Many marketers have considered using TikTok, but certain misunderstandings have prevented them from doing so. For example, the assumption is that it is merely a platform for teenagers, specifically adolescents who lip-sync.
To help clear the air, we’ve compiled a list of frequent TikTok falsehoods to help you determine whether it merits a position on your marking roster. Let us begin.
12 TikTok Myths Shattered in 2022
- TikTok’s core audience is too young.
- TikTok is only for dancing and lip-syncing.
- TikTok isn’t for you if your business is “serious.”
- It is difficult to promote a TikTok business account.
- To go viral, you need many followers.
- Users are less engaged because TikTok videos are shorter.
- TikTok advertising is complex and costly.
- Ordering advertising from influencers is required for marketing.
- You need to buy expensive equipment to shoot videos
- Only those who look perfect can make videos.
- Avoid posting videos to TikTok for longer than 30 days to avoid having your account banned.
- TikTok is a passing trend.
Myth 1: TikTok’s core audience is too young.
Brands incorrectly believe TikTok is exclusive for teenagers and young adults. TikTok is gradually “growing up” after originally exploding in popularity with the Gen Z audience. 36% of TikTok users in 2021 were between the ages of 35 and 54, a 10% rise from the previous year.
According to HubSpot’s 2022 Consumers Trends Report, 50% of Millennials and 38% of Gen X-ers had frequented TikTok in the previous three months. We expect these figures will continue to climb as TikTok establishes itself as a mainstream social network.
Myth 2: TikTok is only for dancing and lip-syncing.
While these kinds of videos exist on TikTok, they are simply the tip of the iceberg. As its viewership has diversified, so has its content.
Nowadays, you may get videos covering practically every topic. Cooking recipes, beauty instructions, workout routines, life hacks, and even pet videos are among the most popular TikTok categories. This also implies TikTok can work with a wide variety of businesses from various sectors.
For example, Ryanair, a European airline, is a TikTok fan favorite, with over two million TikTok followers. Another is the popular app DuoLingo; it has over four million subscribers. Then there’s Red Bull, a well-known energy drink with over 7 million followers. These are drastically different businesses from different industries that have amassed a sizable audience on TikTok.
Are you curious about which companies are succeeding on TikTok? Check out this handy guide for ideas.
Myth 3: TikTok isn’t for you if your business is “serious.”
TikTok has a reputation for being quirky — but if your business is more serious, this shouldn’t scare you. Instead, consider approaching your brand from a new perspective.
Consider Planet Money, an NPR-supported podcast that delves into difficult economic issues. Isn’t this the most boring issue in the world? Nonetheless, it has about 750,000 followers.
No issue is too serious for Planet Money to handle with a comedic twist, from gentrification to mortgages. Do you need convincing? Look at the video below, which asks, “Is free delivery free?”
If you believe your brand is too “serious” for TikTok, follow Planet Money’s advice and view your brand — and the content you make — through a new lens. At the end of the day, it’s all about providing value and delivering it appealingly; a goal that practically every business can achieve.
Myth 4: It is difficult to promote a TikTok business account.
But no one said it would be simple. At the same time, it is incorrect to state that promoting a business profile is impossible. Of course, there are several examples on TikTok of unsuccessful sponsored pages for bedding, underwear, apparel, shoes, and homeware goods. Companies that have not understood the language of their target audience typically get disappointing outcomes.
Many business owners fail to recognize that tiktokers will not accept exaggerated statuses and regalia, excessive rigidity, or narcissism. The product should be displayed in this social network while displaying a sparkling sense of humor and style.
The most viewed TikTok videos are testimonials and reviews, expert comments and life hacks, thrilling challenges, and amusing staff.
Myth 5: To go viral, you need many followers.
No, you don’t. Anybody can be viral on TikTok. Even accounts with a few thousand followers can generate millions of views for a great video.
Its algorithm is directly responsible for its infectious nature. How does it play a role? The system identifies viewers who may be interested in your content based on their prior viewing history, hashtag searches, and present location. The video will then be sent to their stream. If enough people interact with it, the algorithm will spread it even more. You have a viral hit before you realize it.
Consider this scenario: you broadcast a video of yourself trekking a mountain. The algorithm displays your video to local users as well as people who have recently looked for hiking paths on the network. It observes that many people “like” and comment on the video, so it distributes it to other users.
To summarize, if you’re worried about not gaining momentum on TikTok, remember that the algorithm is on your side, allowing you to reach more people outside your direct following.
Myth 6: Users are less engaged because TikTok videos are shorter.
TikTok is well-known for its brief, bite-sized videos. This, however, gives the impression that people spend little time on the platform.
Thankfully, this could not be further from the truth. TikTok has a user session length of 10.85 minutes, which is significantly longer than any other social networking site. Users in the United States use the TikTok app an average of 8 times every day.
