If your business has an audience between the ages of 18 and 24, you should be looking into TikTok to boost your digital marketing strategy.
With one billion active users worldwide and a rank as the sixth-largest social network, your business can’t afford to ignore this new and trending social media platform.
Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered. Whether you use TikTok for your own personal use or you are yet to discover the platform, we have put together the ultimate roadmap to get you started with effective TikTok marketing techniques to fuel your business growth.
All About TikTok
TikTok is the “destination for short-form mobile videos” and features user-created videos that run between 15 and 60 seconds. The platform has been around since 2018 and quickly gained popularity among younger audiences for its bite-sized content and raw, authentic appeal.
At the end of the video, add hashtags that are relevant to your content and brand. Like Instagram, TikTok users rely on hashtags to search for similar content, so include as many as possible to improve the chances of your video being seen.
On the marketing end, this social media platform has excellent algorithms that create personalised recommendations for users, based on previous viewing history. These are posted on the “For You Page” or FYP, which is similar to a Facebook newsfeed.
Though the primary user base for TikTok is Generation Z, it has plenty of users outside of this demographic. Most social media platforms take off with the younger generations first, then gain traction with older audiences. A great example of this is Facebook. With nearly 2 billion downloads, we can confidently say that TikTok is only going to get more popular.
For business owners, TikTok offers business profiles, known as “pro accounts” that provide similar features to business pages on other social media platforms. These include audience insights and real-time metrics. This is the type of profile you should be looking into for your TikTok marketing campaigns.
Create Your Business Profile to Get Started
Once you download the TikTok app, log in with your email, Facebook, or Google account. The app walks you through creating a profile and bio, then you can tap the three dots on the right corner for account management features. This is where you’ll find “switch to Pro Account” to select your business category, add a website, and provide a contact email.
If you plan to run ads, you’ll need an ad account in TikTok Ads Manager. You can get one at tiktok.com/business, and just follow the steps to start your ad account.
Start Watching Videos
If you thought you would spend your time researching TikTok audiences and metrics, you might be surprised. The most important part of getting started with TikTok is watching some videos to get familiar with the app and what’s trending. This will give you insights into what the users like to watch and inspiration for your own content.
While you’re watching, be sure to follow some accounts and interact with the videos. This helps the algorithm determine the type of content you like and suggest accounts or videos you may enjoy. Be sure to follow as many accounts relevant to your business as possible, such as accounts in your industry or niche.
Target Your Audience
If you want to be successful on TikTok, you need to define your target audience to create content that resonates with them. Hopefully, you already have an idea of your ideal user, and they’re likely in the 18-24 age group if you’re looking into TikTok.
You should also consider your motives for using TikTok. Are you promoting a new service or product? Are you trying to drive traffic for your new business? Or are you trying to offer new, exclusive content to existing customers?
Based on these factors, you can set goals for TikTok and plan your content around reaching those goals.
Make a TikTok Video
While it may be intimidating to make your first TikTok video, it’s necessary for engagement on the app. Remember that TikTok users don’t expect perfect ads – in fact, they prefer humorous, down-to-earth, and authentic content on TikTok. So, don’t take yourself too seriously the first time.
TikTok offers two options for creating videos: in the app or on another platform. If it’s your first video, you may want to start with creating content on another platform and uploading it to TikTok. Once you upload, be sure to make the most of features like split screens, audio additions, filters, and stickers.
Here are some of the most popular video formats on TikTok:
- Reaction videos: Reaction videos are incredibly popular. It’s exactly what it sounds like – a video of a user reacting to another video. You can do this easily by clicking “react” on a video and overlaying your video on top of the original.
- TikTok Challenges: TikTok gained a lot of attention for “challenges,” which is when a creator posts a video of a challenge and encourages users to try it out and post a video. These are popular, so be sure to use a hashtag to get more exposure.
- Trending hashtag videos: You can search for trending hashtags on TikTok and create a video inspired by the hashtag. This works because you’re copying existing trends that are getting attention from users.
- Cringe videos: Cringe videos capitalise on self-deprecating humour and secondhand embarrassment. You can take a video of a cringeworthy performance or embarrassing moment and share it for a cringe video.
- TikTok duets: Duets are popular and feature a split-screen with another video of people singing.
At the end of the video, add hashtags that are relevant to your content and brand. Like Instagram, TikTok users rely on hashtags to search for similar content, so include as many as possible to improve the chances of your video being seen.
Post Regularly
Like other social media platforms, you need to be consistent on TikTok to gain followers. You should post new videos as often as possible, but make sure that you create consistency that users can look forward to. Instead of posting a bunch of videos over a weekend, aim for a certain number of videos each week with a defined schedule.
The best time to post depends on the target audience, but some popular times include the early morning, the early evening, and early in the night. You can learn more about the ideal posting times for your audience through TikTok analytics.
Tips for TikTok for Business
After posting on TikTok a lot, you may hit a block on what new content to create.
Here are some tips to get you over the creative block:
- Partner with influencers: Teaming up with an influencer can instantly add to your followers and increase brand awareness, just like other social media networks. TikTok makes this easy by offering a list of potential creators for brands.
- Brand takeover ad: This type of promotion is paid and features an ad that pops up when a user opens the app. These ads are usually only a few seconds long and link to a landing page that offers more information. TikTok only offers this feature to one advertiser each day and guarantees 5 million daily impressions.
- Branded hashtag challenges: One of the most popular business strategies, the branded hashtag challenge encourages users to create videos based on a hashtag.
- Cross-promotion: TikTok doesn’t allow you to add a brand website, but you can cross-promote your brand’s social media accounts that connect to your site. For example, you can promote your Facebook or Instagram by linking it to a profile or adding your handle to your videos. You can also announce your TikTok launch on your other social media accounts.
- Good lighting: TikTok doesn’t require high-quality, professional videos to get attention, but you should invest in quality lighting. For a small effort, you can add a lot of aesthetic value and professionalism to your videos with good lighting. Plus, your users can see what you’re promoting!
- Trending sounds: TikTok has trending songs and sounds, so using one in your video is an excellent way to increase your chances of having your video seen. Simply save a song from a video you’re watching or search for trending songs and sounds on TikTok playlists to select a song for your content.
Ready to Get Started?
TikTok is young, new, and viral, which can be intimidating for some business owners. If you’re ignoring TikTok, you could be missing out on a wealth of untapped audiences for your brand. TikTok is the land of opportunity for businesses ready to create content and build a following, so don’t wait – get onto TikTok and start creating.
