BOOM! TIK TOK

Two techies and a doctor discuss TikTok in aesthetics, by Kezia Parkins

The very nature of aesthetics – the before and after photos, transformations and glow-ups – have meant that Instagram has been the perfect tool for the industry to get new clients and keep existing ones engaged.

The TikTok boom, however, has caused a move away from still imagery, with all platforms increasingly prioritising video content.

If you still think of TikTok as that annoying platform for kids (that ruins hit singles by overplaying them and has everyone doing silly dances) you’re not entirely wrong, however it’s clearly evolving into something much more than that.

TikTok has grown to house endless subcultures and communities focused on increasingly specific niches, often based around education. The sub-feed #SkinCareTikTok has 1.7billion views, indicating the huge opportunity for the aesthetics industry to be on the platform.

When it comes to aesthetic practitioners on TikTok, there is uncertainty around whether they have their place on the platform or, rather, how they should behave on the platform.

In this roundtable discussion, two techies and a doctor discuss whether Instagram is over, the TikTok algorithm and how it can be harnessed in aesthetics.

Weighing in on the conversation: Alex Bugg, Web Marketing Clinic digital content strategist; Jon Mowat, founder and MD of award- winning video marketing agency Hurricanet and Harley Street Trained aesthetic practitioner and qualified doctor, Dr Raj Thethi.

Alex Bugg, Dr Raj Thethi & Jon Mowat

IS INSTAGRAM IN ITS FLOP ERA?

Jon Mowat: Instagram is the third biggest social platform, but is being chased hard by TikTok. I don’t think it's “flopping”, but I doubt Instagram will keep its spot for much longer. It certainly isn’t giving the organic reach it once was – its glory days are over in that respect, but it won’t disappear.

TikTok has completely changed the landscape of social. The vast majority of content on Instagram now is just repurposed TikToks, and YouTube has moved over to shorter videos. Instagram will become a “Facebookesque granddaddy” of the group.

Dr Raj Thethi: Instagram has massively put a hold on how people can find and see you. Over the past year, my growth has halted, and I feel like we've hit a wall. Whether that's a reason to say it's flopped depends on your goals. It’s not as good for getting new clients anymore, but is great for keeping existing clients engaged and building a relationship. Some clients follow me for years before they pick up the phone. They feel like they know me already and have been part of the journey. It helps build trust.

Alex Bugg: If you're posting what you posted on Instagram five years ago and expect it to do the same numbers, then yes, it's in its “flop era.” Meta is very clever in making it harder for you to get reach without advertising. Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing app – it’s become a space for long and short videos, including stories.

Going from single post images to carousel and video is not a trend. That's here to stay! The trends are the stuff you do within the video. If you roll with the times and keep giving the platform what it wants, it’s certainly not in its flop era. I've got clients still doing extremely well on the platform.

DO YOU THINK AESTHETICS HAS A PLACE ON TIKTOK? IF SO, WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE BE POSTING?

Jon Mowat: Totally! You just have to look at the success of people doing it. I think aesthetics is an industry that must develop an acceptable tone, but it's got as much right to be on there as anything else. Behind the scenes of your surgery or practice is completely valid. My strategy is a good spread across three areas. Some content should be sheer fun – taking part in the community, jumping on memes, sharing funny stuff and TikTok dances.

Then there is corporate positioning, which displays your tone, what you stand for and who you are. Lastly, there is educational content. Answering questions is one of the best ways to get found on the platform as well as raising slightly contentious issues, or taking part in a debate. If you divide it into fun, corporate and educational, then you've got a nice mix of everything.

Dr Raj Thethi: I think so, but I don't think it’s found its niche within our industry. TikTok needs a constant stream of attention which puts a lot of pressure on content creators. In every video, you have to do something clever, funny or shocking. Otherwise, you don't get the views, and the algorithm doesn't favour you. I try to keep it light and educational.

Alex Bugg: Absolutely, but responsibly and within the regulations of bodies like the GMC and ASA. That doesn't mean you can't have fun with it. What blows up on TikTok is things like extractions of milia and blackheads. #SkinCareTikTok is massive. People are more informed as patients these days. They understand active ingredients and want to know where their products are made and how. TikTok is great for providing education on anything from skin conditions to treatments and products.

HOW DOES THE TIKTOK ALGORITHM WORK? IT SEEMS TO BE A HOTBED OF ACTIVITY AT THE MOMENT.

Jon Mowat: You can have sudden success on TikTok with something unexpected. Small players can do one piece of great content that reaches 300,000 people – it somewhat democratises it. TikTok started as a music platform and largely still is. The average post without a popular song will get around 27,000 views, while the average views on one with a popular song are hundreds of 1000s – it knows what songs are going viral, so it will keep pushing that content.

