Thread by @ljin18

In the past few weeks, @lilashroff and I have spent *many* hours both watching + making TikToks.

The end result: 14K+ followers in 2 weeks, and learnings about how startups should leverage the platform, which we wrote up in this blog post 👇

li-jin.co/2021/01/27/we-…

It's clear that businesses that figure out how to leverage TikTok will have an advantage in cultivating user trust and efficiently acquiring customers.

As of mid-2020, TikTok had 50M daily actives in the US. Businesses—from solopreneurs to public companies—have seen success.

Excitingly for startups, TikTok is designed with a more level playing field on which newcomers can succeed.

TikTok’s FYP purposefully surfaces videos from even little-known accounts. That means startups can create content that quickly grows.

There are a few areas where TikTok really excels for startups:

1. Building user trust and buy-in
2. Driving awareness of new products and services
3. Creating buzz around a category
4. Getting user feedback and creating a two-way dialogue

1. Building user trust and buy-in

Because TikTok is video-based, it’s naturally conducive to storytelling instead of simply shilling products. Showing authenticity, excitement, and passion can help make users feel bought into your success and want to support your journey.

Examples: @monetdating, @tabtabapp, Flox

tiktok.com/@joanna.shan/v…
tiktok.com/@victordanielc…
tiktok.com/@flox.app/vide…

2. Driving awareness of new products and services

From our own survey of 150 Gen Zers, over half of TikTok users have downloaded an app or visited a website they discovered through the app, and more than one-third have purchased a product.

Companies can use TikTok to show off their products in a way that doesn’t feel overly commercial or transactional. Think: cool demo videos, product walk-throughs, tutorials.

Examples - @usehonk, @breathwrk, @aavia_io

tiktok.com/@usehonk/video…
tiktok.com/@breathwrk/vid…
tiktok.com/@aavia.io/vide…

3. Creating buzz around a category

TikTok’s algorithm surfaces content, however niche, that users may find interesting. That means it’s a great place to create buzz around an entire category or educate users regarding a certain topic.

Once users are interested in your category, companies can suggest related products/services that users are likely to be interested in.

Examples: @pricelesstayy, @bysandylin, @tryplugd, @chris__lu @PaulYacoubian

tiktok.com/@get.plugd/vid…
tiktok.com/@copy.ai/video…

4. Getting user feedback and creating a two-way dialogue

Creating content on TikTok is a great lightweight way to test ideas. Before even building out a product, startups can gauge reception to a concept via TikTok.

Examples: @alihowardd, @JohnHeezy

tiktok.com/@herd.app/vide…
tiktok.com/@herd.app/vide…

Check out more examples in the post & all the amazing community responses here:

https://twitter.com/ljin18/status/1343699470358294528

And if this is intriguing and you’d like to tap into TikTok for your brand/startup but don't know where to start, join our network!

Fill out our form and we’ll share the creator directory with you: airtable.com/shrOVjnPgUFWSl…

If you’re a creator looking for opportunities to work with startups/brands, fill out this form and we’ll share your profile! airtable.com/shrL2zwMQm48oB…

Questions? Comments? Experiences to share? We're chatting about this tonight at 7pm ET / 4pm PT on @joinClubhouse!

@bysandylin @pricelesstayy @chris__lu @blondgoblin @LilaShroff

joinclubhouse.com/event/VmJwrJnP