TikTok is one of the hottest social media platforms today. In its earlier days, the platform was regarded as the pinnacle for getting in front of Gen Z and millennials. However, older generations are also joining TikTok to see what all the buzz is about. It recently surpassed the two billion-download mark and earned the distinction of having the most downloads of any app ever based on the first quarter of 2020, according to SensorTower. That makes it a goldmine for marketers who want to leverage its far-reaching popularity.
If you’re ready to take on the platform, you’ll need to consider these fundamentals when developing your campaign:
- Setting Clear Goals
- Building a Solid Strategy
- Tapping into the Power of Influencers
- Understanding TikTok’s Algorithm
Setting Clear Goals
First and foremost, you’ll need to start by deciding on your campaign goals. Strong campaigns always begin with a roadmap that defines success. Some common goals include brand awareness, audience growth and conversions. Determining what you want from the campaign before you start working on it will help you assess its effectiveness along the way.
Building a Solid Strategy
Every marketer knows that your campaign’s content should be valuable to your audience. What you might not realize is just how quickly things move on TikTok, with the latest viral trends changing at a fast pace. Keeping up with TikTok trends is a good start, but you also need to have a solid strategy behind your campaign. Some popular tactics to consider include:
- Hashtag Challenges: Launch a branded hashtag challenge by developing a unique and specific hashtag to accompany a call to action in your videos. It’s crucial that your challenge is engaging and gives users the option to put their own creative spin on it.
- In-Feed Videos: Run video advertisements that display in the users’ native news feed on the “For You” page.
- Branded AR Content: Create branded filters, lenses, stickers and more for users to use in their own videos.
- Influencer Marketing: Partner up with influencers to connect with their audience and extend your reach.
- Paid Ads: You have the option to pay for your ads, including hashtag challenges and brand takeovers. This option puts your campaign on the “Discovery” page, increasing your presence on the platform.
Tapping into the Power of Influencers
The beauty of influencer marketing is the access you’ll gain to highly-targeted audiences. That’s true on any platform. Because TikTok is relatively new, it’s particularly helpful to tap into the clout of influencers. Don’t be afraid to leverage TikTok influencers as a resource for your campaign. After all, they’re well versed in the right communication style needed to succeed on the platform.
The key to winning on TikTok is choosing influencers who are on-brand, which will help increase your messaging’s authenticity. Also, it’s essential to partner with influencers that actively engage with their audience. Collaboration can produce authentic messages that strike just the right balance between promotional and fun. Big brands like Guess, Warner Music, Too Faced and Walmart have already discovered this.
Do you want more help with your TikTok marketing plan? Consider the benefits of leveraging IZEA’s platforms, each of which can help you connect with the influencer marketing technology and services you need.
Understanding TikTok’s Algorithm
There’s a lot to consider when crafting a winning TikTok campaign. One important variable to consider is TikTok’s algorithm. If you want your content to show up in user feeds and connect with your audience, this is key.
Marketers often look to follower counts to figure out how wide an influencer’s reach could be. But with TikTok’s algorithm, the number of followers a user has isn’t a factor. While it’s true that high profile users have a naturally broad reach, the platform uses individual engagement and video stats to select the content that gets highlighted.
Having a good understanding of the algorithm can help increase your reach and your odds of creating a winning campaign. The main factors include:
- The videos users like, share and interact with
- Information, including hashtags, songs and captions in videos
- Account and device settings, which includes language preferences and mobile device types
Profile status and past performance don’t necessarily factor into the algorithm, and any user has the ability to make their video go viral. To connect with the largest audience, it helps to align your content with interests that are trending. Also, giving users an incentive to watch your video until the end can help too.
Ultimately, the algorithm is designed to show users videos that they will find the most interesting. Using these fundamentals is a good start. But it’s up to you to create a winning combination of elements that work together to pique interest and get the word out about your brand.
