Take TikTok seriously, brands told in Hootsuite talk, as app continues to dominate socials
In the latest Hootsuite webinar Social Trends Hot Takes 2022, marketers have been reminded yet again of the growing significance of TikTok as a key to the hearts and minds of consumers online.
Offering a fresh take on the Social Trends 2022 report released by Hootsuite late last year, Hootsuite’s head of content Sarah Dawley was joined by social listening platform Talkwalker’s head of brand and data storytelling Albane Flamant and user-generated content platform Tint’s VP of marketing Matt Greener to provide their hot takes on the trends and offer an insight into what else might be on the cards in 2022.
Hootsuite’s latest webinar offered new perspectives of its Social Trends 2022 report
While marketers are not yet sold on the effectiveness of TikTok as a marketing platform, TikTok has changed the way content is consumed both on and off the app. Flamant commented that while there is a “shiny new toy” effect with TikTok, the hype surrounding the app offers brands an opportunity to increase engagement with their communities:
“We do see when we listen to consumer conversations, conversations sky rocket when it comes to TikTok. Even if people are not active on it they’re curious to see what happens and we see TikTok content being shared on other platforms and getting really high engagement rates as well.”
With reference to Talkwalker’s own Social Media Trends 2022 e-book, Flamant asserted that Talkwalker expects 2022 will see TikTok take over social media, with other platforms having to adapt. “What we saw is the influence that TikTok has no matter what, even if you’re not on it,” Flamant said.
“I think that as marketers at the end of the day, even if we don’t have an account on TikTok, even if we don’t think it’s the right fit for us, we have to keep understanding what’s happening on there – what content is working.”
While the perceived effectiveness of TikTok did increase year on year, it was still significantly lower than Meta’s Facebook and Instagram.
Social advertisers should also take note of the potential cut-through that can be achieved through taking the content-forward approach favoured by TikTok.
“We’re seeing that social networks like TikTok and Snapchat sort of force brands to get more creative and create ads that mirror and enrich the experience that people are having on those platforms instead of just interrupting it,” said Dawley.
“Not only are marketers finding this to be a very effective way of connecting with audiences and getting more bank for their buck, research is also showing that consumers are a lot more open to ads from brands when they get that right, and especially on these platforms.”
Hootsuite’s Sarah Dawley was joined by Talkwalker’s Albane Flamant and Tint’s Matt Greener
The panel also noted that the way consumers use and interact with social media is changing from a matter of escapism and entertainment to a practical tool that is fully integrated with their everyday lives.
“It’s really interesting to see that because I think it signals this shift away from social being this destination, a place that you go either on your computer or on your phone to being something lot more utilitarian, something that they use to talk to friends, to talk to family, to conduct work, to order things, to buy things, to get customer service; all in one,” Dawley commented.
She noted the impacts this shift will have on advertisers, adding “You’re not just interrupting somebodies spare time as they’re scrolling anymore you’re actually embedding yourself within their everyday life, and almost every facet of life.”
The panel also discussed the recent rise of web 3.0 and the metaverse, to which Greener commented that “ultimately there’s still a lot up in the air”.
“Unless your Gucci or your unless you’re a team with a big budget and a lot of resources to really spend to figure things out you might want to sit out and watch what happens for the next several months and just see where brands are having success,” he added.
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