TikTok, the world’s most downloaded app, is most popular among Generation Z — but it has been growing in popularity with all demographics, and the user age is beginning to trend upward. Since TikTok is less saturated than other social media marketing apps, like Facebook and Instagram, you should consider adding it to your brand’s influencer marketing program.
Here’s why:
Viral Potential
TikTok started as Musical.ly, a lip-sync video-sharing app in China. As more users joined the platform, it evolved into a place to share short videos that inspire a strong reaction. Many users share their first video on TikTok hoping to go viral — since the algorithm makes it easy for great content to get pushed out to a broad audience quickly. The TikTok algorithm evaluates how much time you spend watching videos, and the ways you interact with those videos, to curate your video feed to match your interests. This creates a unique experience tailored to each TikTok user.
When you upload a video to TikTok, it pushes the video out to a small number of your followers, and users the algorithm thinks might be interested in your content. If the first people to watch your video engage with it, either by watching it repeatedly, sharing it with friends or commenting on it, then your video will get pushed out to more users. The algorithm keeps repeating this process. If a wide variety of users engage with your video, the algorithm will spread to an even wider audience —creating the right conditions for your video to go viral.
Authentic Connection
TikTok makes video editing extremely easy and intuitive. However, high production value videos don’t necessarily outperform the straight-to-camera content of influencers just chatting with their followers. Creating captivating content and engaging with followers is what matters on TikTok.
Audiences crave an authentic connection with creators on this platform. This makes TikTok the ideal environment for influencers to establish trust with their following quickly. This trust can help your influencer or affiliate program perform well.
Since TikTok started with the younger generation, it has a much more informal atmosphere than other social media sites. The audience enjoys getting to see a glimpse of real life for the content creators they admire. TikTok users readily accept product recommendations and adopt new brands that they see used by their favorite influencers on the platform.
Fleeting Trends
TikTok first launched with only 15-second video clips. The most popular videos were lip-syncing and dance challenge videos. The most popular song and dance would change rapidly, with every day bringing a new top trend. This short-lived virality of trends is still characteristic of the platform today. Influencers on the TikTok platform track these trends. They must be able to swiftly create new content that matches the trends to expand their audience and grow their bottom line. Their trend expertise and rapid content generation skills make them valuable assets for any business owner using influencer marketing.
TikTok Influencer Marketing
The first step to getting started with influencer marketing on TikTok for your business is to check out the app. You want to see the type of content on the platform and the different content creators in your niche. There must be enough of your ideal audience on TikTok to make influencer marketing worthwhile.
Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the TikTok platform, it’s time to think about goals for your influencer marketing campaign. If you’ve never done influencer marketing before or you’re wondering what affiliate marketing is, do some background reading to understand this step better. TikTok is a great platform to grow your audience or generate sales of products. With clearly defined goals, you’ll be able to create selection criteria for influencers you want to work with.
Discover Top Tools for Influencer Marketing
Like any other influencer marketing campaign, you need to research influencers before deciding who to work with. When they work with you, they are representing your brand. Their values and content style must match your brand voice. The number of followers each influencer has matters less on TikTok than other platforms, since the algorithm values engaging content over audience size.
Once you choose which TikTok influencer or influencers you want to work with, it’s important that you give them the freedom to express their creativity. The influencer is the expert on TikTok trends and content creation. They understand what content resonates with their audience. By letting them make their own creative decisions, you cultivate a long-term relationship with the influencer — and ultimately see better results for your brand.
