4 Ways Integrate TikTok in Your Digital Marketing Strategy
4 Ways Integrate TikTok in Your Digital Marketing Strategy
TikTok has taken the world by storm in the last couple of years and it's because of the amount of content that can be consumed in a short amount of time with its micro-vlogging model. Even though a lot of young kids (mostly Gen Z) are using it. It's quickly becoming a social media platform that EVERYBODY wants to be on. TikTok has about 800 million users and the app has been downloaded 1.5 BILLION times. That's insane! I personally have never seen an app gain so much steam in such a short amount of time. Not only that, but the organic reach for TikTok is also crazy high right now, which means you can get a following VERY quickly in a short period of time.
1. Get Creative with Your Content
If you are a children's brand (think Jojo Siwa) and you need to market to Gen Z, then a video featuring a song all the kids listen to (again, JoJo Siwa), and have them dance wearing your clothing brand or stuffed doll. You have to remember that you need to not only create content that is short and sweet, but also it needs to be authentic, so you can get the audience to trust your brand. Also, pets and kids usually go viral on TikTok so if you can incorporate either of those in your TikTok strategy in some way, you will be golden.
Participating in TikTok challenges and being a part of the hashtag community on there (similar to IG) will also get you new followers quickly. See what is trending on TikTok to get a feel for the laid back feel of the platform. It's silly and not as buttoned-up as LinkedIn, Facebook and now, Instagram is these days.
I will be making a video on How To Create Your First TikTok Video soon!
2. Share and Curate User-Generated Content
This is for the bigger, more corporate brands out there but medium-sized, and some small businesses can probably cash in on this strategy as well. There are some brands, like Nike, on TikTok that get users to create content for them in their hashtags. E.L.F Cosmetics did a BRILLIANT campaign that featured an original song called "eyes lips face". It was a very simple giveaway contest; dance to this song and win $250 worth of makeup. With a little help with some influencers, the hashtag generated over 5.4 BILLION views. Now when anyone searches for eyes lips face on TikTok, E.L.F Cosmetics is the first thing they see.
One very important thing to note is that before E.L.F was struggling to acquire new customers and with their audience being mostly Gen Z and millennials it was very important for them to embrace a new platform like TikTok. The investment paid off for them and sales went up as a result.
3. Ads Ads Ads!
Like with any social media platform these days, you can also pay for ads. I would only suggest this if you have the budget for it. Thre are four different types of ads on TikTok:
Brand takeover - it's literally the first thing any TikTok user sees before they view any other content on the platform.
Native Ads - it's a part of the user's feed and it's between 9-16 seconds long. They can skip the content or scroll past it.
Sponsered hashtag challenges - similar to what e.l.f Cosmetics did above, you can also create a challenge on TikTok with your own special hashtag. Check out the "discover" button to see what kind of challenges are there and how you can get people to participate in them!
Brand lenses - This is a cool feature, similar to the ones you would see on Snapchat or in Instagram stories. You can create your own special lens filter that every user can use for a specific amount of time. It's great for those special holiday promotions.
Take the time and figure out which of these ads can work the best for you. If you are a small business try doing a sponsored hashtag challenge. If you are a bigger company, a native ad or a brand takeover would work better. It all depends on what you are selling as well. Are you a trainer or a beauty brand? You might be a dance studio that also offers yoga classes. You might be a spiritual center that is closed due to COVID-19, but you know you need to sell your crystals online. Ads are a very good way of doing all of these things.
4. Use Influencers in a Strategic Way
It's no secret that TikTok already has some influencers and now is a great time to use them to the fullest. Influencer marketing is at an all-time high and although I am not the biggest fan of it myself, I can see how effective it can be for any business that wants their sales to skyrocket. Remember that the more followers an influencer has, the more money they will probably want. As I said in one of my blog posts, micro-influencers would work best for you, if you don't want to spend a ton of money. You also have to strategically pick an influencer that fits within your niche, so, for example, you don't want a huge singer (like Lil Nas X) in your campaign when you are trying to sell your course on self-transformation.
If you are a yoga studio that also does energy healing in the Atlanta area, for example, you will need to partner with a fitness influencer in the area that loves yoga and spiritual healing. Once you pay them and figure out a couple of posts you can push out with them, then you can talk about partnering with other social media influencers.
I Don't Understand TikTok! Please Help!
I feel like it's very important to note that Gen Z and Millennials are the biggest consumers out there right now. If you do not know how to market to them or figure out how to get sales from social media right now, you will be in trouble. The market is not doing too well right now because of COVID-19 and if you want to survive, you will need to pivot. If you know you are a business or a brand that can benefit from TikTok, let me and my team help you figure out the best strategy for you.