If you’ve been on the fence about using TikTok to market your brand, it’s probably time to jump on the wagon. With more than two billion downloads worldwide, TikTok has quickly become one of the most popular social media platforms out there. And, more than likely, a large percentage of your target audience is spending a considerable amount of time on TikTok. If your brand isn’t on this social media platform, you could be missing out big time.
So, what are the benefits of using TikTok to grow your online presence—and how can you get started on the path to success? We’ve got some practical tips and tricks to keep in mind as you embark on this new journey.
Why TikTok?
First, you might be wondering what your brand actually stands to gain from being on TikTok. After all, isn’t TikTok just a place for people to upload and watch trendy dance videos?
As silly as the TikTok trend may seem, the reality is that this social media platform has become an extremely effective marketing tool for brands that know how to use it. No longer is TikTok seen as “just” an app for creating videos—nor is it just a fad. Like other widely used social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter included), there is a huge potential for businesses to use TikTok to grow their brand awareness and build a strong online presence.
No matter what industry your business is in, there’s a good chance that your target audience is already using TikTok. In fact, with more than 500 active monthly users, positioning your brand well on TikTok could take your marketing to the next level. And because TikTok is 100% free to use, this is also a cost-effective marketing strategy for businesses of all sizes.
Before You Get Started on TikTok…
Now that you understand what your company stands to gain from being on TikTok, it’s time to get started. Before you sign up, however, there are some important things to think about that can get your brand off on the right foot.
What Kind of Content Will You Create?
TikTok is known for its viral videos, but to truly use TikTok to its full marketing potential, you’ll want to have a general game plan of the types of videos you want to create. This is where it can be helpful to spend a little time exploring the platform for yourself (if you don’t have a personal account already). As you begin exploring videos, you’ll likely find that most of them fall into these categories:
- Dance/lipsync videos
- Humorous videos
- Educational videos (including tutorials and how-tos)
- Influencer videos
- Trending hashtag videos (including challenges)
Once you have a better feel for what’s out there, you can start to envision the types of videos you’d like to create for your brand.
Can You Sustain an Active Presence?
Another thing to keep in mind when planning to use TikTok for marketing is how sustainable it will be for you to maintain an active presence on the platform. One of the worst things you can do from a social media marketing perspective is to create an account, post a few videos, and then go completely off the radar. This type of behavior can lead your audience to believe that you’re not serious about your online presence or (worse) that your business is no longer around.
If you’re going to get involved in TikTok for marketing, be prepared to commit to it fully. This will mean setting aside the time (and budget) to create new content regularly.
Will You Be Able to Have Fun With It?
At the end of the day, TikTok is meant to bring smiles, laughter, and joy to people around the world. If creating TikTok content will seem like too much of a chore to you, then you may want to explore other marketing options. Your audience will be able to tell if you’re not being genuine or having fun with your TikTok content, which can actually do more harm to your brand than not having a TikTok presence at all!
TikTok Marketing Best Practices
Ready to build your TikTok marketing strategy for small businesses? We’ve got a few tips and best practices to pass along that will help you get started.
Customize Your Profile
Start by creating and setting up your TikTok business account. You can do this by downloading and opening the TikTok app and creating an account with an email address. From there, you can switch your personal account to a business account in the “Edit Profile” section.
Once you’ve created your business account, you can select a category that best describes your business from a list of categories. This will help users find your content more easily, so be sure to choose wisely. From there, take the time to fill out your profile as extensively as possible. This should include uploading a profile photo (ideally, this will be a picture of your brand logo).
Brainstorm Creative Content Ideas
Next, it’s time to do a little brainstorming to come up with your first TikTok video ideas. It can be helpful here to revisit the list of TikTok video types above. Which options pique your interest? Which do you think would be most interesting to your audience? This is where knowing your audience will make all the difference—so if your research is lacking in this regard, it may be time to step things up.
Many brands find success by getting involved in existing TikTok video trends and publishing their own versions. You might also want to consider creating customized tutorials or how-to videos that walk users through how to use one of your best-selling products. Anything is fair game here, but the key is to think about what your audience would like to see and create something truly useful to them.
Make Use of Hashtags
Using the right hashtags to go along with your video content is hands-down the best way to help your content get discovered by other users. When brainstorming hashtag ideas, be sure to think about the kinds of keywords and terms that people might be using to find content like yours. Keep in mind, too, that you can use more than one hashtag for each video you upload.
Another reason to use hashtags (aside from increasing the chances of your content being viewed) is that they can create a sense of community. Who knows? You might even start the next TikTok trend with a creative hashtag and engaging video content!
Plan a Content Calendar
This tip applies not just to your TikTok content, but all content you’re putting out on social media, your blog, and elsewhere. Having a content calendar is a great way to keep your posts and other content organized, ensuring that you don’t miss a beat. While it may seem like the best content out there is spontaneous, it’s usually not.
As you begin creating TikTok content and planning out your next videos, maintain a calendar that details when each new video will be posted. You might even consider using a social media management platform to schedule your videos/posts in advance. Having a content calendar can take a lot of the stress and guesswork out of deciding what to post when, which can help you make the most of your TikTok marketing strategy.
Engage in Comments and on Other Videos
Aside from posting new content, engaging in your own comments and on other videos can help spread awareness of your brand on TikTok. Make sure that you’re monitoring the comments on your posts and responding to them to encourage conversation. Meanwhile, don’t hesitate to comment on and interact with other content on TikTok; you never know who may see one of your comments and venture over to your profile.
Surefire Local Can Help
Developing a TikTok marketing strategy for your small business may seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. By following some basic best practices and brainstorming creative content ideas, your brand can use TikTok to its full potential. Looking for more help with your online marketing? Surefire Local delivers fast results! Specifically, our all-in-one platform is designed to streamline the most important of your online marketing activities. From generating ratings/reviews to optimizing your business listings and handling your content marketing, Surefire Local has you covered. Reach out to our team to learn more or to schedule your free demo today!