10 TikTok Marketing Tips & Best Practices via @sejournal, @jasonjzotara

TikTok has exploded onto the marketing scene as a way to reach millions of people through creative video content.

Leading brands are finding all kinds of ways to take advantage of the marketing possibilities available to them.

How can you emulate their successes?

Get familiar with the best practices and attributes that make TikTok content appealing and engaging so you can grow your presence.

Read on for tips and tricks that will help you create a successful TikTok marketing campaign.

1. Take Advantage Of Existing Trends

TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes content based on popularity and the number of views.

Therefore, marketing teams should utilize trending hashtags and memes to create relevant content appealing to their target audience.

Unlike advertising set up on other social media platforms, TikTok requires your team to be engaged to keep up with the latest trends.

Users on this platform will seek out content under trending hashtags that can help introduce your brand to a new audience.

Leveraging existing trends can expand your creativity and tap into content that you already know successfully draws in viewers.

Kraft took advantage of the popular Duet challenge on TikTok and the use of the hashtag #KraftMacMeSkip to engage with their audience, attracting over 6 million views.

2. Find A Balance Between Entertainment And Promotion

While TikTok offers an opportunity to inform and entertain your target audience, there is also the necessity to promote your brand.

If a video appears to be too much of an advertisement, viewers will skip over it.

It is important to inform and entertain first, bringing in an audience to engage with your videos when just starting.

After you have a following, bring in more promotional posts, including tutorials with your product, people interacting with merchandise, or exclusive offers.

By balancing entertainment and advertising, you can foster a connection with potential buyers.

3. Use Partnerships To Boost Brand Awareness

As with any new marketing venture, there is a learning curve when conquering the TikTok realm.

So don’t be afraid to use the expertise of others to help make the most of your advertising strategy.

TikTok has a Creator Marketplace that can help businesses find personalities that are experts at creating meaningful content online.

With people from different backgrounds, a brand can find someone with the expertise they need to help produce relevant videos, entertain audiences, and offer a unique point of view.

Using experienced content creators can help your team take your brand to the next level.

Along with creators, the use of influencers can also help set your products apart by getting real people with a built-in following to advertise your brand.

Influencers can offer authentic content that is relatable to their specific audience.

Creating a partnership with an influencer can help boost brand awareness and visibility.

Influencers can help connect your products with the consumer by demonstrating products, offering promotions, and providing links to merchandise from their posts.

Relying on the experience of others can help launch your brand and give your team valuable content to guide future advertising decisions.

For example, Famous Footwear partnered with fashion blogger Makenna Willhite (@makennachristinexo) to showcase products authentically with a relaxed and relatable setting.

4. Give TikTokers Full-Screen Focus

TikTok users prefer to view content in portrait mode.

Your marketing team should consider a 9:16 video format to ensure the most appealing video for your audience.

This format ensures that you are taking up the entire screen with your message and implementing best practices for displaying your brand on this platform.

It is important to consider this preferred layout when developing content that best showcases your product.

5. Variety Is Key For Product Placement

TikTok’s top-performing ads use a variety of backdrops and settings to keep the viewer engaged with the product.

Instead of a stagnant background, try changing scenery, viewpoints, and camera angles to create a more diverse and appealing advertisement.

Creating various scenes helps draw in the viewer and creates a memorable message.

The visual appeal of your ad can set it apart from other videos and help your product stand out.

6. Connect Through Call To Action Opportunities

Displaying a Call to Action (CTA) within the ad creates a connection with the viewer and gives them a clear next step after watching your video.

TikTok’s Ad Manager offers features for clickable CTAs.

Depending on your brand’s goal, customers can click to shop deals, view offers, learn more, find a location, and more.

Clickable buttons can create more traffic on your website and seamlessly connect your product with the audience.

Furthermore, this creates a more interactive experience for the viewer as they can go beyond the content of a short video to learn more about what your brand has to offer.

Providing a call to action can increase conversions and is a staple of high-performing advertisements.

For example, the Starbucks New Year’s campaign for #GoodVibeMessenger clearly communicated the next course of action for the viewer.

By connecting through this marketing strategy, the brand will be able to send future promotional content to the consumer who engages with this offer.

7. Maximize Impact With Effective Timing

For videos to be effective on TikTok, timing is everything.

Too short, and the message can be vague and unclear; too long, the viewer loses interest and may check out or move on before the essential information is displayed.

According to TikTok metrics, videos that fall between 21 and 34 seconds are ideal for video ads to be effective.

Therefore, maximizing your message for this time frame gives you the best opportunity to create an ad that will connect with your audience and drive conversions.

8. Post Often With Authentic Content

A key to success when marketing in TikTok is making sure you post regularly with original content.

If your goal is to increase brand visibility, it’s crucial to stay relevant.

By posting often, you can also see what is working and what isn’t.

In addition, the platform algorithm can help you adjust your posts based on the impressions that it generates.

When brands are first starting out, posting often can help them try out various content types.

Creating different videos to showcase your brand is part of figuring out what appeals to your target audience.

By posting every day, you can collect feedback on what is effective.

It gives your team insight when creating relevant content.

If you find a design that works, follow that formula for continued marketing success.

9. Have A Sense Of Humor

The best way to engage with TikTok users is to have fun and connect through humor.

Users on this platform are looking to be entertained.

It takes time to figure out your niche and how to create content that highlights your brand.

Creating playful videos and fun can make your product memorable.

Instead of focusing on views, have fun creating content, and the audience will follow.

Do your research by looking at how other marketing campaigns stand out.

People want to see content that is light-hearted and fun.

As you peruse TikTok, what ads stand out to you?

Is there a way to highlight your brand by creating content that resonates with a fun and playful audience?

10. Use Closed Captioning

The use of captions throughout your video can help amplify the message while making the content accessible to more of your audience.

The use of text for CTAs, along with captioning content, can make your ad stand out and more memorable.

It also allows users who are scrolling without sound to access your message, creating an impression and preventing them from skipping the video.

Final Thoughts

When deciding how to advertise on TikTok, consider the trends that are making waves.

Continue to immerse yourself in the culture of TikTok and learn to insert your brand in areas that will lead to more impressions.

Be sure to utilize the metrics offered through TikTok to analyze how your content is being received and be flexible to adapt to changing trends.

Your brand can experience increased visibility and growth through creative marketing and responsive strategies.

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