TikTok is the fastest growing social media platform and rapidly becoming the platform of choice for the younger generations.
With a largely Gen Z audience, followed by a good portion of millennials, TikTok is a great way for brands to tap into a younger market and gain valuable attention and engagement. On top of that, a lot of businesses aren’t involved in TikTok yet, so you can gain an edge over competitors.
Getting started can be intimidating, however. If you’re not sure whether TikTok is right for your business or how you can use it to your advantage, check out this roadmap to fueling your business growth with these simple TikTok marketing techniques.
Understanding TikTok
TikTok is a new social media app that uses short-form video content to engage users. It’s a little like YouTube or Instagram in that it focuses on visual content that tends to be more popular and engaging, but it keeps the content short to hold the user’s attention.
When it began, TikTok was intended to be a “destination for short-form mobile videos.” That appealed to audiences, since it became the most popular app download in 2020. No doubt the pandemic fueled some of this growth, since people were stuck and home and looking for ways to occupy their time.
The popularity isn’t slowing down, however – TikTok is now the sixth-largest social network, which is a good number for a new platform going up against decades-old platforms like Facebook.
TikTok videos are about 15 seconds long, but the platform supports videos up to 60 seconds. Posting a video is simple and quick, which means that anyone can do it. If you’re already familiar with using YouTube and Facebook Live, you have the skills down.
TikTok Glossary
TikTok has lingo, just like any other platform. Here are some key terms you should know:
- For You Page: Abbreviated to FYP, the For You Page is the equivalent of a newsfeed for the platform. When you open the app, you start at the FYP, which shows you content based on your viewing habits and interests. This content is curated, which is what makes the platform so valuable for marketers. You see the videos from accounts your follow, as well as similar content that fits in with your past behaviors.
- Filters: TikTok has filters and effects that you can use to enhance your content, much like Instagram or Snapchat. You can include text overlay, stickers, GIFs, visual effects, and transitions in videos to send your message home. They’re not always necessary – in fact, some videos would be better without them. But if you feel like something is missing, a filter can give it that X factor.
- Music: Most TikTok videos benefit from music, and the platform integrates Apple Music with a library of songs and sounds that you can add easily. Music trends on TikTok, so take a look at the current trends to include them in your content strategy for built-in engagement.
- TikTok Trends: Trends are a big driver of social media, and TikTok is similar. At any time, users are completing challenges and engaging in trending content, such as posting videos of themselves performing a dance or singing a song. You can track trends and challenges and tailor them to your content to get attention from TikTok audiences.
- TikTok Live: Like Live options on other platforms, TikTok Live lets you broadcast in real time. You can use it similarly on TikTok, but keep in mind that this option is only available to accounts that have 1,000 or more subscribers.
- Advertising: TikTok advertising is a bit different than other platforms. You can start challenges, post content with branded hashtags, or use in-feed video ads to engage with your audience. TikTok advertising is expensive, but you get a lot of engagement and reach for your spend.
How to Use TikTok for Marketing
TikTok is new, so a lot of brands are disregarding it for marketing. They’re expecting that TikTok will be a quick trend and disappear, but the rapid growth and high-volume downloads suggest that won’t happen anytime soon.
Gen Z makes up the biggest percentage of the TikTok audience, but it’s likely to grow among older users with time. In addition, short-form video content is becoming more and more popular.
Because of this, you should incorporate TikTok into your marketing strategy and use short-form video content to capture users’ interest. TikTok seems to be setting the video content trends across all social media channels, so you can’t afford to be behind the curve.
Get Started on TikTok
TikTok makes it easy to create an account and start making content. TikTok can be downloaded from app stores like Google Play or Apple. Once you install the app, you just have to create an account and sign in.
- Make a profile: TikTok profiles are similar to other apps and have a username, bio, and profile picture. This is your opportunity to use your brand assets, such as your name, logo, colors, and tagline, to create a summary that stands out to users. Our name is Zutobi on TikTok.
- Link to other accounts: TikTok should be included in social media marketing strategy, so link your TikTok account to your other social accounts. Followers from your other accounts will be able to find you quickly and easily. You could also post about getting on TikTok on each of your social media accounts with a link to encourage followers to find you.
- Start with videos: TikTok is all about videos, so once you begin with your account, watch videos on your newsfeed to learn how the app works and give the algorithm some information to curate content. You’ll quickly gain a feel for how content works on TikTok.
