In the last couple of years, TikTok has seen growing popularity as a social media platform. Brands were quick to realize the potential of TikTok and adapt it as a part of their marketing initiatives. The TikTok brand marketing report establishes that brands like Samsung, Chevrolet, and So Satisfying have the most successful marketing initiatives.
While only less than 50% of brands have a TikTok presence yet, the figures are expected to rise in the coming days. As of today, the Latest TikTok marketing report shows that a 1% follower increase results in a 0.65% higher average views per post. All these establish that the present is the best time for brands to jump into the TikTok bandwagon. Here are some tips that will be helpful to brands looking to initiate their TikTok journey.
Avoid Long Videos
TikTok is aimed at millennial users, and such people do not have the patience for long videos. Although TikTok allows you to create videos that are up to a minute long, its algorithm favors videos that are up to 15 seconds. If you can create promotional content that is 7-10 seconds long, people will be likely to share it with their peers.
If your TikTok story requires you to have long videos, try to come up with ways to slice that into multiple videos and post it according to the schedule. When shorter videos dominate your posting schedule, your followers will be loyal to your channel, and they will keep visiting it to know what happens in the story.
Be Authentic in Your Posts
Start your TikTok journey by creating a buyer persona and evaluating the likes and dislikes of your target group. When you have a clear picture of the audience’s expectations, you can create an online community around your product. Try to spend ample time on the platform to trace the digital behavior of your target group.
Authentic posts are the essence of TikTok, and you should avoid pushing sales in all the videos. Brainstorm on the creative elements of your brand and leverage TikTok to present your ideas in a fun and light-hearted manner.
Create Value-Adding Content
As a TokTok brand, you should focus on sharing educational resources with your followers. If you can provide industry-relevant content in an enjoyable format, you will become the go-to resource of TikTok users. Businesses from the lifestyle, food, and travel industries can create tutorial content to establish their industry knowledge.
DIY setup videos are popular for construction and home décor brands. Depending on your area of business operation, you can create videos on current affairs related to your industry genre.
Share Stories with Your Followers
Human beings are gregarious animals, and by telling stories, you will be building a relationship of trust with your followers. As a brand, you can look for succinct stories to share with your followers. Try to keep the videos short as those are more likely to elicit an emotional response in the viewer.
Your brand image, the product that you are trying to promote, and a host of other factors will dictate the type of story. Before you come up with a story, try to identify the purpose of the story. That way, you can decide if you want to inspire the viewer, make them laugh, or encourage them to act. That way, you can plan your story to strike a chord with the viewer. For example, small businesses can create story videos to talk about their entrepreneurial journey or talk about things that set them apart.
Identify Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags are an important tool to direct your TikTok video to the correct audience. Over 87.3% of the TikTok videos use hashtags. Beginners need to realize that TikTok’s algorithm is designed to discover trending hashtags. As a content creator, try to use popular and relevant hashtags in the video description.
Since the video description that includes the hashtag and the caption is restricted to 100 characters, you need to be strategic about your choice of hashtags. Do not overdo it as that will compromise with the caption and deviate the video from your target audience. Ideally, you should use a combination of niche and broad hashtags to enable maximum engagement on your video.
Leverage User Content
In the world of TikTok, there is no sure-shot way of creating viral videos. The more consistently you publish your video content, the higher are the chances of a viral video. The highest performing TikTok brands publish an average of 3.52 videos every week. For beginners, creating so many original videos may seem like a daunting task, and leveraging user-generated content is a quick solution.
Understand that the popularity of TikTok can be attributed to the fact that all members are content creators. As a brand, you can encourage the members of your digital community to share videos with your product or services. Create a hashtag for the contest that you are organizing. When your followers use the hashtag in their video, they promote your brand in their peer circle. This expands your reach and helps you attain digital popularity.
Repurpose Your Videos
If you are a beginner in TikTok but have other digital marketing strategies in place, you can consider repurposing your content. For example, you can use a tool such as InVideo to repurpose your blog posts into videos. You can also edit interesting elements of your YouTube or Instagram videos and post that on your TikTok brand page.
Understand that showing up in TikTok occasionally and launching a TikTok challenge will not yield results. The key to TikTok success is being consistent on the content delivery and creating videos that encourage communication. Feel free to ask questions in your video or mention controversial subjects to get the audience to interact with you.
Focus on Engagement
The best way to recognize people who engage with your content is to be proactive in your responses. If possible, be the first one to comment on your TikTok video. A catchy caption, an open-ended question, or a controversial statement is ideal to encourage communication.
Further, you can build relationships by liking the posts of those who frequent your TikTok videos and leaving thoughtful comments. Understand that such digital relationships earn you brownie points, and you get brand-loyal customers.
TikTok marketing is a relatively new digital space, and there is a lot of room for experimentation. The sooner you begin your TikTok journey, the faster you will catch the attention of your target group. As you look to leverage TikTok and give flight to your marketing dreams, the tips discussed above will put you on the map of growth.
