Information in this blog post was obtained from Sproutsocial.com, Hootsuite.com, and Houseofmarketers.com.
Currently, TikTok stands as one of the world's most dynamic social media platforms, captivating audiences and reshaping online engagement. It has taken the world by storm, leaving countless users pondering, 'What if I were the one to go viral?' This raises a pivotal question for aspiring and current social media marketers: 'How can I propel my product or company into the viral spotlight?' Today, I’m here to guide you through the strategies and insights that can turn that dream into reality.
First, what is TikTok? TikTok began as an app that encouraged users to dance and create light-hearted videos for entertainment. As it began amassing it's large amount users, it slowly started turning into a forum where people could share their stories, create vlogs of their daily lives, give shopping hauls, and has even since added a new feature called the "TikTok Shop". The "TikTok Shop" is a place where users can buy products that their favorite influencers promote and even specialty items for a somewhat discounted rate as opposed to larger purchasing outlets. This has opened up a whole new realm for social media marketers when promoting products since it allows for direct purchasing through the app.
Furthermore, let's dive right into how to properly advertise your products or services throughout this platform. The first step when beginning marketing on any social media platform is the creation of an account. In order to access the proper analytics needed for effective marketing, you must make sure that the settings for your account are switched to business.
Now, once your business account is created, it is important to make appealing content relevant to your business, organization, or product for a mass audience. For example, if you are running a social media marketing campaign for a coffee house, you can create somewhat aesthetically pleasing videos of coffee being made.
Once your content is created, you can begin delving into the marketing aspects of TikTok. The first step you can take to efficiently market your content, is by "add[ing] any relevant hashtags and select any suggested hashtags" Sproutsocial.com. This can help the algorithm determine the content and project it to the audience most interested.
Next, and in my opinion, one of the most important steps is to post regularly. According to Hootsuite.com, "Quality over quantity, of course... but on TikTok, quantity also matters. TikTok recommends posting one to four times per day". Maintaining relevancy and keeping content recurring for your targeted audience and other users is extremely important.
As for what to post, Houseofmarketers.com recommends a healthy balance between promotional and organic content. "While paid media plays a significant role in TikTok marketing, the power of organic content should not be understated. Strive for a mix of content that both entertains and informs your audience about your brand".
It is important to note that your settings should allow for comments, duets, stitches, and other types of interactions. This can allow other users to promote your content to an additional extent. Remember, although this may be frightening due to public criticism, interactions gain traction, and turning off these features may lead to users questioning your content's promotional transparency.
Similarly, allowing yourself or your fellow marketers to experiment with different elements of your content can be advantageous. Remember, TikTok began as an app for expression and creativity. It may be to your content's advantage to follow other brands' and organizations' trends and light-hearted content that sways from your average posts on other platforms. There is no exact science for virality, so abnormal content that shows personality should be allowed rather than just strategically curated content. Not only does this make your brand/organization/product more personable, but allows opportunity for your audience to relate on a deeper level. You can do this in many ways, but the most effective ways I have seen are allowing employees to "take over the page" for a day and creating a vlog, videos behind the scenes of content creation, consumer testimonials, and even just rallying employees together to partake in a trend!
Lastly, utilize the analytics your posts and page provide you! TikTok is algorithm-based; furthermore, using these analytics can be crucial to gaining and maintaining relevancy. As of now, Tiktok provides you with audience demographics, video performance (in terms of playtime), engagement levels, growth (measured weekly and monthly), and follower activity. Being able to properly dissect what these numbers mean and how they affect your content is of utmost importance. You can use these to figure out what people are liking and engaging with the most, and you can create similar content to continue gaining traction. Likewise, it can help you determine which audience you are appealing to the most and allows you the insight you need to maintain them and continue to grow and improve your outreach.
In summary, TikTok has emerged as an unparalleled platform for social media marketers to engage with a vast and diverse audience. By focusing on creating captivating yet relatable content, integrating relevant hashtags, and maintaining a consistent posting schedule, you can significantly enhance your brand's visibility in this new-age platform. Striking the right balance between promotional and organic material is key and allows you to not only inform your audience about what you have to offer but entertain and build a connection. Furthermore, throughout this article, I hope you have discovered effective strategies for leveraging TikTok as a powerful platform to market and showcase everything your brand has to offer!
Read my colleague Savannah's article for more information on TikTok's success! https://www.thesmmu.com/post/tiktok-tactics-insider-secrets-for-business-success
Resources
Hirose, A. (2020, November 9). How to Create a Successful TikTok Marketing Strategy. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-marketing/
team, H. O. M. (2024, April 12). Ultimate TikTok Marketing Strategy Guide (10 Steps) [Updated: 2024]. House of Marketers. https://www.houseofmarketers.com/ultimate-tiktok-marketing-strategy-guide/
West, C. (2024, April 10). TikTok marketing: The complete guide for brands in 2022. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/tiktok-marketing/
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