Create a business account and use the platform
Before you jump right into creating and sharing content for your business, create a TikTok business account. Once your account is created make sure you optimise your profile by adding a bio (with keywords to your business offering), link other social accounts and your website.
Once your account has been created, start using the platform by interacting with videos and exploring the ‘discover’ page, video editing capabilities and the creator portal to discover more.
Incorporate TikTok trends or themes into your other social media content
Once you have started to use TikTok regularly you will begin to discover current trends, challenges and trending audio. With such a large audience and engaged users the content distributed across the platform has a cross over and impacts other social media platforms. So, it’s important your business has an understanding of what content is working and can begin to implement trends and elements into your strategy.
Follow relevant accounts, creators and collaborators
By following similar businesses and brands you are curating your algorithm to ensure your content is relevant which can assist with following trends and new content ideas. This will also help assist your business to be discovered when you’re ready to begin posting content and using the platform regularly.
Discovering creators and collaborators that work in your industry gives you insight into new ways the platform can be used and types of content being created. Many of these creators work across different platforms, this can allow you to dip your toes into the collaboration side of TikTok and test brand fit and track results elsewhere before going live on the platform.
When the time comes for your business to begin using the platform and creating content TikTok has a range of awesome advertising opportunities you can implement to grow your account and presence on the platform.
Businesses who use TikTok can boost their credibility and audience by being at the forefront of trends and utilising these advertising types:
In-Feed Ads
These ads are native videos that appear inside the platforms feed as users scroll through on their ‘For You’ page. It’s important here to get creative (this is where the groundwork above pays off), mirror and enrich experiences on TikTok and don’t just disrupt it with paid advertising. Users are more likely to engage and your ads will be more successful this way!
Top View
Is a video first format that is displayed on the first In-feed post after 3 seconds, they can be up-to 60 seconds of full-screen video with auto-play and sound. This ad type helps to increase brand exposure by capturing full user attention with sight, sound and narrative.
Branded Takeovers
Branded takeover ads appear as soon as users open the app and take over the screen for a few seconds before changing into an In-feed video ad. These ad types can also appear on the ‘for you page’ as images, gifs or videos with a clickable link to landing pages within TikTok.
These ads are great for generating sales and driving awareness due to the volume of audience reached and targeting opportunities.
Branded Hashtag Challenges
This ad format involves brands creating a sponsored hashtag challenge, where you would ask your followers to post videos of themselves using your product or doing a specific activity or dance.The ads will appear at the top of the discovery page and when users click on the hashtags, it leads them to landing pages on TikTok and a collection of other TikTok’s videos from the same hashtag challenge will be there.
Branded Effects
Businesses can create tailor-made sharable stickers, filters, and special effects. These ads will last up to 10 days and are a fun way to incentivise high-quality organic content creation and make an impact beyond your existing fanbase.
User-generated content
That leads up to the final way you can promote your business on TikTok, user-generated content! We all know first hand how effective UGC can be at promoting your brand or sales, but did you know it’s nine times more impactful than influencer content?
Businesses can use hashtags, hashtag challenges, branded effects or can participate in duet’s to align with creators so they appear on your page. By incorporating this content into your TikTok strategy you can build connections, increase brand awareness and obtain high-quality UGC.
The final and most important step to be successful with your TikTok strategy is to consistently post high-quality content, easier said than done, we know! Make sure you participate in trends and use popular sounds but above all be creative and relevant to your brand. Only jump on a trend if you can make it your own and bring education or entertainment to your audience so they will engage with your content, that way your followers will grow and your account will succeed!
