The TikTok Algorithm, the Ban and How Marketers Think

Let’s learn #TikTok algorithm and how marketers think.

The “algorithm” here means what type of videos TIKTOK automatically prioritizes to show you (Tiktok Algorithm)

When you install Tiktok, you mostly get content consumed and liked by the people in that region.
So the dance moves you see are enjoyed by the society you live in. Want a break? Leave that region. But I’m not sure if there is a land where only wise people live. Being “wise” is more important than being “educated.”

But the algorithm doesn’t stop there; it then starts learning your behavior of watching and scrolling videos. If you keep watching those dance moves (that you so hate but still watch), the Tiktok algorithm will keep showing you more of it. BUT – if you don’t care and scroll the video up, the Tiktok algorithm will throw different types of videos to see what kind of content you enjoy. You can also report to Tiktok that you don’t want to see any specific type of video, but where’s the fun, eh?

So if I enjoy and consume posts related to “PUBG” game plays on Tiktok, most of the content I’d see would be gameplays of other PUBG players. But the moment I stop and watch a dance move, the algorithm will pick that up and start showing me a mix of those.

People who keep telling they haven’t learned anything from Tiktok might not have explored the platform or followed influential people there. You can search content through hashtags such as #socialmediatips, #startupadvice, etc. Information given within 1 min is crisp and to the point. The more you go through those, Tiktok will start showing you good quality content. I know tons of people doing great work on Tiktok, but that’s for you to discover (when the ban is over).

One more thing, no one can claim they fully understand the algorithm of any social media platform but can experiment and learn. For example, do posts having images work better than plain text to increase FB reach, or does a shorter text work better than longer text, etc.

Another question that people love asking is “quality” of content on TikTok when compared with other social platforms, Youtube, Snapchat, Instagram etc.?

They are the same! When Snapchat started getting popular, people said it’s used for all the wrong reasons (I don’t want to go into details here), but people started using it for all the right reasons too. Ban Snapchat? Most of Snapchat users moved to Instagram as Facebook introduced stories there, but you get my point. Do you not see “disturbing images for kids” when you hit the “search” icon on Instagram? There is no social media platform where you’d be free from disturbing content because, in the end, it’s the people who generate content on all platforms!

Want to change that, educate the younger generation, and find means to make them “wise”!

Many wannabe influencers who couldn’t catch up with Tiktok influencer fame or got viral still hate the platform for their egoistic reasons. Either they couldn’t be consistent on Tiktok or experimented enough, giving up saying, “only if we were girls or danced we could be viral on Tiktok” To them, I see, keep working hard.

There is one rule for marketers: go where the audience is and bombard that platform with your smarter ad strategies! And when the boom of that platform is over, jump to a newer one!

Real marketers don’t fall in love with any platform.
They have no love or hate relationship with any of the social platforms. They learn, experiment, and help people during their journey.

Some people made money by selling their products to millennials through TINDER and scraping that data.
(But I know you all aren’t ready for this story yet, never mind)

You can disagree with my opinion. I’ll still love you as we all can see things differently, and that’s what I love the most!

For Govt: The ban is not the solution.
For Tiktok: People aren’t smart enough to filter content they don’t like yet consume. The moderation level should be enhanced or automated.

I hope both parties sit and resolve this issue, so Facebook still has a competitor in the social media space. Competition is excellent as it gives a chance to innovate. In the past, whenever a new platform came in, Facebook either bought it or nearly killed it.

I hope we set ourselves as examples for our younger generation to follow and get inspired!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *