UPDATE: The Australian and Tasmanian Governments have banned the use of TikTok on government devices for security reasons. While there is no ban currently for businesses or citizens in Tasmania or nationally, it is suggested that TikTok users consider the way they manage their security and content when using the platform. The following advice was provided to the Tasmanian Government public service staff from the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) when using TikTok as below and can be used as a guide for some basic security protocols for your business:

• do not use it on a phone that can access any official information (email clients, MS Teams, passwords, personal identifying data),
• if a phone does have TikTok installed, keep the phone away from any sensitive conversations,
• remove metadata (such as location information) from photos and videos before uploading them to TikTok.

TikTok blasted onto the social media scene at a time when the other channels were feeling a little stale and somewhat manipulative with their algorithms and coercions to buy and boost more to get eyes on your business. For those who haven't experienced Tik Tok, it's been described as a mashup of Vine, Twitter and Instagram, allowing its 1 billion active monthly users to create short-form videos and edit them with lenses, filters and AR features.

Although TikTok was adopted early on by teens, it has been steadily gaining the attention of young adults (nearly 70% of its active users are under 40), making it a prime target for any brands seeking the attention of millennials and Gen Z. At first Tik-Tok was somewhat of an unknown for businesses, and like Snapchat before it, allowed its audience to create their own directions and watched what worked and what didn't work.

TikTok is relatively new to the business world, and, as such, is not quite as saturated as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. It’s also much cheaper to advertise on, because there are far fewer users competing for sponsorship and ad placements. That is beginning to change, however, and once followers and likers are amassed, it makes sense for businesses and the platform to monetise their interest - and help you help them by showing you some clever hacks to do so.

Enter TikTok Academy, an always-on online education resource for businesses that provides free video courses on how to make best use of TikTok for marketing, along with research data and other information to expand businesses' understanding of how to most effectively use the app.

As of October 2022, there are only two courses on offer – ‘TikTok 101’ and ‘Small Business’. There’s also a ‘Commerce’ course coming soon as part of the initial set of Academy offerings. The courses are designed for busy business owners and marketers and are short and snappy, once you've mastered the content you do a short quiz and then get a badge to display to show off your prowess.

If you've been TikTok curious but not sure how to start, this could be the resource for you. If you're a pro on the platform, you'll enjoy the insight and trend resources to help you keep improving your game and your engagement. TikTok has continued to grow and grow, expanding not only its reach, but also its audience demographics. The advent of its Academy is a sure sign it has its focus firmly on business growth now, so what cha waiting for, dive in and enjoy the free learning.

Did someone say free learning? Time is tik-toking towards the end of the year when your four free hours of coaching expire for 2022. Make the most of your annual allocation and book a session with one of our friendly Digital Coaches - all Tasmanian businesses with an ABN are eligible for up to 4 hours of free coaching every calendar year. Click here to book.