Let’s begin with a moment of honest realisation…
Like me you’ve perhaps set your parents up on Facebook for the latest photos of the grandkids, entertained many a confused relative when they’ve queried the purpose of emoji’s, and are afraid to even embark upon explaining the concept of stories to an elder.
Whether it was right or not, at some point in time we have all poked fun at those older than ourselves, and those for whom we considered technologically inept.
Yet time has not stopped for these lessons, it’s passed us by, and we now find ourselves asking who the heck is Holly H?
We must I fear my friends contend with the horrible realisation that we ourselves may be too old for TikTok, cue horrified emoji….😱
How has this happened?! Were we not the Facebook generation? Is it not Generation Y that first embraced social media, yet we find ourselves feeling the same-way about doing a TikTok challenge as we do about going on a night out to Ritzy! It is a scary reality but we have aged (silent cries in the corner.)
We may not longer be the generation driving social media, yet what I have learnt this week, is that you are never too old for TikTok. When all said and done, TikTok isn’t about age, but rather a carefully curated analysis of social dynamics.
Whilst TikTok is now considered a channel for the younger generation, we must remind ourselves that we were once Facebook’s younger generation, and like all top social networks, those that started with a younger audience, like Facebook end up being an integral part of our everyday lives.
Personally we may be bold enough to learn lessons from the social network heavyweights. However should a business give TikTok a seat at the Facebook, Instagram, Twitter table?
Whether we find it cringe or not, the stark reality is TikTok is the fastest growing platform and currently has 800 million active users worldwide, and is used in 155 countries. In the UK it is is no doubt that TikTok was a birth child of lockdown, and as stay at home fever hit in March 2020, TikTok was born, generating 115m global downloads in just 1 month, 756k in the UK alone.
So what makes TikTok ‘tick’ for so many people?… see what I did there 😉. It’s quite simple
really, and the answer lies in psychological theory, in that humans have 16 basic desires:
1. Acceptance 2. Curiosity. 3. Eating. 4. Family 5. Honour 6. Idealism. 7. Independence
8. Order 9. Physical activity. 10. Power 11. Romance. 12. Saving. 13. Social Contact
14. Social status 15. Tranquility 16. Vengeance (Reiss, 2000.)
TikTok taps into our need for social contact, our need for relationships, and our need to be appreciated, but also for social significance, and it is these desires that TikTok quite honestly has exploited so well in lockdown year.
What makes TikTok shine is it’s straight to the point, it’s not contrived, yet it is light and fun, and successfully taps into our natural tendencies for creation and expression. It’s a place to escape, and a place of tranquility from the information overloaded world of other social networks.
TikTok isn’t for everyone though, and it’s certainly not for businesses who aren’t happy to embrace what can only be described as the silly side of content promotion. But for those of us who are willing to be humorous and entertaining, TikTok allows a business to be approachable, and has the potential to reward with brand awareness and quick traction.
Whilst budgets are tight, it’s also important to note that TikTok attracts a low CPV, almost 20% cheaper than Facebook, so for campaigns targeted the younger audience, especially for the cash strapped business, it’s a strategy worth consideration.
However how can we measure impact? As a marketer I am so used to be measured on the number of followers, and this is where Tiktok is different, TikTok doesn’t compete, it’s simply a case of creating compelling content, or as TikTok says, “create TikTok’s not ads.”
The algorithm is also idealistic, quite simply the better the content, the more people you will reach. No longer are we restricted to our own followers, the world… well maybe not the world, but certainly the younger generation is our oyster.
It is therefore after much consideration, and a glass or two of wine to drown my sorrows, I believe the question therefore isn’t are you too old for TikTok, but fundamentally who are you trying to engage?