Visual and mobile. An essential combination that can’t be left out of your online marketing strategy nowadays. Social channels like YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest have already shown their success with visual, but they have to watch out for a new platform: TikTok. Although mostly used by younger users, TikTok is the social platform to look at right now and be one step ahead of the competition.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a social media platform where users can create short videos, add music to it, and post it online. Other users can watch these videos, like and share them. In China, TikTok is already very popular, but with 500 million users in the rest of the world, it has already caught up with Pinterest and Twitter. High time to get started with this platform!
TikTok users, who are mostly younger than 30 years, post videos of about 15 seconds until 1 minute long. Where Musical.ly, taken over by TikTok, only existed out of lip-syncing videos, TikTok has a lot more to offer. TikTok also shows funny videos, videos of someone showing off his skills, product videos, and many more.
TikTok users can follow someone, but the algorithm already shows the most popular videos without even liking or following anyone or anything.
Popular on TikTok
Although TikTok only shows videos, several formats are already popular on the platform.
Challenges
Challenges are an essential part of TikTok. A hashtag underneath the video where you do something crazy makes it possible for you to challenge other users to do the same and ‘accept the challenge’. When they upload a video doing the challenge in their very own way, they can place the same hashtag underneath the video, so it becomes recognizable and visible. When even more people do this, or when famous people do it, it creates awareness and becomes recognized. Take a look at the #ThumbleweedChallenge, for example.
Duet
You can also use other videos in your video, creating something like a duet. One side of the screen is showing the already existing video, and the other side shows you commenting or singing along with that video. That’s how anyone can create videos together, without even knowing or seeing each other. This might be the perfect way to create interaction!
Hashtags
Besides making challenges recognizable, hashtags are used in online campaigns to create awareness about a subject. When even more users put this hashtag underneath their content, together they can create awareness about this subject and become heard.
How do you become visible in TikTok?
This all sounds great and all, but how can you use TikTok for your company? The most crucial step is creating a (company) profile on TikTok. Simple as that. With a TikTok profile, users can follow your company and can like and share your videos. Did you just get started on TikTok? Then you can use the following tips:
Hashtag challenges
Of course, you can also start a challenge as a company. Put your own recognizable hashtag underneath a video, so others can do the challenge and share it. When you don’t have a lot of followers, a great way to get this started is with influencers.
Influencers
Influencers are a great way to make your company and its product and services visible on TikTok. Influencers already have a huge reach, because they already built a massive fanbase on TikTok and other channels. That’s how influencer marketing can make sure that your company becomes visible to TikTok users.
Advertising
TikTok is still testing its advertising possibilities, and it’s only possible for some companies and regions across America and Europe. However, TikTok already shows some of the advertising possibilities.
Native video ads
Show your company’s video in the feed of TikTok users. That’s how your company becomes noticed when users are scrolling through their video feed, and they can visit your company profile and like your videos.
Lens
Just like you with Snapchat, you can create a filter in TikTok too. That’s how users can ‘use’ your products in their videos, and they become visible to more users. Think of products like sunglasses, hats, or lipstick.
