TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the world and is particularly popular with young users. According to forecasts, TikTok will have 955 million users worldwide by 2025. The app makes it possible to create short and creative videos that can go viral and achieve enormous reach. For companies, TikTok offers the opportunity to present themselves in an innovative way and reach a new, younger target group.

More and more companies are recognizing the potential of TikTok and using the platform to increase their brand awareness, promote new products and interact directly with their community. But how does TikTok actually work and what advantages does the platform offer companies in particular? In this article, you will find out everything you need to know about TikTok as a marketing channel and how you can make the best use of the platform for your company.

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a social video network that emerged from the popular lip-sync app “musical.ly” and the Asian platform Douyin. The app allows users to consume short videos and upload their own clips, which can be edited with filters, effects and music. These functions are reminiscent of well-known networks such as Instagram, making TikTok a mixture of different social platforms.

The vertical video format is particularly characteristic of TikTok and optimizes its use on smartphones. This focus has enabled TikTok to inspire millions of users worldwide and achieve a high daily retention rate. Particularly popular on TikTok are the “Challenge” format and the “Lip Sync” videos, which can become viral trends.

Who mainly uses TikTok?

Before you present your company on TikTok, it is important to know who uses the platform and whether your target group is active here. TikTok has a huge user community worldwide. In Germany, around 20.9 million people come together on TikTok every month.

TikTok’s user analyses show that the platform primarily appeals to a younger target group: 35% of German TikTok users are between 18 and 29 years old, while 29% are between 30 and 39 years old. The majority of TikTok users are female – around 60 percent of users are women.

This data makes it clear that TikTok is primarily a platform for the younger generation. Companies that want to reach a young and trend-conscious target group are in exactly the right place here.

What content are TikTok users interested in?

TikTok is all about creativity and entertainment. Users are constantly on the lookout for new, funny and innovative content that inspires and excites them. Humorous videos, dance challenges, lip syncs and creative short clips that stand out with their original ideas are particularly popular.

Branded hashtag challenges, in which companies call on users to take part in a challenge using a specific hashtag, are an extremely effective tool. Such campaigns significantly increase brand awareness as they utilize the interactive nature of the platform and actively involve the community. The participants in these challenges spread the content further, thereby increasing the visibility of the brand enormously. A major advantage is that these challenges often feature the company logo, which draws even more attention to the company.

To find suitable content ideas for TikTok, companies should be inspired by successful accounts and viral trends. Which videos get a lot of attention? What content encourages users to participate? It is important that the content offers added value. Behind-the-scenes looks, making-of videos, new dance moves, life hacks or short tutorials are formats that are particularly well received and encourage users to interact.

Using TikTok correctly

The first step to successfully launching a business on TikTok is to create a business profile. A TikTok business account offers special functions that help companies reach their target groups and market their content effectively. Once your business profile is set up, it is important to familiarize yourself with the most important functions and features of the platform and make the best use of them.

Functions & features

  • The feed: When you log in to TikTok, you land directly in the video feed, where the latest videos of the users you follow are displayed. The feed is personalized based on your likes, shares and follows so that you can see the content that matches your interests.
  • The TikCode: The TikCode is a unique feature of TikTok that allows you to embed your TikTok channel on other social media platforms or your website. The QR-like code can be scanned and takes interested parties directly to your TikTok company profile without them having to use the search function. This simplifies the connection between your various online presences.
  • Record and post videos: TikTok allows you to create videos up to 60 seconds long. You can record a video via the plus sign in the menu and customize it with numerous editing functions. Filters, speed settings, cutting tools, text options and sound effects are available to make your clips more appealing.
  • Hashtags: Similar to Instagram, hashtags play an important role on TikTok. They help to assign your videos to specific topics or challenges and make them easier for other users to find. Especially when participating in challenges, the right hashtags are essential to ensure that your posts are displayed in the context of the platform’s trends.
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The advantages of TikTok for companies

TikTok has developed into one of the most dynamic social media platforms in recent years and offers companies a wide range of opportunities to take their marketing strategies to a new level. The platform is characterized by its enormous reach, creative possibilities and high user engagement. Here are some of the key benefits that TikTok offers companies:

  1. Direct access to the target group: One of TikTok’s greatest strengths is the diversity and reach of the target groups represented on the platform. Companies can tailor their content to the needs and interests of their target group, whether in the B2C or B2B sector. This increases the efficiency of marketing measures and significantly increases the chance of acquiring potential customers. TikTok offers a unique opportunity to address young and digitally savvy target groups that are difficult to reach via traditional marketing channels.
  2. Combining content and trends: TikTok enables companies to combine content and current trends in a creative way. Whether through viral challenges, trendy sounds or creative video effects – brands can present their products and services in an authentic and entertaining way. This combination of creative content and trendy context attracts the attention of users and strengthens branding.
  3. High reach and rapid growth: One of TikTok’s greatest strengths is the ability to quickly achieve a wide reach. Through targeted hashtag usage and participation in viral trends, companies can easily present their content to a wide audience. TikTok also shows videos to users who previously did not follow the account, which significantly increases its reach. The platform is known for offering even smaller accounts the opportunity to go viral and gain a considerable number of new followers within a short period of time.
  4. Efficient and creative customer engagement: TikTok marketing enables companies to present their brand in a fresh, creative and interactive way. The platform is ideal for storytelling, product presentations, tutorials and behind-the-scenes content that is well received by users.

