Q&A: How IFRC found fame on TikTok

Many international organizations have shied away from using TikTok as part of their social media strategies — perhaps because it is seen as too much work for communication teams that are already stretched across several platforms, because of concerns around data privacy and other controversies that have surrounded the platform, or because the young audience that dominates TikTok is seen as less relevant to their work. But some organizations have demonstrated that there is a place for the global development and humanitarian sector on TikTok — and none more so than the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which has a whopping 3.4 million followers on the platform. “It took us 10 years to get half a million followers on Facebook, it took us 10 years to get 200,000 followers on Twitter, and it took us one year and a half to get to 3.4 million followers on TikTok,” said Dante Licona, senior social media officer at IFRC. “Are those vanity metrics? Yes. [Do] followers tell the full part of the story? No. That said … we are very excited that so many TikTokers find our account useful.” Licona spoke to Devex about IFRC’s presence on TikTok and how other organizations in the sector can make use of the platform. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Can you tell me about IFRC’s journey with TikTok? We launched the account in June 2019 ... [but] when the strategy really started gaining some traction … was in September 2019. During the U.N. [United Nations] secretary-general’s climate change summit, we launched a campaign called #ForClimate, and that was our first big collaboration with the TikTok for Good team. Because of that, we managed to get into the mobile phones of users in 115 countries, so it was a really global campaign in 17 languages. Then coronavirus came, and we were in a unique, privileged position because we not only knew how to create content that is native for the platform, but we were the sole credible international voice on the platform communicating about COVID-19 [at the time]. … Because of that, TikTok essentially helped surface our content when people started looking for #COVID. ... We benefited a lot from that. … At some point, we were even managing to create four TikToks per day. That was a big, big shift in our work plans. “Just because we work in this space doesn't mean that our videos all the time need to be depressing or boring.” --— Dante Licona, senior social media officer, IFRC I think we have posted TikToks easily from more than 50 or 60 countries, so that shows also the power of our global network. I think that's one of the highlights. ... One of the key elements [of our TikTok strategy] is we want to continue connecting with the next and current generation of volunteers. We have seen so many Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers on the platform that are creating awesome content. We sometimes reach out to them and ask, “Hey, can we repost your video?” That has worked great for both them and us, so it's a collaboration. We have also been really lucky that dozens of Red Cross [societies] around the world have embraced the platform and are creating content. So we inspire each other. We have a big network of creators, and we collaborate. You first reached out to TikTok in February 2019, but it was a few months before you launched the account. What was happening during that time? It was basically a matter of analyzing how we could do it, because nobody in our sector was there. It was a matter of understanding: Is this the right platform for us? Does it make sense? How are we going to do it? Is this sustainable? All the regular digital questions that a responsible team should ask. We were also doing our due diligence in terms of the concerns that members inside the house but also externally had. ... [As part of that] we discovered that the data is based in Singapore [rather than China], and that helped … ease a number of concerns internally. What is TikTok for Good? They have a program to support NGOs, nonprofits, international organizations to create content. … And they have a program that is ... designed precisely for helping you to identify opportunities, how to navigate and create [content]. ... Everything that you want to know about the platform, they show you how to do it, they show you some best practices, collaborations, ideas. The TikTok for Good team has been really, really helpful. Unlike other social platforms that sometimes take a long time to respond, every time we brought a concern [to the team], every time we brought an idea … they were super helpful in addressing many things. How would you describe your overall strategy on the platform? We want to be consistent with our messages. We want to be consistent with our values. But it’s allowed to be cool. … Just because we work in this space doesn't mean that our videos all the time need to be depressing or boring. That is one of the distinctive approaches that we have for TikTok. … We encourage creativity, [and] we take a look at the best practices from not only the Red Crossers but everyone on TikTok. That's one of the things — imitation — that makes this platform get the traction that it gets when it comes to challenges and sounds, so that has also helped us develop a number of different approaches to creative storytelling. How can you explain IFRC’s popularity on TikTok? I cannot attribute [it to] one single element. [It’s] based on the fact we were early adopters, that we had COVID content when [information about] COVID was really extraordinarily in demand. It pays off that we have a global footprint. … We post stuff in different languages. It pays off that we have 17 million volunteers and some of them are on TikTok. It's a marathon, but I'm happy with the results so far. … It requires a lot of initial investment. Collectively, our team spent many hundreds of hours before we got in the rhythm of understanding what we could do, how we could do it. Do you have any insights for other organizations that might be thinking about whether it's worth putting the resources into? First, it's a platform that you need to spend time to understand. Second, make an analysis of [whether] it's something that will add value to your cause or organization. Look also at how wide your network of supporters is. Ours is big because we have lots of national Red Crossers there, lots of volunteers there. ... We [as a team] are also highly trusted by our managers because of our track record, and we are not afraid of experimenting and trying. For those that decide to take the plunge, what are your top tips for making it successful? Understanding that you need to create content for TikTok. This is not like, “Oh, let's just repurpose whatever we have from YouTube.” ... That is a very important message. When you are on TikTok, make it feel native, make it feel natural, adapt, and just keep it simple — don't overthink it.