How to use TikTok for Digital Marketing

TikTok is growing in popularity, with over 500 million TikTok users around the world and reaching 150 markets. Many marketers are starting to notice the benefits of promoting a product or service through the app, making it the perfect tool for business owners. Until recently, many business owners did not see the advantages of TikTok. However, from a brand perspective, it provides a wide array of advertising opportunities.

If you are considering adding TikTok to your digital marketing strategy, continue to read on to learn more about the short video app.

What is TikTok?

If you ever used the app Vine, then you should be familiar with TikTok. It involves the creation of short videos, that are shared between users. The app was previously known as Musical.ly, where users would simply upload videos of themselves lip-synching to music videos. Eventually, influencers starting to make a presence on the app, where they would upload videos of original content.

Typically, a TikTok video can be up to 15 seconds long, but users have the ability to connect multiple clips, creating a video that is up to 60 seconds of total recording. In addition, if you have taken a video outside of the app, a user can upload a video that is longer than the app’s recommended 60 seconds.

Live streaming is another option, similar to Instagram and Facebook. There are multiple filters that can be used to improve video quality or presentation, making it extremely modern in terms of usage trends. TikTok caters to those in which are looking for new and exciting ways of connecting.

As COVID-19 made its entrance, TikTok users increased exponentially. Now is the time to take advantage of this digital marketing trend, and read on to find out 8 ways that your business or brand can use TikTok for your digital marketing strategy.

If you are a brand looking to utilize TikTok, these are three key options you should consider for promoting your product or service.

• Create a channel for your business or brand, where you can upload videos that are relevant to your business.
• Take advantage of influencer marketing, and utilize influencers to open your content to a much broader audience.
• Pay for advertising, where you can utilize TikTok’s new campaign options.

When it comes to creating content that is engaging and creative, we recommend keeping things fun. Here are a few recommendations we have, that you can use to draw inspiration from.

• Rather than taking the time to edit your TikTok videos, keep things real and showcase people using your brand in their everyday lives.
• Showcase the behind the scenes or in-the-moment content that best represents your business or brand. For example:
  1. Make meetings or training sessions live on TikTok, and create an interactive experience for your attendees and your TikTok followers.
  2. Specific landing pages can be created on your website that can then be used to drive traffic and generate leads.
  3. TikTok users are commonly a younger demographic, making it a useful app for higher education marketers and students within colleges and universities.
  4. If you are a retail store or a boutique, TikTok is a wonderful tool that can be used to showcase clothes, jewelry, shoes, etc. You can film an entire fall collection with your own hype music.
  5. If you are already a well-known brand but you are looking to expand your digital marketing efforts, you can utilize TikTok to promote specific campaigns. For example, Guess was the first brand that TikTok collaborated within the United States for its #inmydenim campaign.
• If you have a product or service that requires assembly or an unboxing, you can create a step by step video that can be produced and showcased on TikTok with a link to purchase your product or service.
• Restaurants are struggling due to the global pandemic that has taken place, but TikTok sheds some light on the difficulties that businesses face. For example, Chipotle was the first major chain to jump onto the platform, releasing two major campaigns. The latest campaign focused on the #GuacDance challenge, where fans were asked to show off their avocado-themed dance moves.
• Your business or brand should create a #HashtagChallenge in order to prompt engagement. They are simple to participate in, and it’s fun. If you do not have a well-established brand, consider using influencers to help kickstart your campaign.

Now that you know how TikTok can be used for digital marketing, we highly recommend giving it a shot. As a marketer, and as a consumer who is easily influenced by marketing, it is important to test new marketing tools such as TikTok.

Although the app itself has a lot of growth and development in its future, it is definitely worth considering for your 2020 campaign strategy. Most importantly, TikTok provides a business or brand the ability to connect with your audiences in new, fun, and exciting ways.