How to leverage TikTok in marketing?

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TikTok is a popular short-form video sharing and social networking platform owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It is best known for its short videos that are typically 15 seconds to 1 minute long. The videos span different categories like dances, comedy sketches, pranks, DIY tutorials, and more.

Key features of TikTok include editing tools and effects to create videos, the ability to browse trending hashtag challenges, add popular music clips and sounds to videos, react to videos with duets and stitches, and live stream. As of late 2022, TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users worldwide and has been downloaded over 3.3 billion times on app stores. It’s hugely popular with Gen Z.

A big part of TikTok’s success is its algorithm that personalizes each user’s “For You” feed to match their interests and engagement very quickly. This makes it extremely addicting for scrolling videos. Brands are increasingly leveraging TikTok for marketing from hashtag challenges to influencer campaigns. Organic content can spread rapidly with the right strategy suited to TikTok videos and audience. TikTok pushes content from new accounts to more people, essentially making your video go viral.

Videos TikTok’s algorithm tends to push and promote:

• Entertainment Videos – Funny, quirky, musical, or entertaining videos tend to go viral easily. TikTok rewards laughs, smiles, catchy tunes, and feel-good moments.

 

• Reaction/Duet Videos – Videos that show authentic reactions to other content or incorporate split screens/stitched videos with other TikToks get promoted widely.

 

• Trending Sounds and Challenges – Videos using current popular sounds, effects, dances, memes, or participating in hashtag challenges often reach many FYPs (For You Pages).

 

• Engaging Narratives – Videos that tell interesting stories, share key moments, or reveal something in a series do well. The algorithm picks up on attention-grabbing narratives.

 

• Influencer Content – Established creators with strong follower counts tend to stay on the FYP. Their ideas spread rapidly through fan bases.

 

• Useful Lifehack/How-To Content – Short tutorials, tips, or knowledge resources resonate with the TikTok audience. Teaching something valuable boosts videos.

 

• Behind-the-Scenes Footage – Authentic, candid videos showing behind-the-scenes of someone’s life or work get promoted. People feel connected to the inside look.

 

Use TikTok for Marketing

• Create Fun, Engaging Content – Videos should entertain and bring joy to viewers. Use popular music, effects, trends, memes, challenges, etc. Show off brands in a fun light.

 

• Promote Brand Hashtag Challenges – Launch unique hashtag challenges that encourage user-generated content and engage customers. Example: #ShowUsYour[Brand]Dance. Add other hashtags that will help you get in front of more people like #fyp. (fyp – for you page).

 

• Partner With Influencers & Creators – Pay TikTok influencers or encourage UGC from nano/micro influencers to broaden brand reach. Ensure brand values align.

 

• Run Targeted TikTok Ads – Use TikTok’s self-serve ad platform to promote content, products, offers through interest/follower targeting and retargeting.

 

• Cross-Promote with Other Channels – Link TikTok to other owned channels like Instagram through link-in-bios, coordindated updates, and redirecting audiences between platforms.

 

• Provide Behind-the-Scenes Content – Give customers insider, authentic content on company culture through employee takeovers showcasing teams, offices, etc.

 

• Analyze Performance Metrics – Track growth, community engagement, traffic sources, audience demographics to continually refine content/marketing strategy on TikTok.

 

Advantages

• High Engagement Rates: TikTok has one of the highest user engagement rates out of all social media platforms. Videos can go viral very easily and quickly. This helps content get seen by many.

 

• Yonger Audiences: Over 50% of TikTok’s users are under the age of 30. It gives great access to the coveted Gen Z demographic that can be harder to reach on other platforms.

 

• Viral Content Distribution: The algorithm is extremely effective at identifying and promoting viral content. Trending audios, dances, effects etc. enable organic content to spread rapidly to a wide audience.

 

• Authentic and Relatable Content: The platform cultivates authenticity and users respond well to raw, relatable video content rather than overly polished promotional material.

 

• Ad Targeting Capabilities: TikTok ads allow targeting users by interests, behaviors, demographics etc. Great way to reach specific audiences at scale.

 

• Flexible and Engaging Video Formats: From trends to challenges to duets and reactions – TikTok has highly engaging video formats that brands can leverage for creative marketing.

 

• Cross-Promotional Abilities: Allows easy cross-promotion of content from and to other platforms like Instagram which expands reach.

Disadvantages

• Fleeting Content: Given the rapid pace of the TikTok feed, content can come and go extremely quickly. It can be hard for some brands to create content fast enough to keep up.

 

• App-Only Access: Unlike other social platforms, TikTok is currently only available as a mobile app and doesn’t offer a desktop experience. This can limit some functionality.

 

• Younger Demographic: While TikTok offers access to the very valuable and hard to reach Gen Z market, it skews very young, which may not fit some older brands’ target audience.

 

• Chinese Ownership: ByteDance’s ownership has stirred some data privacy concerns and censorship rumors given China’s policies and regulations. This could worry some brands.

 

• Cluttered Space: As the platform grows, the space is getting far more crowded. Cutting through the noise will only get harder with more competition for engagement and attention.

 

• Pressure for Trends: There can be intense pressure to tap into viral dances, effects, sounds etc. before a trend dies off which is challenging at the pace TikTok moves.

 

• Superficial Connections: There is often little time for deeper storytelling. Nuanced brand messaging can get diluted into soundbites and attention spans are ultra short.