Wow,
I cannot believe we are in Sept. And thankfully the triple digit temps have cooled off and even better we’ve received RAIN! This was an interesting summer in Texas but I’m grateful for my tiny house and its excellent air conditioning. So what did I do in August? Stuck in the house due to the heat, I learned to use Tik -Tok. Ok you are probably all laughing now, but seriously Tik Tok is one of the best business platforms we have today for visibility and if your business is not on Tik- Tok you are missing out. Tik-Tok is the fastest growing search engine right now.
Tik-Tok is different than I thought it was, its not just people doing silly dances, or for kids. In fact the age groups that use Tik-Tok are almost divided equally, with a little less in the 60+ category, but that segment is growing. What makes Tik Tok different is the short format. After Tik -Toks success, Facebook and IG, and even You Tube introduced Reels and short videos to keep up. The other aspect that makes this platform appealing is it’s actual lack of “polish” . Videos are not expensive Hollywood productions. It’s really about authenticity and being in the moment. There is a wealth of information and tips in there on every subject imaginable.
Who is on Tik-Tok? Well, it is comprised of both individuals and companies. The content I watch are some of Americas thought leaders like Tony Robbins or Gary Vaynerchuck.
I’ve taken a dive into creating an on-line income, primarily with affiliate marketing so Tik Tok is a platform where I can create short videos and better learn how to do it. It is far less intimidating than Instagram and You Tube which are far more polished. FB falls in the middle.
In any case videos are fun and Tik-Tok has terrific editing software right in its mobile app.
The first time I logged on to Tik- Tok I was quite lost but now that I’ve learned what all the buttons do and how to use it as the search engine it is, I enjoy a little browsing and inspiration everyday by the people I follow. Your favorite musicians are on there too, often experimenting with content before it goes out to other platforms. I am on Tik-Tok under my name, Melanie Boudar for any of you brave souls that want to venture to the platform. I expect my first 100 videos to suck but I’m feeling better about it after a few weeks of using it. Please follow if you go on there, so I can get to 1000 followers (the magic number that gets you seen more and allows live links)
I will say that in this last month I have started using a lot more apps on my phone. It can be overwhelming how many apps there are for different tasks but the key is to use one thing at a time so it squashes the overwhelm factor. Tik-Tok puts a little watermark or logo on your video so you need to remove it before sharing to Facebook or Instagram. Yes, there’s an app for that. Actually several, and the good news, they are free.
I am actually proud of having mastered Tik-Tok this August. Doing something on computer keeps your mind sharp. I fondly recall my father, while in his late 70’s and early 80’s learning to use a computer to send email and pictures. ( late 90’s) He still challenged himself to learn and it kept his mind sharp up until his passing. For todays kids the computer is second nature but my generation did not grow up with computers or internet, Our search engine was the Encyclopedia Britannica , proudly marketed to immigrants as they stepped off airplanes .
Ok on that note, I’m signing off to set myself up for Sept’s learning session. Stay tuned…
Join the conversation. What skills have you learned recently? How has this activated your brain or creativity?