- Follow business accounts: After watching a few videos, find some brands you like on TikTok and follow them. It’s good to stick with brands in your industry for inspiration, but you can also follow general small business to get ideas.
- Engage with users and content: TikTok curates content, but you need to show it what you like. When you watch videos, hit like, leave comments, and share to increase your engagement and give TikTok the raw data to personalize your suggestions.
- Create your own videos: You understand how the app works, so it’s time to contribute your own content. Remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect. You can record a video directly in the app or create a video on your phone and upload it to the app after. Templates are available to make your TikTok videos high quality and professional, but they don’t have to be heavily produced. In fact, users prefer raw content for its authenticity.
Tips for TikTok Marketing
Learning TikTok is easy, but marketing may take some know-how. Here are some tips to help you succeed:
- Cross-promote content: TikTok doesn’t provide an area to link to your website, but you can cross-promote your social media accounts on TikTok. Users can find you on other social accounts, which should have a link to your website.
- Find your niche: Your brand probably has a niche, and this type of content tends to perform well on TikTok. While you watch videos, pay attention to the niches businesses use and the types of niches your audience follows. Our niche is driver's education and learners test prep, where students may want to find driver's education topics and test information.
- Write clear descriptions: TikTok videos are limited to a minute, so you don’t have a lot of time to get your message out there. Don’t just post an ad – make sure there’s value for your audience. Your videos should be visually appealing, but natural, and include clear descriptions of what your video has to offer. Writing a good description now only increases the likelihood of a view, but it’s essential for SEO purposes. Include important keywords in a natural way.
- Show authenticity: Branded content is designed for your business, but that doesn’t mean you have to produce television-style ads with salesy language and heavy promotion. People on TikTok want relatable, raw video content that helps them understand what a brand is about and what problems it solves. Users will not only trust you more, but you don’t have to stress over video production.
- Use influencers: Influencers are great for social media marketing. TikTok influencers are not only familiar with the ins and outs of TikTok, but they like to build relationships with businesses in the industries that interest their audiences. Using an influencer can boost your engagement and reach, but make sure you choose an influencer that makes sense for your brand. Like you, they have a style and image, so choose someone who aligns with you.
- Post consistently: Like any other content, you must post consistently to build your following on TikTok. You don’t have to post every day, but settle on a number and make sure to stick to that schedule. Your users will get used to your posting periods and can look forward to what’s upcoming.
- Include music: Music matters on TikTok. Fortunately, you can pull songs and sounds that are trending to add to your video. If it’s already trending, that will increase the chances of it showing up on a user’s FYP. You simply save a song from a video you like or search for trending songs and sounds on a playlist.
- Invest in lighting: Your videos don’t need to be professionally done, but they do benefit from lighting. Quality lighting ensures that your users can see what you’re showing off, whether that’s a workspace, product, or customer testimonial.
- Engage with users: Social media is about connections, so you need to engage with users and accounts to customize your FYP and build a following. This will benefit you for customers as well as thought leaders and industry contacts .If followers comment on your content, be sure to respond and use it as an opportunity to connect with them.
- Use paid ads: TikTok has a formal advertising system with in-feed native ads, hashtag challenge ads, and brand takeover ads. In-feed native ads are likely the most familiar to traditional marketing and feature website links and CTA buttons. Hashtag challenges are banner ads that include the instructions and rules of the challenge, while brand takeover ads use GIFs, images, and clips to link to a landing page or challenge.
How to Create Videos
Even if you know how to make a video, coming up with new ideas can be challenging all its own. If you’re having a hard time, here are some questions to help you come up with ideas:
- What is your brand story?
- What are you trying to achieve?
- Why did you launch your business?
- What makes you passionate about your brand, products, or services?
- What problem did you set out to solve? Did you succeed?
- How do you make products?
- What goes into packaging?
- What are some of the lessons you learned from launching a startup?
- What does a typical day look like for you?
These are just a few starting points to inspire and develop your content. Remember that consumers of all ages want to invest in the people behind the brand, and that’s especially true of younger generations. Put the focus on your brand mission, values, story, and products, so you can connect and show them why you deserve their loyalty.
Get creative with it! You want to make an impact.
Bring TikTok into Your Social Media Strategy
TikTok is taking the social media world by storm – don’t get left behind! TikTok is incredible for marketing, especially to younger brands, and now you have everything you need to get started. Create an account, post some content, and engage with followers to build your audience and generate interest in your brand. TikTok is expected to grow and become more popular, along with short-form video content, so best to get in on the ground floor!