Once considered a platform for frivolous content and lip-syncing teens, TikTok has evolved into so much more. If this fact confuses you, you aren’t alone. TikTok has become way bigger than what it was perceived to be. If utilized to its full potential by a brand, it opens a whole new world of possibilities for audiences and viewers.
With users having greater access to the Internet and shorter attention spans, creators and businesses alike have swarmed to the video-based platform. Let us have a look at how a brand can successfully leverage the platform to connect with engaged customers online.
Here’s Why TikTok Is Relevant To Your Business
Just like the makers of the app, I’m sure most experts thought it was a platform specifically for teens and Gen-Z users. With time, it has become evident that this is untrue. With over 500 million monthly active users, the marketing potential associated with it is undeniable. With approximately 118.9 million reported Gen-Z users estimated by the end of 2021, it has captured the imagination of the most active segment on the internet. Officially the fourth most popular social media platform in the world as of 2021, it would be foolish to overlook TikTok, a behemoth of social marketing.
6-Step Guide To Get Your Business Going
TikTok has now been around long enough that one can categorically and quantitatively break down its benefits and virtues. Let’s have a look in the subsequent sections:
Do businesses need to be on TikTok? Learn more: What Is TikTok For Business, And Why Does It Work?
Step 1: TikTok gives you an edge
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Quick content, low costs
TikTok has taken the idea of producing high-quality video content and flipped it on its head. The 15-second time limit ensures that the videos need to be entertaining and doesn’t give the audience enough time to care about the production value. This allows creators to churn out engaging content way quicker than was previously possible, thereby casting a wider net to attract potential audiences.
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Creating homegrown celebrities
One differentiating factor that separates TikTok from other platforms is a super democratic algorithm that levels the playing field and ensures virality can be gained only through quality content. This encourages brands and creators to attract a fan base from scratch to ensure all their content reaches a loyal and engaged user base.
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Connect with the target audience
As the content pieces are small and quick, the messaging is usually niche and direct. TikTok has given birth to some of the most popular underground subcultures on the Internet by giving everyone a voice. The more niche the content, the more like-minded individuals it connects with. From a brand’s point of view, this helps eliminate passive followers.
For further inspiration, who better than the reigning kings and queens of TikTok? Check out our blog: Top 14 TikTok Influencers To Motivate You.
Step 2: Try out new content formats
Internet users have gained a certain level of fatigue with run-of-the-mill branded videos and TikTok allows businesses to experiment with interesting content formats.
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How-to videos
TikTok is one of the first formats where tutorial videos have really taken off! Just the hashtag #tutorial has over 75 billion views on the platform! This works extremely well with influencers to educate viewers. From dance videos to arts & crafts, people love learning on TikTok.
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Behind-the-scenes videos
For a brand to feel less like a corporation and establish a human connection with the audience, going into the inner workings resonates well with the users. It makes them feel special by inviting them to be a part of something note-worthy, and interacting with the regular faces who are responsible for the brand.
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Challenge videos
What better way to encourage an audience to engage than to incentivize them? Recreating songs, funny responses, trending dances – they all spread like wildfire on TikTok, allowing brands to add their quirky spin to them. It also helps drive user generated content.
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Sound/music videos
Music is a massive part of the platform due to the ease of integrating songs and sounds into videos. They could popular numbers or TikTok-specific tunes, music is a big part of creating trends on TikTok and allows users to recognize a trend within a few seconds. Some brands even create music specifically for TikTok.
One way to generate engaging content for a brand is user-generated content. Here’s a chance to learn more: Everything You Need To Know About User-Generated Content On TikTok.
Step 3: Try out new TikTok ad formats
The good folks at TikTok soon recognized the financial potential the platform had with brands and made it incredibly easy to integrate branded ads in multiple formats.
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Brand takeovers
If you want all eyes on your ad, this is the way to go! These ads appear as soon as the app is launched and then lead to another video or a pre-assigned landing page. The pricing model can be adjusted as per the time and scale of the brand. Typically, brands pay anything between $50,000 and $100,000 to run a branded takeover ad over a prescribed period.
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In-feed ads
These ads are the closest thing to a regular post on the TikTok feed. The only differentiation between them and other videos is the fact that they are labeled as ads. The fact that they are a part of the video queue makes them seem organic, natural and approachable. These cost about $10 per CPM and are the most affordable of all ads.
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Hashtag challenges
Advertised hashtag challenges are a great way to encourage engaged users to get involved in a trend. The user sees a specific banner ad that leads to a page with the rules of the challenge. The banner is usually on the ‘discover’ tab and generates plenty of insights that serve as valuable data for the brands. These include banner views, clicks, number of user-generated content, number of views, engagement, and trending slots.
Before creating ads, here’s a list of tips to keep in mind as a marketer: 10 Major TikTok Stats Marketers Need To Know.
Step 4: Create a content schedule
Once a brand has frozen the type of content they wish to post, the next factors that play a key role are posting time and frequency. Like other platforms, TikTok too requires consistency and discipline. The key is to regularly post content and gain the audiences’ attention to a point where they look forward to your posts being entertained. The secret sauce is to also keep things fresh while sticking to a strict calendar. This will keep the audience coming back for more.
The fickle-minded nature of the Internet waits for no one and users will defer to alternate accounts if they aren’t satisfied even once. The nature of TikTok gives brands enough leeway to be fearless and experiment. Keeping the audience in mind involves adapting to their time zones, online activity, and usage patterns. Sticking a fixed editorial calendar is the best way to achieve all of the above without getting too overwhelmed.
Step 5: Get on to the influencer bandwagon
For brand marketers who have just begun dabbling in TikTok, it can be overwhelming. Figuring out how the platform works to attract users who are engaged enough to consume content can take weeks if not months. Why waste all that time when you can get an influencer to collaborate with and get all of the above readily available. These influencers make video content for a living and understand the pulse of the audience on the platform. Their audiences are loyal and are willing to listen.
If a brand can collaborate with an influencer who mirrors its values and image, it is an organic fit and is bound to perform well. These influencers are also creators by profession and can add a creative spin to a campaign that most marketers might not even think of. The entire process saves time and is a proven method to achieve success on TikTok.
Step 6: Optimize with analytics
Once you’ve moved to a Pro account on TikTok, the analytics dashboard is an extremely helpful way to track crucial metrics and optimize your brand campaigns. The insights fall into 3 categories:
- Profile overview
- Content insights
- Follower insights
These are great to understand the impact and reach of your content. This is one of the few platforms where marketers don’t need an external tool as the insights here provide sufficient data regarding the engagement. By constantly keeping tabs on it, brands can easily course-correct and tailor their content to engage with the audience and outdo the competitors.
In a nutshell, TikTok’s brand potential is massive and every digital marketer should dedicate resources towards the platform to capture a new audience. As it continues to grow, the points mentioned in the blog can serve as a blueprint to frame strategies around as you attempt to grow your business.
If you’ve got any further queries we are happy to help you. At AtisfyReach, we provide services that help brands establish a strong presence across social media platforms, and connect them with influencers through tailored marketing campaigns.
Register with us, and let our experts help you build a true connection with your audience.