TikTok for Business – Advertising opportunity with TikTok Ads

TikTok Ads offer enormous potential to increase the visibility and reach of brands. A major advantage of the platform is that the ads are designed in line with the predominantly organic content and fit seamlessly into the feed. Here are the main TikTok Ads formats that companies can use for their marketing strategies:

  • In-Feed Ads: These ads appear directly in the user’s TikTok feed and are similar to native ads. They enable creative content to be played out directly to the appropriate target group. In-Feed Ads encourage interaction and allow users to like, comment and share the ads, ensuring a seamless integration into the TikTok experience. This type of ad is ideal for increasing the reach and visibility of branded content without being intrusive.
  • TopView Ads: TopView Ads start in full-screen mode and then switch to the normal feed view. This gives users the opportunity to intensively perceive and interact with the ad, which leads to higher engagement rates. TopView Ads are one of the most eye-catching and effective advertising options on TikTok and are ideal for launches or special promotions.
  • Branded Hashtag Challenges: One of the most unique features on TikTok is the ability to interact directly with the community via sponsored hashtag challenges. Companies call on users to take certain actions, which are collected under a special hashtag. These challenges can quickly go viral and generate a high level of user-generated content, which strengthens brand awareness and loyalty to the target group. The interactive nature of these ads ensures a high participation rate and enables users to become part of the campaign.
  • Branded Effects: TikTok enables companies to create customized AR effects and filters that can be used by users in their videos. These creative tools promote brand recognition and increase engagement in a fun way. Branded effects provide users with an interactive experience that conveys the brand message in an entertaining and engaging way.

TikTok marketing for companies

 

TikTok marketing: How to achieve success on TikTok

To be successful on TikTok, it’s crucial to understand the platform as part of your marketing strategy and offer creative, authentic content that encourages users to interact. TikTok users prefer real, raw content and appreciate when businesses on the platform are a little edgy and experimental. Instead of perfectly staged promotional videos, it’s all about conveying fun and creativity. Here are four effective ways you can use TikTok marketing for your business:

1. sponsored hashtag challenges

Hashtag challenges are one of the most successful formats on TikTok for generating user-generated content and achieving high reach. The principle is simple: companies use a specific hashtag to call for a challenge in which users are asked to perform a specific task or action. The participants’ videos are then displayed on the challenge page, encouraging more users to take part.

Such challenges can quickly develop into viral trends and generate enormous attention for your brand. Even without direct prizes, the competition offers enough incentive, as the best videos often collect the most likes and views. To increase the appeal, companies can combine the challenge with a competition or involve influencers to promote the challenge.

2. influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is just as relevant on TikTok as it is on other platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat. Influencers, especially those who appeal to a young target group, can present your brand authentically and creatively. Cooperation with suitable influencers can lead to your products or services being noticed and positively received by the TikTok community.

When choosing an influencer, you should not only look at follower numbers, but also at how authentic and relevant their content is for your target group. Micro-influencers who have an engaged and credible community can often be more effective than big stars who promote numerous brands. Working with influencers can increase brand awareness and create a direct connection with the TikTok community.

3. duet function

TikTok’s Duet feature gives companies a fun way to connect with users. With this feature, users can create their own videos alongside an existing clip. Companies can use this function to motivate users to interact, be it through joint dance videos, vocal performances or creative re-enactments.

4. TikTok Ads

Even though TikTok is mainly known for its organic content, TikTok Ads offer a valuable addition for companies that want to further increase their reach. TikTok Ads are designed to be creative and interactive and fit perfectly into the platform’s environment. Ads on TikTok can help increase brand awareness, attract new followers and motivate users to interact with your content. By integrating advertising into the organic TikTok environment, the ads appear less intrusive and can achieve a high level of acceptance among users.

Get even more out of your TikTok videos with FollowerPilot

FollowerPilot supports you in pushing your TikTok presence in a targeted manner and making your videos even more successful. With our services, you can increase your reach and interactions, which in turn increases your visibility on the platform. Whether you need more followers, likes or views – FollowerPilot offers you the right solutions to take your TikTok marketing strategy to the next level.

Our services include:

  • Buy TikTok followers: Increase the number of your followers quickly and effectively. More followers mean higher credibility and a greater chance of being discovered by new users.
  • Buy TikTok Likes: Increase the engagement of your videos and improve your ranking in the TikTok algorithm. More likes mean more visibility and increase the chance of going viral.
  • Buy TikTok Views: Make your videos even more visible and ensure that more users become aware of your content. More views signal that your content is relevant and worth watching.

FollowerPilot allows you to quickly and easily increase the reach of your TikTok content. Our services are safe, reliable and designed to help you achieve your social media marketing goals.