What is TikTok?

TikTok is a social mobile platform where members create, post, share, and discover short-form videos. Users have the ability to follow one another, in addition to perusing the feed or the “For You” page that is customized based on each member’s activities on the app.

The app started out as a lip-synch video platform called Musical.ly, but after being purchased by Chinese company ByteDance, it expanded to offer a wide variety of video types and styles including comedy, confessionals, duets, and TikTok challenges. The popularity of TikTok led Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to launch its own short-form video feature called Instagram Reels.

Videos on TikTok can be as short as three seconds and up to 60 minutes long. TikTok users can create original content featuring any combination of text, music, and dialogue or make remixes that incorporate video or audio created by other TikTok members. The site offers a wide variety of sound and song clips as well as special effects and filters. Users can comment on or add video reactions to TikTok videos.

Should your business be on TikTok?

The main reason businesses are flocking to TikTok is because of its potential to reach a new or wider audience of consumers. TikTok could also potentially help generate online sales. TikTok claims that its users are 1.2 times more likely to explore new retailers and brands and that 61% of the TikTok audience have purchased something directly on TikTok, or right after seeing it on TikTok

According to TikTok, they have over 150 million members in the United States. The company also states that the majority of their users are male (55.7%) with the single largest group being 25 to 34 year old males (19.1%).

If you are looking to reach younger consumers, this platform is worth exploring. Keep in mind that adopting any new social media platform, particularly one that is based around producing videos, can be a major demand on time and resources.

Should you be on both Instagram and TikTok?

If you are already on Instagram, you’ll need to determine if TikTok can provide you with additional marketing power to reach the right audience or to expand your reach. If you are not yet on Instagram and are deciding between Instagram and TikTok, pick the one most likely to reach your target market. If you are already on Facebook, Instagram might be a better choice because of the integrations between the two platforms and the joint Meta Business Suite and Ads Manager.

If you decide to add TikTok to your social media marketing mix and are already on Instagram, you may be able to leverage some of your Reels on TikTok to get started since the style of the video content is similar. Likewise, if you produce quality TikTok videos, you could also post them to your Instagram account as Reels.

Is it safe to be on TikTok?

One thing to think about when considering using TikTok is the fact that the platform is owned by a Chinese company. Using a social media platform owned by a company in another country can potentially pose issues around everything from protecting copyrights, to ensuring data security and privacy, especially if the laws in the other country vastly differ from those in the United States.

Using any of the popular social networks poses risks because your company presence and content is virtually at the mercy of the companies behind the networks. Using TikTok, however, may pose additional risks.

in June 2022, one of the commissioners of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asked both Google and Apple to ban TikTok from their app stores due to security and privacy concerns. Neither company complied with this request, but it demonstrates that the availability of the TikTok app in the U.S. could be hampered in the future. TikTok continues to be under the threat of being banned in the United States unless the network is sold to a U.S. based company.

How can you succeed on TikTok?

Do your homework carefully before setting up a TikTok account and be prepared for a fairly big learning curve to produce the right kind of video content and potentially get the results you want. There is no way to predict the success or failure of your TikTok videos. There is no way to plan for “viral” content.

Watch and analyze popular TikTok videos and pay attention to and adopt TikTok trends in a way that is relevant to your brand. TikTok, like other social networks, makes money by selling advertising opportunities. Be prepared to invest in TikTok ads for greater impact.