How to Decide if TikTok is the Right Platform for Your Brand
TikTok is an undoubtedly powerful platform with the ability to make a person or band viral overnight. Therefore, it can be tempting to dive headfirst into the platform and expect it to produce quick results – but TikTok may not be the right channel for all brands. Before you start posting, it is important to analyze your brand to understand how valuable TikTok could be in achieving your marketing goals. Here are three guiding questions that can help to determine if TikTok would be beneficial to your brand.
What is important for your brand?
What needs to be front and center when it comes to creating TikTok content? Asking yourself what distinguishes your brand, whether it is your brand’s voice, central brand messaging, or visual elements, can help to ensure core values are shining through. Your brand’s identity should be able to come across seamlessly through TikTok, making it easily identifiable for your audience.
A good example of staying true to brand identity on TikTok is Adobe. Across all its platforms, Adobe has an identity that is centered around creativity and curiosity. This can be easily translated on TikTok through innovative editing and video concepts , which the company does by creating informational and creative How-To’s. The content informs their audience of new ways to use their program while also satisfying their curiosity, fueling their creativity, and inspiring them to find new ways to use their program.
Is your target audience active on TikTok?
TikTok has a wide variety of communities and niche corners, but if your target audience is not already active on the platform, getting them to transition may be more work than it is worth. If your audience is made up of groups that may not be present on the platform, or are likely to have less engagement, you may end up putting in more effort to divert their attention to the platform than you would producing content.
An example of a brand that understands their audience and their habits on TikTok is GymShark. There is an already existing community for gym influencers on the platform, containing people of various levels and commitments to their exercise habits. While anybody can buy and wear GymShark apparel, the brand understands that to gain that loyalty from younger customers, they have to create a genuine connection. GymShark regularly capitalizes on current trends and popular sounds without trying too hard to sell a product. In this sense, TikTok is used as more of an awareness- and trust-building platform, similar to traditional PR. For GymShark, TikTok is how they relate to their consumers and connect with them. Which leads to my final question…
What is your goal for the platform?
Before you can effectively produce content, you need to have a goal for it. Do you want to use TikTok as a platform to connect with your audience? Take some notes from GymShark and how they relate to their customers. Do you want to actively show new products or services? Creating content that creatively shows off what you have to offer, utilizing influencers could be a good option. Or just want to raise brand awareness? Create content that is true to your brand identity, so people know what you are about. To be able to get the most out of the content you produce and make it work for you, the content must be catered towards your goals.
TikTok is a medium that can do a lot for your brand. But it is not always right for every brand’s goal or needs. Identifying these three aspects can help determine if it is right for you. Happy content creating!
By Jalani Isaac
Photo by cottonbro studio via Pexels
