B2B, meet TikTok

Written by Jack Trew

As an agency, we’re dedicated to delivering the best results for our clients. We do this through Fierce Thinking – challenging convention and finding new, creative solutions to old problems.

Part of this is ensuring that we are incorporating the latest channels into the strategies and creative we create for our clients.

Rise of the creator

The creator economy is not something new - it’s seen significant growth in the last ten years. However, the continued success of TikTok, with its potential for high organic exposure for minimal investment, as well as big players like LinkedIn launching their Creator program mean that creator-led comms should be on every ambitious B2B marketer’s agenda for 2023. If only to experiment with, and understand what communities their audience are engaging with and why.

For B2B companies (whose offerings are often complicated and niche), creator-led platforms like TikTok allow deep participation in target communities giving them an amazing opportunity to gain insights that can help guide messaging and product development to maximise leads. It also means a chance to build brand differentiation, helping brands cut through in a landscape that is so often worried about not doing something wrong, that they don’t do something right.

Reaching the Buying Unit

The inevitable question is ‘are my audience on TikTok?’ - and the answer is a qualified yes - it differs from industry to industry, but it’s more likely than you think..

The perception of TikTok for those who aren’t active on it is that it’s for Gen Z, but 73.6% of daily users are older than 24 and 42% are over 35.

In addition, on a global level, TikTok is the third-most used platform on a daily basis for both Primary Decision Makers and Influencers within the Decision Making Unit (39.4% of this cohort use it daily, behind WhatsApp on 41.8% and Facebook on 42.7%). When we compare this to more traditional channels like trade press or LinkedIn (~15%), there is a clear reach opportunity.

However, it’s one thing for your audience to be on the platform, and another to engage and intrigue them in a way that drives leads but also builds equity in your brand.

We believe that B2B brands need to think differently, more fiercely. This means experimenting with and embracing the new. Otherwise your competitors are going to get their first.

TikTok has the potential to allow B2B brands to reach new markets in a more human and engaging way than ever before. But it needs to be done right.

That’s why The Croc is launching the first TikTok proposition focused solely on B2B clients.

Our approach

An effective plan for TikTok, as with all channels, boils down to a balance of strategy and tactics, and our dedicated studio is able to assist with both. In addition to helping you answer the bigger questions regarding content strategy, success metrics and how this fits into your broader marketing mix, we can also advise on specific communities, trends and techniques that can maximise engagement.

The key questions we can help you answer are:

Why TikTok?

We can provide an overview of the platform, how it is being used effectively by brands and how it can help you achieve your broader objectives - be they brand-building, demand generation or tactical activations around recruitment campaigns or trade shows.

How do I reach my audience?

TikTok has an array of targeting possibilities, however these are best used in conjunction with additional research to deliver the insightful content that works best on the platform. We use a combination of quantitative insight tools like Global Web Index and qualitative desk research to determine which audiences and communities you should pursue to maximise exposure to the Decision Making Unit and how best to reach them from an organic and paid media perspective.

What should I be saying?

We will work with you to determine the key overarching messages you want to land with your target audience, structuring these into content pillars to help you and your team gauge which trends and topics provide the best opportunity to land your message. We can also work with you to work out a strategy for production and posting so that you can stay ahead of the game.

How should I say it?

We can help you to create your own content or create videos on your behalf, either through our in-house content creation studio or by partnering with relevant influencers from our influencer network. Either way, we’ll leverage our expertise to ensure your content feels native to the platform and capitalises on the latest trends.

How can I tell if it’s working?

We understand that B2B marketing comes down to results. That’s why we will work with you to define a clear success framework and measurement plan based on your objectives to focus on what’s working best for your brand and, ultimately, maximise the return on your investment.

Think Fierce

If you’re as excited as we are about the prospect of challenging category norms to create cut-through communications then get in touch below and let’s chat.

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