It’s not just for kids anymore…
Did you know that 64.4% of all TikTok users are between the ages of 20 and 49? It’s true.[1] What was once a platform for kids to show off their dance skills has become a dominant force to entertain adults…
And, importantly, to market your school and its programs to.
You see, the social media platform, which started with 15 second attention grabbing videos aimed at kids, has expanded its allowed video lengths multiple times to attract adults.
Its goal was to compete with YouTube, and, as the above data show… it worked.
Today, Conversion Media Group, a nationwide leader in higher ed enrollment initiatives, will show you some data on TikTok, and why you should be marketing your school on it.
Now, while YouTube is still the largest social video platform, TikTok now has over 1.5 billion active monthly users and growing. This means that there are over 960 million monthly active users on the platform, globally, that are adults.[2]
Curiously, just about half of all adults on TikTok don’t post videos… they only watch them.[3] This is an interesting fact that shows a huge portion of adults on the platform aren’t there to “show off,” but to use TikTok for content consumption only.
Of course, not all these adult consumers on TikTok live in the US, but according to data from Pew Research, one third of American adults are on the platform, that’s about 85 million people!
Now, the 20–49-year-old demographic (which is a majority of TikTok users) is key for just about any business to market its products to. However, as you may already know, this demo also happens to be a prime target for higher ed, especially higher ed that caters to adult learners.
With that in mind, here are some tips to help you market your school on TikTok, and one tip that you should seriously consider using to better assure you reach your enrollment goals.
So, let’s get to it.
Length: While TikTok allows you to upload video up to 10 minutes long, data has shown that the ideal length for a TikTok video is between 21 to 34 seconds long, however this is a bit different for advertising video.[4]
Aspect Ratio: Your videos should be shot in portrait mode, or a 9:16 aspect ratio. To maintain user experience, the platform’s algorithm may penalize videos that are not formatted this way, by not showing them as often.[5]
For advertising aspect ratios, you should use 1:1, 16:9 or 9:16 depending on how you place them, and the platform limits the length of ads to 60 seconds. However, the data show that an ideal advertisement length is between 9 and 15 seconds.
While it may be fine for branding, clearly, nine seconds isn’t a lot of time to get a strong marketing message across. This is why you should also be uploading regular, non-ad content highlighting your school, its programs, how much fun can be had… and its student success stories.
Now, using TikTok to market your school, even if you’re not doing paid ad placements, is a no-brainer. There are literally millions of adults on the platform that may be interested in your programs, and simply uploading fun content about your school can get you some attention.
However, there is, in our expert opinion, one tip that you should seriously consider using to better assure you reach your enrollment goals.
And that’s partnering with Conversion Media Group.
By giving us a quick call at 1-800-419-3201, (or by clicking HERE) we’ll explain all of our various EDU lead-gen programs, our unique student conversion strategies, and we’ll show you how we can deliver live transfer leads, directly into the hands of your enrollment reps.
Just a quick call with us may mean the difference between enrollment failure…
And enrollment success!
[1] TikTok User Age, Gender, & Demographics (2024) (explodingtopics.com)
[2] 27 TikTok Stats Marketers Need to Know in 2024 | Sprout Social
[3] Almost half of adults on TikTok have never posted a video, research shows | TechCrunch
[4] What is the Ideal Length of TikTok Videos in 2024 | SocialBu Blog
[5] How to Make the TikTok Algorithm Work For You in 2024 (kapwing.com)