I’ve heard the name, you know the kids are on it, and you may even be on TikTok yourself. TikTok’s Australian user base is probably wider than you think, it’s not all dancing teens – 30% are aged 16-64 – and there’s been huge growth on the platform since we last addressed it.
Here in Australia, much like the rest of the world, the mammoth social media platform grew legs during the pandemic as many were stuck in lockdowns and quarantines, looking to kill some time and to be distracted from the chaos that was, “the new normal”. TikTok is here to stay, and offers some exciting opportunities for those in the marketing sphere. What can the fastest-growing social media platform offer your brand, and more importantly – why?
There are of course a few ways to tackle marketing on TikTok, the first being the shiny new profession now inspiring new regulations around income tax: influencers. Depending on your brand and your product, this may be a strategy worth exploring, but should be done so via an intuitive and organic partnership. The second way, while nothing new, is paid ads which are still an effective method of marketing. Lastly, the best marketing move for your brand on TikTok may actually be to get amongst the action and be a content-creating account.
Original content
TikTok has the highest social media engagement rate for smaller accounts (fewer than 15 000 followers), at 17.96%, sitting well above the 3.86% of Instagram. When creating original content, it’s important to remember the three R’s: relevance, reach and resonance. Keeping these pillars front of mind will save you and your marketing team from wasted efforts and expenditure, and will increase engagement on your posts.
Find your community
Your content can take a few different forms – you may opt for a playful, entertaining angle or go for a more informative tact. B&H Photo Video, a camera store in the US has a Tiktok account that masterfully combines the current trends of the platform, and educational videos. If you’re after handy tips and tricks for lighting, lenses and logistics, the B&H TikTok has you covered.
Now you may be saying, “but of course, a company that employs young creatives will obviously succeed on social media where young creatives are celebrated”. B&H aren’t doing anything revolutionary though. They’ve remembered their three R’s: their relevant posts mold current trends to their brand and product; they hashtag appropriately to achieve their reach; and their videos, whether for entertainment or education, resonate with the customer’s experience in-store. Better still, if they have a high-engagement video, they use this momentum to create a follow up, or “Part 2”. They creatively shape their TikToks to give insight to the expertise on offer should you drop into one of their stores to purchase, instead of buying online.
Your content doesn’t need to be high production. Sometimes the most viral TikToks are those that show genuineness and sincerity. The wholesome Milwaukee Public Library account features the Librarians who work at the Milwaukee Public Library, and their humble participation in rising trends lends itself to the honest nature of the brand. The library has expanded their business model to engage a new target audience with very little expenditure at all, but in a very effective way, with a current following of 93.1k.
Transition your SEO to hashtags
Instagram might have you thinking hashtags are a thing of the past, but think about hashtags as the SEO of social media. How much of your marketing budget has gone towards SEO previously? With TikTok’s format so intensively algorithm-based, your social media marketing strategy should be as hashtag focused as your other material is SEO focused.
Your tagging can be as broad, or as specific as you like, and your invention of a new (but brand-relevant) hashtag may even be what makes your content go viral. It may take some expertise to find the right tags for your industry or category as they may not be as obvious as #educational – try #learnontiktok for instance.
Success for your brand on social media
All in all, your business or brand doesn’t have to check any specific boxes in order to find success on TikTok, and the platform likely deserves a place in your social media strategy. As others have shown, you can even stray from your brand’s usual tone used across other platforms. In a world where cut-through is key, TikTok provides the engagement within the cut-through.
Need help finding the right angle for your brand’s TikTok ventures? Reach out to the team at SOAK Creative for your social media strategy needs.
