How to Succeed with Your Tiktok Marketing

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people in the United States joined TikTok to keep themselves entertained. As of today, TikTok is the number one social media platform in the app store. With such a rapid rise, it would be a missed opportunity for businesses to ignore TikTok marketing. 

What Is TikTok Marketing?

TikTok marketing involves using the app to promote brands, products, and services. Various tactics can be used, including influencer marketing, TikTok advertising, and creating organic viral content. TikTok marketing can help businesses:

• Increase brand awareness
• Build engaged communities
• Sell products and services
• Get feedback from customers and audiences
• Provide customer service
• Advertise products and services to target audiences

How to Create a TikTok Business Account:

1. Go to your profile page.   
2. Open the Settings and Privacy tab in the top right corner.
3. Tap Manage account.
4. Under Account control, choose Switch to Business Account.
5. Choose the category that best describes your account—Tiktok has categories including Art & Crafts, Personal Blogs, Fitness, and Machinery & Equipment.
6. The next step is to add your business website and email address, and you’re all set.

TikTok trends can seem unpredictable, and no marketing strategy works 100% of the time. Still, there are legitimate steps you can take to help your business thrive on the app. The following tips can help you as you develop your Tiktok marketing strategy:     

#1 Use Hashtags

The content that appears on the TikTok’s for you page (FYP) is largely influenced by hashtags. Trending hashtags will also appear on the discover page, so you should pay attention to these keywords if you’re using TikTok for a marketing campaign. 

You should be selective in which hashtags you use. It is best to examine other videos under the same hashtag, take note of trends, and recreate them to showcase your brand. 

• Make a list of hashtags relevant to your niche.
• Combine popular hashtags with less competitive ones
• Include as many hashtags as you can in your captions.
• Keep an eye on popular & trending TikTok hashtags.
• Start a hashtag challenge.

#2 Know Your Audience

Who are you trying to reach through Tiktok? Before you start creating content, find out the demographics of TikTok and identify who might be interested in your brand.

TikTok has a much younger audience than other social media platforms. Considering 60% of users are from 16 to 24 years old, it’s important to understand the unique challenges of marketing to gen Z. Therefore, how can your digital marketing appeal to this age group?

• Keep it casual – It can be hard to sell younger individuals on certain topics, especially when they’re capable of doing  the research themselves. Don’t try too hard to sell your brand to this age group. Keep your marketing tactics effortless, authentic, and cool. 
• Keep it short – Avoid making lengthy, in-depth advertisements. Try to keep it short and simple so your viewers continue to scroll onto the next video.  
• Keep it up to date – Avoid outdated trends, memes, and pop culture references. Having a member of your team who can stay on top of trends is essential.  
• Keep it sustainable – Consider sustainability and eco-friendly products if you’re trying to attract a younger audience. 

#3 Reach Out to Influencers

It is no surprise that influencers dominate social media, especially TikTok. In order to maximize your visibility, you’ll want to reach out to content creators who already have a large following. A great way to reach out to them is to send PR packages.  

Typically, content creators negotiate with brands for PR packages. In return, creators will create ads and unboxing videos that showcase the products received and get their audience to try them out as well. 

Choose the Right Influencer  

Brands must research influencers carefully before choosing a spokesperson for their company. It’s important that the audience you’re reaching via a TikTok influencer fits the demographic of your brand. For instance: 

• Beauty brands – Beauty brands often work with either professional makeup gurus or young female influencers. A PR package may include makeup, skincare products, or hair extensions that can be featured in tutorial videos.          
• Fitness brands – Often reach out to influencers who wear the clothes for sponsored videos. Workout tutorials on the fitness side of TikTok (sometimes referred to as GymTok) are a great way to showcase these products.
• Amazon – Trying to reach a wider audience. Most notably, they have sponsored skits from influencers who resonate with gen Z and millennial audiences.

#4 Use Effects    

A unique aspect of TikTok is its collection of different visual effects. The thing is when you see a video with an interesting effect on it, you can click on the effect. Then you’ll be taken to a page full of other videos that use the same effect. Many users will click on the videos merely out of curiosity after seeing the thumbnails.

Through this method alone, a brand can increase its views if it gets their video on the discovery page. You may find some of these visual effects quite eye-catching so why not give them a try?

#5 Engage with Other Users

Engage with their content by liking and commenting on their posts. Respond to your followers’ comments and direct messages, and follow accounts that you like and relate to. As a result, your account will be more visible within the community and people will be more inclined to interact with you.

If you want to reply to a comment, you can respond with a video rather than simply replying in the comment section. It can help you create more relevant and engaging content for your audience. You will be appreciated by your community if you personally interact with them.

To try this feature:

• In the comment section, click on the comment you wish to reply to.
• Tap the red video camera icon on the left.
• TikTok will then take you directly to the screen where you can record or upload your reply.
• You can move the comment anywhere on the screen for viewers to gain extra context about your video.

#6 Post Regularly

The key to a successful social media strategy is creating a content calendar and sticking to it. Posting frequency can also affect how your content is distributed on the platform (TikTok recommends posting 1-4 times per day). Watch your performance until you find a posting schedule that pleases both the TikTok algorithm and your audience.