Are you considering TikTok as part of your social media marketing strategy? Well, the fastest growing social media platform is not all about funny videos and dance moves. Businesses like yours are leveraging TikTok’s broad user base and focus on user-generated-content to increase their reach and generate targeted leads.
If you are not using TikTok to grow your business, you are missing out because according to data gathered by Oberlo:
- TikTok has over 800 million monthly active users
- The TikTok app has been downloaded over 2 billion times on both iOS and Android and is the most downloaded app on the App Store
- 41% of users are aged between 16 and 24 (Generation Z), but the app’s popularity is also growing among millennials and Generation X.
- TikTok users spend an average of 52 minutes daily on the app, as 90% of users open the app multiple times a day. On average, users watch 1 billion videos daily.
So, how exactly can you use TikTok to grow your business? Read on to find out.
Understand how the platform works
Before we get to how you can use the platform to grow your business, you need to understand how it works. Looking like you don’t know what you are doing will harm your bottom line.
Essentially, the platform allows users to create and share short videos of up to one minute. Other users will discover your videos on their feed, depending on their interests.
Users will interact with your content by liking, commenting, and sharing externally via SMS, email, and other social media apps. One of the greatest advantages of using TikTok as a business is user engagement. According to a study conducted by Influencer Marketing Hub, the engagement level on TikTok beats all other social media platforms regardless of account size.
Remember, the app is very effective at keeping people watching and scrolling, with users spending an average of 52 minutes a day in the app.
Once you have an account and start posting content, users can follow and even set alerts to get a notification every time you post new content.
The greatest challenge TikTok poses, especially for business, is creating content that will resonate with the audience. It helps to take some time to review the content on the platform.
The critical thing to remember is that TikTok is all about fun, humor, creativity, and visually appealing content. TikTok is not the place for the serious, traditional sit-down sales pitch.
Also, remember the audience is slightly different from other social media platforms – most TikTok users are Gen Z (16 to 24-year-olds), followed by millennials (ages 25 to 39).
Download the app and use it for a week or two as an observer to get a feel of things. Observing will help you get some ideas of how you can use the platform for marketing your business.
Create fun but lead-generating content
One of the least expensive ways to market your business on TikTok is by creating your own fun and creative content. Remember, TikTok videos do not need professional video equipment or software; your smartphone camera is sufficient.
Creating and posting content is also how other users will discover your account, like your content, and even follow you. However, keep it simple; a light-hearted and fun video showing off your products is better than unsuccessfully attempting to create a viral video.
For example, you could create tutorials and hacks related to your products. Such videos provide value and build rapport with your customers. Most customers want you to show what you can do rather than tell.
You could also post testimonials, which are effective in marketing as they provide social proof. You generate more leads when satisfied customers tell others about your products or services. Alternatively, you could create videos showing before and after photos of your work.
Remember, humor is king on TikTok. But do not forget your marketing objectives.
Create a hashtag challenge
A hashtag challenge encourages users to create or recreate content and add your branded hashtag. Guess launched the hashtag #InMyDenim, encouraging users to film themselves wearing their new denim line. ELF Cosmetics was also quite successful with its hashtag #EyesLipsFace, which encouraged users to show off their looks. The hashtag resulted in over 3 million user-generated videos, with over 4 billion views.
A hashtag challenge promotes your brand and increases user engagement and interaction.
TikTok Influencer Marketing
Since creating content that resonates with TikTok users, you could consider influencer marketing. It is a popular way of advertising due to its effectiveness and fast results. According to the Digital Marketing Institute, 86 percent of marketers have used influencer marketing to increase brand awareness and generate leads.
The challenge is getting an influencer who will deliver good results. An Influencer who returned good results for a particular business might not necessarily deliver for you. However, TikTok has tried to address this issue through the TikTok Creator Marketplace, where you can see the metrics of the influencers you are considering. The data could help determine if an influencer is a right choice for your product and marketing needs.
Perhaps one of the most important considerations is your target audience’s age versus the influencer’s primary audience.
TikTok Duets
Duets are another effective way for brands to advertise on TikTok. Create a video and allow other users to duet that video side-by-side.
Duets increase engagement and provide a fun and exciting way for users to interact with your brand instead of merely getting shown ads. That way, your followers begin to forge a strong connection with your brand, which could increase brand loyalty.
More importantly, duets give you the chance to showcase your product in a way that feels organic rather than salesy.
Leverage TikTok Advertising
TikTok now allows ads, like the ones on Facebook and YouTube. Perhaps the most straightforward ads to set up are the Infeed Native Content ads. They are more like the ads you see on Facebook and Instagram Stories. These ads support several features, including website links.
Another type of advertising on TikTok you can leverage is the Brand Takeovers. For a day, your brand’s images, GIFs, and videos, with links to your website, can take over TikTok.
You can also take advantage of promoted hashtag challenges. Like creating your own challenges, promoted hashtag challenges increase users’ engagement with your brand, creating more qualified leads.
Like on any other social media platform, ads on TikTok reach a broad audience. The platform also allows targeting, meaning you can tailor your ads to reach your target audience.
Final Thoughts
You cannot afford not to use TikTok to grow your business in 2021, especially if your target audience includes the young generation. The social media platform is growing fast and comes with great features for marketers.