TikTok is the most used social media platform with 1 billion monthly active users. In 2020, it was the most downloaded app in the world. As the platform’s popularity increases month-to-month, TikTok has overtaken Facebook as the most popular social media platform.

All sizes of businesses use TikTok for sharing their human side, increasing brand awareness, and engaging new audiences.

This guide will show you how to create a TikTok strategy that works for your brand.

What does TikTok mean for your brand?

Before you dive headfirst into TikTok’s marketing strategy, make sure to evaluate whether having a presence and subsequent investment in time and money is a good idea for your business.

TikTok’s content is dominated by Personal accounts. They create and share memes, hopping on trends and sharing funny personal stories.

TikTok is a game where humor is key. You don’t have to follow any censorship rules. This is why TikTok is so popular with younger people.

These questions are important to ask before joining the viral video platform.

Who is my target audience for TikTok?

Your target market is the lifeblood of your business. 

These attributes will appeal to a larger audience if your site doesn’t already have one:

• Gender
• Localization
• Education
• Income
• Occupation
• Marital Status

After you have all the data, make sure that TikTok matches your customer profile. 25 percent of TikTok users in America are between 10 and 19. You might experience difficulty finding the right customer if you sell enterprise accounting software.

What goals do you have when you join TikTok?

Later, we’ll be sharing TikTok’s success stories. TikTok’s virality ability is used by a majority of brands to increase brand awareness.

While many social media platforms can drive conversions more effectively, none of them compare to TikTok’s reach for new accounts.

Not all views will generate revenue for your company. 

Your message must resonate with TikTok’s young audience.

While platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn may offer more opportunities for conversation and content optimization than others, brands that are lighthearted and fun often succeed. 

What’s your competition doing?

If your direct competitors are sharing content on TikTok every day and have healthy numbers, this is often a sign they have found the right audience.

Take a look around the market to identify the top competitors and gain insights.

While we don’t recommend copying your competitors, it is smart to take a look at their work and be inspired.

Here are some things to be aware of:

• How do they organize and format their videos?
• What’s their message?
• How often does their product get promoted directly?
• What are their favorite trends?
• What tone are they using?

You also have the option to browse their Instagram feed to see their most-viewed videos. They are often found in the “Pinned” section.

Account managers push these videos to the top of their feeds because they are valuable, high-quality, or have other qualities that make them successful

TikTok’s Marketing Strategy is Great for Your Brand

TikTok is still a relatively young platform. It was launched six years ago in 2016. It became popular after its parent company merged it into Musical.ly in 2018.

TikTok for Business was launched in July 2020.

There’s less competition

TikTok has a lot of potential for innovation. Large brands such as CVS Pharmacy and The New York Times are not yet on TikTok. 

TikTok isn’t as competitive as other social media platforms.

Open discussion

As we have said, TikTok doesn’t enforce strict censorship policies. TikTok does not enforce strict censorship policies.

Brands can also gain insight into customers’ perceptions through free speech. Engage in discussions.

Virality

Virality may seem like an amazing outcome. Ocean Spray is one example.

Nathan Apodaca (a man whose real name is Nathan) shared a video of himself riding his longboard calmly down the highway in August 2020. He had Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice in one hand and Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams in another.

In just a few short weeks, the original video was viewed over 60 million times. Creators were moved to pay tribute.

This video is a great example of TikTok, virality, and TikTok in general. Neither side was in control. 

Although the virality of the video was not intentional, it was a win-win situation for all involved. Some brands have thought out strategies to create videos that are popular and increase brand awareness.

TikTok marketing strategies for brands

Trends to Follow

TikTok’s backbone is Trends. They allow you to show your human side while also taking advantage of the entertainment aspect of the app. This will increase your business’s visibility.

Trends are often centered around one TikTok sound that people use to create backgrounds in their videos. RyanAir is one example of this. You can find variations of the same sound in many of their most popular videos.

Trends change weekly so be open to new sounds. TikTok Discover Page can help you with your research.

Regular posting

While TikTok doesn’t focus on the frequency of posts, it is crucial to share content frequently if you want a following. 

Levi’s joined forces with TikTok and other influencers to create a series of In-Feed Ads which drove viewers to their online store. This company saw an increase in engagement and traffic to its website.

TikTok says that brand-created hashtag challenges allow brands to “go where their target audience is already at”, speak their language, and be part of their culture. “

While you’ll need to talk to TikTok to approve the Branded Hashtag Challenge, this feature could help your brand get six days of app promotion on the Discovery Page.

Final thoughts

TikTok can be a great platform to generate new customers and offer exciting opportunities. It’s important not to take yourself too seriously. You must also get to know the TikTok community so you can navigate the fast-paced, meme-ridden world.