short videos. The cell phone camera picks up fragments and creates lasting memories of meaningful moments for the users. Because the clips remain the user, similar to the pictures in the Instagram feed. Here, the users can live their creativity freely, there are no barriers – as long as you do not take into account the limited time available.
Musical.ly, as the origin of TikToks, was knit similarly: the users chose a song from a large pool of music per video. They filmed themselves as they moved their lips to match the lyrics, pretending to sing or speak themselves. What may look very strange from the outside has made TikTok’s related app from the American and European area famous – the mini-playback show celebrated its revival.
A first introduction to the world of mini-playback show
If you named the User Musical.lys as ‘Muser,’ those users of TikTok who daily play the global community with new sporty, dance-like, musical or humorous videos and thus created added value are lovingly called creators. It is possible to follow the favorite creator so as not to miss any more activities from him. Instagram’s subscribers and followers on Twitter describe the behavior of the fans here.
Hearts and a spark of love, similar to Instagram, can also be distributed here. With each heart set, a favorite digital piece ends up in your own profile gallery and can be accessed by the user as often as you like.
The magic wand also vibrates in this social network, the algorithm that filters out of the global pool that content that could have relevance for you as a user. This content can be found in your news feed – whether you like it or not.
Since the app is designed to allow an exchange between the users to take place, famous duets can be made – if you give your consent. With duets, users have the opportunity to merge content and play it in sync. Looking back on the chance to use TikTok as a career springboard, working with another Content Creator is also a great way to extend your reach on the platform.
Another way to see what community interaction looks like is by showing the response. It expresses your reaction to a particular video in the form of a short cell phone camera clip. Furthermore, the well-tried method of leaving comments is also possible. A collection of emojis is also available. However, if you have a specific request or want to address words to someone personally, you can use the news feature.
From irrelevant content to meaningful campaigns on TikTok
Trends play a significant role at TikTok as in other networks. Especially in the music scene, users can become active and set new musical directions. In addition to dance and music, the focus is also on content from the fields of beauty, travel, and sports. Top priorities are challenges such as the # DanceForChange Challenge, UN funds help young people in rural and more impoverished regions fight famine. As the title suggests, these are clips in which the young people draw attention to the hunger and rhythmically swing their dance leg for this purpose. Nevertheless, the voluntary tasks or challenges do not have to cover only serious issues. So even nonsense videos are viral, such as they attempt to form an army of hundreds of Gummi Bears, while at the same time Adele’s “Someone Like You” sounds from the speakers.
The clips under the hashtag #faketravel are also amusing to watch. Without anticipating the tension – toilet seats, detergent handles and toilet paper rolls find their creative use, imitating the window of an airplane. The user fools his community very cheeky, he would be on the plane on the way to the next destination. At the end of the video, the facts are usually clarified – because the whole thing looks more realistic than it sounds!
Timeless and typical of social media are of course also memes, but too short tutorials or little pranks – the so-called Pranks. These can be uploaded cheerfully and conjure the spectators for a brief moment a smile in the face.
The first step to the TikTok fan: the account – a guide
If the app has been downloaded from the Appstore, the first step to the TikTok account is already done. It does not matter if your own smartphone works with Android or iOS. The app runs based on both operating systems. Furthermore, the user needs a phone number or e-mail address to create a profile. If you do not want to reveal this data, you can also log in using an existing account on another platform. Then the date of birth is selected, a secure password typed in and then the music fun for you as part of the community can start!
If everything works, you can now marvel at your profile. Based on the short biography, you have the opportunity to give a brief overview of yourself and your own personality for those interested. For this, you can deposit both photos and text, but also a reference to other social media profiles you use is possible. You should refrain from sensitive data from your privacy.
Similar to other social platforms, you can also manage your profile and change your settings. The default is that every user of the global network can find your profile. TikTok wants to ensure that a large community emerges whose members inspire each other. Using the security and privacy settings, you can turn your public profile into a private one. While you’re deciding who’s allowed to see your content – the entire community or specially selected contacts – the profile picture, your chosen display name, and the short biography are visible to everyone.
What’s the use of the app?
The mission statement of the app states that users can express their creativity and individuality. There should be a chance every day to enrich themselves with new content, to be inspired, or to discover something out of the ordinary. It is up to each user to classify the app as meaningless or meaningful.
