Use these TikTok marketing strategies to boost brand visibility
In today’s digital age, TikTok is a powerful platform for brands to connect with their target audience. With its immense popularity among teenagers and ability to shape cultural trends, TikTok cannot be ignored in marketing strategies. TikTok has revolutionized influencer marketing, prompting businesses worldwide to recognize its potential and invest in TikTok marketing.
To stay ahead in the competitive market, businesses are developing effective TikTok marketing strategies to engage customers and drive brand awareness. Of course, the video app may not be for every brand, particularly if your target audience and TikTok user demographics do not overlap.
Even if you aren’t one of the lucky brands that stumble into TikTok fame, you can still establish a successful presence on the platform.
Current trends on TikTok
TikTok trends motivate and inspire people to take action. The TikTok community has helped musicians like Lil Nas X and Olivia Rodrigo become stars. This platform has also contributed to the success of brands like eos shaving cream, the brown G.A.P. hoodie, Goldfish crackers, and the L’Oréal Foundation, to name a few.
The TikTok community reflects our larger communities – diverse ecosystems of creators, people, culture drivers, and everything in between. Given how the TikTok community engages with the content, trends emerge naturally and regularly.
While TikTok has been a popular platform among social media experts for quite some time now, more research has emerged on what drives trends on the platform. Moreover, experts are looking into how they can extend their reach and impact entire cultures and communities. Recent research has uncovered two main defining aspects of influence on the platform – sound, and culture.
Music culture on TikTok
Music is TikTok’s universal language; it contributes significantly to the community’s creativity, vibrancy, and cultural impact. TikTok’s “sound on” feature has pushed brands to think outside the box. Music defines how brands share their personalities with the world, whether working with a relevant and current musician to create a custom song or tapping into trending voiceovers and jingles on the platform.
TikTok has become essential in music discovery. It connects artists with their fans and introduces brands to every facet of the community. It is the home for music trends that spread like wildfire across the industry. Overall, TikTok’s community can discover, endorse, and co-create music uniquely, making it a powerful tool for marketing brands.
TikTok’s impact on culture
Beyond music, the platform and community impact culture and generate trends that start on TikTok and eventually go viral everywhere. A recent study found that 71% of users believe the biggest trends start on TikTok rather than other social media sites. TikTok has rekindled brand loyalty. The community-based model encourages brands to embrace and participate in trends, connect through conversations, and co-create. This all builds advocacy and, ultimately, drives purchases.
What is TikTok marketing?
TikTok marketing is promoting a brand, product, or service through TikTok. This can include a variety of tactics such as influencer marketing, TikTok advertising, and the creation of organic viral content. When done well, TikTok marketing can help boost brand awareness, create active communities, and boost sales for your goods and services. Additionally, with a good marketing strategy, you can gather customer feedback, provide excellent customer service, and promote your products and services to a wider audience.
TikTok videos
Most TikTok content is 15 to 30-second videos (they recently added a 3-minute and 10-minute feature). The videos play in a loop, allowing you to scroll up for the next video or down for the previous video. Content creators use captions, descriptions, and hashtags to optimize content.
TikTok user interactions are similar to those of other social media apps. You can like (heart), comment on, and share your TikTok videos via direct message or other social media apps.
TikTok has a remarkable level of user engagement that keeps people glued to the platform. The only challenging aspect of this app for digital marketers is determining how to create content that will resonate with the audience. TikTok’s most active users are Gen Z. Some millennials (born in the 1980s and 1990s) are also active on the platform. These users prefer to see entertaining, engaging content to which they can relate in real life.
Types of TikTok marketing for brands
1) Influencer marketing
TikTok influencer marketing is a significant component of the app’s ecosystem. Popular creators such as Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, and Khabane Lame are influencers with an active online presence on TikTok and millions of followers. You can reach out to content creators with a sizable following to increase your TikTok visibility.
Reaching a younger targeted audience on TikTok can be difficult with traditional ads, mainly because many users are used to skipping through ads. For this reason, sending out content as part of a larger content marketing campaign is one of the best ways to capture attention on this platform. Rather than launching a marketing campaign alone, you should cultivate deeper relationships with more prominent content creators.
