Posted by TikTok has been around for some time but gathered attention quickly and is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms out there.
From celebrities to chefs, everyone is on the platform and that makes it one of the coolest platforms to promote your business.
Looks can be deceiving since TikTok feels like a place where you share lip-sync videos and not somewhere you can share about either products or services. However, there’s plenty of potential in the platform and it helps you reach your audience in a creative way.
The platform also offers you ample opportunity to grow your audience and reach new customers through an engaged approach.
Using TikTok can amplify your social media marketing strategy which is a crucial part of digital marketing strategies and help your business reach a wider set of customers. Tiktok is not just restricted to fashion e-commerce stores, even a law firm can make use of social media marketing and grow its clients. It just requires strategic planning and a good understanding of audiences.
TikTok has a dedicated landing page that supplies users with more information to start the growth of their business on the platform.
All in all it is a trendy platform and can put your growth on steroids helping you achieve great results in no time. TikTok has over 1 billion users who spend 19.6 hours browsing the platform.
What is TikTok and why should you care?
TikTok is the place to host short-form videos.
We can look at it as something close to YouTube for short-form video content. In fact, YouTube too launched its own YouTube shorts section to compete with TikTok.
On TikTok videos are a minimum of 15 seconds to ten minutes long. You can add eye-catching filters and other special effects to your content. It also sports a music library where you can add background scores to your content.
TikTok’s algorithm uses AI to provide users with recommendations on which videos they should watch based on their watch history.
Whenever a new video is added the TikTok algorithm immediately promotes it to people who are most likely to enjoy the content. This recommendation is based on people’s past interactions and the number of minutes they spent watching a video. The total engagement is based on factors like shares and likes.
If a video is watched more often, it gets recommended to more people and that makes it go viral. If not, it goes to fewer feeds and simply doesn’t generate much traction.
The average user opens the app over 19 times a day with the largest demographic being 10 to 19-year-olds.
Now, let’s look at 5 ways to create a marketing stategy for small businesses using Tiktok.
1. Making sense of TikTok
TikTok is a small business marketing tool. So to that end create a small business account before you start using the platform.
To understand the platform here’s what to do first:
- Watch videos: Open the TikTok app and you see a feed full of videos. Click around to watch a couple of them to understand the platform first.
- Create your own videos: You don’t need a high-quality video of professional quality. Most videos on the platform are recorded using smartphones. The result like filters, face zoom and sticker effects are tools from within the app. Alternatively, you can use an online video editor to level up your video.
- Add in music: TikTok is rich with music. Music features an essential aspect of the experience on TikTok. The platform has numerous songs to choose from. You can also search for viral audio or sounds on the TikTok search bar. Tap the plus sign and select sounds from the top. On the page, you will get access to curate sounds from the top
- Follow accounts you like: Search for other similar accounts and companies and follow their accounts so you can stay up to date on the kind of content they’re creating. Follow industry giants and look at their marketing campaigns as well.
What is more, there are a wide array of Tiktok lead generation tactics that can help your small business acquire new clients who show interest in your business.
2. Post different content types
Once you’ve looked at competitors’ content and know that audience on TikTok, it’s time to create some original content for your business. You can always do lip-sync videos and use available options to start promoting your business.
- Introduce you and your team by starting with a funky theme song that captures the essence of your business
- Give followers a tour of your workplace so they can get access to behind-the-scenes footage
- TikTok is also a place to share inspirational stories. You can share interviews conducted via Zoom, Google Meetings, etc.
- Don’t tell people how great your product is; instead, ask them to share a video telling how the product changed their lives
- Lots of small businesses have pets in them. Tikotokers love videos with pets in them.
There are hundreds of different angles for you to share unique information on TikTok. The thing to keep in mind is TikTok users like engaging with fun and creative videos.
For instance, look at this video posted by Adventures on the Rock and which got more than 1 million views.
To get people excited about your video, first, create a picture that serves as bait. This captures attention and allows them to click with interest. Once you choose the right picture use the right filters to post your video content effectively.
3. Use the right hashtags
If you want people to discover your content you need to engage in hashtag research and then use those hashtags on your channel. What hashtags are trending and which hashtags are your users clicking on and which ones are related to your business? You should be able to answer all the different questions first.
The best hashtags are crucial to the success of your videos.
The platform suggests these hashtags are the top ones
- #foryou
- #foryoupage
- #fyp
- #viral
- #trending
- #comedy
Use hashtags that have something to do with the actual content inside the video as it can help to get more TikTok followers. Otherwise, people clicking on the hashtag will be disappointed with the result.
4. Use videos to collect information
Thanks to Tiktok’s advanced algorithm, it’s easy to reach millions of people who enjoy content similar to your videos. While you can reach so many people, it is also possible to turn it in your favor. You can create forms, surveys, and quizzes and ask your followers to fill them out.
For example, by creating a form, you collect a lot of feedback from your followers and you can try to integrate them into your work. Moreover, by preparing interactive quizzes, you can have fun with your followers and strengthen the bond between you. The more information you have about your followers, the easier it will be for you to earn money from your business. With ContactOut’s tool, you can conduct outreach with these people.
5. Use the power of TikTok ads
Like other social media channels, businesses can advertise on TikTok. Advertising on TikTok is one of the smartest ways to get your brand the attention it deserves and to be seen by potential customers
TikTok ads are user-friendly and offer many ways for you to interact with your audience and increase sales
- TopView ads: These are ads that users see when they open the app. The ad appears as a full-screen ad.
- In-Feed ads: These ads play in between user-generated content and are core components of the for-you feed. You can skip the ad by scrolling past it.
- Branded hashtag challenge: With this businesses can sponsor specific hashtag challenges and advertise on the Discover page. This is a great way to generate engagement for your brand and hashtags.
- Branded effects: The branded filter is available for customers on their videos. Use a filter that resonates well with your target audience. Users can pick the effects and add it to their own content.
Conclusion: Create authentic and interesting content
All the advice in the world will not replace quality content. Short-form video is taking over the world. Consumers are seeking engaging, fun, and authentic content. They want relatable content that provides them with plenty of value.
They want trustworthy interactions with real people who have real experiences to share. It’s important to build something that’s transparent and evolves according to trends and changing customer interests.
Once you’re used to the app, you can start understanding popular trends and use messaging that resonates with your core target audience.
Become an authoritative thought leader and provide useful expertise relevant to the target market.