The social media app TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform right now with over 1.6 billion users. It is especially popular with school-aged kids. The question is, should your school have a TikTok account and be producing organic content or running paid advertisements? 

How Popular Is TikTok?

If you are considering making a TikTok account and wondering about the benefits of TikTok for schools, it might help to understand the audience you can reach. TikTok has been the most downloaded app for three straight years. With over 1.6 billion users, 650,000 new users join each day, with an average of eight new users joining every second. TikTok is especially popular among Gen Z, or people born between 1997 and 2012. If you want to reach Gen Z, who are kids in school, TikTok is the best way to do it. 40% of TikTok users do not have Facebook and 63% do not have Twitter. TikTok is not only the most downloaded social media platform but also the top-grossing app in terms of consumer spending with over $2.5 billion in spending each year. 

Using TikTok For Organic Reach

If you are trying to reach prospective students looking for more information about schools and education programs, search engines are one option, but TikTok is an increasingly popular search option for younger generations. This is where utilizing TikTok for schools can be extremely valuable. Creating unique content about your institution provides a unique opportunity to reach and be seen by a new audience. If you wisely title and caption your videos, users will see your video organically based on what they are searching for. Because TikTok is so popular and users are so active, your videos are much more likely to get views and comments than content posted on Facebook or Instagram would. Students can look you up by your account, or find you searching for related topics, and you can connect with prospective students. It is the cheapest way to reach a wide audience and show off your school’s personality. 

Should Schools Run Ads on TikTok?

Should running paid ads be part of your TikTok marketing strategy? As the amount of potential leads continues to increase, the cost-per-click rate is cheaper on average compared to other social media platforms. If you are not utilizing TikTok to run ads, you are leaving countless opportunities to reach potential students that do not use other paid ad platforms. While most schools have been slow to react to the TikTok bandwagon, your school will have much less competition if you get in early and capitalize on a platform that is much more popular among users, but less popular among competitors. When you use organic posts together with paid ads, you can engage a whole new audience and attract new students to your school.

Social Media Management for Education Institutions

If you are looking to turn prospective students into your new students, then turn to beMarketing for all of your content marketing and social media management services. Our team is experts at maximizing social media for schools to help you increase your enrollment, improve your reputation, and boost school spirit. We work to get more eyes on your school, more traffic to your website, and showcase all the things that make your school special and how prospective students can benefit from attending your institution. If you are looking to implement a TikTok marketing strategy for your school, or just improve your overall social media presence, call beMarketing today to learn more about how we can help you.