Tiktok is the “rising star” among social networks, especially among the very young target group. 10.7 million Germans are said to use the app, most of them between 13 and 25 years old. Some media reported this in autumn 2020.
Tiktok became known through dance and lipsync videos. In other words, teenagers who dance to familiar music or move their lips.
Tiktok only has videos. And there are almost always people in the videos. So if you want to produce content for Tiktok, you can’t be camera shy.
Even if Tiktok is still new territory for many, some German companies are already represented. From Deutsche Telekom to Lidl to car manufacturers such as BMW and football clubs.
How can you use Tiktok as a company?
The first approach is of course to create your own content. The content on Tiktok doesn’t have to be perfect, but it still has to appeal to the target audience. And if you don’t necessarily want to dance in front of the camera right now, humor works well.
You can see which topics are currently trending in the app in the “Discover” section. You can also search for specific topics or hashtags. When you search for hashtags, you can also see how many views the hashtag has. This gives you a quick overview of the user’s interest in the topic.
I did that once and saw that users are also interested in serious topics such as climate protection and sustainability. The hashtag #Versicherung also has a lot of views, which I wouldn’t necessarily have expected now.
I just want to show that on Tiktok you can probably achieve coverage for almost every topic. But before you just start, you should definitely make a plan and pre-produce some videos.
Of course, Tiktok also offers advertising opportunities. But we might go into that in a separate podcast.
What is the difference between Snapchat and Tiktok?
Snapchat has a similar audience to Tiktok, so mostly teenagers. The range of the two platforms is almost the same, with around 10.5 million users in Germany.
Big difference: With Snapchat there is no feed like with FB, IG or Tiktok. Therefore, interaction with users should be particularly direct. However, all of your own posts will disappear after 24 hours.
I’ll keep it short: I don’t have any experience with Snapchat. The fact that their own snaps (that’s how the posts are called on Snapchat) are not saved may be very practical for young people. But I don’t see any advantage for companies.
Of course, as a company, you can still place ads on Snapchat. But I am quite skeptical about becoming active as a content creator myself.
If I had to choose between Snapchat and Tiktok as a company, I’d rather look for luck on Tiktok.
What does Pinterest bring for businesses?
Pinterest is an online bulletin board, so to speak. As a user, you can create pin boards for your own interests and then save the ones you find best from the existing images on the platform. But of course you can also upload your own pictures, so-called pins.
A typical theme would be a wedding, for example. A bridal couple collects inspiration for dresses, decorations and whatever else goes with them on a pin board.
If your company is active in the field and you have posted pictures of your products on Pinterest, the bridal couple can become aware of your content. You can also write a text for each picture and link it to your online shop, for example. This is how the bride and groom may become your customer.
But added value content is also consumed on Pinterest, for example DIY instructions.
Pinterest claims to have 13 million users in Germany. 70% of them are female.
Pinterest is different from social networks like Facebook and Instagram. It’s about inspiration and discovering content. Less about networking and pastime.
You can also say that the users on Pinterest are a little further down the sales funnel than on Facebook. So if you are on Pinterest, you might be looking for a specific product that you want to buy.
In the other networks that we have looked at so far, users tend not to be looking for products.
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