Words: Belinda Connolly
Once an app used almost solely by teens to share dance routines, TikTok has emerged as a platform that brands cannot ignore. With its immense popularity across ages and industries, TikTok provides a unique opportunity for brands to reach a vast and engaged audience, making it an essential component of any successful marketing strategy.
Findings from the last Adworld 2023 event in April showed that TikTok is growing rapidly, recording a 30% increase in uptake compared to 16% the previous year. This means it’s not too late to create and build a presence for your business on the platform. In this article, we’ll explain how to do just that.
Firstly, why TikTok?
TikTok has a vast user base of some 1 billion active users worldwide. The platform’s algorithm promotes content based on user interests, ensuring that brands can connect with users who are more likely to engage with their products or services.
What sets TikTok apart is its emphasis on short-form videos. With a maximum video length of 60 seconds, brands must be concise and creative in capturing their audience’s attention. This constraint forces brands to think outside the box and develop content that resonates with viewers instantly.
TikTok is great for:
- Increasing brand awareness
- Building an engaged community
- Selling products and services
- Giving your brand a ‘human’ element
- Getting feedback from customers and audiences
- Advertising to target audiences.
Through TikTok, brands have an opportunity to craft authentic and entertaining videos that not only promote their products but also connect with their audience on a deeper level.
Building your TikTok marketing strategy
To start, you’ll need to create a business TikTok account and define a strategy to create and share your content.
Your strategy should include:
- A defined brand identity, incorporating notes on brand personality, values and target audience.
- A content strategy that identifies themes, formats and topics that align with your brand and appeal to your target audience. Consider using a mix of educational, entertaining and behind-the-scenes content to keep your TikTok feed engaging and diverse.
- A community engagement plan to regularly respond to comments, track trends, identify and reach out to influencers, and even engage with other brands where appropriate.
Consistency is key. Regularly posting high-quality content maintains a consistent presence on TikTok so aim for a consistent posting schedule that suits your resources.
Anticipate questions, provide answers
Creating content may seem overwhelming for a video-only platform (we do have a guide to help!), but when you consider some the most viral types of content on the platform – education, tips and tricks, life hacks – the direction becomes clear. Start by introducing how your products or services solve an audience problem. Move on to before-and-after transformations featuring your products, a 30-second guide to solving a common customer problem or even a quick demo on how to use your products or how customers can engage your services.
The other interesting thing to note is the search function on the platform, which remains one of the more sophisticated search functions compared to other social platforms. Indeed, around 40% of TikTok’s younger audiences use it as a search engine so ensuring you’re properly showcasing what your business is about is important to grow your customer base.
Make the most of user-generated content (UGC)
One of the biggest audience appeals of TikTok is its celebration of authenticity. UGC has proven to be highly effective in building brand loyalty and trust. By fostering a community of active and engaged users, brands can tap into the creativity and enthusiasm of their audience, turning them into brand advocates. User-generated content also provides an opportunity to gain insights into your target audience’s preferences and preferences, allowing you to refine your marketing strategy accordingly.
Use influencer marketing and partnerships
Influencer marketing has become an integral part of digital marketing, and TikTok offers a platform for brands to collaborate with influential content creators. TikTok influencers have amassed massive followings and have established themselves as trendsetters within their respective niches.
Meltwater’s Global State of Social 2023 predicts that influencer marketing will continue its rapid growth in coming years. Partnering with industry influencers allows you to tap into pre-existing fan bases and drive conversions by association. TikTok’s algorithm is designed to promote content from both established influencers and emerging creators. This democratised approach to content distribution ensures that brands have a wide range of influencers to choose from, regardless of their marketing budget. Collaborating with influencers on TikTok can help brands increase their reach, build brand awareness and generate authentic user engagement.
With unparalleled reach, community building, more democratised visibility and the ability to collaborate, TikTok’s shine isn’t going to wear off any time soon. Harnessing the platform’s growth potential comes down to a strong, well-considered strategy and consistent, value-rich content. Get that formula right, and you’ll be sure to reap the rewards.
