Marketing on TikTok: What it is and How to Recruit for it
TikTok is seemingly everywhere. The Chinese social network, originally launched in 2016 by ByteDance, has taken the globe by storm, and is especially popular among the tween and teen consumers whose purchasing power will be driving the consumer choices of the future.
Driven by dance crazes and quick videos, the popularity of TikTok is now unmistakable in terms of driving trends in mass culture. Whether you love it or hate it, it’s reshaping marketing and therefore requires a new, enhanced skillset in digital marketing candidates.
Today we break down:
- what TikTok marketing is,
- how to incorporate it into your marketing mix,
- the skills to look for when hiring digital candidates to run TikTok campaigns.
How TikTok Has Reshaped Marketing
Social media marketing is now well-established, and it’s considered a must for all brands, whether they are consumer-facing or B-to-B to maintain a presence on the networks where their consumers are, whether LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok.
Whereas many of the early social networks allowed consumers to “converse” with brands and create their own media to become influencers, TikTok takes this dynamic to a new level where users amass in different niche groups to drive cultural expression and trends. The most savvy brands are jumping on board in order to be a part of the marketing transformation.
Is TikTok Right for My Brand?
TikTok marketing begins, like all digital marketing efforts, with a careful analysis of your target market. Do they use TikTok? Are they a part of the demographic ages 13-25? If the answer is yes, you should already consider TikTok a core part of your marketing mix. Additionally, these industries are already well-established or growing on the platform:
Beauty Brands and TikTok
Beauty brands have done a lot of investment in the TikTok platform through advertising and native content that builds brand awareness, loyalty and product knowledge. The biggest beauty brands on TikTok include:
- CeraVe
- L’Oréal
- Glossier
- Estee Lauder
- Neutrogena
- Dermalogica
Creating Successful TikTok campaigns requires a Special Set of Skills
Many of the most viral TikTok marketing has involved brands being responsive to trends, rather than creating a stand-alone campaign like in the olden times of marketing.
Wendy’s attempted to capitalize on a pantry organization trend on TikTok with this clever video:
Applebee’s had a huge opportunity on its hands when the Walker Hayes song “Fancy Like” became a country music hit with a chorus extolling the virtues of a night out at Applebee’s. The brand sponsored the singer doing a dance with his daughter and the next step was a viral sensation:
Ocean Spray was also granted a similar opportunity when a TikTok user filmed himself skateboarding and lip syncing to “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac while guzzling a gallon of the product. In response, the brand bought the user a truck and enlisted members of Fleetwood Mac to capitalize on the moment which boosted sales of the classic juice.
Creating TikTok Campaigns: In House or With an Agency
Often brands will work with specialist agencies to deliver targeted TikTok advertising. The reason is that agencies will have dedicated production support and specialists who can help drive specific results on the platform. But what we are seeing more and more are companies that want to recruit marketing candidates who are already savvy with TikTok to augment in-house efforts and to provide expert supervision with outside agencies.
How to Hire a Digital Marketing Candidate for TikTok
We’ve written previously on tips on hiring digitally literate marketing candidates. With TikTok marketing, the need is even more acute, meaning candidates should already have a deep familiarity with the platform and what trends are currently rising to the top and have a point of view on how to leverage them behalf of the brand.
For that reason, you should make sure to make questions about TikTok part of your interviewing strategy.
Contact us for more help in finding qualified marketing candidates to take your TikTok strategy to the next level.
