Is TikTok the new Google?
Why are younger generations turning to TikTok for their news and online searches?
Move over Google and BBC News, Tik Tok is taking over! For today’s younger generations, specifically, Gen Z (born between 1997 – 2012) TikTok is becoming the first port of call for any information, news, or even education. TikTok has become the go-to search engine for many. It is important for businesses today to channel platforms such as TikTok to engage and resonate with the new consumer.
TikTok has become increasingly popular over the last couple of years, and last year even surpassed Google as the most popular website on the planet, with around 30.8 million active daily users.
Whether they are searching for a new restaurant in the local area, a way to style their new jacket or the answers to their homework, Gen Z are using TikTok to find the answers.
The average user opens TikTok 19 times per day, and Gen Z users are now turning to TikTok more than google for their daily searches and news.
“TikTok’s rise as a discovery tool is part of a broader transformation in digital search. While Google remains the world’s dominant search engine, people are turning to Amazon to search for products, Instagram to stay updated on trends and Snapchat’s Snap Maps to find local businesses. As the digital world continues growing, the universe of ways to find information in it is expanding.” (New York Times)
Google focuses on brands, showing paid search results and successful SEO methods, whereas TikTok is more focused on user-generated content. Each individual user's page is generated by the TikTok algorithm to show them content that best suits them, providing a personalised experience.
Why is TikTok so popular?
The app has a great way of being efficient, intuitive, and accessible, with features such as TikTok shop, where users can click a link directly from a creator’s video and be brought to the website where it is being sold. TikTok has recently introduced a new search feature within comment sections which allows shows users suggested search terms based on the content within the video.
Nearly 40% of Gen Z members prefer TikTok for online searches, according to internal data from Google, which was first reported by TechCrunch.
A key thing to know about Gen Z is that they have a much shorter attention span than previous generations, due to growing up being exposed to an oversaturated amount of media. This means that short-form video is the best way to capture this audience’s attention, which TikTok specialises in.
“Brands need to humanize themselves and appreciate that, unlike most other social media platforms, TikTok was created with the consumer in mind, not as a space for brands to build.”
With changes in user behaviour becoming more apparent, such as consumers appreciating and valuing authenticity and honest opinions, businesses must ensure they capture these aspects of truth within their marketing strategies.
Today’s consumers are well-informed and well connected, with the world a click away they can search for whatever they need and have an answer in a matter of seconds, and TikTok provides millions of short-form video answers.
User Generated Content for fashion brand Motel Rocks
“The school of TikTok has provided a platform for academics, healthcare professionals, lawyers, construction workers, and more to lift the veil on their professions and, in doing so, share a wealth of knowledge that has been previously gatekept or isn’t always easily accessible.”(BuzzFeed news)
The platform has provided a space for anyone and everyone to share their thoughts and opinions, a great example of this is the #learnontiktok campaign. Simple and useful educational content should be easy to access. TikTok decided to make this happen. In May 2020, the platform announced its initiative #LearnOnTikTok, recognising the demand for educational content amongst young people on TikTok.
The initiative provided virtual learning environments and online video tutorials for people across the world.
Like every social media platform, TikTok has its positives and negatives, whilst the positives, such as precise answers, visually pleasing content, and educational information, out way the negatives, the negatives do need a mention. Research suggests that there is a lot of information on TikTok that is misinformed or dishonest, sometimes even inappropriate for younger viewers. The platform is also highly addictive, with data from Qustodio showing children spend an average of 75 minutes per day on TikTok.
Many Gen Z’ers have grown up on social media, and do not know a world without it, this means that it comes as second nature to them, if brands aren’t harnessing the most popular platforms and including it in their marketing strategies, they are missing out on reaching a whole target audience.
Consistency is key on TikTok, posting relevant content every day will increase your chances of going viral! For more information on how to harness TikTok within your marketing strategy read our blog here!
Although TikTok is rising through the ranks and making breakthroughs in the world of search and marketing, we do believe google is safe for now and doesn’t have too much to worry about! With around 4.3 billion people using google in their everyday lives.
Remember to follow us on TikTok @seasdesign & contact us for any business enquiries.