TikTok and the Built Environment

Social Media

‘TikTok is a fun social channel that’s only really for young people, right? It’s of no benefit to my construction business!’ This is a statement we often hear, because let’s face it, many of us (especially of a certain age) associate TikTok with the funny and amusing videos that were lighting up our phones during lockdowns - whether it was Olly Murs playing practical jokes on his now fiancé, or celebrities sharing their newly created dance routines.

Things have certainly moved on since TikTok’s initial launch in September 2016. The social channel is now the world’s most popular short-form video app and has reached over 1 billion monthly active users. It’s caught the attention of some of the world’s biggest brands and shows no sign of slowing down. But despite its clear popularity, can it be used to benefit construction and property businesses? Let’s find out…

PLATFORM DEMOGRAPHIC

So, which age groups are actually using TikTok? According to statistics, the age of global TikTok users vary from 10 to 50+, with

25% aged between 10 and 19 years old
22.4% are between 20-29 years
21.7% are aged between 30-39
20.3% of users are 40 to 49 years old, and
people over the age of 50 make up the remaining 11%.

Source: explodingtopics.com

CREATING OPPORTUNITIES

With the construction industry struggling to attract new talent and the younger generation, could this platform play a key role in trying to convince young people that construction is a good career choice? We think so, especially when the average user spends 95 minutes on TikTok per day!

Currently, there is not an abundance of construction-related content on TikTok, so this is a prime opportunity for businesses and key industry figures to create videos to change this, along with any negative conceptions of the industry. Given the breadth of what construction and the built environment offers, there are endless opportunities for creating engaging video content that will help attract this particular audience.

Fabrick’s social media team for example recently created a video from our trip to the Big 5 exhibition in Dubai where we offered an insight into the iconic, newly built, One Za'Abeel. It quickly reached 25,000 views in a very short space of time and is continuing to grow in popularity, thanks to an incredibly powerful algorithm.

SALES vs LIKES

Some cynics may say “That’s great, but likes don’t get you sales!” Well, yes and no. Social media provides brand awareness and a strong online presence. It can get your brand in front of millions of people within a very short space of time. It allows you to illustrate your brand’s personality and communicate specific messages to specific audiences at specific times. It gives you the opportunity to directly engage with your audience, and with TikTok having an average engagement rate of 4.25%, compared to Instagram’s 0.6%, that’s pretty good.

THE ALGORITHM

So how does TikTok work? It’s all about the algorithm!

TikTok defines its algorithm as “A stream of videos curated to your interests, making it easy to find content and creators you love … powered by a recommendation system that delivers content to each user that is likely to be of interest to that particular user.”

This means that users won’t see the same videos appear on their For You page and videos will change with your preferences – this all helps keep users engaged with the platform, and if we’re honest slightly addicted!

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CONTENT

So, what content should your built environment business look to produce?

This will depend on your overall objectives and what you’re looking to achieve from TikTok, but it should be informative, entertaining content that resonates with your audience. For example, contractors could showcase health and safety demonstrations or capture the viewpoints of their apprentices; product manufacturers could illustrate the installation or particular aspects of a product, architects could show unusual aspects or features of a project, the list goes on.

As a business, short-form videos can be great for recruitment, addressing misconceptions, raising awareness, showcasing team members and interesting projects, taking users behind-the-scenes, illustrating a business’s culture, commitments, personality etc.

STRATEGIC APPROACH

Whatever TikTok video content you decide to produce, you need to ensure that it fits within your business’s content marketing strategy. TikTok, or the overall use of social media, should not be done in isolation. It is only one element of the marketing funnel. It should be viewed as a supporting mechanism for creating new business opportunities.

WHAT HAS FABRICK LEARNT FROM OUR TIKTOK EXPERIENCE?

Fabrick has not long launched its TikTok channel, but we’re already getting hooked. We’ve created different types of content to showcase the various aspects of Fabrick and are quickly developing a following. We will keep you updated with our progress, and recommendations, but in the meantime check out our TikTok channel for yourself and let us know what you think. Will you be joining the TikTok sensation?