“TikTok democratises the process of content creation as well as the reach that creators have,” said Mr Justin Keh, head of APAC operations, TikTok Creator Marketing Solutions.
CREATING VALUE THROUGH TRUST, AUTHENTICITY AND PARTICIPATION
The demand for creator content has resulted in an ecosystem of brands, agencies, creators and platforms coming together to create ripple effects across the growing digital economy. The global creator market was estimated to be around US$13.8 billion (S$19 billion) in 2021, according to Statista.
As a platform that facilitates the creator economy, TikTok aims to open up new career paths for content creators. One of its strategies focuses on partnering businesses that build networks that can aggregate the power of content creators to help brands engage with consumers.
One such business is Hepmil Media Group, a Singapore-based firm that supports TikTok creators. Mr Adrian Ang, Hepmil’s co-founder and chief creative officer, said: “The TikTok creator community is the heart and soul of the platform. It is a place where more than 1 billion people come to be entertained.”
Creators are drawn to TikTok because the platform makes it easy for them to tell authentic stories in entertaining ways. This opens up opportunities for them to work with brands in the process.
To encourage the growth of its creator community, TikTok invests heavily in educating brands, creators and governments about the platform’s potential through the TikTok Creator Marketplace and Creator Portal.
“We are focused on rolling out more resources and tools around education and thought leadership that will guide both brands and creators on things like creative best practices, building better content and being more innovative,” said Mr Keh.
The participatory nature of online platforms has created a new way for brands to engage with creators and connect with diverse communities. For instance, Southeast Asian fashion brand Pomelo used the TikTok Creator Marketplace to collaborate with four creators to drive awareness of its Chinese New Year campaign. Pomelo garnered nearly 5.3 million video views across the four videos that were created.
A TikTok study found that its users are one-and-half times more likely to immediately buy something they discovered on the platform compared to users on other platforms. It is reshaping the purchase path, thanks in part to users’ willingness to upload unboxing, how-to and tutorial videos after buying a product. This is, in essence, an updated form of word-of-mouth marketing.
Said Mr Keh: “One of the tangible effects we’re seeing is that brands have managed to harness the power of creators in their brand-building efforts through the values of what we call trust, authenticity and participation.”
VOCATING FOR GOOD CAUSES
Sustaining a career as a creator goes far beyond producing viral videos – content creators have to focus on building and serving a community as well.
“Listen to your audience and look for solutions to problems that you can address in the videos. Don’t just look for the virality because it’s all about the community,” said Mr Ang.