TikTok is on the brink of a social media explosion. Behind this is the same dynamic as the Vine, for many of the same reasons. But unlike Vine, TikTok isn’t going anywhere.
TikTok was the only non-Facebook app in 2019 to make it to the top 5 most downloaded apps in the world. What’s even nicer is that the meteoric success came quickly, which means it’s a goldmine for anyone trying to sell anything.
Why? Well, TikTok still has this weird stigma. It is widely known as “lip-sync app for kidsâ€, but to be honest, it has gone far from that. This means that if you log in right now, you will be ahead of the thousands of companies that are still afraid to touch it.
But you don’t have much time left – savvy celebrities from Will Smith and Post Malone to internet entrepreneurs like Gary Vee are already seeing the marketing value of TikTok, and their influence will soon be sweeping across the world.
Is TikTok Marketing a Really Good Idea?
Let’s assume you already have some understanding of TikTok and how to use it. If not, be sure to master the basics of TikTok first.
Before we get into TikTok marketing, this question needs to be answered. There may be a younger audience on TikTok right now, but there is unimaginable value in that.
Today’s kids connected to the Internet are of insane value for companies looking to define a generation. See how popular Fortnite is, for example. The younger generation is great at sharing their favorite content among their peers on the Internet.
The age range for TikTok might not be as bad as you might think, either. It is reported that 41% of TikTok users are between the ages of 16 and 24.
Plus, TikTok as a platform is very effective for marketing your business or product. Most users use the platform to watch content and videos rather than upload their own content. In a month, 68% of TikTok members watched another video, while only 55% actually downloaded something.
This is a powerful metric for any marketer looking to present their business or product in new eyes. So, hopefully we’ve presented a compelling case for why you should switch to TikTok and why you should do it now.
TikTok has already implemented its own ad platform, but in this guide, we will focus on marketing through 100% organic reach because we see the most value in it so far.
How to Effectively Market Yourself on TikTok
The first thing you need to do before you start marketing on TikTok is to go to the app store, download TikTok (iOS, Android</a and consume content. This way you will be able to find out what content is running on the platform.
With TikTok, you are instantly taken to video content. It is called the For You page. This is where the TikTok algorithm will post content it thinks people will like, and this is where the majority of TikTok users will interact with the app.
You should spend 1-2 hours looking at the content on the page for you because you can find out what works. You will find that popular TikTok videos are often short, grab your attention right away, and use the music that is currently popular.
You may also notice how TikTok videos use music fluently in the background – this may seem odd to you if you’ve used other platforms, but TikTok allows all users to choose from a wide variety of songs for free. TikTok is expected to enter into licensing agreements with major artists and record labels for this.
You will quickly see the formula you need to use on TikTok to be successful. So, it’s time to start creating your own videos.
How to Make Good Videos on TikTok
To shoot videos on TikTok, you need to follow the rules above – be short, get attention quickly, and use popular music. You will need to think creatively to find ideas that are right for your business.
On a recipe website, you can show attractive dishes, followed by a 10 second how-to guide. The travel company should show short videos of good points of interest. You will know your business better than anyone, but the best thing you can do is just try to get by with whatever content you can create – any content is better than no content.
It’s easier to record content directly from your phone, but you can also download videos. If you decide to edit videos and download them to your phone later, you must follow these requirements.
We’ll walk you through how to upload your first video and select all the correct options for the best possible success.
- Click the + button on the home page to get started.
- Select a recording here or download a video from your phone memory.
- After recording or loading, click the sounds button.
The next part is almost as important as the video content itself. We’ll explain in more detail in the next section, but for now, understand that choosing viral or popular music can help your video get more views because it uses a song that TikTok considers popular at the time.
You can choose TikTok Viral to find sounds that are doing well right now – usually 10-30 second clips from popular songs. You can simply choose any from this list. However, if you want to become a master of TikTok marketing, you must consume enough content to immediately recognize all the songs on the viral TikTok list.
You may find that some of the songs are specifically used to recreate popular TikTok memes, which may mean they are not appropriate for your video. If you don’t understand, take more time to watch more videos – it is important that you understand TikTok and you will only understand after you consume more content.
After selecting a song, click Next. Now you can enter hashtags and a little description. As a general rule of thumb, always use #foryou – no one knows for sure if this will get you on the page for you, but almost every post on TikTok uses this.
After that, select a few hashtags that are relevant to your brand. You can start typing a hashtag to see how popular it is. Hashtag contests don’t seem to matter much on TikTok, so just pick the ones that are used most effectively.
Then click Choose a Cover and find the moment in the video that grabs attention – that’s what viewers will see when viewing thumbnails on your profile and on other TikTok pages.
Finally, set the options to Public, Allow Comments, Allow Duo and Reaction, and then click the Publish button. It’s time to see how your views grow.
How does the TikTok algorithm work?
Nobody knows how the TikTok algorithm works, but we can make some good assumptions based on how the videos work after they are posted.
When a video is published, it will be shown to a small random audience – even if you’re new to the platform and don’t have subscribers, it still happens. TikTok will then search for performance metrics.
We can assume that this includes typical things like video view times, replays, posts, subscriptions and likes. We don’t know how important these things are, but essentially, if your video is at least somewhat engaging, expect the video to be shown to new people and your views will increase.
It’s pretty easy right now to create a new TikTok account and see how your videos get several thousand views in the first week. By comparison, such reach is nearly impossible on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. So with this explanation, only one question remains.
How often should you post on TikTok?
You can see many different answers online, but the best answer we can give is to post as much as possible. The more you post, the more chances you have of getting noticed by new people. Even if that means you can publish 10 times a day, publish 10 times a day.
When you first make a name for yourself, no amount of lost followers due to posting too many posts will ever outweigh the benefits of having new videos on the page for you.
Create a name for yourself
Be sure to visit your profile to add your bio and profile picture. TikTok is more forgiving about adding links. You can add two buttons – one to link to your Instagram and the other to link to YouTube. If you have enough followers, you will be able to apply for a review, which will also allow you to place an interactive link in your bio.
Summary
Hopefully we’ve provided a comprehensive guide on how to sell on TikTok and why you should do it. This guide has provided you with the tools you need to manage your own TikTok account, so while we were vague at times, the knowledge here is enough to get you through the TikTok challenge on your own.
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