TikTok is not for everyone, but perfect for brands targeting teens and college students
Check your teenager’s phone and more likely than not you will see an app with a neon note called, TikTok. Nope, it’s not metronome app. If Vine and Musical.ly had a child, it would be TikTok. Haven’t heard of those either? Don’t worry. Vine is dead, and TikTok bought out Musical.ly at the end of 2017.
It’s is an app that features user-uploaded content in the form of videos that are 15 seconds or less. Numerous special effect features, such as the filters, split-screening, and transitions, make the video editing process unique and fun. The content ranges from trending challenges to pet videos to clips of original or sampled music. TikTok has an estimated 800 million monthly active users worldwide, over 20 million of those are in the US. Since its creation, the app has had over 1.5 billion downloads worldwide, 123 million just in the US. The average user spends 52 minutes a day on TikTok and opens the app 8 times a day.
Education brands have the potential to do well on TikTok since their primary audience is high-school and college students. Although TikTok does have the ability to combine a series of 15 second videos to create a maximum of a minute-long video, the videos are generally short. And users expect this. They’re not looking for context, they’re looking for content. Services and products that are more complex and require more learning, such as healthcare and insurance, would have a a more difficult time on TikTok getting their message across.
TikTok’s demographic is primarily young and more female. 60% are female. And 80% of their total audience is under 34, 60% being between the ages of 16 and 24. Making this tactic perfect for Education brands, such as colleges and universities to reach their audiences for undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
TikTok advertising and influencer programs are tactics for education brands
TikTok has now added advertising for brands to engage with their consumers like never before. TikTok allows people to easily collaborate and respond to already uploaded content, so the influencer community is growing. Videos on TikTok are also uploaded and shared on other video-streaming applications, such as YouTube and Facebook. And their AI algorithm caters their user’s recommended content, the “For You” feed, based on videos they have watched in the past.
In contrast to the typical college recruitment videos we see on television or the brochures that come in the mail, it can be a great way for colleges to present themselves in a more personal way. Because you can’t pack as much information into a short clip, colleges have the opportunity to show a different and more fun aspect of campus life. Videos can be more about day-to-day experiences. Colleges can also take advantage of TikTok to advertise other aspects of college life, such as selecting a dormitory, publicizing campus events, and choosing which student organizations to join.
Sources: TikTok, Sensor Tower Stats
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Based in Austin, Texas, Steel is a full-service integrated ad agency that uses a deep understanding of how families make purchase decisions to deliver brands that families love. In close partnership with our clients, Steel unites data, technology, creativity and influence to produce more stunning growth for brands in health, education, food and fun that serve the American family.
By: Daisy Nguyen and Cheryl Habbe
