We don’t have to tell you that TikTok is the number 1 entertainment app globally, influencing other social media sites to catch up to its highly addictive short-form video format.
Users spend, on average, a massive 95 minutes per day (over 1.5 hours) on TikTok. With over 1 billion users – that’s a lot of advertising potential!
Businesses should be on TikTok to cash in on its popularity. But how can they do that successfully? How do businesses keep up with constantly changing trends, audio and dances and land on their customer’s For You Page?
Check out these 5 must-know TikTok marketing tips, and reach the customer base you once dreamed of.
1. Create a character
As a business, it can be challenging to convey a persona to your audience on TikTok. That’s why we recommend creating a character. Brands such as Duolingo and Telstra have done this well – creating fully formed characters that feature in all of their videos. Check out Duolingo’s owl and Telstra’s old-school phone box.
This not only adds to brand consistency but also gives you endless inspiration for what to create. You can create a whole life story for this character: its love interests, likes and dislikes and even political views.
There’s a saying that “people buy from people”. Well, the same goes for mascots or brand representatives. If people associate a character, or person, with your brand, they are more likely to feel connected to it and have the desire to follow that character’s journey.
2. Don’t be afraid to get personal
Marketing is no longer about highly polished, expensive ad campaigns to impress customers. You might have some favourite brands that you discovered through silly or low-budget TikTok videos.
As consumers move away from “fake” or “flashy” advertising, they look towards more honest and personal content marketing. For example, Day in the Life Videos or What I Eat in a Day are hugely popular on TikTok: they offer a glimpse into a stranger’s very private life and give insight into how people from all over the world live.
So don’t be afraid to get personal – your customers’ lives are not “perfect”, so they don’t expect yours to be! They will relate to you more and associate this familiarity with your product.
3. Use humour (but don’t try too hard)
It’s no joke (pun intended) that humour plays a huge role in TikTok’s success. It’s sort of an accelerated version of “Cat Videos” which took the internet by storm many years ago. People want to tune out when using TikTok, and laughter is a great way to relax.
So, have a go at being funny. You may want to make fun of yourself, your brand (this helps with being “relatable”) or even your co-worker (in a nice way, with their approval!). Try to avoid “nasty” humour where you tease or belittle others.
You could even poke fun at a rival company – but be careful – you don’t want to start beef with someone who may fight back!
4. Entertainment is the goal
The most important thing to remember is that TikTok is an entertainment app, not a social networking app. That means people use this app for enjoyment, not to connect and catch up with friends.
With every video you post, watch it back and ask yourself: Was that entertaining? Would I watch it again? Would I repost it or send it to a friend?
If your answer is no: look to your favourite creators. Check out similar companies with successful videos. What are they posting? How is it different to your content?
Don’t be afraid to get inspired!
5. Be consistent
Starting on TikTok can be a challenge. You may be stuck with low views and little to no engagement.
Make sure you don’t give up. Not everyone will go viral right away. Set a posting goal: maybe once a month, a week or 4 times a day! Whatever is achievable for you.
Don’t sacrifice quality for quantity. Experiment and find your niche. Take note of which of your content performed the best and recreate it, improving each time. Learn from your mistakes and have fun!
But what about trends, sounds, hashtags and TikTok Ads manager?
If you’d like to learn more about these topics, check out our TikTok Marketing Course for Business. It will help you go viral in no time!
