It’s been a long time coming. After years of waiting, we finally have our answer to the question “which social app will take on Instagram?” TikTok is here and it doesn't disappoint!
One day after its launch in September 2017, TikTok was downloaded over 1 million times from the App Store alone. It's still currently undergoing changes but that hasn't stopped people from using this new platform for all things entertainment - especially when you consider how popular Vine once was (RIP). This news has taken many by surprise because no one really expected an unknown company like "Tik Tok" would be successful enough to rival Facebook or YouTube with just their first product release.
TikTok's content strategy is vastly different from Instagram’s more straightforward "post a pic and tag a brand." With TikTok, brands have to create popular videos that attract the app's younger audience. And unlike other social media platforms where advertisers post ads in hope of attracting followers or likes, there are now ad options on Tik Tok for both views and engagements- meaning you can spend your money either way!
TikTok has emerged as one of the fastest growing apps with its super short video format which allows people to share their lives through quick clips. Brands have taken notice: but instead of just posting an advertisement like they might do on Facebook or Twitter (or even something similar), it takes creativity - such as making engaging videos.
Brands are recognizing the effort that goes into video creation seen on TikTok. There’s almost more of a realness behind shoutouts, and most certainly an entertainment factor.
So, you want to put some effort in your marketing? Let's break it down!
Step 1: Outline Marketing Goals to Achieve Your Customer's Needs and Wants
For a company just getting into the TikTok game, it's important to take your time and ensure you've got solid goals before acting. Identifying what exactly you want out of this platform is crucial for success in marketing!
There are many things to consider before working with influencers or creating content, but branding should be your top priority. Doing so will ensure you get the most out of all other steps in this process and help establish a consistent look for your brand!
You have two main goals when it comes to marketing: brand awareness and sales. If you’re after the former, your strategy will differ a lot from if you were going for the latter. You should track each of these separately so that they can be compared more easily!
ELF Cosmetics, for example, tapped into TikTok to create content based on their most popular hashtag. Being a social media influencer, this was one of the best ways for ELF Cosmetics to get eyes on their product. They commissioned an original song that features heavily in Tik Tok videos and has been viewed 7 billion times!
Step 2: Identify the Categories of Content
Hashtag Challenges
Hashtags are a phenomenon that has swept the world, and is now even making its way into national news networks like ABC or NBC. In 2021 we'll see more Fortune 500 companies joining in on this trend of popularity too.
The two types of hashtag challenges that can garner virality are sponsored and organic. In the past, celebrities have been tapped to create personalized hashtags for their fans in order to increase visibility on social media (#Beyonce2020). More recently an internet challenge has become popular with participants creating a new personal hashtag every day.
Tutorial Videos
TikTok is a mini-social media platform where users can post short videos of themselves. In order to succeed, you need followers and likes on your posts; this requires content that people are interested in watching or listening to. Tik Tok tutorials related to products and services are an easy way for brands like yours to get attention from potential customers - which then create more opportunities for sales!
To create organic brand trust, present a common problem most people experience with your product or service as the solution. Be sure to emphasize that it is not oversold in order to avoid being distasteful and come off more genuine!
The influencers you employ to conduct tutorials should present content in as natural a way as possible. This will make your tutorial strategy more appealing, with the added bonus of increasing customer value!
Testimonials and Reviews
A still image, such as a picture on Instagram, lacks much emotion and realism. With video reviews you can tell how much the reviewer cares about what they are talking about so imagine 50 trusted TikTok influencers reviewing your product or service- it’s exactly what brand trust dreams are made of!
When it comes to social media marketing, influencers are the new models. Product-based businesses like beverage companies can partner with beauty gurus and makeup artists to taste their products on camera in a variety of different ways - from making cocktails to putting on eye shadow for them. Haircare brands can have hair stylists use and review their products, showing before and after results. If you want your company's product seen by thousands then partnering with an influential person or brand is key!
To ensure your brand is getting the most out of influencer marketing, make sure to reuse all videos from an influencers post on their profile. This way when you’re tagged and users visit your company's social media page they will be able to see hundreds of other trusted influencers speaking about it!
Behind-the-Scenes (BTS)
A lot of people are drawn to the social media content that’s more real and raw than what you see from brands. It just feels good for them, knowing they can trust this kind of content because it also gives a glimpse behind how all these powerful images came to be in the first place.
Authenticity is a must for any business. Don't be afraid to let people in and show them you are real people, not just an image or logo. When launching new products don’t hesitate to broadcast the process as it happens- from packaging up your product before delivery, to hardworking employees who put their all into every project they work on no matter how small - anything that shows others what great things happen behind the scenes of amazing businesses!
Step 3: Consider TikTok Influencer Marketing
Not sure how to get your brand’s message out there? Influencers are the answer. When you work with influencers, not only will they help grow your reach in specific niches by providing content for your company profile – but also it saves a lot of time as well! Set yourself up for success from day one and create a budget before reaching out to these social media stars that have already built their following through other brands. Create an organized spreadsheet so you can keep track of who is interested, what type of content they offer, follower count…and more information about them at-a-glance!
The goal of any influencer campaign is to generate organic and authentic content. This can be achieved by making your offer clear, with a well-defined scope for the work that will be provided. Don't forget about all those little details: let them know how much you're willing to pay, what they'll need to do in terms of tagging/title changes on their video posts, or requirements around linking out from their social profiles. Paying attention (and accommodating) these small specifications goes a long way towards generating quality content!
If you’re new to influencer marketing, I recommend starting with micro-influencers in order to build up your own profile first. Then work on partnering with bigger fish as well once you have enough content for users to engage with!
Cross-Posting and Repurposing
Brands should consider a double whammy when looking for influencers to create content. It is not just about the cost of hiring an influencer, but also how they can use their marketing budget - whether it be on TikTok or YouTube!
Best Practices for TikTok Marketing
You only have 60 seconds to get your point across, so make sure you keep it clear and concise. This actually works in your favor because social media is fast paced - "get in and out". The shorter the video, the more likely people will watch all of it!
When it comes to TikTok, be sure not to shoot in square or wide. This is because the output will always be portrait and tall as opposed to landscape. Audio has been a major component on many social media platforms for years now so that means you can't go wrong with audio options when posting content on TikTok!
Aspect ratio is portrait and tall on Tik Tok, making your videos take up more screen space than if they were shot in either square or wide formats. The best part about using sound sources from other sites legally through music available at TIKTOK.
Make your CTA prominent in the caption and at the end of a video so that viewers know what to do next, whether it's checking out an Instagram profile or visiting a website.
Third-Party Apps to Save You Time
For those of us who love to try out new apps, it can be hard to find ones that stand out. So we did the work for you and came up with a list of our favorite third-party applications! We hope this will save some time on your end so you have more free time than ever before!
Video Saver - This app is a great tool for TikTok users or video creators who are looking to repurpose their videos on YouTube. It allows you to quickly download and convert any of your videos into the format needed by TikTok so that you can post them with ease.
Video Saver - With this app, you can watch raw videos from TikTok without any watermarks. There are no increased charges and it's easy to use.
TikTok has a huge following and it is not going anywhere. Companies should seriously consider using TikTok as the next social media platform to advertise on because of its large reach in such an age that people are losing interest in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.