You may know TikTok as the all-in-one platform where users can find videos related to anything and everything. With over one billion monthly active users, TikTok was the most downloaded app of 20221. At enrollmentFUEL, we think TikTok shows promise in helping schools improve yield. Building community is critical to improving yield and we are excited about how TikTok makes students feel like they are a part of your campus community before and after visiting your campus.
5 Reasons all colleges should be using tiktok to enhance their enrollment efforts
1. Organic posts perform extremely well—no marketing dollars needed!
On this platform, organic content is the way to go. Most TikTok users quickly identify and scroll past paid advertising posts, yielding little to no results for the companies pouring money into these ads.
The secret is that TikTok offers a unique opportunity for organic posts: you can easily go viral and reach a substantial audience without needing to spend a dollar.
With the right content, hashtags, and strategy and regardless of follower count or previous successful posts, anyone can go viral.
2. Gen Z has the biggest presence on TikTok.
Gen Z is responsible for 60% of TikTok's users, and 947,778 users 18+ join the app DAILY—the exact age demographic that universities target for enrollment!
Unlike Meta Business, which has prohibited targeting of users under 18 years old (AKA incoming college freshman!), TikTok is one of the best platforms for targeting this audience.
TikTok has trends (videos that are followed by the majority of users and gain traction VERY quickly) that immediately resonate with Gen Z and are instantly recognizable to them, making this platform, out of all platforms, the one that is definitely speaking this generation's language.
3. TikTok is THE place to reach a huge audience.
TikTok’s main feed is called the For You Page (FYP), a personalized feed with curated content for each user. This page recommends content based on what users interact with. The FYP is the app’s home screen and the first thing people see when they log in, so successfully getting your videos on this page provides a unique opportunity for schools to reach millions of users (primarily Gen Z) quickly.
On any other platform, reaching millions of users is only possible if you’re willing to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars.
4. Statistics indicate TikTok provides a sense of community for your target audience.
What is something that all incoming college freshmen consistently seek? To feel like they’re a part of a community, club, or group.
Well, guess what? 70% of TikTok users say that they feel like they’re part of a community and 7 out of 10 users feel TikTok communities can affect real change in culture.
Not only that, but the average scroll time per user is 19.6 hours per month. This means you have 19.6 hours of opportunities to show your university off to prospective students.
5. You have more creative freedom to show what your institution is all about.
TikTok is the perfect platform for really showing users what your university is all about—the ideal place to showcase your core values, financial aid opportunities, general college tips, and more!
While other platforms (like Instagram and Facebook) encourage a mixture of casual and serious content, TikTok is praised for its fun, catchy, and, most important, authentic videos. There are thousands of unique ways to illustrate your college's message and brand on this app without the pressure of trying to make everything fit into a specific standard.
These five reasons only scratch the surface of what TikTok is capable of doing for your college or university. It is a fast-growing app that every single university, regardless of what their goal is, should use to expand their reach and brand awareness.
