Here’s Why Your TikTok Marketing is Failing

Once a fun video-sharing app about lip-syncing and comedy skits, TikTok has grown into a promising marketing channel for businesses out there.

With more than 1 billion monthly active users, it'd be much easier for marketers to get their messages across and catch more eyeballs. No wonder more and more businesses jump into the TikTok marketing bandwagon and invest in marketing campaigns.

That said, all those billion users still mean zero chance if you don't do it right. Some marketers might have thought that they already have a great strategy, only to find out that their TikTok marketing campaign doesn't bring the result they want.

If you're one of those people and you're scratching your head about what went wrong, here are some possible explanations.

Understanding the TikTok platform

Every social media platform is different. If you want to be successful in marketing your business on TikTok, you need to understand how the platform works first.

Gen Z is dominating

More than half (60%) of TikTok's users are aged 16 to 24. Those younger generations are savvy, curious, and have their own expectations and approaches to brands.

This means that you need to change your strategy if you're targeting another age group. The content, the tone, and everything else will be different. Failing to understand this will result in a failed campaign.

Users have an extremely short attention span

The average TikTok user spends around 52 minutes on the app every day. This means that they're scrolling through a lot of content and only stopping for a few seconds to watch each video.

This is why your video needs to be attention-grabbing and interesting enough to make them stop and watch it until the end. Otherwise, you'll just be another scroll.

Users use the platform for entertainment

TikTok is all about entertainment. Users go on the app to watch funny videos, dance challenges, and other creative content. This is why your content needs to be entertaining as well. No one wants to watch a boring ad masquerading as a TikTok video.

It's a home for influencers

TikTok is also a place where influencers can grow their following and share their content. This is why working with them should be part of your TikTok marketing strategy. They already have a huge following that you can tap into.

7 Reasons why your TikTok marketing strategy doesn't do well

Of course, it takes a lot of effort to build a successful TikTok marketing strategy. However, there are some marketers who still don't see the results they want, even after putting in a lot of work.

Some of them just want to tap into the trend by simply being there. Others put up too much content. They themselves can't even manage it.

There could be many reasons for this, but here are some of the most common ones:

1. Your videos are too salesy

The number one reason your TikTok marketing strategy might not work is that you use the content to purely brag about how great your products are and how the users will end up miserable for not buying them.

High-performing TikTok marketing content should always focus on providing value to the users. Whether it's entertaining them, educating them, or both, your content should be about something other than selling your product.

2. Your videos are too long

Remember how we said that TikTok users have a short attention span? This means that you need to make your videos as short and concise as possible.

The ideal length for a TikTok video is around 15 seconds. Anything longer than that will lose the users' attention-- YouTube videos are fine, but not on TikTok.

3. You don't really know your audience

TikTok can be an extremely helpful marketing channel if you target younger generations. But, if you have professionals or boomers as your target audience, then you're better off using another platform, like LinkedIn or Facebook, for example. If your target audiences aren't there in the first place, then how can you expect to get any results?

4. Stick to one single strategy for way too long

Trends come and go on TikTok. One day we talk about Squid Games. The next day we talked about the Renegade Dance. This is why you need to be flexible with your content and be able to switch up your strategy whenever necessary. If you stick to one single strategy, you'll quickly become outdated and irrelevant.

5. You're being too serious

TikTok marketing videos should always be fun and light-hearted. This is not the platform for serious or heavy topics. If you try to force it, you'll only end up alienating your audience.

Share some videos that put a face on your brand. Behind the scene videos, ASMR packing orders, a day in the life of your teams in different departments or divisions-- anything that gives users a glimpse into who you are as a company.

6. All your videos look the same

Your TikTok marketing strategy might also not be working because all your videos look exactly the same.

This is why it's important to experiment with different formats, lengths, and styles. By mixing things up, you'll be able to understand what actually works well for you to keep your audience engaged and wanting more.

7. The strategy ends once the content is uploaded

TikTok marketing strategy is so much more than content production. You can't put content one after another and cross your fingers to hope that it will appear on the FYP.

You need to continue promoting it through other channels, like your website or social media platforms. You also need to track your analytics to see how well your videos are performing and make changes accordingly.

The bottom line

No matter how promising and on-demand a marketing channel is, there will always be a chance that it might not work for you and your business. It's important to understand the platform you're using and to create content that is in line with the trends.

By doing this, you'll be able to increase your chances of success and reach your target audience more effectively. Remember that any social media marketing strategy requires time, effort, and consistency to bring you the expected result.