TikTok is becoming a more significant player in the social media landscape. With more and more Millenials and GenXers jumping on the platform, it may be time to consider having a business presence there as well. Here are some tips to get you started.
Set Up Your Profile
The first thing you need to do is put on a good face. So make sure you fill out your profile completely. TikTok only allows an 80 character bio, so use it to post your website and a short blurb about what you do. Make sure your Instagram and YouTube accounts are connected for cross-promotion. And be sure your profile pic matches your other social media channels so that your fans who are migrating from other platforms can easily recognize you.
Watch Others TikTok
When you first log in to TikTok, you will notice a whole lot of booty shaking going on. Don't worry, there is way more to TikTok than that. Spend a few hours (trust me, this is easy) watching TikTok videos and liking the ones that you enjoy. This way, TikTok will learn your personality and begin to show you things you want and leave out the things you don't. In doing this, you will also start to learn what TikTok is all about.
While you are watching, make sure to follow profiles that pique your interest as well as leaders in your industry, celebrities, and maybe even your competition. It never hurts to keep an eye on what they are up to.
Trends
TikTok is all about trends. In other words, TikTok is a bit of a copy cat platform. One user makes a cool video paired with a good piece of music, audio, or a fun challenge hashtag, and everyone else copies it. TikTok's algorithm sees this and then prioritizes videos that are participating in the trend and shows them to more people.
The trick with trends is to put your spin on it. This is where your creativity needs to shine. If there is a dance trend going around, have your CEO perform it on his desk. If there is a skill challenge happening, have everyone in the office attempt it and turn it into an office competition. Make sure you copy any relevant hashtags and audio. That is how TikTok knows your adding to the trend.
Content
As with any platform, consistent content is critical. Try to post at least once a day (or at least every weekday) and involve everyone in your organization to get a wide variety of content. I'm sure Kira from accounting would love to show off her dance moves!
Remember that TikTok, for the most part, is a fun and happy place. Do not spam your ads on the platform, you won't get anywhere with a strategy like that. Instead, for every four TikToks you make three of them should be fun and entertaining, and the fourth should be informative content, centered around your particular business, that brings your followers some value. For a restaurant, this could look like:
1. Brian, the bartender, doing his best Arnold impersonation.
2. Christina, the host, doing the renegade dance.
3. Marcus, the server, doing a pushup challenge.
4. Patty, the chef, showing how the restaurant bastes its famous chicken.
You should brand all your videos where possible. Wear company attire, mention your company in the post, ("Joe's Chicken presents Ben the fry cook eating our fries with a milkshake") or do the video in front of your marquee. And remember to have fun!
Hashtags
Hashtags play a slightly different roll on TikTok than they do on other platforms. TikTok shows your content to others based on the hashtags or audio samples you use. They do this in progressively larger batches. The algorithm starts with a small group of people that have shown interest in your chosen song or hashtags. If you do not get enough engagement in this first batch, your TikTok video will not move to the next batch, and your video will no longer be shown on the main "For You Page." So keep your hashtags relevant. An account that randomly spams popular hashtags that have nothing to do with their video content won't perform as well as an account whos videos have relevant hashtags attached to it.
A well put together video will use a popular song or audio sample, set their own spin on the trend happing around that music or sound, and then hashtag it accordingly.
The Point Of It All
TikTok is a fun and easy-going place that is perfect for your awareness campaign. Use it to humanize your brand and show your followers how much fun you can be, no matter what business you are in!