Things to Know About Influencer Marketing on TikTok
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TikTok takes pride in being a social media platform that brings joy to its users and promotes self-expression and creativity through its short-form mobile videos. It also capitalizes in providing authentic user-generated content, that is well-loved by its primary and secondary target audiences – the Gen Z and the millennials, respectively.
With these things in mind, can influencers also add joy to the 800 million monthly active TikTok users? Is there a market on TikTok for influencers and can they contribute to a brand’s virality, engagement, and sales?
Considering the user base of TikTok, it’s easy to say that influencer marketing does work on the platform. After all, Gen Zers hate conventional TV ads, and they also prefer real people like influencers rather than celebrities in ads. For Gen Z, it’s all about authenticity, and they simply find people whom they can relate to as more convincing and more authentic.
Who’s Using TikTok?
In the US alone, it is estimated that there are about 80 million monthly active users, which is an exponential jump from the 20 million recorded MAUs in the US in November 2018. About 50% of TikTok’s global audience is below the age of 34 with 26% between 18 and 24. In the US, forty-one percent of TikTok users are between 18 and 24, while 27.4% and 17.1% are individuals between 25-34 and 35-44, respectively.
Overall, 60% of TikTok users are Gen Zers, a group that is known to be trendsetters and who despise traditional advertising. In 2021, 71 million people in the US will be part of this generation, making it the largest age group of all.
Working With Influencers on TikTok
With the increasing popularity of TikTok, it is expected that marketers and business owners are eager to test the waters. More and more advertisers are going to experiment on how they can utilize the full potential of this social network in helping them engage with hard-to-reach but extremely lucrative demographics.
While experimentation can undoubtedly help brands to determine which strings to pull to generate a buzz, it can also be expensive. To minimize loss and increase profitability, brands must craft a content strategy so they can make a good first impression from their target audience. And one of the rewarding ways to leverage your TikTok marketing is by tapping TikTok creators and influencers.
However, just like with any social media marketing campaigns, there are things that you need to consider before you go all-out on it. When working with influencers on TikTok, below are some essential things that you need to remember:
Know Your Audience
This is one of the fundamental principles in advertising, so chances are you are already aware of this. Nonetheless, because it is really important, we can’t just drop it on the list. Just like with other social platforms, to be successful on TikTok, you need to know if your target audience is out there.
Also, you should have an understanding as to why your products appeal to them, and how can they make the most of what you are offering? Communicate these things with your chosen influencers, and give them the benefits that your customers can have from using your products.
Don’t just hand the influencers with a list of features, because if you do, chances are their output would most likely be a short video outlining the descriptions of your products. And of course, you need to find an influencer or a group of influencers that resonate with your brand.
Don’t Be So Uptight With Your Message
TikTok is designed to showcase short-form videos and user-generated content. Acknowledge the fact that you can’t have full control of your message, and to some extent, of your branding. TikTok loves fun and engaging content.
So, if you are planning to have your influencers create content with strict guidelines to follow, you are already evading from the three core tenets that TikTok lives for – self-expression, creativity, and authenticity.
You Are Collaborating With Influencers – Don’t Hesitate to Ask
Whether you accept it or not, influencers are experts in their own fields. So, if there are individuals that you should ask for advice on how to connect and engage with your market effectively, it’s them. And besides, you are collaborating with influencers for this project; it’s just right that you listen to their inputs.
TikTok is A Whole New World
Wait, isn’t that a song? Well, it is but it also fits in what we’re trying to say in this section. So as they say, “If the shoe fits, wear it.”
On a serious note, TikTok’s advertising platform is still new, more so its official marketplace for brands and creator collaborations. As such, it is only normal to be confused and to feel that you are left behind in this goldmine of connections and engagements.
Image Source: TikTok
To save you time and money on this new foray, you should partner with an influencer marketing agency, expert digital marketers, or with TikTok directly. You should also be aware of the basic guidelines when it comes to running sponsored content on TikTok like branded hashtags, in-feed native video ads, branded lenses, and so on.
The same regulations apply with TikTok even though sponsored collaborations may be harder to spot on here as compared with other platforms because of the fast and short-form nature of its content. The FTC requires that all paid posts should include a clear disclosure that it is a sponsored content.
Measure Your Campaign’s Performance
You won’t know if your influencer marketing campaign is working well or not unless you measure some metrics such as the reach, the number of views, and engagements (hearts, shares, and comments) of the content.
TikTok has also allowed the placement of profile links, which means that from the user’s TikTok account, they can drive traffic to their websites, and direct users to a landing page. You can also use the data that you gather from the profile links to measure the effectiveness of your campaign.
Are You Excited to Start Your First Influencer Campaign?
Image Source: TikTok
First times can give you mixed emotions, but above all, they always make you feel anxious. To lessen your anxiety, you should do your research first, ask for feedback, devise a content strategy, prepare for the worst-case scenarios, and have a Plan B if all things fail for the first try.
If you have a lot of unanswered questions inside your mind, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. You can schedule a free consultation anytime, so we can talk about your concerns and hopefully help you move forward with your marketing campaigns.