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Social media has long been a smart way for businesses to grow their following, attract customers and share key messages. Today, the vast number of social media platforms can be challenging.
As a business, you need to know how to leverage each platform to get the most out of the time and money spent to develop content. Each platform has a different tone and style, attracting different types of users and preferring different content types.
TikTok is a perfect example. The platform uses short video clips to convey ideas, tips, humor or other easily digestible content. As of August 2022, there are more than 1 billion users worldwide in 154 countries.
How TikTok Works
TikTok is one of the world’s fastest-growing platforms and particularly popular with teens and young adults. Viewers can look at videos and scroll quickly through options.
On each video, a viewer can click on a heart icon to indicate they like it, comment, bookmark or share the post. They can also learn more about the creator and choose to follow them.
TikTok provides more content based on the behavior exhibited on the videos used, such as whether viewers engage in the ways noted above. Those opportunities for connection and sharing are powerful for your brand.
Tips on How to Leverage TikTok for Your Business
Here are 7 tips for growing your business using TikTok.
Tip 1: Build Your TikTok Profile
The first step to using TikTok is to create a business account on the platform. You’ll first create a personal account and complete your bio, including adding a photo, brief bio, phone and email, and links to other social accounts.
Next, you click on the Switch to Pro Account tab and choose Business. You’ll have the option to choose a category for your business and add a business website and email address.
To optimize your TikTok profile, think carefully about the profile photo you use, which should represent your brand well. Keep your bio brief and to the point and choose the URL you use carefully – will it go to your landing page, other social accounts, a product page or a blog post?
Another popular profile bio element is to include a linktree link which allows you can add a selection of important pages and profiles from your website or other social channels.
In the above image you can see the linktr.ee link in the TikTok bio of Hootsuite the popular social media scheduling platform, when you click this link you get the below page.
Tip 2. Use Influencers
Influencers have become a powerful way to gain access to large numbers of potential customers. Influencers – from celebrities to models to regular people – have large followings and can amplify your reach by creating TikTok content on their channel that relates to your brand.
Start by looking for the right influencers who will be relevant to your brand and to the desired audience you’re trying to reach. You’ll want to connect with influencers who will connect their following to your brand.
Tailor Brands is one company that is effectively leveraging influencers on TikTok to promote their logo maker service. The online logo and brand identity company uses multiple influencers to promote its products with fun, informative videos.
Look for a long-term partnership with influencers, who can help build bigger audiences for you and collaborate to develop content that is effective and helps you achieve your goals.
It’s important to make sure that you are transparent in your relationships with influencers, too, so that viewers know there is a business relationship between them and your business and that they are providing sponsored content.
Tip 3: Create Compelling Content
Content is the heart of TikTok. Without great content, none of the other strategies you deploy are going to matter. TikTok is a quick-hit medium – you only have 15 to 60 seconds to get your message out there and convince a viewer to follow you or take other action.
On another note, if you want to increase your TikTok presence, you may want to consider checking out websites that offer services to buy TikTok views. This can help you extend the reach and effectiveness of your content.
You can’t sacrifice the quality of your content for volume. Every time you engage with TikTok users, you’ll want to be sure they see something that sends a message about your brand or your company.
Calvin Klein is one firm that has leveraged TikTok and used influencers to make an impact. When they launched their TikTok presence, Calvin Klein produced the ‘MyCalvins’ , a series of 22 videos with notable influencers including Kendall Jenner, A$AP Rocky and Shawn Mendes. The stars were interviewed and posted using the hashtag #MyCalvins.
Video content needs to be easy to watch, clear in the messages delivered, and catchy so that a viewer pays attention and does not click away without seeing what you’ve created. Your video needs to have the right design and branding associated with each post. Also pay attention to captions you put on your videos – keep them memorable and not too wordy.
Tip 4: Be Relevant to the Problems and the People
TikTok has a feature that can help get the right eyeballs on your posts. The “for you” page uses a proprietary algorithm that gives them content that is more aligned with their interests as they engage more with the platform.
That means TikTok is giving users content that is more relevant and appeals to what interests them.
Your content needs to appeal to viewers by being pertinent to the needs and problems that a particular demographic is facing. Specificity matters. You need to target the right demographics with content that matters lost to what they are trying to do, whether it’s cooking a low-carb meal or fixing a flat bike tire.
Doing so helps you show how you can help customers and that you are attentive to their needs, making them more likely to connect with your company.
Tip 5: Use TikTok Advertising
TikTok has recently launched a new advertising option that lets brands connect better to their users. Three types of ads are available:
● Brand Ads, which are the most efficient way to drive traffic from TikTok to your website
● Native In-Feed Ads
● Hashtag Challenge Ads
Identifying the target audience is essential for social media advertising. TikTok offers two options for ad targeting:
● Interest Targeting. These ads work much like those on Facebook. You can choose an interest that is applicable to your target audience and TikTok will show ads to those viewers
● Behavioral Targeting. This approach uses the behaviors that users have displayed over the previous week or two to target ads to those characteristics
Tip 6: Use Hashtags and Hashtag Challenges
The right hashtags can help users find you and your brand. However, be careful about stacking your posts with irrelevant hashtags. You want to use those that are relevant to your brand or your company. It’s tempting to hop on to trending hashtags but in the long run, the lack of relevance could end up hurting your brand, not helping
You should add relevant hashtags to every video you post. If you’re unsure which ones to use, you can type a potential hashtag into the search function, and the system will suggest other possible hashtags for you to use.
The clothing company GUESS used a hashtag challenge #InMyDenim to promote a new line of jeans. They used their influencer partners in tandem with the campaign, which prompted many of their followers to learn more about the campaign … and the new products.
The hashtag challenge helped push GUESS to more than 40 million views and continues to prompt engagement and generate revenue for the company.
Tip 7: Collaborate with Other Brands and Creators
If your marketing budget or personnel resources are small, you can consider a social media partnership. Brands and other content creators may want to partner with you to create content that benefits both parties.
These collaborations often start with a brief email seeking whether there is interest in a collaboration. Creative conversations can ensue to see if there’s a good match.
One word of caution: Don’t try to get something for nothing. A collaboration takes time, work, energy and money. Don’t appear to be creating a one-sided partnership in your collaboration that only or mostly benefits your brand.
Conclusion
TikTok is a fun, inviting and wildly popular platform. It can be a creative way to drive customers to your brand and get them excited about your brand and products or services.
Use TikTok as part of your broader social media strategy to gain new followers and customers while driving additional revenue.
