The video-sharing app, TikTok, is one of the most popular social media platforms of the year. Catching the hearts of millions, people are obsessed with the 15 second or 1-minute videos made by regular people just like themselves. From clever and humorous to personal and touching, there's something on the platform for everyone. Recently, huge brands like Nike, Guess, The Washington Post, and Chipotle have joined the craze, proving that anyone can take advantage of the benefits it has to offer. In this blog, we're going to discuss the benefits of joining the platform and why you should use TikTok.
The Stats
Whether you are an entrepreneur, spokesperson, or a regular Joe/Jane, here are some impressive stats about the platform by Influencer Marketing Hub:
1. Over 800 million active users worldwide
2. Ranks in the top 25 apps in the 141 countries it's available in (for reference, there are 195 countries in the world)
3. It has the highest engagement rate, in comparison to Twitter and Instagram, reaching up to 9% engagement rate per post
4. Nine out of 10 users go on TikTok more than once per day
5. There was a 500% growth in in-app spending from 2018 to 2019 (imagine today!)
What these stats reveal is the opportunity to reach a large audience and build a large following.
Breakdown of Opportunities
In less than a year, Jayde Vincent grew her TikTok account to 1.5M followers. (You can follow her @jaydecandance on TikTok). She is now helping brands grow their presence on the video-sharing app, with the help of her step-dad, Kyle Kaplanis. In our interview on The No Formula Podcast, the duo reveals the potential opportunities of growing an audience on TikTok. You can listen to the episode here or continue reading for details.
Potential for Personal Gain
In the episode, Jayde reveals that she started using TikTok after moving to a new country. With no friends to spend time with, she started making comedy skits on the app. However, she switched it up when she realized her dancing videos were getting more attention.
Although she has "haters," Jayde told me that Kyle and her mom help navigate the unsolicited comments. Despite that setback, Jayde has nothing but nice things to say about the community on TikTok. "They're like family," Jayde told me about the friends she met on the app, "[The community] is so supportive."
Other than meeting great people and having fun making videos, Kyle Kaplanis admits that the app brought their family together. Their family bonds over trends, songs, and other accounts on the platform. He himself has over 19,000 followers on his personal accounts. However, he reduced his time on his personal account when he started helping Jayde grow her business.
New Streams of Revenue
Although I am a user of TikTok, I didn't know you could make money directly from the app. There is a feature on the platform where you can go "live." In other words, your followers can watch you, or whatever you're doing, live. During this session, your followers can send you "virtual gifts." Well, these gifts cost money to send and the person you send them to gets a portion of that money.
Further, many music artists are seeing the value of partnering with TikTok Influencers. For example, an Influencer creates a video with a specific song. The video has the potential to get millions of views and therefore the song has the potential to reach millions. As a result, Jayde has partnered with Sony Music, Warner Music, and individual artists. She makes videos with specific songs. This is another source of revenue.
Finally, Kyle helped Jayde build a Consulting Business where she helps brands thrive on TikTok.
Increase Brand Exposure
Jayde helps companies build their presence on TikTok because of the enormous potential it has to scale your business. Even if you're an entrepreneur, Jayde and Kyle believe ANYONE can reap some benefits from being on the app. They even provide some tips for your brand to succeed on the platform. They include:
1. Create relatable content. People on TikTok don't want to see highly produced videos. They are interested in people they can relate to. Interesting videos that are entertaining. If you didn't already know, celebrities who tried to get on the app with produced videos were rejected by the community. As a result, many celebrities adjusted their strategies and posted more relatable content. Whether it was following a trend or letting viewers in on their personal life, these are tactics brands need to use as well.
2. Show the faces behind the company. TikTok is about getting to know the creators. So, if your brand rarely or never shows people's faces, how will viewers relate?
3. Work with Influencers. Depending on your product or service, you may want to consider working with influencers that align with your brand. Using TikTok doesn't necessarily mean creating dance videos every day. Your TikTok strategy can include partnering with creators on the platform that help promote your offerings. If you need more information, you can connect with Jayde Vincent on LinkedIn here.
4. Get your TikTok handle. If you're not sure whether you should use TikTok, you should at least secure your handle on the app to make sure no one else takes it!
Listen to the full episode here and don't forget to subscribe!
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