percent aged 18 to 24. A further 24.5 percent are aged 25 to 34, suggesting that many TikTok users have stayed with the app, even as they turn 25, according to InfluencerMarketingHub. It’s also booming among the high school set, but don’t dismiss the goofiness as kid’s play.


“Residents in my portfolio range in age from 29 to 44,” Sousa says. “So, I would say the platform is a bit young for us, but our team has done a few very entertaining videos and have gotten the most engagement they’ve ever received -- even on Instagram and Facebook.” TikTok videos are viewed through the app; best practice is


to post them on all social media channels to further drive engage- ment. TikTok videos are more commonly showing up on channels such as Twitter, and can be viewed there even by persons who don’t have the app.


Sousa says his communities’ TikTok videos set them apart – the goal of every marketer.


“Ours have resonated very well – and because most in the


multifamily housing industry don’t understand the platform yet, it’s quickly helping to set our properties apart -- especially when we can put out videos that are well edited, funny and good qual- ity.”


“The fascination I see with TikTok for B2B is that you can use the application as a content generator,” Toney says. “Even if your strategy is not to grow an organic following on the application, the capabilities offered to curate video content alone make TikTok a valuable marketing tool.” Mike Whaling is Founder at 30 Lines is an apartment market-


ing firm. Whaling says TikTok hasn’t been a high priority for many of his clients to date. “I think it’s likely to stay that way until its target audience starts to age up more, which we’re already starting to see,” Whaling says. “We’ve certainly seen onsite teams participating in various dance challenges, but I wouldn’t really say they’re actively using it to market their vacancies.” TikTok very much appeals to the young, although it seems to


be keeping its audience as they age. While only 9 percent of U.S. internet users claim to have used TokTok, 49 percent of teenagers claim to use the platform, according to InfluencerMarketingHub. Loren Gray, who turns 18 next week, or @lorengray, is an


American singer signed by Virgin and Capitol Records, and social media personality from Pottstown, Pa. She has one of TikTok’s most successful accounts outside China, with 40.3 million fans. Geez, you think she’d be interested in an apartment? Property


management firms leasing to major influencers is a strategy many use.


Charli Damelio, who turns 16 in May, has 48.6 million fol-


lowers and 3.2 billion likes, and counting. Based in Norwalk, Conn., she’s described as a social media personality and dancer and has been called the “reigning queen of TikTok” by the New York Times.


DANCE, DANCE, DANCE One route Whaling has seen is companies that use TikTok as a resident engagement activity. At WC Smith will use TikTok indirectly as part of its cam-


paign of virtual events for its residents. On April 23, it has invited a dance instructor to demonstrate the most popular TikTok dance challenges so that residents can learn them and potentially partici- pate on their own TikTok accounts. TikTok is in the earliest stages of offering advertising on its


platform. “Its advertising tools are still in early development, so the tar-


geting options for advertising aren’t nearly as robust or sophisti- cated as they are on Facebook or Google,” Whaling says. “Like most social media, you have to consider why people are


going to a site like TikTok in the first place,” Whaling says. “It’s a place to escape, to be entertained. For any company looking to get into TikTok, they should first spend time understanding the com- munity – watch some videos for a few hours, see how others are using it and what resonates with people. “It could be a viable platform for many companies, especially for community outreach, but marketers will see the best results when they deliver content that people want to see, not an advertise- ment that’s totally out of place for that medium.”


STRATEGIES TO CONSIDER According to The Influence Marketing Factory these are the four primary forms of ad format to market through TikTok. Infeed native content, which is simply the posting of a vid-


eo. TikToks can be up to 15 seconds long, but users can also con- nect multiple clips for up to 60 seconds of total recording. Videos that have been recorded outside the app itself also can be uploaded. Brand Takeovers, where images, animated GIFs and vid- eos can be used. The embedded links can be connected to web- sites landing pages or challenges and hashtags within the platform. Brand takeovers are exclusive to one brand every day. This cat- egory offers impressions, unique reach, and clicks. Hashtag Challenges are a form when brands choose to use


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promoted hashtags. Hashtag challenge contain a link that directs the users to the main challenge page where they can see the details of the challenge and the featured instructions. Hashtag challenges can be measured by video interaction, clicks, banners views, and similar user-generated videos. And Branded Lenses. TikTok is undertaking initiatives to


make it more engaging. Much like the Snapchat 2D and 3D lenses for photos and faces, TikTok plans to make their platform could possibly infuse the feature to their application.


Paul Bergeron is a freelance reporter who covers apartment


management. He can be reached at pbergeron333@gmail.com or 703-434-0280


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