Millions of videos are made daily on the fast growing short-form video app TikTok. What started as a dancing app with a heavily saturated child and young adult audience has turned into a broad video app for all generations.
In order to get a better understanding of how users are gaining so-called virality on the platform, we spoke to none other than TikTok’s “CEO of Guessing,”, Christian Battin. Battin originally gained traction on Tik Tok due to his Christian-focused content. He told us, “[My content] sought to keep up with trends while putting a faith-based spin on them. I’ve only ever made wholesome content targeting younger audiences because I feel that there are so many negative/party lifestyle influencers who are teaching the younger people the wrong definition of what kind of life is the ‘life.’”
He continuously changes up his content in order to follow trends and attract a broader audience on the platform. Christian explained, “I…started doing hide and seek videos, which are basically like a game of Where’s Waldo, using the green screen effect, and those videos began getting between 2-5m views.” He continued, ”My next content creating move was becoming the ‘CEO of guessing,’ where I made videos guessing different things about my fans based on their profile pictures.”
Battin has been a constant advocate for TikTok both on and offline, expressing the importance of building a personal brand on the platform along with encouraging businesses to leverage it to grow revenues. Christian went in depth on why TikTok virality is crucial in 2021. “TikTok is currently the most viewed, and therefore the most influential, platform in all of social media. The VP of Google marketing himself told my friend that all businesses need to be on TikTok right now, no matter what they do. TikTok is the app with the largest potential for organic reach and growth, while many other social media platforms are flooded with fake analytics.”
Battin’s emphasis on the potential for organic growth is something that I and an array of other social media reporters have noticed in comparison to other platforms. Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are often referred to as “pay to play” in terms of business accounts, continually prompting you to spend money on boosting your posts or setting up advertisements. In contrast, TikTok has blown up tens of thousands of small businesses organically.
Today, TikTok is an essential ingredient for building a strong following around your business. In Battin’s words, “If you want your brand to have guaranteed longevity and success, you need to be growing a following and a fan base for whatever you’re selling or doing. You will not find a better place to find new customers, clients, organic growth, or virality.”
After speaking to numerous small business owners, my understanding is that the biggest struggle is switching from photos on Instagram to short-form video content. Battin explained that although it may be difficult to make the switch, it’s definitely not impossible. “The key here is a change of mindset–you have to give the people what they want to see. Nobody really cares about posting cool pictures of you, your brand, or your product anymore.” It’s evident that video content is the future of the internet, with not only TikTok focusing on short-form content, but Snapchat, Youtube and Instagram all jumping on the bandwagon.
He continued, “People want to gain something from the content they watch, whether that’s a personal connection or purely entertainment. So, when you’re making the switch to short-form video content, the number one question you have to ask yourself is this: ‘What am I providing for my customers or fans, and how do I keep their attention?’
It’s evident that TikTok has something that most other platforms don’t offer. This is the ability to reach millions of people organically through a single video. If you have a small business, now is the time to switch to short form video content!
If you want to keep up with Christians latest content, make sure to check him out on TikTok and Instagram.
