TikTok is a powerhouse platform for modern marketing, and with such a plethora of creative approaches to digital content, virtually any business can reap the benefits of marketing on it. According to TikTok, the platform welcomes over one billion users worldwide each month – endless potential for engaging your target audience. With so many brands, influencers, celebrities, and more pumping ever-more creative content onto the platform, it can be hard to know where to start.
12 Top Tips to Market on TikTok
To help, here are 12 top tips for businesses to get marketing successfully on TikTok.
Repurpose any existing content.
When starting on TikTok, the thought of generating content for the site can feel a bit overwhelming. Make sure to exercise patience as you begin, as you will likely encounter a bit of creative block, some trouble editing clips, and some common TikTok errors. However, one great and simple way to get the ball rolling is repurposing any content you have already created for other sites. This is also a good way to test what style works and resonates with your target audience. So whether your existing content is blog posts, podcasts, or videos, think of a creative way to turn it into a quick 15-30 second TikTok video. It’s also a good idea to prepare a handful of these before you begin posting – buy yourself some time to catch up with newly created content.
Be authentic
In such a hyper-connected digital world, consumers are more acutely aware of – and put off by – salesy content. No one wants to be sold to – they want to be entertained and inspired by engaging content that moves them to feel and act. Successful TikTok marketing aims to build a community of followers who are organic fans because they have connected with your content, message, and purpose – not just your product or service. If you are unsure how to begin, start by viewing popular videos in similar categories and getting a feel for what the TikTok community finds engaging.
Encourage User-Generated Content
User-Generated Content (UGC) is at the heart of TikTok’s success, and it is vital to include it in any TIkTok marketing strategy. UGC is brand-specific, original content created by consumers (at no cost to you) that is published and shared on social media and other platforms. Because this content is not created to sell, it tends to be more effective than brand-generated content at driving more engagement.
Strategies to encourage UGC on TikTok include:
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- Hashtag competitions
- Giveaways
- Before and after videos
- Reaction videos
- Duets
- Collaborations with other creators
Like Instagram, TikTok content that uses trending hashtags is much more likely to be discovered by users than those that don’t. Remember that TikTok content captions are limited to 300 characters, and your hashtags will count toward that maximum. So, you must be strategic with how to caption your posts and which hashtags you use. Still, it’s vital to include them for maximum reach potential.
Include trending songs
Similarly to hashtags, incorporating trending songs into your content is a surefire way of improving your success on TikTok. Stay informed of the latest trending songs by visiting the For You page regularly. In addition, you can save any you plan to use by clicking the song at the top of the screen and clicking the bookmark icon to add it to your favorites folder.
Create original content
Using trending songs, hashtags, and challenges is a great way to rustle up some short-term exposure, but the only way to truly grow your TikTok profile is to share original content. Even though TikTok is renowned for dancing, singing, and other amusing content, there is a place for all content themes, so long as it is engaging and original. So if you’re struggling to feel confident enough to post something original or ‘silly,’ remember – TikTok users are on the platform because that’s what they enjoy and expect, so dive in!
Grab the viewers’ attention quickly.
TikTok users are used to seeing one punchy, engaging video after another and will quickly swipe to the next video if a post is too slow to start. Don’t delay and get straight to the point with your content – make it funny, inspiring, or intriguing to keep them engaged. If your content is a snooze-fest for the first 5-10 seconds, they’ll be gone before you can show them the good stuff.
Keep it short and sweet.
Everyone wants their content to go viral, and the way to give your content the best chance is to keep it short, sweet and packed full of whatever makes it sing. TikTok now allows videos to be 10 minutes long, and the occasionally longer-form video is fine, but generally speaking, try to keep them snappy. Around 15 seconds is great; 8-10 seconds is even better.
Post frequently
For some social media platforms, it’s important not to post too frequently and overwhelm your audience. With TikTok, however, you can afford to post more often. While there’s no need to upload new material, frequently posting constantly is a good way to get a feel for what works best, and once (or even twice) per day is fine. Also, remember that some TikTok videos take a little while to take off, so just because you haven’t had much engagement for the first week or two doesn’t necessarily mean it’s dead in the water.
Engage with other TikTok’ers
In the same way, other social media platforms work, the clue is in the word ‘social.’ For example, use TikTok to build relationships by engaging with your audience, linking, and leaving positive comments on others’ content.
Once you’ve spent the time creating TikTok gold, it’d be a shame to leave it there. Sharing your content across your preferred platforms is a great way to make the most of your efforts and drive more people to your TikTok account.
Analyze your analytics
In business, it’s imperative to keep a close eye on any available analytics to gauge how you’re tracking. So long as you hold a Pro TikTok account, you can access the platforms’ in-built analytics. These insights include your account’s performance over the past 7 or 28 days, which videos have had the most success, and more. So a Pro account should be a no-brainer if you’re a business determined to succeed at TikTok marketing.
Final thoughts
So long as you follow these top tips and commit to always seeking to improve the quality of your content, TikTok can be a powerful marketing tool to include in your overall strategy. It’s no longer just a mecca for teens; it is so widely used that it cannot be ignored.
