#Over25 Cheeeck

Y’all I broke down and downloaded TikTok (like thousands of other millennial during quarantine) and I realized two things: 1. TikTok is not just a hit song by Ke$ha 2. I love it. I have been on social media for well over half of my life, there is nothing spetaculary different about TikTok from all of the other platforms we have been apart of. It is true what they say, TikTok is 100% just a long form Vine. But, there is one major standout of the relatively new social media platform…their algorithm.

I am in my last few weeks of obtaining my master’s degree in marketing and in class we have mentioned TikTok hundreds of times. All discussions were abstract as none of us were actually on the platform or at least active on it. We all just drew assumptions based on the few videos we have seen. Now that I have been on the platform for a couple of weeks, I have gained a new perspective. The TikTok algorithm is really special, within the first 30 minutes of continuous scrolling they already had me put into a group on my “For You” page. I only learned that because I started to see user’s videos with the text, “So I heard TikTok puts you in groups based of your interests,” followed by, “This means you are: a millennial, likes wine, still listens to emo music years later.” Needless to say I was pretty shocked and a bit taken aback by the accuracy. As someone who has spent years studying marketing, this is gold…and all I could think of was how a brand could utilize this.

The fact that as a new user you can scroll through 10-15 videos and TikTok already has some kind of idea of what you may like, is crazy. I mean every time I open the app there is a message at the top of the screen telling me that they found 3 new recommended videos for me. If you are looking to build your brand or further promote yourself on TikTok and is unsure of how to find your target market here are a few tips:

1. When you first open the app like the same videos you think your target audience will be interested in on the “For You” page.

2. Like every other platform, utilize hashtags. Hashtags are how people search through the app for alike content.

3. Use popular voice recordings from the app when making videos (as long as they make sense to your brand). Using a popular voice will allow you to be found with other videos who have used that sound.

For all of my #Over25 friends, it’s pretty lit over here. And the millennials are honest, funny and are all reliving our childhood through emo and snap music from 2007.

Report: Bria Ward