Our Top 6 TikTok Marketing Tips
We’ve told every single one of our clients to get on TikTok and here’s why: The video sharing app exploded during the pandemic, growing nearly 600% on average in 2020 compared to the prior year. And, it continues to threaten Facebook and Instagram as the #1 performing social media platform. As TikTok grows and algorithms change, it will become more difficult for businesses to foster organic reach. The bottom line: strike the iron while it’s hot!
Here are our top 6 TikTok marketing tips to get the most out of your endeavors on the app. If you’re not up for the challenge (and trust us, it does take a fair amount of time and energy to get results on this platform), we’ll absorb the stress while you reap the benefits! Message us here for more info on our TikTok management services.
1. Create Multi-Platform Friendly Content
Chances are, if you’re trying out TikTok, you’re probably keeping your eyes on Instagram Reels too. Both platforms are incredibly similar when it comes to content and basic design. Lucky you—this makes your job easier when it comes to repurposing content for both platforms, which is why this is our first TikTok marketing tip.
Both TikTok and Instagram Reels utilize short video: TikTok recently increased the time limit from 1 minute to 3 minutes, and Reels allows up to 30 seconds. Make things easy on yourself and keep all of your video content 30 seconds or less so you can post it on both platforms without having to re-film content.
You can post a TikTok to Reels or a Reel to TikTok by saving the video to your phone. However, if you chose the former, you’ll need to remove the TikTok watermark before posting it to Instagram. Start by copying the TikTok link and paste it into a third-party tool to remove the TikTok logo. You’ll want to make sure you don’t skip this step because Instagram has started making TikTok watermarked content less discoverable on their app. Once you remove the watermark, download the new video file and voila, you’re good to upload it to Reels.
Some apps to try:
– iWatermark
– Pixlr
– GIMP
– PicLab
It’s also important to note that Instagram will remove any copyrighted audio from your video. We recommend that you avoid copyrighted music on your TikToks if you plan on posting them to Reels. Alternatively, you can remove the audio from the TikTok before repurposing–you can always re-add Instagram-approved music.
2. Join TikTok Creator Marketplace
Collaboration is a major component of the TikTok experience, and brands looking to market need to take advantage of the ample collab opportunities with influencers and fellow brands. TikTok created a dedicated space solely for this purpose, touting it as “the official collaboration platform to connect brands and creators”. Listed benefits of joining the platform include:
– Opportunity to connect with creators and sponsorships
– Support on brand campaigns
– Access to collaboration tools
– Brand-video creation tips
The Marketplace is free and available to advertisers and all TikTok users with a Creator Account. Brands can search for creators based on a series of metrics, including reach, age, audience country or region average views, topic, and more. You can also view creators’ metrics and contact them directly.
The TikTok Creator Marketplace is still in early infancy, so expect improvements and changes as the app continues to evolve.
3. Use a Pro Account to Gain Access to TikTok Analytics
Our third TikTok marketing tip is incredibly important if you’re interested in tracking data. Similar to the likes of Instagram and Facebook, TikTok gives you the option to register as a Pro Account to unlock analytics. This is another free option and provides data and insights useful for optimizing your posting strategy. Currently, the dashboard displays data on video and profile views, followers, follower activity and videos watched, likes, comments, shares, play time, traffic source, audience demographics, hashtag views, and engagement rates.
To turn on your Pro Account, go to your profile page and select the three dots in the upper right corner. Select “Manage account” and then “Switch to Pro Account”.
4. Teach What You Know
Educational videos perform admirably on TikTok and they’re easy enough to produce consistently. Quick tutorials, tips and tricks, and explanatory videos spark viewer interest and help to establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry.
It’s best to focus on topics that you’re an expert in and that you can easily generate content for. TikToks are short, so it’s best to stick to specific topics for each video to allow your content to go further. Simple voiceovers, bulleted lists, and even floating head videos are great for educational content because they’re easy to produce and professional while still being fun and engaging.
There’s a ton of content already out there if you need some inspiration. Try searching for popular hashtags in your niche or video categories like #tipsandtricks or #educateyourself. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different video formats to see what works best for you and your target audience.
5. Duet Popular Videos
It doesn’t get much easier than this TikTok marketing tip: if you’re lacking video inspiration, you can always duet a pre-existing video. Choose content that’s trending or receiving a lot of likes and duets because you’re more likely to gain traction with it.
To create a duet, find the video you want to use and select the “Share” icon located at the bottom right of the screen. From here, click the “Duet” icon, which will take you into the video creation portal and allow you to film alongside your chosen video. Keep in mind that the video’s owner will have to have enabled duets in order for you to use their content. You can easily find videos to duet by searching #duetthis.
Duets can be utilized as reaction videos, commentary opportunities, or response videos. Plus, you’ll come across as an engaged and collaborative user, which certainly can’t hurt your account reachability in the TikTok algorithm.
6. Embrace the Trends
This is worth blasting from the rooftops with a megaphone: STAY ON TOP OF THE TRENDS! TikTok is a copycat platform at its core, so don’t be afraid to “steal” popular or trending content and repurpose it for your brand. This increases your searchability and makes your brand more relevant and approachable for your audience.
So how do you know what’s trending? Check out the “Trends” page under “Discover” to view popular hashtags and sounds. Spend some time scrolling through your feed and take note of any patterns or repetitive content. Basic social listening is all it takes, and TikTok makes it insanely simple to stay on top of the trends.
Don’t be afraid to get a little silly either: dance, sing, voiceovers–they’re what the entertainment platform is all about.