Last week, we held our most recent #MisfitsLive with TikTok. Zanib Latif, one of the platform’s Brand Marketing Managers, took us and our 60 attendees through some really interesting and useful best practices and case studies.

In a nutshell, TikTok is an entertainment based content platform, and a space for everyone. It’s still a relatively new social media platform, but over the last year their users have doubled, now with over 17M users in the UK alone. The audience is also extremely engaged, and the average session time has increased by 25% in the last year, compared with Facebook’s 8% growth. If you cast your eyes back to the last time you scrolled through your social feed, it’s very likely that you were doing so in front of the TV (or during a Zoom call). TikTok is not for double screeners — if you are on TikTok, you are on TikTok either crafting a video or watching them, a very different behaviour.

The platform has particularly seen an increase in uptake over the last 3 months. TikTok’s mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy, which is exactly what it has been doing during this time of lockdown, with users heading to the platform for light relief and time away from the news. One thing that stood out from the session is that now is the time to be experimenting, so we’ve put together out key takeaways.

There’s no such thing as perfect

One of the reasons TikTok has seen such a positive and successful uptake from Gen Z and millennials is because it really is a place they can be themselves. The perfectness that we’ve come to know from the likes of Instagram has been shunned on TikTok. It’s a space where everyone can be a creator, where they can show off and be celebrated for their quirkiness, and they can be their true authentic selves.

Gen Z’s are the future and the next trendsetters so if you’re able to reach and engage with them, you will find success on the platform.

You don’t need lots of followers to be successful

The platform’s algorithm is a content graph, rather than a social graph, and therefore favours best performing content which doesn’t always equate to the number of followers you have, unlike other platforms. TikTok is about discovering new content. If your content receives good engagement, there’s every likelihood that it will appear on the homepage, otherwise known as the ‘For You’ page, which is where you land upon opening the app, and therefore can gain even more traction! The ‘For You’ section is where you will find the best performing content in terms of likes, comments, and videos that have been watched all the way through.

TikTok is a sound-on experience

Music and sound embody the creativity with TikTok. It’s just as important, if not more, than the video itself so really think about this when you’re putting together your content. If there’s budget, you can create your own sounds with the TikTok team.

Don’t make an advert, make a TikTok

As we mentioned above, users go to the platform to be themselves. The brands and organisations that will find the most success on the platform are those that stay true to the way the platform is used and understand how to talk to the audiences using it!

Work with creators as they know their audiences

If you’re new to TikTok, and you have a small amount of budget, a great place to start is by working with creators who already have an engaged community and understand how to talk to them. Work with creators to make sure your message is still getting across, but in a way that’s relevant to them and the platform — remember authenticity is key on social media, but perhaps even more so on TikTok.

The free-of-charge Creator Marketplace helps you discover influencers

There are around 1500 TikTok influencers on the Creator Marketplace, all of which have been fully vetted before receiving an invitation to join. This is a great place to start when you’re looking for creators to work with, and you are able to reach out to them directly, independently from TikTok.

If you do work with a creator on the Marketplace, you are also able to promote their content through the platform using the auction advertising where you are able to bid for in-feed placements. This will help your content to gain even further traction, and you are able to control the budget yourself.

There is currently no ad minimum spend to the auction advertising platform

Unlike other social media platforms, there is currently no minimum spend with the auction advertising platform. This means if you’re unsure of your approach to TikTok, or whether it’s the right platform for you, you don’t have to commit huge budgets to start testing it.

The auction advertising is for in-feed space. This is the only form of advertising on TikTok where you can currently target by demographic, interest and country level. The other advertising options (Top View, Branded Hashtag, etc, do not allow you to target as they reach everyone on the app).

TikTok is working on a wider release of the Donation Sticker

During April and May for Covid-19, TikTok released a Donation Sticker function which could be embedded in videos and TikTok lives. This was released with several charity partners who focus on supporting vulnerable groups. The platform is working on a wider release of this functionality and there should be an update for this in the coming months. Until then, ‘Donate Now’ is a call to action that already exists through advertising capabilities.

It should be noted that political ads will not be accepted on TikTok. The platform is neutral and so any messaging and content needs to be in line with their advertising policies.

To get started on TikTok, our best advice to you is set up an organic profile, get your business verified, push out your own content and see what works. That’s completely free! If you would like to chat with us about setting up on TikTok, please do reach out to us at info@socialmisfitsmedia.com.

Social Misfits Media is a social media and digital agency. We regularly host events for purpose-led organisations to help shape social media strategies and encourage all readers to check out the links to articles and campaigns featured in this blog. Use the best practice advice, stay safe and wash your hands. Follow us on Twitter to find out about upcoming #MisfitsLive events and keep up-to-date with our work.