The advantages of TikToks for the companies
Influencer marketing is currently on everyone’s lips, but is TikTok actually developing into a platform with new sales opportunities like Instagram? Theoretically yes, because the app is like a racehorse in the starting blocks and just waiting to be used for marketing purposes. An ad unit is about to be rolled out soon. Even the operator resorted to the promotion of an internal campaign on familiar faces such as Paris Hilton or Charlie Puth back, and the first campaigns by CocaCola or Sony were also launched.
However, it should be noted that the ads are not as easy to serve as on Facebook or Instagram. The ads must be dressed in TikTok’s design and format, preserving the originality of the platform. This means that the advertisement reaches the user in the form of nine to 15-second videos and at first glance, resembles user-generated content. Priority Lifestyle products and brands are to be marketed over the network. Directly below the video, the user then gets the opportunity to click a call-to-action button. To advertise, the advertiser does not need a separate account for the native video ads in the feed on the platform. Exactly how the procedure runs, betrays the operator not clearly, at least not publicly. It is only known that the advertiser does not have to specify his country, the company name and the contact details directly with the TikTok app, but rather with a separate TikTok advertising platform. So far, however, the advertising function is not yet activated in all countries and regions.
Gain coverage and attention with TikTok
Another alternative for advertising is provided by the Brand Takeover ads. These will appear on the screen as soon as the app opens. They consist of either a picture or a GIF and are also provided with a call-to-action option to the landing page. According to some sources, TikTok will charge a thousand-dollar contact fee of $ 10 for future Fixed Buys.
Anyone can view content, regardless of whether a profile exists or not. Because with TikTok the number of fans is relatively insignificant. Much more crucial is to spread good and creative content that can cause a stir and like the algorithm. For young and growing companies, there is a lot of potentials here because no large media budget is required. By comparison, the number of subscribers on Instagram plays a significant role. Even some features will not be unlocked until a certain amount of followers have been reached. This includes the swipe-up feature Instagrams, which gets an Instagramer only from 10,000 subscribers.
Recruit with TikTok
There is a challenge for companies to attract a very young target group. Especially the boys from the user generation still go to school, have little purchasing power, and are under the care of their parents. Nevertheless, they turn out to be potential apprentices or students and have to be enthusiastic about the respective occupational fields and opportunities. For this purpose, some brands already have the hashtag #lovemyjobInsights into their everyday life granted to attract attention and attract applicants. But a lot of time – the clock is ticking – the companies do not have, so the spark on the side of the young users skips. Either they score directly, or they are out. You have to jump on the bandwagon of TikTok trends and pick them up, as patterns are not necessarily very long-lived.
What dangers does TikTok bring with it?
The change of name from Musical.ly to TikTok came not only out of the hope of triggering a new monetary rainfall and longer usage times but also out of the need to make a quick image change. Not only the childlike appearance Musical.lys should give way, but also the allegations that were increasingly loud in the US, but also in Europe. It is said that pedophiles abound on the platform, leaving lewd comments on profiles of very young users. The problem still seems to be solved, with TikTok promising to banish any erotic content from minors. With the help of significant events such as the Safer Internet Day 2019, supported by the hashtag #BetterMeBetterInternet, TikTok is making every effort to be dangerous and safe.
Nevertheless, the risks of TikTok are still being warned. Googling for example “Is TikTok dangerous?”, Some blogs sound the alarm and give the parents instructions for safe handling for their offspring.
The public display of the workplace can also be problematic . Especially if hashtags like #lovemyjob are suddenly changed to #hatemyjob or #boringjob. In the worst cases, comments like these not only cast a bad light on the company but can also cause them to lose their jobs – as long as the employer gets wind of actions like these. As a new measure, social media guidelines are introduced in the daily work of the companies, so that every employee knows what is allowed or not allowed in the workplace.
Which final song can be summed up as a conclusion?
You should keep an eye on the app from a marketing perspective. For where the tendencies can lead, is still unclear. Especially new are the many features with which TikTok can convince, even if the success of the older generations of users is still limited for the time being.
Trends and developments are very fast-paced – those who do not follow suit lost. Above all, the entrepreneurial content at TikTok must be prepared in such a way that it does not miss the target group and is so exciting that it gets its justified place in the newsfeed.
For companies, such as possibly start-ups without a big budget, the app provides many opportunities to build up a specific reach and visibility. With the help of humorous presentation clips, there is the chance to address a new clientele and to fill vacancies.
