SHOULD MY FASHION BUSINESS BE ON TIK TOK?

The question on every brand’s mind right now!

Are Fashion brands even on Tik Tok? Is there a place for stylists?

Read on for our thoughts on the Tik Tok hype here at Style Up Social Academy. 

You have probably read the stats and been blown away by the numbers. Tik Tok is a massive Social Media platform right now. It was the second biggest download in the App Store and Google Play in 2019, just after What’s App. Most of that came from Q4 when it spiked massively. That’s a lot of downloads in a short space of time.

It also has over 500 million users across the globe (Datareportal, 2019) and the UK is on the rise. So for a fairly new Social Media platform, the growth is huge. 

With those type of numbers and that type of spike, it was only right that we did our research swotted up and researched the trend so we knew if we needed to be on it, and more importantly, will you need need to be on it?

And the answer to that is yes, definitely! Maybe not all brands. But there is definitely a place for stylists, and some fashion brands to get on there and get creative.  It’s a place to experiment with some really fun and engaging content. The platform spiked a new content trend for 2020 which is all about being a content creator again and not just cropping still images of our outfits and products!

You will still be pretty early to the game if you start now and master the app. Although it’s big news in the world of social not everyone is on there yet.

So what is Tik Tok? 

Tik Tok is a social networking site based purely on video content. Short-form video content from 15 seconds to 1 minute. You create in-app or can upload externally but the in-app edit tools are really, really good! There is a lot of dancing, a lot of miming and lip-syncing, but delve a bit deeper and there is even more to Tik Tok.  It has the feel-good factor, it’s a lot of fun and its seriously addictive!

Gen Z is without a doubt the biggest group of users right now.  So if this is your target audience then you seriously need to get over there to market to your audience.  The Xennials and Gen Y, however, are really upping their game and are showing up. You only have to search for the #Over30 #Over40 hashtag to see that.

Fashion brands are definitely heading over to Tik Tok too. Some of the big luxury brands are creating some cool videos and some used influencers to take over their channels and run hashtag challenges across LFW and NYFW. You won’t see many sponsored posts yet on the platform.  Sponsored posts are for the really big players and big brands which is rather refreshing right now. UGC is more of Tik Tok’s style right now, but word on the street is that advertising on the platform won’t take long.

How do I start?

Well if you haven’t already then download the app!

Turn your profile into a pro account and get to work setting up your bio. Any Social Media user should be able to do this easily. You can’t share a link to your website just yet but this is coming. You can, however, share content to your Instagram and YouTube channels and share these to your profile which is fun.

It’s fairly easy to navigate. The best thing about Tik Tok is the two feeds you navigate between. The ‘For You’ and ‘Following’ Page. The ‘For You’ page is Tik Tok’s suggestions of the type of content it thinks you will enjoy based on your activity. The same theory applies as it does on Instagram. Get likes, comments, shares and save and your content ranks higher on the for You Page for more to see, except people don’t need to be following you to consume your content here. The more ‘loops’ your video gets the higher the engagement. The Following page is the same as your feed on Instagram or other platforms, a feed of all the accounts you are actually following

As for Hashtags, they’re used the same way and with the same importance that you would give them on Instagram. Save them, follow trending hashtags and use them to search for the right type of content. You can also save them all to your favourites along with music and effects. The filters and effects are pretty epic!

Should I be on it? 

If you want to be ahead of the curve and you are up for being super creative with your video skills to raise brand awareness then head over and jump on board, you’ll love the ride, even if it’s just to gain some inspiration for content. Many brands are using the creator tools to simply post on Instagram. We predict big things for the fashion industry and we love a new trend! 

In terms of the fashion brands on there, the high street stores and e-commerce brands are heading over, think Asos, Shein and Topshop. The beauty brands such as Mac, Lush and Benefit are there and some of the luxury brands such as Dolce and Gabanna, Missoni and Gucci. They are all there to gain brand awareness right now. Engaging their followers with behind the scenes fun, video content with trending music and hashtag challenges. 

If you have a young target audience then it’s definitely a yes from us, however, some of those bigger brands are using it to reach a whole new audience and it’s paying off.  As for you stylists, we believe the creator tools will help you stand out when showcasing your services and outfit selections. 

Don’t forget to drop us a comment below and let us know your thoughts and questions.  

Come follow us on Instagram and join our free facebook group where we are helping and empowering fashion businesses daily with their Social Media and Content Marketing! 

Love Verity and Kate x ⚡️