Putting together a PR package can convince influencers to try your new products. Don’t be surprised if content creators bargain with you to receive these packages. In fact, instead of waiting for them to ask, you should build this package ahead of time and offer it to them immediately. In exchange, creators will create advertisements and unboxing videos to showcase your products.
2) Creating organic content
This option gives you the most flexibility. Set up a Business TikTok account for your brand and begin creating your organic content. You can post anything from product demos to day-in-the-life videos and dance challenges. You can post everything from product demos to day-in-the-life clips, dance challenges, or even AI short videos to speed up production. Additionally, if you need some inspiration, spend some time looking through your For You page for ideas.
3) TikTok advertising
TikTok is full of success stories from brands that began advertising on TikTok, such as Aerie, Little Caesars, and Maybelline. TikTok ads are priced using a bidding model.
At the same time, an AI ad maker by Heyoz helps brands create TikTok-ready video ads using automated video generation, UGC-style formats, and brand-aligned visuals, making it easier to produce and test creatives at scale.
How to get your brand noticed on TikTok
Like other social media platforms, you can optimize your content to appear on your target audience’s For You Page (a.k.a. F.Y.P.).
When you open your TikTok app, the For You Page is the first page you see. This is where you’ll find videos from creators you follow and creators who TikTok thinks you’ll like based on your previous interactions. The TikTok algorithm functions similarly to your Facebook timeline, Instagram feed, and X feed.
Your ultimate goal if you want to go viral on TikTok should be to appear on your target audience’s For You Page. This increases your chance of getting more followers, free exposure, and even higher sales.
Type of content on TikTok
Now that you understand how TikTok works and how your content could end up on the For You Page, it’s time to create content to upload. Here are the five types of TikTok videos that have proven to be massive hits:
1) Videos based on sounds
Have you ever heard of the Warehouse effect? What about “Nobody’s Gonna Know”? Yes, these two sounds have become so popular on TikTok and outside the platform because many creators have used them in their videos, adding their unique twist each time. As mentioned previously, it’s important to remember that sounds are important on TikTok, and it’s generally a good idea to use popular TikTok sounds in your videos.
2) Videos based on hashtags
Using hashtags is ideal on any platform, especially if you want to optimize your content for maximum visibility. The use of hashtags is even more crucial on TikTok. If a hashtag is trending, it means it’s popular, and if you use a popular hashtag, there’s a good chance your video will end up on users’ For You Page. Hashtags such as #edutok, #featurethis, #tiktokrecipes, and #dancechallenge have helped many creators grow their following.
3) Challenges
TikTok challenges are entertaining to create. While these videos are generally based on a concept by someone else, they still allow room for creativity and allow you to put your spin on specific content. One of the most popular challenges was the #InfinityChallenge which went viral on the platform. Creators globally participated in this challenge, pitching in with videos demonstrating various creative ways to complete the challenge.
4) Collaborations
Reaching out to another creator and brainstorming ideas on how you two can best create viral content is the best way to maximize your TikTok content. TikTok has a Stitch feature that allows you to stitch your content to someone else’s video. The Duet feature enables you to create a video that appears beside another video. Beyond being a fun way to make a video, this feature effectively drives traffic to both your page and the other creator’s page.
5) Lip-syncing videos
This type of video content is similar to the strategy of using popular sounds. The main difference in this type of video is that you will be lip-syncing the popular sound. This sound could be a recorded song, a conversation, or a scene from a movie.
TikTok is now widely regarded as one of the best platforms for content marketing. Whatever your niche and regardless of the products and services you provide, you’ll undoubtedly enjoy the creative process that goes into these videos.
How to create engaging TikTok marketing content
Creating exciting content is the key to success on TikTok. This results in the algorithm displaying your content to a more significant number of people.
The simplest way to generate exciting business content for your TikTok profile is to use the same approach you’d use to generate blog post ideas. Consider some of the problems or topics your target audience is interested in.
If you’re not sure how to identify problems or interests, ask! Your current audience on TikTok may be eager to share some of the issues they’re dealing with or topics they’d like to learn more about.
Let’s assume you know your target audience is interested in Instagram marketing. You can use the “autosuggest” feature on Google Search to generate good content ideas. If you Google “Instagram marketing tips,” you’ll get a list of related search suggestions.
