With over 800 million active users worldwide, it’s not a stretch to say TikTok has grown to be one of the most popular and influential social media platforms since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Usually known for its dance videos, funny lip-syncing and storytimes, TikTok has morphed into something that means so much more. From environmental issues and political activism to social justice movements, TikTok users are moving toward sharing and consuming information on important issues.
In December, I attended “TikTok for nonprofits: A secret weapon to drive your cause,” a workshop led by Anthony Shop, Social Driver co-founder and National Digital Roundtable chairman, to learn more about how non-profits and similar organizations can take advantage of these trends.
Featuring Brett Peters, the education and philanthropy partnership lead at TikTok, this workshop offered best practices, insider information and an invigorating outline for succeeding on the platform. What I learned is TikTok is so much more than just the funny videos I usually see; this shift toward more important issues shows TikTik’s audience is craving more, and your organization can provide it.
How? Using the hashtag #LearnOnTikTok.
There is an entire community of people and organizations on TikTok striving to educate the public and learn about passions and projects. This is where associations and other membership organizations can come in. As a group of people who are already purpose-driven and focused on supporting important causes, organizations providing content to teach generations of people on TikTok is not a far stretch.
In fact, thousands of people and organizations are already doing it. #LearnOnTikTok is one of the newest hashtags used for teaching and sharing important information. With over 54.9 billion views, this hashtag is more than just a current trend. Erica Thompson, @TexasBeeWorks, has been sharing videos on the importance of honeybees and safely removing them from nuisance areas, while Dr. Richard Brown, @TheRealTikTokDoc, has shared behind-the-scenes details from his practice as a plastic surgeon and answering questions from the public.
According to Peters, there are two types of effective learning content associations and other organizations can implement for their TikTok strategy: instructional, actionable content and thought-provoking, mythbusting, perception changing or surprising content.
As you may already know, having actionable steps within your content tends to boost engagement. That’s because instructional and easy-to-follow content makes your audience pay closer attention. Contractor @winnidesigns gained over 800,000 followers and 13.4 million likes from his how-to videos, tile installations and hacks for DIY home projects.
TikTok user @Raquelolsson is no stranger to producing thought-provoking, perception-changing content by specializing in psychology hacks. Her 1.6 million followers diligently watch as she shares information about high-functioning anxiety, how to identify toxic people and types of people dealing with imposter syndrome.
Keeping these strategies in mind when creating your own TikTok videos will help increase your effectiveness and visibility in the learning community. Peters also said experimentation and personalization are key to developing a good TikTok strategy. Remember: Like other social media communities, people on TikTok want to hear from YOU, not from who you think they want you to be.
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