How To Utilize TikTok Marketing For Your Business in 2021
WHAT EVEN IS TIKTOK?
Its Q1, in 2021, and now is the perfect time for your company to utilize the internet’s hottest marketing tool, TikTok. TikTok is used in over 150 countries and was the second most downloaded app in 2020. TikTok has over 65 million daily active users on the app. TikTok is an app where users and businesses can create videos ranging from 15 to 60 seconds. The app has lots of special effects users can add to videos to make them stand out. Users on the app use hashtags that other users copy to have their videos categorized in a specific niche.
Recently. TikTok rolled out its new platform TikTok for business which is an all-in-one tool for business and marketers to use. Instead of having to create your own strategy, the platform helps businesses throughout the entire marketing process with creating ads, setting and managing budgets, reaching your target audience, and analyzing data and KPI’s (key performance indicators).
TikTok has become so popular that Facebook and Instagram have literary added knockoff versions of TikTok into their apps. TikTok has become a huge threat to these apps and more users are spending more time daily on TikTok than on Facebook, Instagram and other social platforms.
VIDEO MARKETING’S IMPORTANCE
Video continues to rise in all forms of marketing. Consumers prefer watching videos than looking at still images. Video is a critical aspect of your business’s overall marketing strategy. Viewers retain about 95% of the information when they get the information via video. According to a study conducted by Animoto, 93% of brands got a new customer because of a social media video. 86% of businesses and markets say video has increased organic traffic to their website and has helped them generate leads.
THINGS TO NOTE
- Know your demographic.
TikTok has garnered a huge following from those under the age of 34. About 50% of its daily active users are under 34. 29.5% is between the age of 18 and 24. The average daily user spends an average of 52 minutes of the app per day. If you are targeting an older demographic, I might suggest another means for advertising and marketing. You have to ask yourself is TikTok right for your business. TikTok offers an invaluable platform for some businesses, but it requires planning and strategy and that may not be right for every business. - Expand into a Different Demographic. TikTok can be a great tool that helps you gain business from a new demographic. Let’s say you are a restaurant or salon and you want to attract. For our local Eugene businesses, TikTok can be a great way to reach the UO and Lane CC students and attract them to come to your business. Restaurants, bars, hair & beauty and clothing businesses would be best suited for using TikTok.
- Differentiate Yourself.
According to a study done by Consumer Research, at the end of 2020, only 4% of brands were utilizing TikTok. In 2021, that number is sure to rise so it is better to get your business on the platform before it becomes over-saturated. - Fun and Playful.
If your business is more fun and not as serious, TikTok is the place for you. Even if your business is very serious, TikTok can be a great place for you to showcase a lighter and playful side. - For You Page and Free Advertising.
If you utilize proper trend and hashtag strategies, you can essentially get free advertising. TikTok is different from other social media platforms in that it has a for you page. When you publish videos TikTok uses AI to out your video on the for you page where users on the app will see you based on the trend and hashtag. For example, in the image below you can see the hashtags the doctor used such as #veterainian and #adopt. These hashtags are specific to his niche and will organically gain traffic for him.
Another aspect, on TikTok that gets videos viewed, is using sounds and songs. Most of the videos feature a song usually a Hot 100 song or an original sound. You can see in the image above that the song The Git Up is being played. - Repurpose your content for different platforms.
If you make videos for TikTok, make sure to save them without the TikTok watermark so they can be used on other platforms. This means you can post your videos on reels for Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or any social platform your team might use.
TIPS FOR USING TIKTOK
- Use trends and hashtags. Unlike Twitter and Instagram where hashtags don’t play as much of an important role, hashtags are everything on TikTok, Before, you post a video, the app shows you what hashtags have been posted the much. You want to strategically place the hashtags in your video description that have the most mentions for example #FYP. You also want to place the hashtag that has the highest number of uses in your specific niche.
- Use music and sounds. Just like hashtags, TikTok has trending music just like it has trending hashtags. When making a video you want to make sure you are using one of the viral sounds. Most of the sounds are top 100 hits or original sounds made by users.
- Get straight to the point. For your video to get placed on the for you page and in the eyes of thousands of viewers, there is a formula you need to follow with your videos. The average viewer on TikTok only watches the first 3 seconds of the video below scrolling on to the next one. You have to capture the viewer’s attention in the first 3 seconds so they continue watching the whole video. The length of time a viewer watches your video also helps with how your video is ranked on the for you page. The for you page is just like a Google search where listings are ranked, just the videos on TikTok are ranked based on average view length, sounds used and hashtags.
- Have Fun! The purpose of this app is to have fun. You want to let people see a different side of your business. It’s perfectly acceptable to let loose a little. This app makes it incredibly simple to connect with your target audience.
- Respond to other brands. TikTok has this feature called duetting and stitching where you. Duets let you build on another user’s video where you record on your video next to the original user’s video.
- Duplicate content that is trending. TikTok is not a complicated platform to use. If someone starts a trend everywhere replicates the video. It’s ok to add your own twist or spin to it. A few months ago Nike did a trend Adidas started and they are fierce competitors in the sports industry.
- Study, Research and Analyze Data from your competitors. Without TikTok originality is not always the best thing. Many of the brands utilizing the app well are copying things other brands have done. TikTok is the one social media platform where you want to mimic your successful competitors. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel here, just see what is working for your competitors in your niche and follow their practices.
- Caption your videos when appropriate. Often times many people watch videos without sound and this is true for TikTok. When necessary using captions so people can understand your message without sound. Captions are not always needed, but remember if you want to get a message across I recommend using captions.
So with the prominence of TikTok, it’s better to get your business on it before every business is on it. This is the only platform that can give free advertising on such a broad and niche level. In the next quarter, TikTok marketing should be a high priority for your business. The team here at Ruby Porter is ready to help you and your business with adding TikTok as a marketing asset.
