TikTok Video Marketing: Integrating TikTok Into Your Video Marketing Strategy
What was the most downloaded app in 2021? If your answer was anything other than TikTok, we regret to inform you that you’re behind the times. With a record-setting 656 million downloads in 2021, TikTok beat out Instagram by over 100 MILLION downloads with Facebook and WhatsApp trailing even further behind.
What does that mean for you as a business owner? It means you need to find the best way to integrate TikTok into your video marketing strategy. While it’s indeed impossible to keep up with every new social media app under the sun, this one is showing some major staying power so it’s worth overcoming the learning curve. Plus, we have good news: we’re coming at you with the best ways to do exactly that so get ready to take notes and get TikTok-ing!
What a Minute, Isn’t TikTok Just a Trend?
The numbers don’t lie: TikTok is “on trend” in a major way so it’s understandable if you’re questioning if it’s a legit platform or just another trend. However, the amount of users on TikTok has continued to skyrocket year-over-year in both numbers and demographics. In fact, if you have a target audience that’s anywhere from 14 to 40, you’ll likely find them on TikTok.
Business owners that have made the leap to TikTok have seen incredible benefits including:
- Better connection with their online users
- Better conversion for advertisements
- Better brand recognition and general awareness
- Better engagement from their followers
Doesn’t TikTok suddenly sound BETTER? We thought so. Now let’s look at how easy it would be for you to get started on the social media giant designed strictly for video entertainment.
Getting Your Business on TikTok From Scratch
If you’re entirely new to TikTok, we’re going to show you exactly how to get set up from scratch so you’re ready to start posting your content in just a few easy steps. The first thing you’ll need to do is download the latest version of TikTok and set up a business account. While you could certainly set up a personal account instead, the business account will give you access to professional features such as metrics, editing tools, analytics, and insights that will help you determine the effectiveness of your corporate video production.
Once your business account is activated, take some time to simply be a user and see what all the hype is about. Explore the “For You Page” with videos that are specifically tailored to users based on their views and engagement. Fair warning: hours will pass like minutes and you may or may not wind up learning a new dance or trying some ridiculous challenge.
As you’re exploring, take note of current trends so you’ll be familiar with what’s getting shared and what’s working for your competitors. These notes will help you figure out what to post and how to interact with your followers as you build your TikTok presence and start getting noticed. Creating compelling and engaging videos will give you an edge over your competitors. Your video background is also important. You can take advantage of tools that come with options for removing the background from video to make your content more engaging and professional.
Tips and Tricks for Creating Your Own Content
Now that you’re officially “live” on TikTok, it’s time to start creating your own content and attracting followers. If the thought of content creation makes you want to curl in the fetal position, take a deep breath and relax. We’ve got you covered with our top tips and tricks for creating videos that will get you noticed (in a totally good way).
1. Begin With a Brainstorm
Before you can start churning out content consistently, you need to decide what kind of content you want to create. After studying your competitors and spending some time on the app, you should hopefully have a good idea of what others are having success with. This isn’t the time to reinvent the wheel so following their lead may be a great place to start as you get your feet wet in the TikTok world.
2. Keep It Real and Keep It Coming
If you forget everything else in this article, remember this: TikTok users absolutely hate phoniness and they can spot it from a mile away! The good news is that all you have to do is show up as yourself and keep showing up on a regular basis. Don’t try to fake it ‘til you make it on social media — be authentic and authentically you or you’ll be called out and lose all momentum.
While you’re being yourself, also focus on being consistent. Your followers are going to expect you to post regularly so it’s important to have videos waiting in the queue and even more saved up for a rainy (or lazy) day. Plan out your posting schedule ahead of time with a simple calendar and stick to it. Many successful TikTokers swear by batch posts — creating multiple videos on a set day every week and scheduling them for the upcoming week. As you’re scheduling, remember to post your videos on days and times when your target audience is most active on TikTok.
3. Find Ways to Get Noticed
Remember the “For You Page” that you undoubtedly spent entirely too much time on? It’s your goal to get on your user’s FYP. If you find your content on the FYP of any one of your followers, you’ll wind up getting more views and shares than ever and that forward motion will only compound. Unfortunately, there’s no secret sauce for getting your video on this legendary scroll but some tips to follow are: Use applicable and popular hashtags.
- Keep your videos bite-sized.
- Make your captions intriguing and inspiring.
- Post when your viewers are most active.
- Use trending songs or sounds in your videos.
If you’re still not sure how to get noticed, spend some more time doing research. What are other users doing that you’re not? Why are their videos being seen and shared more? If you were in your target audience, what would you be looking for?
4. Grab a Partner and Spin Around
As a business new to the TikTok world, one of the fastest ways to build your following is to partner up with people who already have massive ones. These social media celebrities are what’s commonly referred to as “influencers” and they can build your follower count substantially with just one shout-out to their adoring fans.
Try to find an influencer that’s in your industry and reach out to them about partnering up for a video. You may ask them to do an “unboxing” video of your product or to record a short clip of them showing their fans how your service could change their lives. This publicity probably won’t come for free though. Be ready to pony up for this favor with some free swag or maybe even some cold cash — trust us, it’s worth the investment.
5. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
When it comes to social media platforms, paid advertising should always be part of your strategy from time to time. As you’re building your brand awareness, use TikTok ads to reach a broader audience in one of five ways:
- Branded Hashtags — Work great in conjunction with an influencer partnership. You can use them in your own videos or ask others to use them in theirs.
- Branded Effects — Filters and effects integrated with your brand. This is a great way to show off your creativity and have your branded filter spread like wildfire.
- Brand Takeovers — Short ads that appear on a user’s FYP. You’re guaranteed a boost in views but people can still scroll past your clip without watching it entirely.
- In-Feed Ads — Ads that appear as a user scrolls through their FYP. You may not get as many views as a brand takeover and people can still keep scrolling.
- Top-View Ads — 60-second video appearing before the FYP can be accessed. Users are forced to watch your content before they can start their mindless FYP scroll. If you can afford this kind of ad, you should definitely consider shelling out the big bucks for it.
You can learn more about each strategy directly on TikTok. Keep in mind, these are only available with a professional account and you’ll also have access to metrics following your campaign to gauge its success. Like any marketing strategy, you’ll want to continue to tweak it until you get it just right. Check out the metrics offered by TikTok to see if you’re getting a good return on your investment. If not, you may want to increase your paid advertising budget or change up your methods.
Make this Year of TikTok for Your Business
If you’re still recovering from the blah-ness of the past two years, this is the year to shake all of that bad mojo off and light a fresh fire under your business. TikTok used the pandemic years to their advantage by giving people something to laugh about and now they’re hooked. It’s time you harness some of that power for your business and find a way to integrate it into your video marketing strategy. This is the year you get TikTok-ing!
