Blog post by: Alaina Krueger, Baer Performance Marketing Intern
Once strictly a digital space for people to share life updates and random thoughts, social media has evolved significantly to become a highly-lucrative channel for marketers. TikTok is somewhat newer to the social media landscape but has quickly become “prime real estate” for businesses looking to reach a widespread and growing audience.
A video-sharing service seeing explosive growth, TikTok allows users to watch, create, and share short video clips. The app encourages users to personalize their feed when they first sign up, and the algorithm quickly zeros in on someone’s interests based on what they watch and like. The intention is to customize someone’s feed so completely that every swipe to a new video sees engagement. This model allows content to “go viral” very quickly on the app if it generates interest. Online trends that originate on TikTok can frequently be seen shared on other social media sites, lending crossover benefit to a video’s reach if it becomes highly popular. All this can be hugely beneficial to a business if it approaches TikTok videos correctly. If a business has reasons to reach a younger audience (more specifics later on), then TikTok holds a wealth of opportunity.
TikTok can help your company:
- Reach younger audiences.
- 75% of TikTok users are between the ages of 18 and 34.
- As young adults continue to eschew legacy media, they are spending a lot of their free time browsing and creating content on TikTok and other social media.
- 75% of TikTok users are between the ages of 18 and 34.
- Increase engagement on social media.
- Users can make videos with polls, encourage viewers to like and comment on the video, and duet with other well-known TikTokers to boost viewership.
- Increase the number of followers, particularly among young adults, of your company.
- Create brand awareness in what’s currently a very popular digital space.
Basic Guidelines After Downloading the TikTok App:
- Don’t post until you’re familiar with the app.
- TikTok’s simplicity comes with a learning curve. A user could endlessly swipe through videos without ever needing to do anything else. Take some time to learn the basics on the app before you start making your own content.
- Experiment with different marketing ideas to find one that feels natural for your brand.
- Include only relevant hashtags with your videos.
- TikTok is chock full of hashtags. Do not “cast too wide a net” and include every hashtag you can possibly find that connects to your content. Be selective, purposeful and direct.
- Turn a hashtag into a call to action.
- A ‘hashtag challenge’ is created on TikTok when you post a video encouraging users to copy what you do in the video and use the same hashtag.
- If successful, a hashtag challenge will increase traffic to your content and raise brand awareness, increase exposure to your goods and services, and hopefully boost sales.
- A ‘hashtag challenge’ is created on TikTok when you post a video encouraging users to copy what you do in the video and use the same hashtag.
- Be balanced.
- A channel that only promotes your brand will get quickly swiped into oblivion. Your videos need to be entertaining first, promotional second.
- Go pro.
- If you’re serious about making waves in the world of TikTok, the cost of a pro account will probably be well worth the investment. The data provided lets you see how your profile and videos are being viewed so you can intelligently adjust your strategies to build followers faster.
Virtually nonexistent less than 20 years ago, social media is now a mainstay in most people’s lives, and any savvy marketer must be ready to leverage it to the best of their ability. TikTok is at the forefront of popularity right now and represents a potential gold mine for companies looking to increase brand awareness and followers, especially among a younger demographic.
If your business is ready for the next step in social media marketing, look no further than Baer Performance Marketing! We are a full-service marketing agency that specializes in brand development and integrated marketing strategies, including a mix of digital, social and traditional media. To learn more about what BPM has to offer, contact us today!
Sources
https://www.socialinsider.io/blog/tiktok-marketing/
https://www.targetinternet.com/which-is-the-fastest-growing-social-media-network-2/