You can use these initial suggestions as a basis for your TikTok videos. You can also use SEO tools to find ideas based on your ideal keywords. Start by entering a broad keyword related to your chosen topic. When you do this, you’ll see a section where you can view content ideas. If you click on this section, you’ll be taken to a page with relevant content ideas for your video content.
Consider using a variety of effects when recording to make your videos more interactive.
If you need help promoting your TikTok content, consider partnering with a PR agency. Pressfarm is an agency that works with individuals and businesses of all sizes to create newsworthy and appealing content distributed through their channels and to journalists.
Once you sign up, the Pressfarm public relations team will gather information and create content that will help you gain media attention. By writing and distributing email pitches, press releases, and guest posts and creating eye-catching press kits, Pressfarm can help you capture attention and drive traffic to your TikTok channel. Furthermore, their Account Executive will create a customized media list from their database of over a million contacts so that you can begin developing relationships with the best media professionals in your niche.
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Use relevant hashtags for TikTok SEO
If you want people to find your brand on TikTok, you should consider investing time and energy into boosting your TikTok SEO. This means optimizing your content so people can find it on the platform’s search feature. The most straightforward way is to use relevant hashtags whenever you post a video. If unsure what hashtags to use, type a broad keyword into TikTok’s search section. When you do this, TikTok will suggest hashtags relevant to your niche.
To reach many people, you can use relatively generic hashtags. “#socialmediamarketing” or “#smallbusinesstips” are two examples of generic hashtags. Your hashtags will appear in the caption of your video. Since captions are limited to 100 characters, limit yourself to 2 to 2 hashtags. This will allow you room to write a good description for your video.
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Partner with other creators
If you’re having trouble growing your TikTok following, you might want to consider collaborating with other TikTok creators. For example, if you’re in the digital marketing niche, you might want to collaborate on videos with other people in the field who have a larger following. You can find these people by searching TikTok for relevant content. When you come across someone who appears to be a good fit, send them a brief, friendly message informing them that you’re interested in collaborating.
This can be a numbers game, so it may be a while before someone takes you up on your offer. However, as your follower count grows, more people will be willing to collaborate with your brand.
How to create a TikTok marketing strategy in 2023
1) Get familiar with TikTok
It would be a mistake to approach TikTok marketing in the same manner as Instagram or even Facebook marketing. TikTok is a unique social network with unique trends, features, and user behaviors.
Spend time engaging in TikTok videos from other creators before creating your content. Explore the app’s features and note which filters, effects, and songs are most popular. Focus on Branded Hashtag Challenges, which feature a song, dance moves, or task that members are challenged to recreate (this is TikTok’s take on user-generated content). Don’t forget about TikTok’s Duets feature.
Knowing how TikTok ranks and displays videos in the For You tab can help you plan your content, hashtag, and engagement strategy. In addition, learn as much as you can about how the TikTok algorithm works. You can also brush up on your TikTok knowledge by enrolling in the TikTok Business Learning Center courses.
2) Define your target audience
Who do you want to reach out to via TikTok? Learn about the TikTok demographics and identify those interested in your brand before you begin creating content.
TikTok is most popular among the youth, but dismissing TikTok as a teen app would be a mistake. In the United States, teenagers closely follow the 20-29-year-old age group. In China, “glam-mas” demonstrate that fashion only improves with age.
Spend time researching your target demographics on other social media platforms and looking for overlap on TikTok. While a brand’s current audience may not be on TikTok, subgroups on the forum may have similar or slightly different interests. For example, the audience for a children’s book publisher could include authors on LinkedIn, readers on Instagram, and illustrators on TikTok. Even so, don’t rule out new or unexpected groups or audiences.
Once you’ve identified a potential audience, find out what content they enjoy and engage with. With this knowledge, you can brainstorm content ideas for your brand.
3) Execute a competitive audit
Are your main competitors on TikTok? If they are, you may miss out if you don’t have a branded TikTok account. If they aren’t, TikTok could give you a competitive advantage.
Regardless of whether or not your competitors have an active presence on TikTok, it will help to find at least three to five similar corporate brands or organizations and see what they’re up to on the app. Use the S.W.O.T. framework to identify each competitor’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Try to learn from what has and hasn’t worked for other brands.
Since TikTok is a creator-led platform, you should include TikTok stars and influencers in this exercise. Find relevant subject matter experts or influencers who are experts in your field.
