4 ways brands can go viral using TikTok marketing

4 ways brands can go viral using TikTok marketing

The platform that catapulted Duolingo from a nice language-learning tool to a superstar brand specializing in out-of-control viral marketing. The app that catapulted Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae to fame. The cultural phenomena that have altered how we socialize, unwind, learn, and shop.

TikTok, which was formerly reserved for Gen Z dancing competitions, is now unquestionably the hottest playground for brands. If you’re finally ready to take the plunge and submit your first short-form video on the app, here’s everything you need to know.

The Most Recent TikTok Videos

Here are a few interesting facts regarding the platform:

• The app has more than 1 billion monthly active users globally as of July 2022, making it more popular than Snapchat, Pinterest, and even Twitter.
• TikTok users range in age from 10 to 29, with 7% being over 50.
• TikTok is the most active social media platform, with users spending an average of 45 minutes daily on the app.
• TikTok is more than just a source of pleasure for Generation Z; many have begun utilizing it as a search engine to uncover information and goods that help address their concerns.
• TikTok will soon be the most valuable platform for ecommerce advertising, according to analysts, as both ad spending and the number of users on the platform have grown tremendously in recent years.

It’s obvious: TikTok is the way to go if you want to reach a large user base with great interaction.

How to Begin Using TikTok

Spend some time exploring the two main feeds after installing the app and creating a business account to discover how people interact with the site. This is especially significant if you intend to use TikTok as a marketing channel in the future.

Many TikTok features, such as following other accounts, liking, commenting, and sharing content, are similar to those you already use on personal and professional levels. Of course, as you interact with TikTok, the platform will learn about you and tailor its recommendations to help you find the most relevant content.

1. Take advantage of hashtags and hashtag challenges.

To get your films recognized leverage the power of hashtags – and hashtag challenges. You can apply best practices from other networks, like Twitter, where you already know not to overuse hashtags if you want to maximize interaction. (However, TikTok makes it more difficult for brands to get into problems here because captions are limited to only 100 characters — so choose them wisely.) When viewers search for content, such as the branded videos you’re generating, hashtags will boost your TikTok SEO.

You may also use TikTok to help you focus on the relevant hashtags. TikTok will offer hashtags based on a keyword search. Then it’s a matter of creating a balance between general hashtags that have a lot of competition and more specific hashtags that may not be as well known. What is the ideal ratio? That is entirely up to you to determine.

The immensely popular hashtag challenges provide an excellent opportunity for discovery. Brands can choose to participate in existing challenges or create their own. If they can pull off the latter, such as Scotts’ #DoTheScottsSlide dance challenge and sweepstakes or Calvin Klein’s #OnlyInMyCalvins “strike a pose” challenge, they will be genuine TikTok marketing experts.

2. Collaborate with Influencers.

TikTok, like other social media, includes big-name influencers with a large reach and committed following, such as the aforementioned Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, and Zach King. These top influencers may be out of your brand’s TikTok marketing budget’s pricing range — at least for now — but there are lots of other influential TikTok users with followers interested in your brand.

You can find relevant influencers by searching the platform for brand-related themes (or using TikTok’s simple Creator Marketplace, which provides user data). If you notice a TikTok user creating content that you believe would be a good fit for your business, you can contact them to discuss a collaboration or utilize TikTok as a conduit.

If you provide quality content and have the right influencers, your audience and prestige will grow as you do. It’s the same as any other social media network in this scenario.

3. Launch a Paid Campaign.

TikTok advertising can also be chosen by brands using the TikTok for Business Platform. This method can increase brand recognition and interaction on TikTok in as little as 24 hours. The alternatives are numerous, from in-feed advertisements to shoppable ads to brand takeovers, and the optimal ad mix will ultimately rely on your brand’s budget, marketing goals, and campaign type.

4. Consider Thinking Outside the Box.

Here are some more expert ideas to keep in mind while you navigate the platform and discover your brand’s niche:

Be inventive. TikTok distinguishes itself from other platforms with its users’ overarching emphasis on self-expression. The good news for brands is that this opens the door to more creativity – take note of which videos captivate you the most, whether due to content kind, format, or editing.

Keep it brief. Even if TikTok increased the maximum video length to 10 minutes earlier this year, keep in mind that brevity is the spirit of humor. Users expect material that is brief and to the point.

Play around with editing. TikTok’s brilliance is also found in the effects you may apply, which include animation, augmented reality, music, touch-ups, and voice effects.

Your first TikTok post is unlikely to go viral overnight, so don’t be afraid to experiment with different content styles and formats to discover the best match for your business on the site.