The rise and rise of TikTok
2020 is synonymous with a few things: lockdown, banana bread, the wonderful NHS, Zoom quizzes... TikTok.
I won’t offend you by generalising that if you’re over 35, then you won’t have a clue what I’m talking about. However, a high proportion of TikTok’s users are skewed towards Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) and Gen Z (born in or after 1997). It’s become the platform for short-form, mobile, shareable video. Its mission is “to inspire creativity and bring joy.”
Short-form video – between 15 and 60 seconds – is catchy. TikTok makes it almost too easy to share its videos everywhere, too, which contributes to the amount of viral content. If you WhatsApp a TikTok to a friend, for example, they don’t need the app to watch it. Tiktok’s inception as Music. ly means that it is, ultimately, a music-first platform. You can create video to a huge library of popular songs, from chart-toppers to classical pieces.
TikTok has been credited with the chart resurgence of some songs, such as the 1977 Fleetwood Mac hit Dreams. This same TikTok is also credited by cranberry juice brand Ocean Spray for a huge bump in sales and brand recognition for its cran-raspberry juice – it’s simple to latch onto and “remix” TikTok trends. Creating voiceovers for your video, or unique “sounds” for other users to use in their own creations, is just as straightforward, for users who wish to tell stories or create guides.
Every tribe can be found on TikTok, from car culture to cleaning enthusiasts. Skincare TikTok is huge, and aesthetic clinics are starting to get involved in trends and challenges, as well as create their own unique content. It’s one of the hottest apps in the world, and if your clinic is looking to target a younger audience, then posting on TikTok is a great way of getting their attention.
Businesses are succeeding on TikTok because of the blended nature of the feed; users get a mix of content from users they follow, content which has gone viral, and ads. Organic reach is high on TikTok; advertising is also integrated, but TikTok itself currently says to businesses: “Don’t make ads, make TikToks”. As the platform matures, as the big social networks already have, organic reach will probably decline, so clinics should experiment and strike while the iron’s hot.
TIKTOK FOR CLINICS: A HOW-TO GUIDE
If you’re TikTok-curious, first you’ll need to download the app. I recommend setting up a profile and browsing the platform first; get inspiration, find accounts to follow, like and comment on videos you enjoy.
Pressing the “+” in the app will take you to the creation tool. You can choose between 60s, 15s, or to use a template to create your video. Effects allow you to “greenscreen” pictures from your camera roll behind you as a sort of filter. You can also upload pictures straight from your camera roll to show them as they are.
There are a number of added features such as Speed (to speed up or shoot in slow motion), an AR beauty filter, a handy timer if you want a countdown before the app starts recording, and a huge selection of filters.
Then It’s time to hit record! If you haven’t set a timer, you’ll have to hold the button. When you stop holding, if you haven’t completed your video, you can reframe and shoot a second clip, and so on until done or you have completed your TikTok. You’ll be able to trim your clips and add stickers, music and voiceovers as well as your captions and hashtags after this.
IDEAS FOR YOUR CLINIC-TOK
What should you post on TikTok? Whatever you want to share!
Whether you’re creating for your business or looking to post from a personal brand perspective, there’s lots of short video content out there to create. Here are some ideas to start you off:
• Get a patient’s consent to have a treatment filmed. You can speed this up to 3x in TikTok, or just film small parts of the treatment
• Sharing skincare routines and make-up tutorials from a personal perspective to a trending song is very popular
• A day in the life: take clips from when you wake to when you get home from clinic. Behind-the-scenes documenting is a great way of creating content without having to put in much thought or planning
• Education is vital in aesthetics. You should be able to explain each of your treatments or services within 30 seconds. You can also explain conditions you treat, too. Thirdly, you could dispel myths around aesthetics or bad practice
• Clinical skills such as suturing are seen as “oddly satisfying” on TikTok
• Transformations have the chance to go viral. Make sure your patient consents to a video before and after first, and let them know exactly where it will be posted
• Now you have the TikTok app and are browsing, why not see what is trending in the discover tab and see if you can put your own take on what’s hot, such as dances and challenges.
Users often leave questions in TikTok comments. You can create video replies to these, which is a good way to further share your education and knowledge. In educational TikToks, I recommend leaving a clear CTA (call to action) to encourage follow-on questions.
Linear storytelling, where you build to a climax and then CTA is great, but the first few seconds of your video might not be the perfect eyecatcher to attract taps. Try starting with a two to four-second look at the main point of your video (e.g. the completed treatment, a statement about a product, or the key takeaway of your education), then film the rest of your video from the start and build again to this point.
DON’T JUST SHARE TO TIKTOK
In previous AM articles I’ve shared how cross-posting content can save you valuable time when it comes to social media marketing. When you make a TikTok, it doesn’t mean it can’t also be posted on your Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram account. You can even embed TikToks on your website; writing longer-form blogs around the video you just made will not only bring new visitor eyes to your videos who don’t have TikTok, but it could also help with your ranking on search engines.
Reels by Instagram is a competitor to TikTok, launched with the objective of taking traffic back onto Instagram by delivering a similar user experience. You could use this as an alternative. However, Reels allows you to import pre-recorded clips into its editor, meaning you can save your TikTok creations to your phone and re-upload to Reels in seconds. Instagram rewards accounts which utilise their newest features (Stories, IGTV, shopping) with a bigger reach, so this is worth considering when you set up your TikTok account.
TIKTOK CONTROVERSIES
TikTok doesn’t come without its share of controversy. The app was going to be banned in the US, with downloads halted and the service set to be shut down in the States, due to data and security concerns. These bans were put on hold although the app is still at risk in the US as of 12 November.
Dangerous beauty “hacks” have emerged on TikTok, including home mole removal, DIY chemical peels, teeth bleaching and even DIY microneedling. Instead of slamming the platform, reporting dangerous content, commenting on posts which spread misinformation, and “drowning it out” with valid expert advice is a positive approach to this new media. TikTok says it’s committed to removing videos which could lead to harm and encourages reporting to community moderators.
ACCOUNTS TO CHECK OUT
For research and inspiration, there are lots of US, Canadian and Australian medics using the platform. Clinic360, barrettplasticsurgery, skinbydrazi and drsarmelasunder are accounts to check out. Of course, advertising standards and codes of conduct may differ in these countries, so do consider this before jumping into TikTok. Are you a clinic or practitioner getting good traction on TikTok? Share your videos with Aesthetic Medicine via social media.
Alex Bugg works for Web Marketing Clinic, a family-run digital agency, which specialises in medical aesthetics. They build websites and deliver award-winning marketing campaigns for doctors, nurses, dentists, distributors and aesthetic brands. Contact her: [email protected] or follow her on Instagram: @webmarketingclinic