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One of the most challenging aspects of being a marketer is developing content for spaces that are not quite monetized.
This also means that those spaces probably have low competition, and growth and success will be exponential at very critical moments. We haven’t had a new social media platform burst into the mainstream in North America in years. And now, we welcome TikTok.
TikTok is a user-generated video platform geared toward teenagers. Most of the content is wholesome and hilarious videos set to prerecorded audio backgrounds. They typically involve dances set to specific tracks, acting over voice dubbed film scenes or mind-bending challenges that look like they can’t be real but are. A perfect example of the latter is the chair challenge or the couple’s balance challenge. Very different from Instagram, these videos are anything but polished—for the most part, they feel completely unscripted.
It’s the outrageously weird stuff that kids come up with when they’re in high school and then are quick to bury in shame as soon as they’re a couple of years older. Except now, it lives on forever in TikTok. Some of the content is awkwardly too sexy for the user base. A small portion is cringeworthy.
This space was not originally made for brands. But neither was Instagram. As marketing develops with Gen Z, we’re seeing that this generation prefers to disclose less, heavily curate more and be very particular about crafting their social personas. This means they will be infinitely harder to market to.
If TikTok withstands the test of time, this app could be the future for marketing to those born after millennials, which will, of course, become those with disposable income soon. With all the major advertising streams being replaced in one way or another by the internet, your digital marketing strategy has to change too. So what do you do?
First, download TikTok, and spend a few hours just watching everything, which won’t be very difficult to do at all. The strangest things go viral, and it’s difficult to assert the culture of this app without being fully immersed in it. Next, start saving specific tracks to your “favorites” so you can use them again later when you get a creative moment.
The most challenging part is opening your mind to your most creative, childish self. Traditional marketing won’t work here (and it’ll kind of ruin it). Try something risky and off-brand. A really odd example of this is Howie Mandel. The content he creates for TikTok is hilarious, but also not what most would expect from the former game show host. Yet here he is, having a new moment on TikTok. Some of the easier video presets have been picked up by politicians—it’s not difficult to do once you understand how it works.
Next, post frequently. This space is not saturated yet, so the more quality shots you take, the better your chances are that something will “stick.” The platform is new enough that I genuinely am not sure how some content becomes viral over others. Keep the normal marketing tricks in mind (people respond better to faces; human minds remember something after seeing is seven times; brighter is better), but otherwise, if you find out, let me know.
This is a very large undertaking, so don’t jump into it half-heartedly. Plan out what you’re going to do (as much as you can), and try to be relevant, funny and interesting. This is not a space to sell things. This is a space to sell your brand, whether personal or not. And just as good old-fashioned billboards or organic social media campaigns can often lead to an eventual increase in brand awareness and then conversions, having a solid TikTok plan could as well.
Be patient and creative, and don’t worry about being polished.
