Does Your Company Need TikTok?

Phone with tiktok opening screen
Should your brand be on TikTok? The answer to this question, like all marketing strategy approaches, varies widely based on the brand you’re trying to promote. Diving into a new platform can give you an advantage, but an anemic posting or uniformed content creation may do more damage to your brand integrity than not engaging at all. Above all: you shouldn’t be on TikTok simply to be on TikTok. Instead, you should analyze your audience, assess your brand identity, and consciously decide if marketing on TikTok can help you increase your revenue or your brand’s reach. As you make that decision, here are a few factors to consider.  

Consider TikTok For Your Brand if You Have a Young Target Audience

A full 47.4% of TikTok’s users are under the age of 30. If that demographic is your target audience, you should consider having a presence on TikTok. If you’re not yet ready to dive in, you can create an unbranded investigatory account to gain awareness of and facility with the platform and to begin following other users. If you have an intern or a younger worker on staff, you may want to tap them to start the account or conduct research on how you could utilize the platform. This person could also provide an audit of your account if you’ve already established one. 

Consider TikTok If Your Brand Is Highly Visual 

Note that the word here is visual, not visible. A visual brand is any brand that can promote itself effectively through videos, which is TikTok’s primary content type. B2C products have the upper hand on TikTok, but B2B products are in the running as well. Everything from balloon sculptures, to food, drink, and clothing brands are easy to build content around. Service-based are harder to showcase, but not impossible. A skilled content creator can make service-based TikToks that engage viewers as well. Party planners, financial planners, and automobile detailers can all share their businesses on TikTok.   

Consider TikTok if Quick Tips are your Go To 

Some brands lend themselves to quick tips that are easily captured in video. The possibilities here are myriad. Do you manufacture a new green cleaning brand that can give quick tips on efficient tidying? Are you a food product brand that can be used in easy, visually appealing recipes? Or do you own a skincare brand that can offer a moment of serenity as users scroll through videos? Whatever your brand, if you can illustrate its efficacy quickly via a playful video, TikTok might be the social media platform for you. 

Consider TikTok if You Could Benefit From Influencer Marketing

As is the case with Instagram, influencer marketing is a huge part of the TikTok ecosystem. While direct content from brands isn’t always welcomed by Gen Z, subtle nods to your product or service via influencers are expected. Using influencer marketing can get your brand in front of a new generation of eyes without the need for heavy-handed marketing techniques. 

Intimidated by New Platforms? Let Green Apple Strategy Lead The Way

Our marketing assessment can help you decide where to put your marketing dollars – and which approaches might have the greatest ROI. From blogging and SEO to PR and social media management, Green Apple Strategy can craft a marketing approach to help you attract and retain qualified leads. Reach out to us today for a consultation.

Should Your Business Be on Every Social Media Platform?

social-media-apps-in-phone
Quality over quantity. It’s a phrase that’s said so often that it sometimes loses its meaning. However, the reason that it’s said so often is that it’s overwhelmingly true. As it does in every area of marketing, quality over quantity applies to social media, too.  So, in short, no. Your business should not be on every social media platform. This is always good news to businesses trying to juggle upwards of three platforms at once, seeing lackluster results across the board. The key is to focus on the platforms that give you the most return so that you aren’t wasting precious resources. So, how do you decide which platforms to put your effort towards? We have a few tips to guide you. 

How to Identify Which Social Media Platforms to Use

1. Identify where your customers are spending their time. 
Depending on your product or service, it’s likely that your customers are using one platform more than another. Many marketers find that this could largely depend on the customer’s age. For example, for brands marketing to the younger generations, it’s reported that 73% of Gen Z prefers that brands reach them through Instagram. On the other hand, 78% of Baby Boomers reportedly prefer interacting with the brands they like on Facebook. You may also consider your customers’ interests and professions when identifying which platforms they frequent.  Identifying the social platform that will provide you with the most exposure to your audience is the most important part of this tactic and will be a great foundation for building your social strategy.  Here are a few simple ways to help point you in the right direction: 
  • Poll your customers in a review survey to see how they found you. 
  • Ask customers as you interact with them.
  • Review your metrics across the platforms that you’re using.
2. Determine what kind of content you have to share. 
The types of content that you create may heavily influence the platform that you choose. Each site has its niche, and if you go against that niche, you may not see the engagement you’d like. Take Instagram, for example. To be successful on that platform, you must have eye-catching photography or video content with thoughtful captions. On the other hand, LinkedIn relies more on informational content, such as videos, slides, and articles. So, before you begin sharing, consider where the content you already have would make the most impact. 
3. Consider which platform you have the most experience with. 
Your level of comfort factors into this decision as well. If you use a particular platform most often, you know what the trends and expectations are for that site already. If you find that your audience isn’t on this site, enlist the help of a social media marketer or a marketing agency to curate and post your content. 
4. Analyze your metrics across your current platforms. 
The numbers don’t lie. Take a look at your metrics on each platform to see which is performing the best. This is a great way to identify where your return on investment is the highest. Once you’ve chosen the best performing site for your brand, begin building a social media strategy that addresses the types of content you will share and the goals you want to reach. Don’t forget to include paid advertising as part of your strategy! This can help you ensure that your audience sees your most important content. 

Do You Need a Strategic Social Media Plan? 

If you feel like you aren’t getting the return you’d hoped for on social media, consider partnering with a marketing agency to create a strategic plan. We can help! Contact Green Apple Strategy today to schedule a consultation.