Keep reading to know how to create a successful TikTok marketing strategy.
How to create a TikTok marketing strategy
TikTok trends can seem random, and there’s no such thing as a surefire marketing strategy, simply ask TikTok’s Global Inventive Strategist. Here’s how to develop a TikTok marketing strategy, to begin with, and adapt along your TikTok journey.
Get familiar with TikTok
It might be incorrect to approach TikTok marketing the same way you approach Instagram or Facebook marketing. TikTok is a completely different social network, with unique trends, features, and behaviors.
Spend your time getting sucked in by TikTok videos. Discover the different features available on the app, and note what filters, effects, and songs are trending. Take a look at Hashtag Challenges, which basically involve a song, dance moves, or a task that members are challenged to recreate. Don’t overlook TikTok’s duets feature either.
Read up on the TikTok algorithm, too. Understand how the TikTok algorithm ranks and displays videos in the For You tab can inform your content, hashtag, and engagement strategy. Get the complete lowdown on how the algorithm works here. You may also brush up on all things TikTok by taking courses in the TikTok Business Learning Center.
TikTok influencer marketing is another massive part of the app’s ecosystem. Check out TikTok’s mega-stars, like Charli D’Amelio, Addison Rae, and Zach King. And try to find out the rising stars or influencers in your niche.
Define your target audience
Who do you hope to achieve on TikTok? Before you start creating content, learn about the TikTok demographics, and identify those who might be keen on your brand.
TikTok is most popular with teens, but it could be a mistake to write TikTok off as a teen app. The 20-29-year-old cohort follows close behind teenagers in the U.S., and in China, “glam-mas” are showing that trend only gets better with age. Looking to increase your reach in India? You might want to reconsider. The app has been banned there since June.
Source: Statista
Spend a while researching your audiences on different platforms and look for overlap on TikTok. However, don’t rule out new or unexpected audiences. Your current audience might not be on TikTok, however, maybe there are subgroups with related or slightly different interest on the platform. For instance, a kids’ books publisher’s audience could consist of authors on LinkedIn, readers on Instagram, and illustrators on TikTok.
Once you’ve zeroed in on a possible audience, analysis what kinds of content they like and engage with. Then begin to brainstorm content ideas for your brand.
Perform an aggressive audit
Are your competitors on TikTok? If they are, you might be missing out on the action. If they aren’t, TikTok could also be an approach to gain aggressive advantage.
Whether or not your opponents are on the platform, discover at least three to five related brands or organizations, and see what they’re up to on the app. Let’s explore and learn from what’s worked and what hasn’t worked for them. If it’s helpful, use the S.W.O.T. framework to determine each competitor’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Or discover another competitor matrix that matches.
As TikTok is a creator-led platform, don’t rule out including TikTok stars and influencers in this exercise. Discover personalities that specialize in your area of expertise, from cosmetics to medicine or education and literature.
Align goals with business objectives
You can create TikToks just for the sake of it, however, it’s better to have an aim in mind that may be tied to your overall business objectives.
Whether you plan to reach a new audience, improve brand image, promote awareness for a product, or develop stronger customer relationships via engagement, it’s essential to back your efforts with a rationale. Think about using the S.M.A.R.T. goal framework, or another template, to set targets that are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.
Like most social platforms, TikTok gives analytics for pro accounts. From your profile page, click the three dots in the upper right of the screen. From there click Business then Analytics. Explore the dashboard and discover the metrics you should use to measure your targets.
Read our complete guide to TikTok Analytics.
Create a space to experiment
There’s no such thing as a method for going viral on TikTok. Leave a space in your TikTok marketing strategy to be creative, have fun, and go with the flow.
If something flops, learn from it and keep moving on to the next experiment. In case your brand ends up accidentally trending like Home Depot, Ocean Spray, or others, take advantage of it. Be in on the joke. Don’t be too serious on TikTok.