TikTok and should I care?
You may have heard about a new social media platform called TikTok. It's very popular with the younger crowd, so if you're not impressed so far, that's quite understandable. However, the numbers are quite impressive. According to an article on the National Post, it says:
https://www.tiktok.com/trending?refer=embed&utm_source=embed
"According to TechCrunch, TikTok surpassed Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat in monthly installs in September 2018. During that month, TikTok’s installs grew about 31 per cent from the previous month, reaching approximately 3.81 million on the App Store and Google Play combined. On Nov. 14, 2019, app analytics website Sensor Tower reported that TikTok had “just surpassed 1.5 billion downloads on the App Store and Google Play.”
Some adults are taking notice. According to David Coletto, CEO Abacus Data, he claims, "Drawn in by a desire to access to the over one billion users (yes, billion, with a b), brands, celebrities, and politicians are quickly flocking to the site. Even NDP leader, Jagmeet Singh, launched a series of TikTok videos, during the election earlier this fall."
An article in the Washington Post commented, "Celebrities like Will Smith, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, and Reese Witherspoon are now flocking to the app en masse." The amount of users is unimaginable really but comes with a certain caution from the Post as well, "Politicians, meanwhile, have been understandably hesitant to hop on board. Like all social media apps, TikTok has its own vernacular, and any transgressions of that shared language and sensibility stick out like, well, septuagenarian politicians on a social media app meant for teens. The fear of coming off as insincere or being flooded with “ok boomer” comments is a real one. The other outcome? A TikTok presence that fails to leave a mark, like Julian Castro’s account, which currently only has 470 followers."
Depending on the age and type of crowd your product or service targets, TikTok could attract a lot of sales. Before jumping in with both feet, it might be wise to pick a few industry leaders and watch for a couple of months to see how they're working the platform.
I'll be looking at TikTok for the next month or so to see how it might fit in with what I'm doing. If you're interested in learning what I find out, just post below that you're interested. If there is enough interest we can explore the topic here.