It also does this thing called rabbit holing. If its algorithm can see you like something, it will keep serving you similar videos, thus narrowing audiences into very siloed tunnels. In aesthetics, one could be before and afters, while another could be a debate and discussion around regulation and mental health. A brand needs to service multiple rabbit holes to spread throughout the audience.

Alex Bugg: I'm not an expert on the TikTok algorithm, but what I can say is that it's very clever with unmatched machine learning.

It gets to know its users and pre-empts what else they’re into. Every time we stop on a video, we feed TikTok data on us and what we like – its sole job is to keep people on the app as long as possible. The more we feed it, the more it personalises to us. Facebook and Instagram were more set up as tools for connecting/sharing with friends, whereas TikTok has been designed more to connect with the masses, it seems – and you can feel that in the algorithm as you scroll.

MEDICINE IS OFTEN SEEN AS A STUFFY PROFESSION, BUT SOCIAL MEDIA IS SEEING THE RISE OF THE COOL, RELATABLE DOCTOR – COULD TIKTOK FURTHER HELP BREAK DOWN SOME BARRIERS?

Dr Raj Thethi: TikTok is definitely helping break down barriers for patients. We use it as a platform to educate and explain concepts that people may not fully understand, while making it as fun as possible. It helps put the consultation back into patients' hands as they feel more informed and engaged.

Jon Mowat: There is an opportunity for TikTok to humanise medicine. You can tell another part of the story, supplemental to your website and other profiles, and it's another way of standing out.

Alex Bugg: Most doctors, nurses and dentists went into their roles because they want to help people. With social media, there is the opportunity to help those who can't afford to come to your clinic, and I think that's really powerful.

WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO BENEFIT FROM TIKTOK?

Alex Bugg: The people who will be successful on TikTok are likely the ones running it themselves because it's real. When you scroll through a business's Instagram, and it's all stock imagery, people see right through that, and it’s the same with TikTok. It’s harder to fudge a TikTok because it's video. I think that's why we’re not seeing loads of heavily outsourced ones.

Jon Mowat: It will benefit people who are naturally gregarious and is probably not to the advantage of people who aren't naturally good on camera. But that doesn't mean those types won’t find a way to harness it. People who throw money at it are likely to benefit in the short-term, but monetising could be contentious in this industry, depending on what you post, making it feel inauthentic.

HOW DO YOU THINK TIKTOK WILL EVOLVE? SHOULD DOCTORS BE CONCERNED WITH DOING TIKTOK DANCES?

Jon Mowat: It's unknown how the platform will mature from just capturing attention to being a business tool. Highly professional, skilled surgeons shouldn't feel the need to do silly dances, but if they want to get reach quickly, that does work really well. It has to boil down to business goals, objectives and measurable KPIs. It's a combined marketing effort between awareness, consideration, conversion and retention.

The opportunity now is scaling reach very quickly, cheaply and organically. I think TikTok will continue to get as much reach as it can, overtake Instagram, and Facebook will close down. When it owns that reach, it will make everyone pay for it, either in attention, or by brands paying to access the market. We're in this Wild West phase at the moment where it's like free land grabs, but that can't last forever.

Dr Raj Thethi: I have done a few TikTok dances, but I think it's more for the fact that my audience finds that hilarious. Plus, when I do those things, I get more engagement. Posting the same content on Instagram still gets more engagement than any before and afters I post, which is very telling of what the audience wants.

Making my reception staff film a silly dance can increase engagement because clients can relate to my team. It all depends on your reasoning. I don't do to become popular, rather to break the ice and make people see you're a real person – not an unapproachable doctor.

Alex Bugg: I think TikTok’s search algorithm will become even more powerful, and it will continue to add more features to allow users to feel more connected to creators. The platform has already added shopping, playlists, DMs, stories, lives and subscriptions in the past few years.

WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF TIKTOK?

Jon Mowat: The main danger is it doesn't care if you have a positive experience. It only cares that you watch – therefore, it will serve you content that is not necessarily good for your mental health.

The other danger is that you will get drawn into conversations you don't want to be part of and end up cancelled. It is best to stay away from super contentious stuff or anything negative, like extreme surgeries.

A huge danger for small businesses is it being a waste of time. I suggest trying it out and committing for three months. Then assess your return on investment and decide what to do next.

Alex Bugg: TikTok is not an age-gated platform. On Instagram, you can add an age barrier so people under 18 cannot access your content and will not see you on the explore page, but TikTok doesn’t have that feature yet. With recent regulation making it illegal to market aesthetics to under-18s, that is something to consider, especially as TikTok’s audience is skewed towards the young.