You've heard the news, TikTok is taking the social media world by storm and it has created a craze. Through short videos with creative animations, users have found a way to create trends, funny viral videos, and for our case stellar business opportunities and promotions.
If you are looking for a new and elaborate way to promote your business through TikTok, you are in luck. So, hang out and buckle down, as I will be laying out 8 different ways TikTok can be used as an advantage and promote business.
Before we get started here, if you aren’t familiar with the basics of the new, crazy platform, check out our recent blog post, giving you a beginner's guide to TikTok.
Here. We. Go. 😎👊
1. Know Your Use for TikTok ⚒
As with any public platform a business chooses to pursue, it is important to understand what the company would like to get out of it. For example, the NBA uses Snapchat to showcase live-action and score updates while companies like Slim Jim use their Instagram to create comical content with memes to associate a positive public taste with the brand.
In another one of our previous blog posts, we discuss the importance of knowing your platform and your audience.
The point is, knowing what you want your business to get out of TikTok, whether it is updates on a new prototype or advertising a new product through a dance challenge, is the first step to using it to your advantage.
2. Understand How the TikTok Algorithm Works 📊
In order to fully utilize the new platform and create the best content, it is important to understand how to penetrate the target audience through TikTok’s algorithm. Understanding the correct hashtags to use, challenges to pursue, and songs to put in the background is only possible through understanding how your content can bleed through to whomever you are trying to reach--as with anything. When it comes to the algorithm itself, the content that users see is a mixture of a number of factors. To catch a more in-depth evaluation of the algorithm, check out Later's blog post on it.
3. Proper Use of Hashtags and Captions #️⃣💬
TikTok’s big catch is what is called the ‘For You’ page (a page that filters content to your liking). As mentioned earlier, TikTok has a set algorithm that filters content to certain users. A lot of users try to reach other users 'For You' page by using hashtags and captions like: #fyp, #ForYouPage, etc. However helpful, simply using one or two hashtags now and then isn’t going to get ya where ya need to go! Relevance and context to what you're promoting are what will get ya there.
When it comes to captions, it is important to keep them fairly short. As the window of the caption is fairly small within TikTok, it is important to keep it short and to the point.
4. Create Compelling and Intriguing Content 🤩
As simple as it may sound, a big key to using TikTok to your business advantage is creating content that people will enjoy. Do so with fun effects, sounds, filters, etc. Forbes did a piece here on TikTok influencer and Hip-Hop artist, Jason Derulo describing how he goes about creating popular and viral TikTok videos. It is the foundation of any social media platform--to create compelling content.
5. Follow Trends 📈
It is fairly easy to follow what trends are hot in the world of TikTok. Keeping up with what is trending is what is going to create relevance of your company in the eyes of the consumer/audience. "Trending" has been a term used for years, and it is very much a big part of TikTok. Toggle to the Discover tab in the app to find trending hashtags and topics. For an idea of what trends TikTok houses, check out SnapRetail!’s list of 10 popular TikTok trends brands need to follow in 2020
6. Utilize Challenges 🕺💃
Similar to trends, TikTok has been very known for spreading the love of challenges. Whether it is a paid promotion or simply challenging someone to draw the best picture with your new, up-to-date pencil that your business just launched 😉, the audience will love it and it will associate your brand with something they can enjoy/interact with. For a few good examples of how businesses are using challenges to lure their audience, check out this article by Amplitude Digital.
7. TikTok Advertising 📺
It took a while, but TikTok was able to enable the use of advertisements within its service. These advertisements can be from promotional videos that appear when a user first opens the app or things like brand takeovers. With a little extra cash, the use of advertisements within the platform may be a push in the right direction. The Entrepreneur gives a good description of the different types of advertisements TikTok has to offer.
8. Watch & Learn 👀🙇♀️
TikTok is a very intriguing platform with an intriguing audience base. It is easy to make content that will not attract the attention that it could have--given the right approach. This is usually not an issue of the content, just things as simple as the context or timing. It is important that, as a business, you watch different varieties of companies, like Chipotle, Guess, or even the zoo, to see how their content relates to their company and whether the content is successful.
For a head start on understanding how other businesses are using TikTok, check out Business2Community's post giving a list (with visual help) of 6 different brands and how they are using the new platform.
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As a business grows and expands, it is very important that its social media portfolio does the same. TikTok is here to stay and shows great potential for business growth. By starting with these 8 tips, your business is already on the right track.
‼️ Check out the rest of our blog here and keep an eye out for future posts to help build your company’s PR ‼️
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About the Author
Trevor is a third-year Marketing and Finance student at the University of Colorado, USA, and joined GuidedPR as a Marketing Assistant. He has a passion for football, golf, and music as well as a grown appreciation for traveling. Trevor also loves meeting new people and leaving a positive mark on the world.
Find Trevor on LinkedIn.
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