The Social Media Platform that Changed and Raised the Creative Marketing Standard Across the Board: TikTok

TikTok…today’s most controversial social media platform is changing the marketing industry as we know it. Faced with an ultimatum, to find an American owner or be banned, many content creators, users, and companies have strong opinions on the topic. 

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To exercise their freedom of speech, content creators have lobbied outside of the White House to vocalize why they believe TikTok should be allowed to stay in the United States. Advocates range from mental health professionals to comedians, all sharing how TikTok has changed their lives and how banning the app would exclude ever-growing US communities. 

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While TikTok has been an industry leader and disruptor, most social media apps collect American user information and sell it to data brokers, who then in turn sell it on open markets. Foreign and domestic governments are among those in the open market who buy the data. This is a problem for social media platforms and tech companies as a whole, not only TikTok. Even though the fate of this infamous social media app rests in the hands of the US court, it seems that TikTok is here to stay in some way, shape, or form, and we have this platform to thank for transforming the way we market. 

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The days of billboards, simple photo campaigns, and video ads as one’s main marketing venture have passed. TikTok not only changed how social media is utilized but altered the way companies market to their audiences and the entire mindset around marketing. Collaboration between creators and businesses have pushed the innovative envelope and redefined the marketing culture. With a shift towards authenticity, personalization, and brand trust, marketers are adapting to new creative practices and strategies.

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Many of the popular features on our favorite social media apps are thanks to TikTok. Instagram reels and YouTube shorts wouldn’t exist had TikTok not popularized short-form, vertical video content. As a result, companies such as LinkedIn and Facebook are pushing to create their own versions of new video platforms. 

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The rise of TikTok moved the bar higher for all marketing players, pushing creativity while making it more personal through behind-the-scenes and lifestyle videos. Challenged with producing succinct, entertaining, and informative content, companies who market on TikTok are consistently delivering higher quality and more creative original content. 

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TikTok’s user-friendly platform encourages one of the main principles of successful marketing strategies: social listening. Not only are people inspired to be part of marketing efforts through engagement, influencer participation, and sharing content, but marketers are also able to reciprocate that engagement through listening to their audience's likes, wants, and needs. As a result, marketers can be more efficient in their approaches. 

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Content Creators play a key role in the success of marketing on TikTok, encouraging partnerships to advertise their product through day-in-life storytelling. Companies need to understand not only what platforms their audience uses, but why they engage with each.

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TikTok has taken the world by storm and driven content towards a newfound emphasis on authenticity, personalization, and brand trust, forcing businesses to change their approach to connecting with audiences. So as you create marketing strategies and content, individually or through marketing agency partnerships, remember to understand why users are engaging on your chosen platforms, interact with them in an authentic way, and explore a creative approach to advertise your company’s service or product!