TikTok’s meteoric rise to the top of the social media landscape is undeniable. The platform currently has 1.6 billion monthly active users (more than Twitter, Snapchat and LinkedIn combined). It’s also the most downloaded app of 2021 with 656 million downloads. Plus, according to a report from Cloudflare, TikTok.com overtook Google as the most visited domain in the world in 2021, ending Google’s 15-year reign.
It’s no surprise that one of the most frequently asked questions from bars and restaurants these days is, “Should we be on TikTok?”
The short answer is… probably, but the key is deciding how your venue or brand can best utilize the platform. There are many ways to leverage the marketing power of TikTok, even if you’re not ready to commit to creating your own channel.
In this first article of a three part series, we’ll walk you through what to consider when deciding whether to create a dedicated TikTok channel for your brand.
Should You Create Your Own Channel?
The first step in the TikTok journey is to decide whether or not to create your own dedicated channel. A channel is where a brand posts original content they’ve created, and/or shares content from other creators and brands.Maintaining and optimizing a channel can be a significant investment in time and resources, and there are several factors to consider before getting started.
How Does TikTok Differ from Other Social Media Platforms?
Examining TikTok’s key differentiators is important to both understanding how the company was able to grow so rapidly, and how a brand can effectively harness the platform’s enormous reach. In a recent interview with CNBC, TikTok’s president of global business solutions, Blake Chandlee, expressed, “Facebook is a social platform… we are an entertainment platform… it’s a massive difference.”
At least a portion of TikTok’s success can be attributed to its focus on providing a uniquely entertaining experience through short-form, user-generated content. By ”democratizing creativity” – aka putting power into the hands of brands and creators, and prioritizing authenticity vs. production value – TikTok was able to rapidly scale.
New content genres such as trending dances (which were not cool before TikTok); POV-style videos where people share their experience taste testing foods or trying new restaurants; funny/personal stories told in an authentic way; or random, relatable moments caught on camera are among the most popular themes on the platform.
Brands that are able to embrace this concept of authenticity and find their distinct voice are well-positioned to grow their following on TikTok.
Do You Have a Specific Purpose for Activating the Channel, and Goals You Want to Achieve?
“Because TikTok is popular” isn’t a reason to incorporate the platform into your social media strategy; there should be a clear reason “why,” and measurable goals that TikTok can help your brand accomplish.
Examples of a purpose might include aligning your brand with a younger audience, gauging audience interest in a new product or category, or providing information about your business in a novel way. Goals might include increasing brand awareness, garnering community engagement and selling products or services.
Who Is Your Target Customer Demo?
Understanding who your brand is trying to reach, and the type of content and trends that drive their engagement, is an important factor to consider when deciding whether to create your own channel.
TikTok's largest demographic is young females. Its user base is largely composed of Gen Z and Millenials, with more than 60 percent of users under 30 years of age, and more than 75 percent under 40. Of the total users in the United States, 57 percent are women. At the same time, according to Hootsuite, “U.S. adults have mixed opinions on TikTok'': 34 percent of adults hold unfavorable opinions of the app, compared to 37 percent who have favorable views. This is more controversial than other social media platforms: Instagram is viewed favorably by 50 percent of adults and unfavorably by 24 percent. Facebook is viewed favorably by 55 percent and unfavorably by 39 percent.
Just as TikTok isn’t for all customers, it also may not be worth the investment for all brands and businesses.
Bandwidth – Do You Have the Time/Staffing/Capabilities to Maintain an Active Channel?
To have a successful channel on TikTok requires the highest posting frequency of any social media platform – up to several posts per day is recommended. Although the bar for the aesthetic quality of a video is lower than on other platforms such as Instagram, posting still requires having a clear vision for the overall channel, ideating content, recording the content, editing, posting, engaging, measuring your success, and optimizing future content strategy accordingly.
Additionally, it’s recommended to have a “face” for the brand, or someone who can show a behind-the-scenes look, or share personal thoughts. This demands a considerable investment of time, dedication and creativity. While an outside agency can help with things like strategy, trend citing and influencer engagement, the actual execution of content creation and channel management generally requires someone in-house.If your team can only commit to posting once a week, or doesn’t have someone who can drive the ideas for content creation, starting your own channel might not be right for your brand at this time.
Are Your Competitors Seeing Success on TikTok?
TikTok has more visible metrics than platforms such as Instagram, so brands are better able to track how competitors’ videos and channels are performing. For each post, you can see how many likes, comments, saves and shares that video received (saves and shares are private on Instagram).
On a profile, you're able to see how many likes all of the content has garnered cumulatively, as well as how many views each video has received. The average engagement rate across all categories on TikTok is 5.96 percent; CPG food has the highest engagement rate of 15.82 percent, while beverage is 12.79 percent. If competitors are putting in the effort and not getting an engagement at or above industry benchmarks, it may not be worth it.
With limited time and resources, it’s important to consider all of these factors when deciding whether creating your own channel is right for your brand.
In forthcoming articles in this Bar & Restaurant TikTok series, we’ll outline how to build and optimize your TikTok channel, as well as how brands can leverage the platform’s marketing power without creating their own channel.
Cole Roberts is the director of social media at Carbonate, and Rachel Walensky is senior strategist at Carbonate. Roberts has a diverse background working with brands across entertainment, CPG, hospitality and food and beverage verticals. Walensky has more than a decade of experience working with, and building, award-winning brands in the food, beverage, travel, lifestyle and tech sectors. Carbonate is a brand communications and creative services agency specializing in food, beverage, hospitality, lifestyle, travel and food tech. To learn more about Carbonate and its services, visit CarbonateGroup.com.
Plan to Attend or Participate in
Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 27-29, 2023
To learn about the latest trends, issues and hot topics, and to experience and taste the best products within the bar, restaurant and hospitality industry, plan to attend Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 27-29, 2023 in Las Vegas. Visit BarandRestaurantExpo.com.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at Bar & Restaurant Expo, contact:
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e: [email protected]
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e: [email protected]
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