Since I wrote a blog post about being on Instagram, I thought it was fitting to write about TikTok, the newest darling in fast-growth social media channels.
If you don’t know what TikTok is – it’s time that you find out. Here are the facts:
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- TikTok currently has over 37 million Gen Z users (born between 1997 and 2012) who access their accounts at least once per month.
- By the end of 2021, TikTok will have a larger number of Gen Z users in the U.S. than Instagram
- According to Statista, TikTok is used by 29% of teenagers in the U.S. today.
You’re not marketing to teenagers, though, correct? So why should you care? Here are the interesting facts – in the U.S.- for older demographics – which made me sit up and take notice:
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- 11% of TikTok users are 50+
- 20% are age 40 – 49
- 22% are age 30+
If you add all these up – it means that 53% of TikTok users are over 30! And if you think that your “decision makers” are over the age of 40, that’s still 31% of users in the U.S.
Yes, I’m also a TikTok user. What do I watch? Mostly silly things, yes, like animal videos (I’m addicted to cute dog or elephant videos, apparently). But here’s the interesting thing I’ve noticed – my guard is down, I’m chuckling, I’m having a good time. And if it makes me laugh out loud, or really stop and watch for a while, I show my husband. “You’ve got to see this,” I say.
Hm. Notice that activity? Now I’ve watched and I’ve shared with someone else.
Yes, TikTok is filled with dancing and teenagers doing strange activities. But it also has wonderful marketing videos (yes, I’ve looked). And I’m intrigued by them. And – this summer – I’m going to see if TikTok is the place for me, professionally.
Here are three (3) reasons I like TikTok:
- There’s the “discover” feature where you can search by keyword. Using the term “marine?” The marine corps is here, as is marine mammal rescue. There’s Capt.J Rock talking about what it’s like to work in the #maritimeindustry, with #maritime careers. His video about how to get a job on a towboat has 263 likes, 38 comments, and 3 shares. He talks about all the qualifications you need to work in the marine industry.
- There’s a wide range of industries. For example, there’s a construction video by @ruben2xl with 53.9K likes. There are multiple listings for restaurant videos (restaurantproblems, restaurantlife, restaurantstories). There are even attorneys (attorneyeric has a video with 31K likes, and 489 comments – and it appears all his videos are done as he sits in his car, talking to the camera, wearing dark sunglasses).
- You can search by hashtag, as you do in Instagram – and find out the hashtags people are using, liking, and sharing. Yes, this is how I find those wonderful animal videos….
In short, TikTok is fertile ground for those who want to be in at the beginning, to be bold and stick out, and to be different. It may be for you – it may not. Most importantly, it’s worth checking out.
Not sure about TikTok? Let’s chat about it!
