The TikTok Issue
The TikTok Issue
Today's issue covers:
1. The good & the bad of TikTok
2. TikTok marketers you need to check out
3. My usual roundup of interesting stuff from around the web
4. Bonus: A cool startup job opportunity
It took years for social media marketing to catch on. Now it feels like TikTok and digital ad chaos are rewriting the rules.
I recently helped an agency write a guide to using TikTok for business (I'll drop the link at the end of this email).
Overall brands still struggle with the platform.
Maybe that's why many are sitting on the fence, dipping a toe in the water, or failing outright.
Let's review some high level pros and cons of TikTok for your brand.
💛 The Good
1. Lower average costs for advertising
TikTok ads run 32% lower average CPMs than Facebook. And 500% lower than the average CPMs on YouTube.
2. Insane growth
I'm talking 650,000 new users every day, enough to fill the largest football stadium in the US 6X over.
3. Highly engaged users
About 9 out of 10 users log into the app multiple times per day.
And American users watch TikToks for 80 minutes a day (more than Facebook & Instagram, combined).
💩 The Bad
1. Over half the audience is still under 25
Despite a third of American teens having an account and ~50% penetration among 18-29 year olds in the US, Google & Facebook still have way higher general reach among the overall population.
If Gen-Z is your audience, great!
If not, well...your investment on TikTok might not result in the payout you want.
2. Engagement doesn't mean sales
Despite an incredibly high average influencer engagement rate (18%), most brands report rather low resulting sales.
3. Still early days for brand presence
And despite all the hype, many brands say they just can't hit their stride (and even sponsored posts by influencers aren't a guaranteed success)
🧐 So what's my take?
The best strategy is to pick a lane and do it well.
Is performance up to expectations on the channels you already dabble in?
If not, focus on perfecting your game there first.
Or hey, roll the dice and go all in on TikTok early.
Just don't try to be everything, everywhere, all at once.
And please don't force your team's existing social media marketers to become overnight TikTok experts.
With the wide array of SM platforms and formats, finding generalized experts is less and less likely.
Better to either hire or outsource to a TikTok/short video creator to help show you the ropes.
I do believe TikTok will become a growing presence in brand social media strategy...eventually.
The way the platform is quickly innovating to accommodate marketers means more opportunity in the future as TikTok matures.
For instance, TikTok just introduced Focused Ads that are a "pay-for-engagement-only" model. And also announced new DTC fulfillment centers to support ecommerce on the app and rival Amazon.
With that said, to leave you with something more actionable...
👉🏽 Here are 3 quick tips.
1. Do the research first.
Follow a ton of active creators. And brush up on all the different options TikTok offers for brands.
(They've got a wide variety of paid content types to fit different needs.)
2. Did you know SEO matters on TikTok, too?
You can score wins with your TikTok content by employing some basic SEO-style best practices.
Check out this great Twitter thread from marketer @sheetaverma.
3. Embrace the winding conversion path
TikTok may not bring some brands direct sales conversions.
But that doesn't mean there isn't incredible potential influence on customers.
For instance, popular hashtag/community #BookTok has helped many writers and authors on TikTok generate tons of sales.
Number of copies sold of books by top #BookTok influencer, author Colleen Hoover, have outpaced number sold of the Bible this year.
Determine how TikTok can support your brand by thinking beyond a direct click-to-conversion mentality.
👏 So who should you check out on TikTok for inspiration?
I compiled a quick list of marketers rocking their personal branding + offering TikTok tips to help you succeed.
1. @ugcbry
Focus: Content creation tips from a Gen Z perspective
Post you should watch: How to reach your target audience on tiktok
2. @marketingmei
Focus: Marketing advice with a specialty in Facebook and Instagram ads
Post you should watch: A quick tip to lower your Facebook ad costs
3. @cococomoe
Focus: A "trend forecaster" who presents case studies of influencers and pop culture to improve your social media strategy
Post you should watch: How to judge the quality of your video content ideas
4. @followmario
Focus: Tips for marketing, career growth, and entrepreneurship
Post you should watch: Why brands are failing on TikTok
5. @mya.nichol
Focus: Social media strategy for brand account growth
Post you should watch: 10 CTAs to boost sales on organic or paid social media posts
Other Interesting Things From Around the Web
Keeping the TikTok theme, I'm impressed by how TikTok has helped promote the importance of mental health and therapy. 💜 They announced some new ways they'll be reinforcing this.
On the theme of mental health, if the holiday/end-of-year season gets you stressed out, here are some straightforward tips to help you manage your anxiety.
Yet another example of Texas being Texas. 🤠 A recent court ruling in that state, NetChoice vs. Paxton, threatens to totally shake social media as we know it. Basically the decision says social media platforms shouldn't be able to moderate content and can even be forced to publish certain content. I'm no expert on this, so read more about it here.
I hate to sound like one of those kinds of old ladies 👵, but I'm really getting fed up with being told what's cool or not by Gen-Z culture. Apparently gifs are the latest casualty. 🙄😬 Here's why they're now considered cringe.
Ok, one last one for your health. How's your sleep? 🌙 If you're constantly tired, like I am, here's a list of tips to help you slumber more soundly. 🛌 And it doesn't require you pretend you won't be on your tech devices before bed.
⚠️ Hot Job Opportunity Alert!
A former colleague of mine is helping to build out a marketing team at a healthcare tech startup.
They have open roles for both a Growth Marketing Manager/Director and Marketing Manager/Director.
If you're interested, reply to this message with the link to your LinkedIn profile. I'll forward your info to them for review.
I won't have any visibility into what happens after that as I don't work for that company, so I cannot share updates with you about your applicant status.
Note: As mentioned before, this isn't a permanent section of my newsletter anymore. But I enjoy sharing cool opportunities I see when I think they might benefit you!
Thanks for reading again this week!
I'd love to have you share your feedback on this week's issue.
Was the content useful? Did you like the format?
My email service provider is being a bit wonky, so I've been having trouble responding to some of your messages -- but just know I read and appreciate all of them.
Until next time!
P.S. Annnd don't forget to join me on either YouTube or Instagram for more regular content.
P.P.S. Here's that article I helped write - Your TikTok Guide to Organic and Paid Brand Strategy. It's got an ecommerce spin, but the advice is applicable to other spaces, too.
If you enjoy my content, would you take a minute to forward this email to a colleague (or friend) you think might also appreciate it? I'm so thankful for your help in growing my little entrepreneurial hustle!