In this guest post, Shannon O’Neill (lead image), digital and social director at Icon Agency, asks arguably the question of our times – is TikTok worth the risk for brands?

With the rise and rise of social media platforms, it’s a question that every social media or marketing manager has heard or at least thought about recently.

TikTok can be polarising. Those who use it, love it. Those who don’t use it have varying degrees of dislike or misunderstanding. So, the question was asked at The Content Garden and we ultimately decided to take the plunge and create a brand TikTok account. But before jumping in, we asked ourselves several important questions—and any brand considering TikTok should do the same.

Is our audience on TikTok?

TikTok is no longer just about Gen Z doing dance challenges. With over 1 billion active users, the demographic of the TikTok user is increasingly broad. Even so, it’s still worth carefully considering whether TikTok is an effective way to reach your target audience.

While TikTok may not be the first platform that comes to mind for B2B brands, it can still be a valuable tool for reaching and engaging with potential customers. The key is to adapt your approach and content to the platform while staying true to the brand’s message and values.

Working in the world of video and content production, TikTok felt like a natural fit for our studio’s brand.

What are our competitors doing?

Being ahead of the curve is great. But if you’re not the first in your industry to launch on TikTok (spoiler alert: you’re probably not), then you’ve got a great opportunity to check out the competition and see what’s working for them. Analyse what type of content makes your competitor’s target audience tick and what gaps you could fill. Learn from their mistakes, take advantage of what they’re doing well.

How can you stay relevant?

TikTok is constantly evolving and, like any social media platform, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and changes. To stay relevant and engaging to your audience, brands need to be adaptable and willing to change their content strategy quickly. As TikTok says, “Think like a marketer, act like a creator”.

Working in the world of video and content production, we saw an opportunity to leverage trending content formats with our own spin. This let us show off our production space while providing enough entertainment factor to reach our target audience.

Do you have adequate resources?

Launching a TikTok channel requires time and resources. It’s important for brands to make sure they have the necessary resources to create and maintain a consistent, strong presence on the platform. This includes having the manpower, budget, and equipment to produce quality content on a regular basis as well as team members who are comfortable jumping in front of the camera. Consistency is key to success.

For us, this meant appointing a squad of TikTok enthusiasts who regularly use the platform. We have a dedicated Slack channel to bounce around ideas and a weekly meeting to decide which content we’ll produce. Two team members per week are assigned time to shoot and edit content which gets uploaded throughout the week.

Not quite ready to commit?

If you’re ready to dip your toes in TikTok but don’t quite have the time, resources or leadership buy-in to launch a brand account, think about collaborating with creators on the platform so that your brand has visibility on the platform without the long-term commitment.

TikTok Creator Marketplace is a platform that connects brands with popular TikTok content creators. The marketplace is designed to make it easy for brands to find, collaborate with, and pay TikTok influencers to create content that promotes their brand. It’s an easy way to gauge how the audience reacts and produce brand-related content that still feels authentic to the platform.

In summary, TikTok offers businesses the opportunity to reach a massive audience and engage with their customers in a fun and creative way. However, it’s important to consider the unique aspects of the platform and develop a well-thought-out content strategy before launching your channel. We’re very excited to have embarked on our TikTok journey at The Content Garden. Follow us to see what we get up to!