Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae and Zach King share something in common with Go RVing. Two weeks ago, that might not have been the case.
The popular Tik Tok influencers, three of the top five most-followed accounts on the platform, can share space today with videos posted by Go RVing. The consumer marketing arm of the RV industry recently launched its Tik Tok channel. Within two weeks, the site picked up more than 6,000 followers and a collective total of nearly 20,000 likes on its videos.
“It just became a platform that is so big and growing so fast that it cannot be ignored anymore,” Go RVing Senior Manager, Strategic Marketing and Data Analytics Sarah Neely said.
Tik Tok reported 100 million active users in 2020, half of whom are under the age of 34. However, an additional 20% are aged 40-50, a number some who do not follow the platform closely might be surprised to learn.
“It hits so many different demographics,” Go RVing Strategic Content Manager Jenna Tomovich said. “Some other social media platforms are so segmented – Facebook is an older group and Instagram is younger – but Tik Tok is a mix of both. We can kill two birds with one stone.”
Neely said Tik Tok will provide opportunities to reach younger audiences. She said by skewing younger, Go RVing can future-proof the industry by exposing new audiences to RVing.
Part of the work involved in reaching younger audiences through the platform is finding quicker and shorter content to share. Tomovich said Go RVing content airing on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram TV can find an audience with eight- to nine-minute videos. On Tik Tok, most content is a minute long or shorter, rarely reaching more than 2.5 minutes long.
“We have so much content,” Nelly said. “We have longer stories we told, and several involved pets. So, Jenna could pull a lot of clips of people in RVs with their pets. RVing is a really great option for people who want to travel with their whole family, including the pets, and it is easy to get that message across in a short clip.”
“The main thing I am trying to do with setting up videos,” Tomovich said, “is showing that RVing really is for anybody. You do not have to throw in a lot of words to show families, couples, singles, people with pets, having fun and experiencing the RV life. I think it is easy to show that RVing is not something only people who have experience camping can do.”
Neely said as Tomovich put together her videos, she pulled information from outdoors enthusiasts, adrenaline junkies, people who like to cook, people who like the beach and more.
“RVing is something that stretches across multiple demographics, age groups and interest groups,” she said.
The platform also can be useful for engagement, the pair said. Neely cited the kinds of videos and charitable content available on the site as a reason for the engagement.
“Engagement is helping bring new audiences into the channel,” she said. “It is easy to see the feedback and that is what makes it more interesting.”
Go RVing videos on Tik Tok already have as many as 16,000 views, with others in the 13,000 and 12,000 view range. Neely said the audience already is finding the content Go RVing provides.
With a younger-skewing audience, viewers might not turn into instant dealer leads, the way in which Facebook or Instagram engagements might be. Tomovich said Tik Tok viewers still can be led to the Go RVing site to gain more information about Go RVing. Neely said the two-week-old process has room to evolve, as well.
“We are still in the benchmarking phase. We will get a lot more targeted, based on engagement of videos, views, and content that attracts more people,” she said. “We will continue to evolve that strategy, but right now, we are still learning.”
Maybe younger viewers will buy an RV and maybe they will become engaged in the lifestyle, Tomovich said. As a 20-something herself, Tomovich said priorities such as getting a house may supersede an RV purchase for younger viewers. Yet she believes exposure to RVing will pay benefits down the road.
“We do want them to be buyers in the long run,” she said. “We definitely are trying to reach that group, and we expect in the years to come they either will want to rent or buy an RV.”
