Introduction
Nowadays, the Internet has become integral to everyone’s life, from socializing to shopping in online stores. Social networks have become the cornerstone of communication in the 21st century, occupying most people’s time. Networks allow one to communicate at a distance and exchange information about goods and services. Consequently, social media is currently a powerful digital marketing tool. When utilizing them as a promotional tool, marketers gain numerous advantages.
They can accurately influence the audience, independently select sites for advertising, and simultaneously receive an almost entirely loyal audience interested in a particular product or service. Recently, the social network TikTok has ascended to the global stage. As an explosively popular social media player, TikTok is a means of entertainment and a powerful channel for marketing that allows brands to reach a broad and active audience, creating space for innovative campaigns.
Advantages of TikTok
Earlier this year, TikTok became the world’s most popular application, surpassing WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Over just two years, the platform has garnered approximately 1.82 billion users, which accounts for around 23% of the global population, and these numbers are still increasing rapidly (Curry, 2023). These statistics are an unprecedented success for a social network, given that numerous alternative video-viewing platforms exist. It begs the question of whether TikTok’s success will last or whether its success will begin to decline at the same rapid rate as its development.
Customization Possibilities
Despite all sorts of challenges, the platform’s success is magnified by its ability to customize publishing options and content variations. At the beginning of this year alone, 46% more people installed the app than last year’s data (Curry, 2023). TikTok attracts diverse users, from teens and young adults to grown-ups and entrepreneurs. This means that it has massive potential for advertising and marketing, as brands can reach different target audiences.
Short-Form Content and Clip Thinking
Moreover, the short video format on TikTok is becoming increasingly popular in a world where time is precious. Teenagers, individuals from Generation Z, and those who have grown up in the digital age are the primary users of this social network, as indicated by Curry (2023). In this context, short-form content gradually supersedes lengthy formats, giving rise to what’s known as clip thinking. This aptitude to swiftly comprehend vast volumes of information makes TikTok particularly attractive.
Encouraging Creativity and User Engagement
Another noteworthy aspect is that TikTok encourages creativity. Users can easily create their content using the various tools available in the app. This results in many unique and innovative videos that grab attention and retain viewers. Artists, psychologists, coaches, models, cooks, business people, humorists, and representatives of almost all professions, directions, and views find themselves on the platform (Montag et al., 2021). The content creation does not necessarily require starting from a blank slate. The app provides various tools such as music, amusing skits, masks, numerous effects, and many challenges. By participating in these challenges, one can start building an audience. (Montag et al., 2021)
Lifestyle and Long-Term Platform
Furthermore, TikTok constantly updates and adds new features to meet users’ needs, allowing the app to stay relevant and engaging for its audience. TikTok embodies a lifestyle, an avenue for self-expression, a stage for creative endeavors, a chance to achieve financial success, and a means to attain recognition. This platform is more than a social network, allowing it to make a statement that its existence will be long-lasting.
Risks and Solutions
Online Safety for Children and Teenagers
Browsing and using the Internet is essential for all children and young people. However, the risks of kids viewing undesirable content are enormous. Thus, tightening legal measures to protect them from unwanted and dangerous information is one of the significant global trends in Internet regulation. TikTok and other platforms that provide content for all ages have the critical task of keeping children and teenagers safe.
To accomplish this mission, they provide tools and options that limit access to disfavored content and maximize the control needs of parents and caregivers. One such tool is TikTok’s safe mode, as it restricts the display of content that may not be appropriate for children, depending on their age and settings (Cervi, 2021). It includes content for adult audiences and those on complex or objectionable topics. Moreover, specific features, such as subscription feeds and broadcast giveaways, may not be available freely.
Furthermore, platforms like Google and YouTube provide restricted modes and apps for children, limiting access to disfavored content. However, it is worth remembering that these restrictions are based on community participation and filtering algorithms; therefore, they may not always be 100% successful in preventing access (Cervi, 2021). Overall, a combination of parental controls, education, and utilizing the tools provided by the platforms can help ensure safe and supervised use of social media and apps for children and teens.
TikTok as a Strategic Marketing Tool
Despite the various risks, there are multiple benefits to using TikTok as a marketing tool for brands. The utilization of TikTok by well-known brands as a promotion channel is a notable and strategic move in the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape. This approach is intriguing and promising, with several compelling aspects to consider. TikTok’s success can be comprehended through the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which states that user acceptance of technology is influenced by perceived ease of use and usefulness (Hanlon, 2022).
TikTok’s unique features, such as short videos and creative effects, have made it easy for users and a particularly effective marketing platform. One can agree that it allows brands to quickly popularize their products or services (Cervi, 2021). The platform culture established by Generation Z is characterized by complete freedom and breadth of content distributed. The network puts the space’s sincerity and naturalness as its primary promotion approach, contributing to its success.
Brand Engagement Through TikTok’s Unique Strategies
Well-known brands have recognized TikTok as a potential marketing channel due to its programmatic paid search capabilities and user engagement data. TikTok offers a variety of tool options, particularly hashtag-based shuttles. Following this strategy, they use TikTok to engage with the platform’s vast user base creatively. This method is an excellent way for brands to contend with audiences and incentivize them to create and share content that directly promotes the brand (Hanlon, 2022). Millions of videos are recruited under a particular hashtag, positively impacting the expansion of a company’s audience.
Moreover, affects and emotions are another critical strategy for raising the platform’s popularity, as people are attracted to TikTok due to emotional experiences (Hanlon, 2022). Thus, having analyzed all the promotion methods on the TikTok platform, it is uncontroversial that this platform is a powerful marketing tool for brands. Currently, TikTok offers numerous advertising opportunities necessary for the successful marketing activities of brands and companies (Montag et al., 2021). The price level ratio and effectiveness of marketing communications put TikTok at the top of the platforms for promoting companies.
Conclusion
In conclusion, TikTok is an effective tool for modern digital marketing, capable of delivering information about products and services to a broad audience. With its diverse audience, creative capabilities, and capacity to create viral content, this platform provides companies exceptional options to promote and strengthen their brand. In a rapidly transforming digital environment, TikTok is becoming an integral part of successful marketing strategies and continues to gain popularity among brands and marketers steadily.
References
Cervi, L. (2021). Tik Tok and generation Z. Theatre, dance and performance training, 12(2), 198-204. Web.
Curry, D. (2023). TikTok App Report 2023. Business of Apps. Web.
Hanlon, A. (2022). Digital Marketing: Strategic Planning & Integration (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd
Montag, C., Yang, H., & Elhai, J. D. (2021). On the psychology of TikTok use: A first glimpse from empirical findings. Frontiers in public health, 9. Web.