TikTok is the shiny new social media platform on the scene. Founded by billionaire Zhang Yiming, and owned by Beijing tech conglomerate ByteDance, TikTok lets you watch, create, and share videos easily on your phone. It’s funny, sometimes cringe-worthy, and proven addictive. [I often find myself having this sudden urge to dance when a song that’s trending on TikTok is played on the radio.]

The rise of TikTok has made us ponder some valid questions:

Is TikTok only for kids?
Will TikTok replace Instagram?
Is TikTok safe?
Is it worth my business having a presence on TikTok?
And how does TikTok work?

Read on to find out what you need to know about the new kid on the social media block.

TikTok’s mission is:

“to capture and present the world’s creativity, knowledge, and precious life moments, directly from the mobile phone. TikTok enables everyone to be a creator and encourages users to share their passion and creative expression through their videos.”

How does TikTok Work?

The interface is very user-friendly. You record videos that are typically 15 seconds in length but can be up to one minute, and edit them afterwards. People then add music or a soundtrack to their videos, employing TikTok's vast library of clips that features songs and soundbites of almost every genre. TikTok largely rejects polished, high-quality content and embraces authenticity.

The platform also has a lot of trends and challenges. For businesses, this can be used to your advantage. The most viral campaign on TikTok to date was created by Elf Cosmetics who commissioned a song named, “Eyes Lips Face” after the brand name’s acronym and created the #eyeslipsface challenge. Collectively the videos tagged with #eyeslipsface have been viewed nearly 1.2 billion times and created more than 3 million user-generated videos. According to Business News Daily, “TikTok supports four types of advertisements on the app in 2019: infeed native content, brand takeovers, hashtag challenges and branded lenses.”

The Official Music Video

Examples of User-Generated Content

If you do decide to have a presence on TikTok, you will have to personalise your content, paid or organic, to suit the platform.

Should I use TikTok in my marketing?

TikTok has topped the iOS App Store for overall downloads and is popular with the younger crowd. With many brands entering TikTok, you would be foolish not to consider the platform in your own marketing efforts.

Unlike the oversaturation of other popular social media platforms (we’re looking at you, Facebook and Instagram), organic reach is high on TikTok, meaning that brands and individuals have a much greater opportunity for content to be seen or even go viral.

However, before jumping in headfirst, brands should consider if the platform is a good fit. Over 40% of the app's users are aged between 10yo and 19yo, making it a prime target for any brands seeking the elusive attention of Gen Z. If your target audience is older, you may be wasting resources on TikTok.

TikTok also has a unique culture. Most videos are unrefined, amusing and entertaining. You will need to assess whether this fits in with your brand style and tone of voice. For example, a young, stylish activewear brand may create videos of influencers performing dances in their clothes. By contrast, a professional B2B firm in the financial sector wouldn’t be able to reach their target audience on the app, and it has the potential to negatively impact their image.

What are the Privacy, Safety and Security features of TikTok?

TIkTok has come under scrutiny as it continues to grow, with a range of security, privacy, and data concerns making headlines for the app.

Check Point Research was recently able to upload unauthorised videos, reveal personal information saved on accounts and more, calling into question the security and hackability of the app itself.

The app also came under fire in the United States. The US Defence Force prohibited TikTok use on government phones, reversing its policy on the entertainment app, which it previously used as a recruiting tool. Lawmakers have also filed a case against TikTok for allegedly “transferring to servers in China vast quantities of private and personally-identifiable user data”.

If this isn’t ringing alarm bells, the platform was also banned in India in April 2019, when India’s judicial system ruled that the app could expose children to sexual predators, pornographic content and cyber-bullying. Although, this decision was reversed when TikTok demonstrated measures to restrict inappropriate content.

As most users of the app are young, these concerns are especially pertinent to parents. TikTok requires that users be at least 13yo to create an account, but there are few measures stopping younger people from creating an account or seeing inappropriate content. Another issue for young people is that they may not realise that they are violating their workplaces social media policy when they upload TikTok videos shot at their workplace or wearing their uniform. People who have posted on their TikTok account have been dismissed due to this breach of policy.

Conclusion

TikTok has certainly caught the eye of marketers and business owners as an opportunity. There are many positives for the platform, from the ease of creating content, lack of oversaturation in comparison to other social media platforms, and the ability to target younger people. However, TikTok may not be a good fit for your brand older or more professional groups form your primary target audience, and the app’s privacy, safety and security features are questionable.

We encourage you to sign up to an account and spend time to observe yourself.

TikTok accounts we love

For more information about TikTok, check out Social Media Examiner’s article here.

What you need to know about TikTok