Myth 7: TikTok advertising is complex and costly.
Advertisers who are used to dealing with Instagram will have to stretch further because TikTok will need them to learn a lot of new stuff. However, the promotion goals are the same as on other sites. An advertising professional will similarly focus on reach, traffic, mobile app installations, video views, and website conversions. However, the cost of advertising on TikTok is substantially cheaper than on other social networks, thus the explanation concerning the high cost is incorrect. The budget can be allocated for a single day or the full term. The amount is set in dollars.
Many people are put off by the necessity to spend at least $20 a day on advertising to reach one portion of the population. Fortunately, you may get around this restriction by placing the lowest bet. The algorithm will then reduce the advertising campaign’s coverage, saving you money.
Myth 8: Ordering advertising from influencers is required for marketing.
This is not true. If someone persuades you of this, he is not a promotion expert. He most likely took this assessment from Instagram in an unethical manner. The problem is that TikTok is not Instagram. As a result, the techniques of promotion in different social networks will vary. What succeeds with a bang in the second is completely ineffective in the first.
Face-to-face engagement among users is limited on TikTok to discourage followers from moving from one profile to another. No one writes in a “PM” or “Direct” – such a function simply does not exist. To send anyone a private message, you must first subscribe to each other (this happens extremely rarely). The video tape’s algorithms slide the user video of the most engaging creators, to whom he is most likely to subscribe. However, the videos of those who have been tagged on them will be concealed, so just a few people will subscribe to them.
Therefore, even if you are tagged by the most powerful influencer, the number of hits and subscriptions from him would be little. Such interactivity is not theoretically possible in TikTok. As a result, you do not need to buy influencer advertising here.
Myth 9: You need to buy expensive equipment to shoot videos
A small investment is sufficient. The cheapest smartphone can record a video that receives millions of views, while the priciest video camera may only yield a few dozen for a “masterpiece.” The video’s high quality (resolution) and crystal-clear audio with no outside interference matter the most. Another key factor is having good lighting.
List of necessary tools:
- a smartphone with the best camera,
- selfie lamp and tripod,
- headset, and (within the parameters of a personal financial opportunity) (if original sound is important).
Some people think that you can improve your chances of making it to the top by filming a video against a trendy purple or blue neon light backdrop. There is no connection between a colorful LED and TikTok algorithms—no more so than there is between a butterfly and a Japanese volcano.
Myth 10: Only those who look perfect can make videos.
The most devoted social media platform, TikTok, accepts every user for who they are. Instead of believing various urban legends, inspect for yourself. People with pathologies such as dermatological issues and other pathologies openly enter “recs,” where they achieve notoriety and receive a staggering number of views.
On the TikTok platform, authenticity and naturalness are valued. As a result, the girl does not require extensive makeup before recording each 15-second video. The social network provides virtual masks that appear pretty natural on the face and don’t “fly off” even when moving if you are extremely bashful.
Myth 11: Avoid posting videos to TikTok for longer than 30 days to avoid having your account banned.
It’s not factual. Let’s examine the foundation of this reasoning. For some reason, a lot of tiktokers are convinced that opening a new account will boost your chances of climbing the leaderboard. Then, what will happen to the current one?
The account “goes into hibernation” if the profile owner is absent from TikTok for an extended period. Fewer people will watch videos that are posted after a 30-day gap; this is just how the social network’s algorithm works, not to discipline “truant” Tiktokers. It will be challenging, but still feasible, to revive the account after such a lengthy absence.
Myth 12: TikTok is a passing trend.
Will TikTok follow in the footsteps of Myspace and Tumblr? While it’s too soon to make a prediction, I’d say that it doesn’t matter.
For starters, short-form video has taken over the social media world. Even if TikTok fails, customers will continue to demand this content. The audience may migrate to a new platform or switch to an existing one. In any case, you’ll need to know how to generate interesting, easily digestible content – and TikTok is the dominant platform right now.
Secondly, if you manage your brand right, no one platform’s growth or collapse will bring it down. Building a powerful community around your brand will make it unbreakable. But, to accomplish that, you must go where your audience is — which, for the time being, is TikTok.
Coming to You
Let us conclude with one more myth: it is too late to join TikTok.
This is false, especially if your target audience is present. Its high interaction rates, exceptional growth potential, and strong algorithm can propel your digital marketing to new heights. Having stated that, time is of the essence. Brands that create a presence on TikTok today will remain ahead of the competition.
Despite the proliferation of myths and rumors, an increasing number of people are sure that the TikTok platform is an effective instrument for advertising. To increase sales, marketers are already making the most people’s propensity to “stick” with brief movies. As an advertising platform, TikTok has the benefit that there is currently ample room for error, and if you produce truly amazing content, you can expect appreciative followers.
