Unless you are living under a rock or on a desolate island, it is almost impossible not to hear about TikTok. With at least 800 million active users worldwide, the app is hard to miss. More than viewers and influencers, TikTok has become a nesting ground for marketers as well. 

Social media platforms like TikTok are the best marketing tools today for their ability to efficiently digest, analyze, and apply consumer data. However, TikTok does not work like magic. If you are a marketer wanting to take advantage of its features, you might want to keep on reading. 

6 TikTok Must-Try Strategies for Brands

TikTok is a place of creativity—and the influencers are not the only ones getting creative! Some brands and marketing agencies have been implementing out-of-the-box strategies to capture the interests of their desired markets. If you are looking for inspiration, you might find what you need in our recommendations below to help your next TikTok Influencer Marketing campaign stand out in a crowd. 

1.) Challenges

TikTok challenges are the mania that keeps youngsters busy by swooshing around while making weird faces on camera. With million-view hits like #TheRenegade and the #SaySoDanceChallenge, these activities are indeed eye-grabbing. For marketers, putting one’s brand out there to gather an audience is a critical first step. However, this part of the process is not the easiest to accomplish. But, with TikTok challenges, brands may freeride the trends and bandwagon their way to success. The TikTok algorithm prioritizes popular trends on the homepage. Thus, users who upload content related to popular and relevant challenges will be featured more often. Consequently, their chances of being seen will increase.

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There might be times when no trending challenge would make sense for your brand. In this instance, why not just create your original challenge? Although it is a total leap of faith, your challenge could attract the attention of hundreds and thousands. Chipotle has already tried this strategy. Its #ChipotleLidFlipChallenge and #GuacDance exceeded 1 billion views on TikTok.

Helpful Tip for Challenges on TikTok: 

Do not only focus on the fun. Your TikTok challenge must also focus on your brand, product, or cause. A funny challenge would not help amplify your brand awareness if it is irrelevant or does not share your campaign messages. And don’t forget to choose the right audio! After all, music is the heart of TikTok, right?

2.) Skits

Skits refer to short acts that are comedic in theme. Often, these skits are parodies of famous movies or events. Just like challenges, doing skits is a great way to grab attention in TikTok. In comparing skits with challenges, the former is easier to make. Challenges often require a certain level of production. A challenge has to have good music and a set of activities that many can easily replicate. However, skits do not require any of those. Skits simply need to be witty and hilarious. Marketers need to think of a concept that will tickle the audience’s funny bone.

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Uploading skits is yet another bold tactic. Brands must be aware of what concepts are trending or relevant so that the jokes will work. Brands may also add some editing flares to make the skit more engaging.

Helpful Tip for Skits on TikTok:

Be positive. No one likes negative content, right? Skits must be visually creative so although TikTok has its own editing tool, you might need to get your own. Most importantly, observe safety precautions!

3.) Memes

Funny and satirical content is always explosive on social media. So, as you can imagine, memes are where it’s at when it comes to TikTok engagement. This explains why TikTok has a good following for memes and meme accounts. In contrast to skits, memes are typically slideshows of quick and witty antics. While relatively short, users are more likely to share memes than skits. After all, memes are easier to digest and only require a shorter time for browsing. 

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Sharing memes can help brands build a particular image as well. If a brand regularly shares a meme, consumers might think that it is approachable and relatable. Sharing memes is a smart tactic, especially if your target demographic is a younger audience.

Helpful Tip for Memes on TikTok:

To check out the latest meme, visit 9gag or Reddit. These websites are abundant in meme materials that you may wish to replicate.

4.) Tutorials

Instructional videos showing the creation or completion of a particular object or recipe gain a significant amount of views and engagement in TikTok. This technique is highly recommended for brands selling products that involve creativity and construction. The most common examples of said videos are makeup tutorials and DIY snippets. In the context of makeup, tutorial videos leave the impression that viewers can accomplish a certain look by using the featured products.

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Brands should also know that TikTok has a social shopping tool. This tool allows users to link external websites into the video so that interested viewers may directly visit where the featured products may be bought. Putting an easy access link in the tutorial video will help increase the viewers’ interest to buy.

Helpful Tip for Tutorials on TikTok:

TikTok only gives you under a minute to create a video, so make sure your tutorial is clear and concise. It also helps when you create subtitles or texts to aid the audience to remember the product or the breakdown of the process.

Also, listen up food brands! There are a lot of brands crushing the TikTok game. If you have a brand that would go perfectly in a recipe, line up some influencers to have them create and share a recipe on TikTok. Have you seen the TikTok Pasta recipe? It’s a huge hit and everyone is wanting to try and post the recipe. Brands like Chipotle, Gushers, and KIND Snacks are constantly creating content that keeps their followers coming back for more on TikTok.

5.) Live Shows

Live streaming is an excellent option to get close and personal with TikTok followers and other people interested in the brand. Just like influencers, brands may also use the live streaming feature for question-and-answer segments. By talking directly to the audience, the brand may develop a better grip of its image, the audience’s wants and needs, and the leading trends in the market.

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Live streaming on TikTok is a personal experience. Due to the app’s numerous customization options, a brand can freely shape the live stream and present a unique experience to the audience.

Helpful Tip for Live Shows on TikTok:

Live streams make your relationship with the audience a bit intimate. Interact with them and answer their questions. You can go for a 3-minute livestream or do a full concert. As of now, you can stream for up to eight hours. Don’t forget to add a call-to-action (CTA) in the middle or at the end of the broadcast. 

6.) Hashtags

Hashtags are helpful tools that organize content according to categories. Just like other social media platforms, TikTok also implements a hashtag system. A lot of people underestimate its worth, but hashtags do a lot of marketing wonders. For brands, a hashtag is a crucial tool because it is useful for branding and visibility. By using appropriate hashtags, one may raise brand awareness and reach a bigger audience. 

Helpful Tip for Hashtags on TikTok:

The first thing to remember in choosing a hashtag is its relevance to the brand. Another important note to keep in mind is to check what relevant hashtags are the most widely used. If a hashtag is popular enough, then it will increase your content’s likelihood of landing on the home page.

Wrap It All Up:

TikTok is a key place to build and expand on a brand and awareness of the brand. The best part is that the app is free and accessible. Managing a TikTok account to grow one’s business is not a walk in the park, but there are a lot of ways where you can maximize the platform. You can start a viral challenge, do trendy skits, publish satirical memes, give tutorials, go live, or make branded hashtags. These are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of creative ideas that will help your TikTok campaign gain traction and get engagement.

How will you start including TikTok in your Influencer Marketing campaigns?

Sources: 

How to Create a Buzzworthy Virtual Marketing Campaign
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