Integrating TikTok to Your Business: Here’s How
TikTok in 2021 has around 1 billion users, which makes it one of the most popular social media platforms out there. And while the majority of its audience is still teenagers, other demographics are catching up. Over 25% of TikTok users are already over the age of 25-44. And that gives pretty much all businesses a chance to find interested prospects from the platform.
But here’s the best part: whether you provide cool online games like Novoline or a local car cleaning service, you can hope to gain a large following on TikTok overnight. The platform is still pretty young (launched in 2016), there’s not a lot of competition, and users are hungry for new content. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a successful marketing campaign, right? So it’s time for your business to also get in on the opportunity. Here’s our top advice on how to integrate this video-sharing platform to your business goals successfully. Ready? Let’s go.
Getting Noticed on TikTok – Easier Than on Instagram
Whether you advertise on Instagram or use it to share personal photos, you’re probably aware of how businesses use the platform to attract new clients. They’ve got IGTV, live videos, stories, and posts to engage their followers. However, TikTok’s content is all about short 15-60 second clips.
The cool thing about these bite-sized videos is that they seem to go viral very often. And while nobody knows for sure, what’s the reason for that, it could be because TikTok’s audience is pretty active on the platform. They love engaging with new creators’ videos and sharing the ones they’ve enjoyed watching. Plus, there are not many content creators yet, so TikTok’s algorithm probably gives equal exposure for everyone.
Are you ready to start experimenting with TikTok for your business? Great. Then check out the following types of content that are most likely to engage the predominantly young audience on the platform:
Putting Out Videos on TikTok
Using TikTok for marketing can benefit both small and big companies. However, when planning their content output, even the wealthiest organizations do not need to overdo their production budget. That’s because more expensive lighting and camera equipment won’t bring home better results on TikTok. In fact, a too polished video might even seem untrustworthy to the platform’s young audience.
You see, one of the primary contributors to TikTok’s popularity is the authenticity of the videos. Most of the clips get created via smartphone cameras and show the creators in their everyday environments. And that approach will also work for business-related content. The aim is to reveal your personality and make your brand relatable. That way, users will feel connected to what you’re doing and want to buy your products.
Create Content Around Children and Pets
Once you’ve been to the TikTok app long enough, you’ll notice a peculiarity: most viral videos tend to be about either children or pets. And the reason is simple: the majority of users are pretty young. So they’re looking for entertaining and funny clips. And what could be more amusing than pets and children in various situations?
But how does that apply to your business’s videos? Firstly, you should consider getting a team mascot. It can be a dog, a cat, a hamster, or even a parrot. Then include this pet in your content. You can also get one of your employee’s kids to teach the other staff members a dance number that’s trending on TikTok. Take it all on video and publish it for others to see. But what if none of your employees can dance well? That’s great. Look, TikTok posts are all about having fun and entertaining the viewers. It’s not a platform where you would perform a world-class dance number. A humorous failing to dance will get you the likes and subscribes.
TikTok’s Content Revolves Around Community Engagement
As you might’ve guessed from above, you’re not required to come up with 100% original content ideas on TikTok. Instead, viewers expect you to get in on hashtag challenges and produce videos that mimic what others are doing. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t add your own twist to the clips. So every time you make a video of performing a popular dance or a song, do it in your personal style. For example, when others seem to put a lot of passion into their singing, you can contrast that with a funny dead-pan delivery. Making it different from all the others will let you stand out from a category.
The vital thing about making these personality-driven, playful, and even silly videos, is that you need to mimic a type of video that’s trending at the moment. But how would you know which category is most popular at any given time? It’s simple. The bottom menu on TikTok features a magnifying glass icon. Tap on it, and you’ll find the Discover page. Here are all the most successful hashtags and videos that everybody mimics. Check out some of the best-performing clips. You can learn a lot from watching how others approach the challenges and make them unique to their style.
