Why You Should Be Marketing on TikTok

TikTok announced in a blog post in September that 1 billion people use TikTok every month.

As a social media platform, TikTok has seen exponential growth unlike any other platform in history. Users have flocked to the short-form video sharing app over the last 24 months amid pandemic boredom, and advertisers have only just caught on to the power that TikTok holds over young audiences that are eager to spend their money. 

TikTok, which saw an 1157% growth increase between 2018 and 2020, is one of the most popular social media apps in the world. With an average engagement of over 10 minutes per-day, TikTok users are far more engaged with the platform than virtually any other competitor, and the app has a stronghold on the Gen Z market, a key consumer in the cosmetics industry. 

All of this information points to one key indicator—TikTok is one platform that companies should not overlook when considering where to market, especially within the cosmetics industry. Understanding the power that the app has over the global consumer market can set you apart, and put you ahead of competitors when determining the best strategy for marketing your cosmetics product. 

Comparing TikTok to Other Social Media Apps:

Throughout the last several years, TikTok has emerged as one of the primary competitors to companies like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter. Users that once spent their time on any one of the aforementioned apps now spend their time on TikTok, and they’re more engaged than ever. 

For context, Facebook said that in June it had 2.9 billion monthly active users, up 7% year over year. But TikTok’s growth is rapid — this new user data marks a 45% increase in monthly active users since July 2020, when it had 689 million users. Plus, this July, TikTok became the first non-Facebook app to reach 3 billion global downloads, per app analytics firm SensorTower.

To compete with TikTok, companies like Instagram have launched Reels, a video-sharing equivalent that lives on the Instagram platform. Still, users are loyal to TikTok in a way that they are not to apps like Instagram and Facebook, especially in the United States. 

How to market on TikTok:

Marketing on TikTok takes understanding the cultural ecosystem on the app. TikTok is a short form video sharing platform where users create and share trends through music and sound. You can create paid video ad campaigns on the app, or utilize influencer marketing to your advantage to get people talking about your product. Here are some ideas for how to market your product on TikTok:

Utilize trends:

Find trending sounds or songs and create videos that advertise your product through that. You can attach popular songs to your video or create a meme about your product on your company account. This is a great way to integrate with the cultural ecosystem on the app without investing into influencer marketing. 

Get product reviews from influencers:

You can send your product to influencers and ask them to review your product. Many may charge you to do a review, in which they’ll have to disclose that the advertisement is paid, but you’ll get access to their large following where they can funnel their own traffic to your page. Once you gain followers from the influencers, you can continue to advertise to them for free on your page. 

Show how your product works:

Video advertising is far more effective than photo advertising in the beauty industry. Consumers love to see how to apply products, and how they work in real time. Show your ideal customer exactly what your product does with a video advertisement on TikTok. You can make quick videos showing the colors of your products by swatching them, or by having someone try the product on while on camera.

Tutorials:

One of the great things about cosmetics is that there are so many ways to apply them. Take some time to show different ways that your products can be used to inspire your consumers to use their creative sides when using your product. This will make them want to try different products and experiment with makeup and cosmetics in new ways.