It’s not news that TikTok is all the rage, but should your school be on TikTok producing organic content, running ads, or both?
That’s the question we tackle in this post.
TikTok’s Popularity Explosion
TikTok has over one billion monthly active users, and it continues to grow, with eight new users joining every second (650,000 new users per day!).
For the third year, TikTok was the most downloaded app of 2022, hitting 656 million downloads, 100 million more than Instagram, which took second place. It’s also the sixth most-used social platform in the world.
TikTok is also more popular than Instagram among Gen Z users (born between 1997 and 2012) in the United States, with 37.3 million users (compared to Instagram’s 33.3 million). Plus, 40% of TikTok users aren’t on Facebook, and 63% aren’t on Twitter! That means if you want to reach Gen Z, TikTok’s got to be a part of the mix.
What about Instagram, you say? Yes, of course, there’s Instagram. Still, more and more, our data shows that users who convert see your ads and content multiple times across multiple platforms, so just being on Meta and Google, is just the beginning of a successful strategy.
The numbers are impressive, but more meaningful is that TikTok is the top-grossing app in terms of consumer spending. In 2021, it soared past 2.5 billion dollars in consumer spending.
TikTok for Organic Reach
Where do your prospective students search for information about schools and educational programs? Did you say Google? Of course, some do, but younger generations are now turning to social platforms like TikTok to search before or instead of Google. If you’re not creating content for TikTok, you’re missing out on valuable opportunities to get found. Based on your videos’ titles and captions, they can be found when a user searches on TikTok. Is your content there?
What’s great about TikTok is that, as it’s still a fairly young platform, it’s easier to get organic reach. While you might publish a reel on Facebook or Instagram only to hear crickets, the same content on TikTok is likely to get more likes and comments thanks to TikTok’s algorithm (for now).
Prospective students also look you up on social to size you up and see what you are all about as an institution. If you’re not there when they look you up on TikTok, you’ve missed an opportunity to connect with them where they searched and make an impression that puts your school’s personality forward.
Plus, you can boost your organic content on TikTok relatively cheaply to drive awareness and build your community.
In the example, below, you can see the results that show up if a user searches on TikTok for “Canadian Universities.”
Should Schools Run TikTok Ads in 2023?
We’ve been testing TikTok ads for clients, and the results are promising. In the 18-24 age range, the quantity of potential leads continues to grow. Luckily, the cost per lead has been comparable or cheaper on average than other paid social ad platforms, such as Meta.
And since numerous users aged 18-24 have made TikTok their primary social media as well as search engine, it will become harder to reach them if you only advertise on the typical channels like Google and Meta.
If you’re not running ads on TikTok, you’re leaving opportunities to reach potential students that your competitors will take advantage of.
Another benefit of TikTok is the low overall competition compared to other platforms, as many schools and institutions are only now becoming aware of the platform. Get in early and see what it can do for your school!
Your TikTok ads should, of course, complement your organic posts on the platform. With organic and paid TikTok working together, you can also remark to users who engage with your content to turn viewers into leads.
Director of Business Development
