Brand Marketing on TikTok
Tell me why your business should be on TikTok without telling me why your business should be on Tiktok.
There are two types of people on the web. The ones who get this blog title and the ones who don’t. Or, either you are on TikTok or not. According to the 2021’s DataReportal TikTok currently has 690 million users, 80 million alone in the USA. So, even if you don’t feel like embarking on another social media channel, chances are that you are wondering if your business should. And if so, how and where to start?
TikTok marketing is not as confusing as it may appear, but many brands get it wrong. While other social channels are looking to gather a lot of followers to push sales and promote engagement, TikTok makes content discovery the core of its experience. Its algorithm works hard to deliver only personalized recommendations to viewers, to an extent that makes following your favorite brand kind of pointless.
And even though TikTok offers advertising options, common pre-roll or in-feed ads don’t seem to deliver as hoped. They can easily be skipped and are often frowned upon by users. Because it is important to understand that many users come to TikTok for a breath of fresh air from other social media overflowed by ads and sponsored posts. The company itself encourages businesses to “inspire creativity and bring joy” when advertising.
So, let’s sink into the concept that branding on Tiktok is not meant to push for sales, but rather show the personality of your business. With that in mind, let’s check some possible routes for promoting your business.
Storytelling
Tiktok is all about sharing your personal experience and allowing others to stitch theirs to it. The same can be applied to brands, especially small ones. Letting people learn more about your business story, the backstage, and your daily motivation force, allows your customer to strike an emotional connection with your brand. Tiktok users like to be a part of the story. And we can all learn from the hat designer that took us along on a special delivery and got an inexplicit celebrity endorsement from Jaime Fox.
Have a TikTok “face”
It’s all about being relatable. Having a character as the face of your brand in TikTok gives your business an approachable identity. It also helps you forge connections with your customer and promote positive interactions with your product. It is not a new marketing strategy, but it fits just right in with TikTok. A great example is Washington Post TikTok Guy, who achieved making a century-old traditional newspaper relevant and fun for generation Z.
Challenge your brand
Challenges play a crucial role in TikTok and can be started by any user or brand. It requires performing a certain task or dance and then using a challenge-specific hashtag. The more people engage in the challenge and share the hashtag, the more it trends on TikTok. Your brand can leverage this tactic to build awareness, create relatable content and promote new products. Although this strategy might work better for larger companies – such as Chipotle with the #Guacdance challenge – there’s no way to predict “going viral” with TikTok and you can always hit the jackpot with your own challenge.
These are just a few examples, but there are many more possibilities. After all, TikTok has truly shaken up the marketing world with its unprecedented virality and everyone still seems to be catching on. It’s not for everyone, nor is it for every business. TikTok has niche audiences and prides itself on fast-paced humor and “woke” partaking. As with any social media strategy, you need to check if it speaks to your audience and serves the goals set for your company. But if you feel its creative force is aligned with your business vision, there’s no better time to start working with it. One 60-second video at a time.