Written by Allison Herrera
Researched by Brittany Prats & Lily Donegan
Over these next few weeks, we’re diving into all things TikTok, & what it means for the marketing industry. But, first, we’re introducing a little background information on the app. Keep reading as we cover the “Five ‘W’s” behind TikTok – who, what, when, where & why.
WHO
Who is TikTok? TikTok is a video-sharing social network platform. Although its audience greatly appeals towards GenZ, we are seeing a growing trend of millennials hopping on board after this pandemic. TikTok is best known for viral dance trends, challenges &, what it originally started off as, lip-sync videos.
WHAT
What content performs well on TikTok? TikTok is where you learn what’s hot, life hacks, new recipes, etc. It thrives on-trend culture, dictating what is popular in the world. Videos that do well feature trends, along with replicates, “fails” or spin-offs on an existing trend.
WHEN
When did TikTok evolve? In late 2017, ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) purchased Music.ly, a social media platform that allowed users to create & share short lip-sync videos. This feature of singing to popular songs led TikTok directly to the U.S. teen market, with who we closely associate the app with today.
Let’s fast forward to 2020. At this point, TikTok sky-rocketed not only amongst teens but with users of all ages, as we mentioned above under “WHO”. During this pandemic, we found many celebrities, brands & others giving into this app’s hype by creating entertaining content during a time that felt boring. Many began focusing on TikTok during the pandemic, as it’s easy to use editing tools helped create content that made/makes people feel otherwise connected during a dark time, & caused many overnight viral successes. But before the pandemic truly went into full swing, TikTok was the most downloaded app in the world in January 2020, according to data from SensorTower.
WHERE
Yes, the rumors are true…IT ALL STARTED IN CHINA. ByteDance (TikTok’s parent company) first launched TikTok in China under the name of Douyin.
WHY
Why is TikTok a valuable platform for brands? As TikTok gains popularity across the board for all ages & grows in terms of audience, the app is experiencing a period of exponential growth. With little to no investments, brands experienced/are experiencing high brand awareness through TikTok.
Although most people are familiar with TikTok, we hope you learned a little bit more about this user-friendly & ever-popular app. We can’t wait to unveil more of TikTok with you, including the algorithm & how it’s helping small businesses thrive. Please reach out to us at contact@uptowngirl.media if you have any questions on this ever-growing app. stay safe & stay tuned!
