TikTok is a marketing essential.
After surging in popularity during the pandemic, the platform is showing no signs of retreating. The average user spends 70 mins per day on TikTok, opening the app up to 19 times, so there are plenty of opportunities to get in front of new people.
Because users see content based on their interests rather than who they follow, TikTok is super powerful for growing your reach. You can drive sales and show your brand personality at the same time.
Hannah from our Brand Hackers team lives and breathes TikTok. She’s been going viral for years, so she shared some top tips for nailing your TikTok game.
Start with the basics
First things first: set up your account.
You can go with a business or personal account. There are a few differences but Hannah recommends brands stick with business accounts so you can access TikTok’s snazzy biz tools.
Then, pimp your profile. Make sure the image you use is consistent with your other branding. And when it comes to the bio, keep it short and to the point.
Lastly, and most importantly, get scrolling. To ace TikTok, you’ve got to use the platform so the algorithm has the info it needs to get to know you.
Set aside 15-30 mins a day to scroll and explore. Get to know what your audience is watching and what they want.
Get creating
The key thing to remember here is not to make ads. Videos that are overly salesy and polished will make your audience scroll on by. Instead, think creatively to make something authentic.
Add value to your audience and don’t overuse CTAs. It’s OK to make a video without directly selling anything. Don’t be afraid to keep the style scrappy too — the more user-generated the style the better, so film on your phone over a fancy video suite.
See if you can tap into your audiences’ pain points and solve them with your product.
80% of your videos should give your audience something while 20% can be sales. Try out different content purposes and remember this rule to keep your audience engaged.
Inspire and entertain - most likely type of content to trend on TikTok. Makes the audience laugh, relate or feel inspired.
Educate - increasing in popularity (#LearnonTikTok has 282+bn views), aimed at teaching users something e.g. life-hacks or how-tos.
Inform - telling the audience something e.g. going behind the scenes (BTS content is super popular at the moment).
Sell - show your audience how your product can solve their problems. Competitions can work well too.
Create and test
Post a bunch of different content and see what lands.
At the start, you won’t have many followers. But don’t let it put you off - that’s the beauty of TikTok! Because users see content they’re interested in, get it right and the right people will see your videos.
Post videos of different lengths e.g. under 10 seconds, 15-30 seconds, and one minute or longer. See which gets the most engagement.
Hit trends
Tell me without telling me. Jax’s Victoria’s Secret. Questions I get asked.
All of these are trends which have blown up on TikTok. To really nail the platform, you have to stay up to date with what’s trending and join in.
Here’s where TikTok Business comes into its own: you can use the TikTok Creative Center to see what’s trending. Check out trending hashtags, audios, and effects and see what you can apply to your brand.
Trends tend to last about a few days to a week tops, so for anything reactive you need to be quick. But we’re starting to see some trends last longer or even morph into a longer-running category. Evergreen trends like #cleangirlaesthetic and #thatgirl are categories that keep on growing.
Nail your hashtags
Hashtags are so much more useful on TikTok than on Instagram.
TikTok needs hashtags to get your content out to the right audience, extending its reach beyond your followers.
Make your first three hashtags as niche as possible. Get them so they describe your video as closely as they can. Then, your base hashtags can be broader, relating to trends, your general industry, the type of content or trending hashtags.
Feeling inspired to get creative? Why not check out Hannah’s full talk? Join the Copy Club for access.