Eight tips for marketing on TikTok :
- Take advantage of trends
- Create a custom challenge
- master the algorithm
- Collaborate with influencers
- Authenticity, honesty and clarity
- Interact with the TikTok community
- Tell a story
- fun above all
This is the social media platform that is causing a furor. Taking into account that 14 million people in Spain have already downloaded the application, TikTok could become the ideal tool to boost your business.
From gyms publishing dances as “mini-workouts” to retailers creating branded challenges, local businesses can and are seizing the opportunity to unleash their creativity with their marketing .
Considering that 41% of users in Spain between 16-24 years use the app,this new fashion platform offers the perfect opportunity to contact and engage with your younger customer base.
Read on for our best tips on how to use TikTok in your business with our essential guide to marketing through TikTok .
Take advantage of trends
TikTok is all about trends: from the latest dance trend to the catchiest songs that you can’t stop humming.
However, it’s important to understand that these trends come and go just as quickly, which means marketers must act quickly and use their best judgment in order to reap their potential.
Staying on top of trends is key, so it’s imperative that you or your social media manager connect to TikTok on a daily basis. Spot what’s new in the feed (or front page), from trending songs to viral challenges. Once you’ve found something that catches your eye, find a way to incorporate it into your TikTok marketing campaign .
Create a custom challenge
Instead of waiting for trends to come to you, you can also try creating your own. Launching a challenge of your own and encouraging people to share their input can go a long way.
Just remember the following:
- Make sure your challenge is related to your brand , whether it’s a workout routine for a gym or fashion and style advice for a boutique. Then, create an eye-catching hashtag and combine it with the most popular music or audio.
- Make it memorable and realistic. The goal is for it to go viral, but there’s no point in launching a challenge if no one is going to be able to complete it.
A good example of this is Colgate ‘s Mother’s Day campaign , #MakeMomSmile. The concept was simple but effective: record yourself making your mother smile.
The results? 5.3 Billion Views and a Huge Boost for Brand Awareness3 .
master the algorithm
Although TikTok keeps most of the details about its algorithm secret, there are some useful patterns that companies can use to maximize their reach.
Based on studies and research, we recommend the following:
- Post at night – Data shows that users are more likely to scroll through your feed at this time of day. However, taking into account that users in Spain use the application an average of 43 minutes a day , there’s a good chance your video will get the views you expect even by posting at a different time of day.
- Check the hashtags – Every week (and sometimes every day) there ‘s usually a new trending hashtag popping up, from the latest movie premiere to a viral challenge. Incorporate these hashtags into your posts to improve your chances of increasing your views.
- Start posting short videos – TikTok looks at the percentage of users who finish watching your videos to determine if they should promote your posts to more people. Videos of 10 to 15 seconds are more likely to hold the user’s attention throughout their duration.
Collaborate with influencers
Like all social media platforms, businesses that use TikTok for their marketing can benefit from the influencers’ following, which always brings views. Brands are eager to collaborate with influential stars like Natti Natasha ( 26.7 million followers ) or even lesser-known names like María Pombo ( 1 million followers ).
Naturally, the bigger names will bring with them higher prices. But for smaller businesses there are still plenty of opportunities to collaborate with influencers without breaking the bank. Identify the so-called micro-influencers, whose content may be trending, or who have a very select target audience that fits with your brand.
For retailers, there are a myriad of smaller influencers showcasing their unique style or their fascinating homes and flats. On the other hand, those who work in the gastronomy sector will quickly discover that new recipes and food tips are always in high demand.
Authenticity, honesty and clarity
Businesses will not benefit from traditional ad formats and subtle messaging on TikTok. Instead, brands should do everything they can to stay in tune with their followers and create real, vivid, story-driven content.
TikTok users love to sneak a peek at what’s going on behind the scenes at a brand and find out what’s going on beyond flashy Instagram photos. If you’re a restaurant owner, why not try posting a speed-up video showing how you prepare your signature dish? For e-commerce retailers, demonstrating the level and care of product packaging could be a very good idea.
Another key point to keep in mind is simply honesty . If your business is facing some obstacles due to forces beyond your control, you can share your story with your customers. But be careful not to instill guilt in your followers; instead, focus on highlighting what you’re doing to deal with it, from a fresh new menu to discounts and sales.
Interact with the TikTok community
Brand rivalry doesn’t seem to exist in the same way on TikTok as it does on Twitter. Instead, the platform presents itself as a huge community where everyone collaborates.
With this in mind, don’t be afraid to put your company ‘s marketing on TikTok on hold for a short time; you can use that time to engage with the trends and challenges that will generate the most impressions. It can be the perfect opportunity to help you expand your fan base and make yourself known to new demographics.
You can also consider the possibility of connecting with other companies in your area or sector through the platform and learn more about your customers. Ask people to share some of the challenges or obstacles they face in their industry/location, and get other businesses involved in solving them.
Tell a story
Social networks are about storytelling, but this is even more important on TikTok, where you have limited time to engage your audience. Still, the platform enjoys an excellent engagement rate of 52.1%[ efn_note]https://influencermarketinghub.com/tiktok-stats/[/efn_note]; the highest of all social networks. This means that when you get someone’s attention, you really get it .
Using TikTok in business presents opportunities for brands to produce content that reflects the thoughts, feelings, and challenges of their audience.
As much as possible, try to intertwine topics of general interest with your brand. For example, Erika Thompson’s small beekeeping business caused a boom thanks to her awareness videos about the importance of protecting insects. . Think about sustainability and social responsibility topics that are important to you, and how you can create a story to tell on TikTok around them.
fun above all
Above all, TikTok is a space designed for people to relax, learn something new, and become part of an ever-growing community.
According to the 2020 GlobalWebIndex survey, most users like TikTok for its fun and entertaining content . Think about what your customers most want to see or learn about your brand and create content that suits their preferences.
Research the platform and identify what generates the best results.
Here are some of the most popular options:
- Before and after
- step by step instructions
- Try on clothes
- product demonstrations
- meet the team
In addition to using TikTok to broaden your horizons, you can also reach out to entirely new demographics and transform your brand marketing with the help of Groupon Merchant.
