TikTok is much more than a fad. In fact, it was the most downloaded non-gaming app in 2021 and boasts 100 million monthly users in the United States alone.
TikTok’s presentation of short videos combined with music clips has proven tremendously popular, with clips of dances, stunts, comedy and more going viral around the world.
Needless to say, the popular app has also been of great help to video marketers, at least for those who know how to take advantage of it. With options including in-feed videos, hashtag challenges, and more, there are plenty of opportunities for brands to reach a young, highly engaged audience.
If you’re intimidated by dipping your toes into the murky waters of TikTok advertising, don’t worry. Getting your message across might be easier than you expect.
1. Act fast to capture trends
On TikTok, trends can increase in popularity and disappear in a single day. Because these can come and go so quickly, you’ll need to act quickly, collecting content and uploading it the same day.
The good news is that the platform actively organizes and promotes hashtags within its app, highlighting popular and trending hashtags to make it easier to navigate the content. TikTok also highlights trending songs on its For You page.
In other words, the social media platform gives you the playbook of current trends, so you know exactly what trends you should participate in.
2. Follow your followers
Of course, part of the appeal of using TikTok is that it gives video marketers the opportunity to launch their own content that goes viral. This is particularly true of hashtag challenges, which encourage audiences to create their own content based on the specialist’s hashtag.
In a case study, Singaporean fashion brand ZALORA generated more than 1,100 user-made videos with nearly 1 million total views, while increasing its conversion rate compared to other creative content by 2.5 times higher.
So how do you achieve similar results with your own campaigns? Immerse yourself in the app by following the leading influencers in your niche, as well as members of your target audience. Seeing the type of content they are producing and interacting with will reveal what type of branded content they find most appealing to.
3. Make production easier with video creation tools
Because TikTok content often needs to be filmed, edited, and uploaded all in a single day, you won’t have countless hours to apply lighting filters or other high-tech editing solutions. As a result, videos tend to look a little less polished, but that’s a good thing, it also gives them authenticity.
Still, the rapid change that is often necessary for TikTok video marketing makes production tools like Boosted an absolute must. Boosted offers a variety of customizable templates that make it easy to create a video for any social media platform. An easy-to-use toolkit allows users to customize fonts, logos, color palettes, and other features to better match their brand and the platform you’re using.
Using these tools also helps you maintain consistency with the video content you post. When each video maintains a similar aesthetic, font, or filter, viewers will immediately associate it with your brand.
4. Tell stories
While it may seem like TikTok is primarily a vehicle for catching up with the latest dance trend, there’s still a great opportunity to tell stories, an essential part of any video marketing campaign.
Many influencers use the TikTok format to present a series of connected short clips that help users solve a problem, usually by using video and text overlays along with a trending music clip.
In an interview with Later,TikTok vlogger Sawyer Hartman explains, “First, I use text to establish a problem or get attention. I usually address people’s fears and concerns right away. And then, step by step, I fix the problem. Imagine that your perfect viewer is sitting and watching your video with the sound off, what text can you put and what story can you tell that will convince them to activate the sound? “.
5. Don’t be afraid to experiment
Because users upload so much content to the platform on a daily basis, the platform can seem inconsistent at times, especially when you don’t have the budget to invest in a promotional campaign.
However, the fast consumption that TikTok promotes can also become an advantage. By continually experimenting with different types of content, you’ll be able to find out what works (and what doesn’t) much earlier and at a lower cost than with a big-budget campaign on another platform.
While still being true to your brand identity, don’t be afraid to adapt your sound selection, the time you post, or the style of your video until you find a combination that gains traction with your target audience.
Now it’s time to dominate TikTok
With the right tools and mindset, establishing a remarkable presence on TikTok won’t be as difficult as you’d expect.
Of course, you can’t expect everything you upload to TikTok to go viral right away. It is ok. This is still a relatively new medium, and you may need to experiment for a while before something you produce catches the eye. Have fun with your content and eventually you’ll find out what clicks with your target audience.
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