In the immortal words of Kesha, “TikTok” was on the clock.
Just another day in the soap opera that is TikTok. It was going to be banned, then it wasn’t—or will it still be? No one really knows. But, let’s get you up to speed.
Citing national security concerns, NEW downloads of the Chinese-owned app were supposed to be banned starting on Sunday, September 20. But even rival Instagram chimed in on TikTok’s behalf, while also chiding a Wall Street Journal headline.
But, then in perfect soap opera fashion: A day before the new downloads ban was supposed to take effect: A plot twist.
President Trump gave his “blessing” to the marriage of TikTok and Oracle & Walmart and TikTok announced: “We aren’t going anywhere.”
In the deal:
- Oracle will be TikTok’s cloud provider and will become a minority investor with a 12.5% stake
- Walmart has tentatively agreed to purchase a 7.5% stake
- TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, will own the remaining 80% of TikTok
WHY IS WALMART INTERESTED IN TIKTOK?
E-commerce. And, a fast pass to the next generation of consumers.
But, it’s not over. TikTok still remains on shaky ground.
That’s the news you read. You heard all sides of the story, except for one. In none of those stories were the people who actually use the app on a daily basis. The people who are left in the middle of this international tug-of-war, the 100 million monthly active U.S. users, including thousands of small businesses and well, me.
I went onto TikTok last year to learn it for a client that was interested in it and was reeled in by a TikTok done by ABC Denver 7, who in a short :15 described exactly what it was like to work on a morning show, something I did for nearly 20 years.
I had no clue what I was doing. I posted a few of my Instagram Stories on TikTok, violating my #1 social media rule:
Respect. The. Platform.
Then, I consumed a lot of content. Because my #2 social media rule: You have to listen before you talk. And, I do mean A LOT.
And, that was a rabbit hole I wasn’t prepared for.
This is what makes TikTok well, TICK. It’s secret sauce is its algorithm. Specifically targeting what it is you want to see and before you know it, you’ve been watching :15 videos for HOURS.
But, it’s algorithm also does this: It levels the playing field. You don’t have to be a celebrity to succeed on TikTok. In fact, regular teenagers are not just keeping up with the Kardashians, they’ve long since surpassed them.
Just ask Charli D’Amelio, a 16-year old girl-next-door, who joined TikTok in 2019 and has amassed 85 million followers and a net worth of $4 million dollars.
ajgirl1 link: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJDwXubk/
I started making videos, fascinated by the green screen effects and special effects that you can control with your hand— things that would have taken us days, if not weeks, to do back in the golden days at a TV station, not really paying attention to the numbers and before I knew it, I had generated 75,000 followers and nearly 1.5 million likes as “ajgirl1.”
Not a lot in the land of TikTok, but not bad for a 49-year old mom, who mostly just showed up in the morning with her coffee to lip sync to the only songs I know from the 80s, which brings me to this: TikTok is no longer just for GENERATION Z.
Who is using TikTok? The short answer is: Everyone.
There was a time when only teenagers were on Facebook, until mom and grandma took it over. Then, the kids went over to Instagram, until moms in their 40’s started posting selfies, then came TikTok.
It happens on every platform over time.
It just happened way faster than it normally would have.
WHY DID TIKTOK BECOME SO POPULAR, SO FAST?
You can thank COVID-19 for that, too.
Suddenly, we had a lot of time on our hands and a lack of positive content. We were stuck at home and the world was suddenly a very strange and scary place. My daily coffee check-in with that community was a life saver for me, personally. But, I’m not the only one. TikTok offered an escape and a way to cope for many.
“The platform is a place I can truly be myself. Whatever version that I want and I know many people feel the same way. I’ve met some I incredible people. Those people bring laughter, smiles, good vibes and me the motivation I need when days are hard. Honestly, I’d be lost without it.” -TikTok User
TikTok was the app that was in the right place at the right time.
Viral videos on the app do at least one of these four things and sometimes two or three of what I call “The Four E’s” of content.
- Entertain
- Educate
- Empower
- Evoke Emotion
No platform has been able to do what TikTok has done, the way TikTok has done it. Authenticity was a huge marketing buzzword going into 2020. And, with shelter-in-place orders all across the country, it got really real, really fast.
We started to embrace or no longer care how we looked first thing in the morning in our pajamas and posted anyway. And, you’re seeing that kind of content everywhere now. You’re seeing TikTok like content in commercials and even LinkedIn professionals changing their professional headshot photos to a simple iPhone photo of what they actually look like in just normal, everyday life.
Authenticity. Compared to its rivals, TikTok maintains a level of authenticity that is unrivaled.
90% of customers say authenticity is important to them and that includes TV viewers: Where’s the authenticity?
Where’s the good morning in Stories?
Where’s you getting your first cup of coffee?
Where’s the showing up with curlers in your hair?
Where’s talking TO your viewer, instead of AT them?
Authenticity = Loyalty = Trust
Small businesses were in a perfect position to jump on board the authenticity train. They didn’t have to wait for a corporate boardroom vote or focus group results. They jumped on that train, while others keep checking their tickets.
And now, in the middle of a pandemic, they’re not just surviving, they’re thriving.
Color My Credit: Alisa Glutz is a former producer from Politically Incorrect. She wrote a book on how to clean up your credit, but no one listened. Then, she went on TikTok. Her book is #147 on Amazon now. She provides value on credit repair every day, which has resulted in stories about people, who never imagined they’d be in a position to buying a house, becoming homeowners.
TSP Baking Co: Kari Garcia’s personality is as glittery as her eyeshadow and she simply jumped in front of the camera one day and said, “Did you know we ship cookies?!” She spent this past Labor Day weekend baking non-stop and preparing to ship more than 200 orders of cookies after that one post and she documented it ALL. She didn’t go viral and disappear into filling orders. She brought them along for the journey.
So, you might be saying to yourself: That’s great, but TikTok might still get banned. And, you’re absolutely right.
It might be gone tomorrow.
First of all, if you’re doing it right, the brand goes WHERE you go. Case in point, I haven’t been able to budge my Instagram account in four years, but it’s increased ten-fold, thanks to TikTok’ers, who’ve crossed over. And, second of all…
TikTok might not be forever, but its relevance is.
Short form, mobile-first, vertical videos are here to stay. Just watch what the competition is doing.
- Facebook already tried and failed to duplicate TikTok with Lasso.
- Instagram introduced its TikTok carbon copy, Instagram Reels, in August
- YouTube is currently testing “YouTube Shorts” in India
- Triller, another TikTok copycat has lured TikTok’s biggest star, Charli D’Amelio
TikTok is right. They’re not going anywhere.
It’s provided a different option, a new way to tell stories and connect with our audiences like we never have before.
“Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity—not a threat.” -Steve Jobs
