TikTok don’t stop.
Let's chat TikTok.
When I say the word TikTok I am usually met with three reactions - cringe, that's such a lot of work or where's the ROI. Despite TikTok being available in the UK since 2018, having over 19million users, and a whopping average session time of 1.5hours (this is ahead of Netflix and YouTube), the levels of brand uptake have been small.
When I share these states and mention TikTok as a potential channel in the marketing mix, I am usually met with 1 or a combo of these 3 reactions.
Reaction 1: the cringe.
TikTok is not just about perfecting the latest dance fad or watching people prepare product boxes (although I confess I have spent an unhealthy amount of time doing the latter). TikTok can be a powerful way to help you humanise your brand, show how it's used, how people can benefit from it. With the ability to create content anywhere between 15 secs-3mins the platform allows you to find creative ways to bring the brand story to life.
Reaction 2: It's so much work.
Unfortunately, this one is correct, like all channel strategies it takes consistency and dedication. And to make it even harder it is incredibly hard to predict which video may be served out and be seen by the most people. There are tactics to help game the system which includes using trending music, trending content themes or creating a hashtag that promotes UGC (check out that ASDA George did with their back to school campaign).
Reaction 3: What's the ROI
TikTok is currently (and this may soon be about to change*) not designed for conversion. It should be viewed as a channel to drive brand awareness. It is likely that there will be some sales attribution from the channel, but the channel role should be considered at the top end of the funnel. This is not a bad thing, extensive research by two marketing professors Les Binet and Peter Field showed that the formula for successful brand growth, lies in 60% of time/money and effort being placed into driving brand awareness and 40% focused on more performance marketing- strategies designed to convert sales.
If you are a brand with a target audience 18 to 34 I think there is a really exciting opportunity to build a presence on the platform and start getting eyeballs on your products. Mental availability (awareness + memorability) is one half of the equation to brand growth.
*TikTok are now trailing TikTok shopping. This will pull products from a brand Shopify product catalogues, allowing other TikTok users to browse products without leaving the app and easily navigate to the creators' online stores for checkout.