Have you been seeing the notifications “__ is on TikTok Notes” on your TikTok lately, and like us a few weeks ago, had no clue what “TikTok Notes” was? If your answer is yes, by the end of this blog you’ll have the rundown on what TikTok Notes is and whether it’s a suitable tool for your business’s marketing. We’ll also give you some post ideas to help you get your content strategies in the works for if it becomes more mainstream.
What is TikTok Notes?
TikTok Notes feels a lot like a cross between TikTok photo posts, Pinterest and Instagram stories. The platform is dedicated to sharing photos and still posts with text. Adopting a similar strategy to how Meta rolled out Threads, TikTok Notes was slowly introduced in April, and also syncs to your pre-existing TikTok account (instead of you having to make a new one).
According to a TikTok spokesperson, TikTok Notes serves as a space for users to create and share their creativity. With TikTok seemingly leading the way in fresh and creative content, this is leaving us eagerly checking the app to see what new ideas users will come up with. However, the more we scroll through the app, the more it seems like the TikTok Notes’ marketing team might be doing the same as us – waiting to see how people utilise the platform, rather than setting it out for them. This makes it seem like they are utilising an organic marketing strategy of seeing what best suits their users. They have also been requesting feedback from a few users on their experience, and inviting them to answer follow up questions if applicable.
This strategy also might be because it targets primarily Gen Z, and Alpha who typically are the most innovative when it comes to driving the online space. So what does this mean in terms of the marketing strategy behind the platform?
The reason hasn’t been clarified, but the app is currently only available in Canada and Australia during its “limited testing” period. So possibly, with looming threats to ban TikTok in the US (which has the highest number of users) they are attempting to reach more people in other countries with high users so they don’t see a big loss in profit if the ban goes ahead.
How can it benefit your brand?
Now could be a good time for brands and marketers to see how they can strategise to market to these younger audiences in such a small space that prioritises creative content. But how can you do this?
In our scrollin- *ahem* research, we’ve found pretty common themes in posts. There is a lot of food, health, lifestyle, educational and of course, meme content. But doesn’t this reflect a lot of what we see in TikTok photo posts? Well, yes, so it’ll be interesting to see whether brands use it as outreach for their pre-posted TikTok photos but targeting a more specific audience, or whether we’ll see something completely new in the coming months.
Another thing we’ve noticed is there’s no section to review your profile or post analytics, and posts themselves have very low reach (typically less than 10 likes, and no comments or shares). Maybe this is because it is only in its limited testing period, but what’s clear is that no one is seeing content that’s being shared to the app. So why post? Well, besides from the reason above in a more specific target audience, this is a question we’re still asking ourselves.
What should I post on TikTok Notes?
TikTok Notes’ full potential definitely feels like it’s still in the works. A big drawback for marketing efforts is there’s no clarity on what strategies could work for content. But since it’s early days, this is a great excuse to just experiment!
You can share up to 34 photos in a single post and there’s a 4,000 character caption limit (including the heading).
With limited case studies or statistics to draw back on, ideas for well performing posts is an educated guess at this point. However, based on pre-existing TikTok marketing trends, we believe exclusive, personal content is the best way to go – especially when the intended audience is under 30 years.
Gen Z is big on loyalty when it comes to social media marketing, and are one of the hardest demographics to gain the loyalty of. They’ve grown up with technology and can see the difference between a genuine post and an ad. You might be surprised to read this, but we recommend leaving promotional content out of your TikTok Notes feed, and focus on building an organic relationship with your audience.
Content ideas
Think of TikTok Notes as your business’s digital diary… Well, one that you share with the world, that is. Your posts could include insider looks at your brand, a day to day to do list, even your favourite snacks! What’s clear is that TikTok is leading the way in personal content, and brands are getting on board by simply having fun on the app. We believe TikTok Notes will take this a step further.
Below are some screenshots of TikTok Notes content, in many different niches.
These posts all have two things in common. Firstly they are low effort, and secondly they focus on very specific topics, from a specific standpoint. You can do this for your niche by answering these questions.
- What is my niche?
- What are a few subtopics in my niche?
- What are some ways I can explore these subtopics?
This should hopefully lead to some low effort post ideas. There is no need to use aesthetic images, just any photo from your camera roll works fine!
Another way is to do what a lot of brands are already doing on TikTok. Have fun and be yourself! Here are some prompts for personal content doing just this:
- Quizzes
- Your favourite ___
- Before and after photos
- Photos from a recent trip you took on your time off
- Your ideal ___
- Your hobbies
- Photos of recent projects you’ve been working on
- How-to guides
- Photos showing the process of something
While it’s still uncertain whether applying these techniques will perform well on the app, the conversational and personal tone also resonates well with audiences on Instagram and TikTok. So you can always recycle posts there as well!
Is it more accessible than TikTok?
Unfortunately, TikTok is a little behind in accessibility compared to other platforms. While it has common features like subtitles, it does not include an option to add alt text and subtitles are not always accurate. Since it’s mostly video content, there’s no guarantee that every video and audio will be accessible for everyone. Some clips may be too fast to process, text may be too small or placed in an area that is hard to read, there may not be a warning for flashing lights, and so on.
Still content is typically easier to make accessible on most platforms. So, this also applies to TikTok Notes. If it does end up being similar to TikTok just without the inaccessibility that some video and audio media brings, we hope that it will create another accessible online space for people with disability.
Wrap-up
It’s clear that TikTok Notes is still in development, so hold tight for any updates and improvements.
Looking for more content ideas? Head to LBD Digital’s TikTok for inspiration. Or if you’re wanting to discuss how your business can benefit from TikTok, contact us today.
