TikTok for Higher Education: It’s Not That Scary!
TikTok is the top social media platform for U.S. teens, and a recent Consumer Behavior Index report found that over 60% of Gen Z consumers turn to TikTok for search instead of Google. So why does TikTok seem so… scary?
TikTok, like so many social media platforms that came before, is part of the ever-changing digital engagement landscape that can seem intimidating at first—from the FYP to dance trends, from hashtag challenges to stitches. How do college and university marketing teams even begin to navigate all the intricacies and nuances of TikTok content?
The exciting part is that you’re sitting on multiple solutions. In fact, likely a few thousand of them.
Get your students involved
Let your students take the wheel when it comes to creating content. They’re your strongest assets, the reason why you want to be on TikTok in the first place, and they’re already on top of trending songs, sounds, video clips, challenges, and everything in between.
Your students know what they and their peers want to see, and what would move the needle for prospective students who are already scrolling through the app—video tours of the dorms, fun campus traditions, freshman move-in day, intramural sports or clubs, the best food station in the dining hall … the list goes on.
Plus, you won’t have to worry about coming off as inauthentic or too sales-y if your target audience is the voice of your content.
Check out some of our favorite examples of student-led content below:
Siena College https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP88rysG9/
Syracuse University https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP88M9Am7/
Bryant University https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP88M96p2/
Iona University https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP88M49HS/
Paul Smith’s College https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP88MGSgx/
Now let’s talk organic and paid TikTok content
Posting organically on TikTok can also help boost the effectiveness of your paid campaigns, as users who engage with organic content are more likely to engage with your paid ads and click through to your campaign landing page.
And when it comes to paid advertising, TikTok is constantly refining its ad offerings to reflect consumer behavior and meet users where they are—last month, in response to stats showing that Gen Z and millennials are increasingly preferring TikTok over traditional search engines like Google, TikTok launched Search Ads which uses keyword targeting (á la Google Paid Search) to reach target audiences.
With all that said, there are many more reasons why we recommend TikTok for higher ed marketing campaigns—especially those with a “Learn More” CTA:
- 46% of Gen Z prefers social media over traditional search engines like Google
- 44% of Gen Z discover new brands on social media daily
- 57% of TikTok users leverage the platform’s search function
- 69% of those who use TikTok for educational content said it helped them complete their homework
- TikTok has 150 million monthly users in the U.S., up from 100 million in 2020
- As of April 2024, TikTok has over 1.58 billion active users worldwide
- Time spent on the app for users ages 18-24 is the highest of all major social platforms, at an average of 76 minutes per day
Want some help?
How does TikTok measure up against your college’s prospective student audience, their parents, or their influencers? We have those stats, along with endless content ideas, ad type recommendations, a business profile setup guide, and more.