4) Set goals that align with your overall mission
You can make TikTok videos for fun, but it’s best to have goals in mind related to your overall business objectives.
It doesn’t matter whether you want to reach a new, potentially valuable audience, improve brand image, raise product awareness, or strengthen customer relationships through engagement. Regardless of what you’re looking for, ensure you have a rationale to back up your efforts.
5) Choose the right influencer
As mentioned previously, influencer marketing is one of the main branches of TikTok marketing. In addition to having a strategy to connect with these influencers, do your due diligence before deciding on an influencer. You’ll want to ensure the TikTok demographic you’re reaching out to through an influencer is the right one for your brand.
For example, beauty brands frequently approach professional makeup artists or young female influencers. If you run a beauty brand, you should put together a PR package that includes the makeup and skincare products or hair extensions that you feature in your tutorial videos. Similarly, fitness brands like Gymshark frequently ask athletic influencers to wear their clothing in sponsored videos. Workout tutorials on TikTok’s fitness side (also referred to as GymTok) are a good place to show off these products.
6) Use effects
TikTok’s library of various visual effects is one of its most distinguishing features. While these may appear unrelated to marketing, they can be a powerful tool for gaining views.
Here’s the deal: if you see a video with an interesting effect, you can click on it. You will then be taken to a new page with other videos with the same effect. At this point, you will see attractive thumbnails and click on other videos in the collection purely out of curiosity. Play around with the platform’s features and learn what visual effects appeal to your audience.
7) Use humor
One of the more powerful TikTok strategies you can employ in your TikTok marketing campaign is humor. If you create an engaging video, many users will keep watching if the story is interesting enough, especially if it makes them laugh.
You can increase your brand viewership by incorporating relatable, down-to-earth humor into your marketing videos. Create a short, well-crafted skit that also serves as an advertisement. In this way, you’ll sell your brand while entertaining your audience.
8) Combine branded content
You must balance the type of content you share on TikTok, just as you would with any other social marketing program. The majority of your content should entertain or inform your viewers. If your brand builds an audience through this process, you can incorporate a few more promotional videos.
The average TikTok user ignores advertisements. Establish your credibility before releasing overtly promotional content. Many businesses believe uploading videos of people using their products is the best way to get around this disdain for traditional advertising.
9) Create interesting videos with concise descriptions
TikTok videos can last up to 10 minutes. This may be a long time, but users will happily invest this time in the right content. Whatever you do, don’t just post blatant advertisements – even official TikTok advertisements should provide some value to the brand’s audience.
You can use your descriptions as teasers at times. In most cases, you will want to include a detailed description of what your video offers the audience. If at all possible, word it in such a way that people are compelled to comment.
Remember to include your essential keywords in your descriptions. However, they must make sense and not be a random assortment of words. Writing a solid description is also necessary for SEO. In essence, you want TikTok to understand your video when it indexes it and hopefully recommend it to your target audience.
Ultimately, you only have a finite amount of screen space. For the best results, you should prepare short, snappy descriptions. You can also repurpose videos you’ve made for YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, or Facebook. Remember that they must fit within TikTok’s one-minute time limit. Before repurposing a video, make sure the video is appropriate for the demographic you’re trying to reach on TikTok.
10) Comment regularly & post often
As with most social networks, TikTok encourages frequent user engagement. In an ideal world, your content will generate conversations with potential customers. Replying to comments is a great way to accomplish this. You should also engage with other brands and content creators by leaving comments under their videos. TikTok ranks comments on posts based on the likes they receive, so make sure your comments are meaningful. Avoid making generic “nice video” comments.
Additionally, TikTok is a social platform that rewards frequent posting. A TikTok scheduler can always be used to minimize your efforts. The more videos you upload to your TikTok account, the more likely you will gain followers. The more you post and share content, the easier it will be for people to find your TikTok account and decide whether or not to follow you.
Conclusion
People will probably continue to flock to TikTok for high-quality entertainment for years. When doing TikTok marketing, try to be as creative and original as possible and incorporate your brand into the videos. However, don’t create all of the content around the brand. Instead, make your brand more appealing to young people by adding creative and entertaining elements to your content. You can use a VPN for TikTok to protect your content from being hacked.
