What is TikTok?
In 2014, a company called Musical.ly released an app designed to make it easy for anyone with a smartphone to upload short-looping videos of themselves lip-syncing songs. In 2018, Musical.ly merged with TikTok, another video-sharing service. Content generated with the app has quickly evolved beyond simple lip-sync videos to include just about any type of brief, viral content imaginable, including memes, pranks, and challenges. As of late 2019, the app has reportedly been downloaded 1.5 billion times and has an astounding 700 million active daily users.
From celebrities to college students, the platform has become a prime option for reaching new audiences and ensuring a brand is part of relevant trends and cultural movements. So if you want your conference or event to be at the forefront of social-media marketing and engagement, check out our tips for integrating TikTok.
Marketing Your Event
TikTok’s users tend to skew young compared to most other social-media platforms. According to TikTok itself, 41 percent of its users are between 16 and 24. So while you might not get an immediate return on investment, you can begin building interest and excitement in a younger audience segment that will begin filling your member/attendee pipeline.
With TikTok’s huge (and growing) userbase, many content creators have already accumulated large followings that interact with the videos they post. Similar to how you might work with a blogger or Instagram influencer, you can look for a creator on TikTok that has a connection to your industry. Just search one of your popular industry hashtags and look through the results for a creator with a large following and branded content in their profile.
Another option is to create ads directly through TikTok similar to companies like Pepsi, H&M, and BRITA. These and other companies sponsor hashtag challenges that motivate users to utilize their products or marketing campaign themes in their video content. More about TikTok ads.
Engaging Attendees
Consider these ways you might integrate TikTok videos into your event to update or modernize conference/meeting staples:
- Create a “TikTok corner” or photo booth, complete with your event marketing and association logo. This is really a two-for-one as attendees may also use the space to take a selfie or video and post it to other social-media platforms!
- Use TikTok as an icebreaker in a group setting by challenging attendees to work with the person next to them to film their elevator pitch or what they’re hoping to get out of the event. This is also something that could easily be done on an attendee’s other social-media accounts if they don’t have TikTok.
- Highlight TikTok videos that include your event hashtag just as you might do on a social-media wall or projection of tagged content on Twitter or Instagram.
Whether you’re utilizing TikTok as a marketing tool or way to engage attendees, it is all about making and sharing fun video content. You might even choose to use TikTok lip-sync videos as a way to lighten up and reenergize a room after a lunch break or longer session breakout. The possibilities are as endless as your creativity. Let us know in the comments or on the ProposalSpace Twitter if you end up integrating TikTok into your conference or event and have ideas to share!
It’s worth noting that some government agencies, like the U.S. Army and Navy, ban TikTok on employees’ devices due to security concerns regarding the company’s ownership and perceived ties to the Chinese government. So if your conference or meeting has a significant number of attendees who work for the government, your TikTok user base might not be as extensive.
