Intro

TikTok is one of the social media platforms that has experienced the most meteoric of rises. It has rapidly grown since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. TikTok went from being one of the social networks primarily used by younger audiences to one of the biggest apps on the planet. In July of 2020, TikTok had 689 monthly annual users, according to Statista. Today, it has over one billion.

TikTok has attracted a wide range of content creators and has been the source of fame for many new superstars like Addison Rae and the D’amelio sisters. It has a massive user base but has only recently been added to the marketing mix by many influencer marketers. TikTok influencer marketing is a recent trend, and many brands have found it the perfect platform for their influencer campaigns.

TikTok advertising is only starting to take off, and the ecosystem isn’t fully fleshed out yet. However, there are countless popular influencers, with new ones added to the ranks daily. Securing an influencer post from one of the many content creators on the platform gives brands access to user-generated creative videos that boost the brand’s profile to a huge audience.

But TikTok influencer marketing isn’t perfect. Like every social media channel, there will be upsides and downsides. Let’s look at the pros and cons of influencer marketing on this platform.

Pros

There are many great aspects of TikTok as one of the social media networks used for influencer marketing. For starters, the type of content on the app is excellent for advertising. TikTok is a short-form video platform, and the content creators on the app are adept at making punchy, memorable videos that are high-impact but easily digestible. Short-form video is the content type that is most popular with the widest audience base. According to Colormatics, 68% of people will happily watch a business video if it is under a minute.

TikTok is also an ultra-democratic platform, with virality easily accessible to anyone. They use an algorithm that tests videos likability based on users’ interests, with random videos showing up on the For You page. This means there are many influencers on the platform that have a significant amount of followers and experience creating quality content but will be affordable to brands with limited budgets. These micro-influencers new to TikTok fame are much cheaper than traditional celebrities and still viable TikTok advertising options.

The democratic nature of the platform also makes it easier for sponsored content to go viral. TikTok has a variety of social media personalities that understand what it takes for their content to take off, and many of them are affordable and accessible to the average brand.

Cons

Most of the cons related to TikTok stem from it being one of the newest popular social platforms. That means that the marketing infrastructure of TikTok is not as fully developed as for platforms like Instagram and Facebook. TikTok is working on it with TikTok Business, and many influencer marketing agencies specialize in the platform. But for the average brand, it may be more difficult to get started.

On TikTok, it might be harder to see the engagement rates of the social media influencer that you are trying to partner with. This makes it more difficult to understand the true value of that influencer. And while the algorithm makes it easy to go viral, this can also pose problems for businesses. It is hard to tell which TikTokers are micro-influencers that are consistent and reliable and who are people that just happened to go viral with one video that may not make the best brand ambassadors.

Influencer marketing campaigns typically function best when they are organized and data-based. With TikTok, it might be slightly harder for this to be the case. TikTok feels like the Wild West at times, and while that certainly brings a lot of opportunities, it can also cause difficulties.

Conclusion

TikTok has quickly gained one of the largest social media audiences of any platform, with over a billion active users. It is a platform that attracts many content creators, and everyone from the smallest brand to the top influencer marketing agency should be paying attention to what the platform offers.

TikTok has a lot of different upsides. It has a large user base and a fun content format that is extremely popular. It has an algorithm that makes it much easier for sponsored content to achieve virality, and the user base is young and extremely active on the app. There is every reason for this platform to be a part of your marketing strategy.

While there are also associated cons with TikTok influencer marketing, they are mostly due to the platform not having as much marketing infrastructure as others. This will come with time, and the early phases of the app’s success are great to establish positioning in the space. Receiving branded content from some of the many content creators on the app is a great way to get started on a hugely popular platform.

If you’re looking to start working with a top influencer marketing agency capable of launching your social media outreach into the stratosphere, Influence Hunter may be for you. Influence Hunter is an influencer marketing firm with years of experience helping brands develop high-performing, customizable campaigns that deliver on strategic goals. To find out what we can do for your business, contact us today.