As the fastest growing social media platform in Australia, TikTok is a marketing force to be reckoned with. There are now 7.6 million monthly users in the country, and over 1 billion users worldwide.
TikTok is best known for its viral video trends, and as such creating content may seem pretty daunting. The good news is, it’s a lot easier than you think! Here’s a step-by-step guide to building up your presence on the platform.
STEP 1 - Choose your topic and format
Determine what you want your video to be about. You could create a how-to guide, a ‘Top 5’ tips-style video, or an on-the-fly vlog. Working out what the topic is will better determine the format. How-to guides are great for businesses, because you can still create something viral and of value without needing to insert your face in the video (or try your hand at some legendary dance moves).
The trick to ideating content is to keep things simple. While TikTok is famous for its ever-changing challenges, jumping on a viral trend simply for the sake of it won’t guarantee success. If a trend doesn’t fit your brand or personality, it won’t land with your audience. If you need to build up audience insights then test a few different types of content to determine what your audience wants, and deliver more of it in a way that showcases your brand for what it is, rather than what you think it should be to suit TikTok.
STEP 2 - Storyboard your content
While you don’t have to have a frame-by-frame plan for your video, it’s good to have an idea of the sorts of shots or visuals you would like to include. A little planning will also give you an idea of video length. Aim for brevity – 7-15 seconds is actually the best-practice time for videos, but if you have a strong enough hook you can potentially keep your audiences’ attention for 30-40 seconds! You’ll also need to decide now whether you are going to add music or a voiceover to the clip (you can do this once you upload).
STEP 3 - Shoot and edit
There are a couple of ways you can shoot and edit a video for TikTok. Either film first and upload onto the platform at once, or film and edit as you go. We definitely find it easier to film first, but have a go trying both ways to see what works for you. It’s even possible to enlist the help of a graphic designer to piece a video together before uploading.
Some tips when filming:
- Allow for ‘white space’ in each shot if you plan to add text or gifs to the video
- Ensure each piece of footage is clear
- Shoot vertically
- Keep each clip snappy, to make for an engaging video
- Have fun!
STEP 4 - Upload
It is possible to upload clips via desktop or mobile and whatever you find easiest comes down to personal preference. Once clips have been stitched together you can overlay with text or gifs.
STEP 5 - Add Sounds
This is a step all on its own because sounds are considered the backbone of TikTok. Using trending sounds is a good strategic move for organic growth, but like any trend, it will only be successful if it is relevant to your brand and audience. A good tip is to remember to save sounds as you come across them to build up a library ready to use. Otherwise the TikTok Sound Library is very easy to navigate, with sounds organised by genre, mood and what’s trending.
STEP 6 - Cross-promote content
It takes effort and thought to create TikTok content, so you’ll want to stretch it as much as possible across your wider digital marketing efforts. If you have a larger audience share on a different platform then share your TikTok clips there to direct traffic to your profile. You may also reference a piece of content when responding to other videos or comments on the platform. Of course, the best way to grow organically is to create relevant content that audiences will want to share and save. Your community is your best asset!
Hopefully this guide inspires you to go and create. TikTok is a fun platform and a great way to showcase brand personality. You can download and keep our handy one-page content creation guide here, and be sure to follow us on TikTok (@thebubbleco) for more digital marketing tips!