Making Your First Brand Video – a Step by Step Guide
So you’ve seen enough videos by other creators and have gathered enough courage to film your own? It all starts by tapping the plus button, which you’ll find at the lower part of the screen. Next, as a formality, you need to press “ok” for TikTok to access your device’s microphone and camera. Once that’s out of the way, you’ll find yourself at the recording page. First, pick whether you want to take a 15-second or a 60-second clip. We’d recommend first-time users start making the shorter videos to see which kind of reaction they get. Once you’re confident enough and know what works on your audience, you can move on to the 60second clips.
Ready and set? There’s a red button you can tap to start the recording. And it will end once you’ve reached the time limit. Sounds easy, and it is.
Music Will Enliven Your Clip
TikTok’s creator’s mode also gives you access to several effects and a wide variety of songs you can add to the clip (and yes, they’re all royalty-free). So you can add a nice tune to the fun promotion clip you just filmed. Here’s how to do it:
- At the top of the screen, you should spot the Sounds button. Tap on it, and you’ll open the Sound library. Honestly, you’ll probably get blown away by the vast variety of music TikTok has here. There’s music from video games, film soundtracks, classical music, the latest hits, oldies, etc.
- Every song has a bookmark icon. Tap on it to save the music to your Favorites.
- Once you’ve found a song to use on your video, select it with a tap, and a red button emerges. Tapa that also and you’ve confirmed your choice. Give it a second to load. And now your video should feature the name of the song.
Make Your Video Visible to Others
Ready with your first video? Then tap on the white checkmark, which will take you to the Post screen. Here you can write a description of your clip, feature links, add hashtags, etc. After you’ve selected all the desired options, tap the Post button, and voila: your video is out there for everyone to see.
User-Generated Content
Here’s a nifty tactic you can use with your advertising that doesn’t require you to produce any content at all: let your fans make the promotion videos for you. These can be TikTok tutorials on using your product, simple videos of people enjoying the benefits your items provide, etc. For example, if you sell bicycles, people might post short clips of locations they visit by your bike. Obviously, it works best once you’ve got a decent amount of followers raving about your products. You can then create a hashtag with your brand name to initiate making the clips. And your customers will do the marketing for you.
Paid Advertising on TikTok
You’ll also have the option to use paid TikTok ads to reach your target audience. These offer you the chance to narrow down your prospects based on numerous demographics from location to age to interests. You can then drive your ideal customers from the platform to your website or landing page. However, we’d recommend you to use the ads only as an addition to the content you create. That’s because you still need the fun and easy-going videos to put a human face to your business and establish trust with the younger audience on TikTok.
Working With Influencers
Letting TikTok influencers promote your merch is an excellent way to tap into their fanbase. Sure, you need to pay the influencer to promote your products, but the return on investment (ROI) is almost every time in your favor. The only thing to keep in mind is that the most fruitful collaborations tend to happen between people who share the same values, interests, etc. That way, you won’t alienate your existing audience by working together. So before shooting a big-name influencer a message, make sure their TikTok profiles feature the type of content that might align with your brand image.
In Summary
The bottom line is this: TikTok’s popularity increases every year, and it’s time to get in on this opportunity. And the cool thing is that making videos on the platform is fun and easy. Firstly, you don’t have to put in hours trying to come up with ideas. You’ve got a large community of creators to mimic. Plus, the sillier the video, the better it tends to perform. So don’t try to make it perfect, and remember: TikTok is all about having a good time and entertaining your viewers. And if you can make money in the process, it really can’t get any better than that. So here’s to TikTok and your business ventures! May they prosper together in 2022.
Do you have a TikTok account for your business? If yes, share your best advice on making the video clips work for your sales goals.
Author’s Bio:
Arthur Rowley is an avid writer specializing mostly in technology and marketing. Having spent years finessing his craft, he now can ensure you that Arthur has much acclaim for these areas and dedication to providing high-quality blogging content.
