TikTok is currently the fastest-growing social media channel among both users and marketers. According to TikTok, it has over 1.3 billion users globally and over 1.2 million users over 18 years old in Finland.
What kind of brand should advertise on TikTok and what does it require from the brand? We've compiled our thoughts below.
TikTok is the obvious choice for consumer brands that want to reach both young people and young adults. A large proportion of Finnish TikTok users are 18-24 years old, and the share of 25-34 year-olds in particular is growing the fastest.
Brands significant to Generation Z were the first to adopt strategic TikTok marketing, often operating in FMCG, food or soft drinks sectors. The number of brands marketing on TikTok has expanded significantly beyond traditional industries and has been embraced by both automotive and banking sector players. Many B2B companies have also begun producing content on TikTok, especially from the perspective of building employer image and recruitment marketing.
Focusing on TikTok marketing has been particularly significant for small and medium-sized enterprises that can cost-effectively reach young adults through attractive and engaging content. Compared to traditional TV or print marketing, it offers a cost-effective way to produce content and, on the other hand, to gain organic visibility thanks to an effective algorithm. On the other hand, paid advertising on TikTok is also exceptionally affordable and cost-effective. Advertising costs are many times lower than, for example, on Meta.
@talousvalmentaja Answer to user @Erik Sebastiyan What should we figure out next? 🤪 #säästöpankki #säästäminen #raha #rahapuhe ♬ alkuperäinen ääni - by Säästöpankki
To get results from TikTok marketing, the brand must be willing to immerse itself in its world. You need to create content on TikTok that appeals to the target audience and effectively leverages understanding of the channel's unique nature. For example, ads designed for traditional media don't work well there—content that feels too much like advertising gets skipped in just seconds.
TikTok requires brands to have courage to throw themselves in and put aside thinking based on traditional advertising. Authentic and relatable content with grit works on TikTok. For example, many entrepreneurs have thrown themselves into sharing stories about everyday mishaps in their businesses.
In Finland, TikTok is still mainly a consumer marketing channel, but many small and medium-sized companies have boldly started experimenting with the platform, whose content has become increasingly diverse in recent years. Internationally, TikTok's user base is massive and, according to eMarketer, the time spent on it has gone beyond YouTube for the first time in the United States. With new content genres and users, TikTok offers many opportunities for marketers targeting different niche audiences, for example in the B2B segment.
A good example of this is e-commerce company Shopify, which realized that many of its service users, online merchants, have marketed their own brands on TikTok with their own faces. Shopify built an integration with TikTok that makes it easy for online merchants to market on TikTok and monitor its effectiveness. However, Shopify hasn't limited collaboration to just integration—they have also started building their own TikTok channel and have extensively used influencer marketing with online stores using the Shopify platform.
TikTok offers an effective channel for building thought leadership and creating employer brand. Especially individual experts have succeeded in building a strong brand around their own personality and expertise both in Finland and internationally. TikTok and, on an even larger scale, the growing importance of video offers companies the opportunity to showcase their own experts and develop personal brands. Internationally, TikTok has created vast amounts of different subject areas from mental health to finance and cybersecurity, where Finnish experts or companies can also dive in.
Good examples of building thought leadership in Finland include psychotherapist Ville (@terapiaville)
@terapeuttiville Craziest mental trick #lifehack #mentalhealth #fyp #sinulle #mielenterveys #foryou #tiktoksuomi ♬ alkuperäinen ääni - terapeuttiville
We've only scratched the surface of TikTok's potential. Success on TikTok comes with bold and creative thinking. It's worth looking for inspiration through your own interests, for example by using different hashtags. You're sure to find interesting content for everyone.
Looking for a partner for TikTok content marketing? Get in touch with our team.
