In the current environment, one of the best ways to market your business or products is through social media. Social media has become a big part of our daily lives. Most people spend most of their daily time on social media. Facebook alone has almost 3 billion users around the world. Thus, promoting your business on social media platforms is important. It can help you reach a global audience and bring more eyes to your products. Social media marketing is also cheaper than conventional marketing methods. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. have been used by many companies to market their products over the years. Statistics have shown that more than 70% of customers research a business or brand online before giving their products a try. Thus, having an online presence is a must in today’s world. This article will focus on TikTok and how you can devise your marketing campaign for this social media platform. In this article, we’re covering a quick overview on how to get started and become successful with TikTok ads in 2023. If you would like to learn all the hidden tricks of TikTok marketing, have a look at our TikTok Handbook.
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TikTok and TikTok marketing
TikTok is an app that focuses on short videos with music in the background. Compared to other platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. TikTok is a recent addition to the scene, with the app being launched in 2016. Even with its young age, the growth of TikTok has been nothing short of phenomenal. As of September 2022, TikTok has amassed 1.4 billion users and is one of the most downloaded apps all around the world. TikTok is also mostly targeted toward the younger audience, but not as young as you may think: most TikTok users are actually millennials, not teenagers. Many people have turned TikTok into a money-earning tool by becoming influencers and uploading videos covering a range of content like comedy, beauty, fitness, sports, products, etc. With the ever-increasing popularity of the app, TikTok has become a valuable platform for marketing business products. Companies use TikTok to engage and target their audiences through a variety of short video content. Influencer marketing has become a big part of TikTok marketing. Affiliate or influencer marketing involves affiliating yourself with well-known influencers or a social network to promote your products. In turn, the affiliates receive a commission for every click or sale made. Affiliate marketing can be highly advantageous as the influencers have an already in-built audience and can use their reach to build brand awareness. This can then translate into new leads or customers. You can also receive information from your affiliates regarding the behavior of their audience to construct ads that can deliver the most optimal results. Just like any other social media platform, advertising on TikTok alone is not going to be enough to drive huge sales. But with the ever-increasing growth of the app, its significance cannot be ignored.
Setting up your TikTok business account
With the increase in several marketing campaigns in recent years, TikTok has added an option to create an account strictly for business purposes. You can set up your account as follows:
- Download the TikTok app from your app store.
- Launch the app and follow the instructions to create your account.
- Click on Profile and then go to Settings.
- Click on Privacy and then on Manage account.
- Here you can tap on the switch to business account tab to turn your account into a business account.
- Pick the category that better suits your product type, i.e. beauty, fitness, food, etc.
- You can also create a TikTok Ad account by visiting ads.tiktok.com and start advertising your business products or services.
Creating a TikTok marketing strategy
You can create a successful TikTok marketing strategy by following the steps below;
Getting used to the app
The first thing to take note of is the app itself and what makes it stand out from other social media platforms. As mentioned above, TikTok mostly focuses on creating short musical videos rather than posts or stories like other social media sites. Understanding these differences is vital to the success of your marketing campaign. Researching and studying various aspects of the app like trends, hashtags, and challenges is important before you start formulating your marketing strategy. Get a feel for how the TikTok algorithm works and go from there.
Know your audience and competitors
Understanding your audience is crucial for your marketing campaign to succeed. What kind of people use your products? Which features of your products are your main selling point that people find appealing? What features can you implement to make your product stand out from similar products? It is also important to understand the kind of audience you are advertising to. The majority of TikTok users are teenagers. Does your business appeal to this age demographic? If yes, then how can you target them more effectively? What kind of content do they consume the most on TikTok? Evaluating your competitors is also a great tactic. Are your competitors on TikTok? If not, then you can take advantage of that gap to push your product on this platform. If yes, then how do they market their product? What are their strengths and weaknesses?
Setting your goals
Setting your goals is important when constructing a marketing campaign. Your goal can range from targeting new audiences to gaining new leads and sales. The desired goal should also have certain qualities. Your goal should be specific and relevant. Always pick one goal with one defined outcome that is relevant to your business needs. Make sure that your goal can be measured and tracked. Periodic measurements will show you how well your marketing strategy is performing. This will also allow you to make certain changes if something isn’t giving the desired results. Pick achievable goals. Many businesses struggle because their desired objectives are either completely unachievable or unachievable in the desired timeframe. Always make sure to set a timeframe for the completion of your objectives. TikTok provides analytics to measure your business goals. These can be accessed as Profile » ≡ » Creator tools » Analytics. Here you can check the metrics using the dashboard.
Post regularly and audience engagement
One of the key aspects of a good marketing strategy is customer engagement. The best way to understand your audience is to involve them in your marketing strategies. Companies often use social media platforms to hold surveys and polls. On TikTok, you can also engage with your audience by replying to their comments on your videos, through email inquiries, asking for feedback, etc. Actively involving your audience not only provides insight into their needs and demands but also builds trust, which is necessary for a healthy customer-provider relationship. Also, make sure to post regularly. Consistency is key. Be consistent with your uploads. Make a schedule and stick to it.
Track your progress
The foundation of any good business is data. The data obtained from your marketing campaigns help you in optimizing your marketing strategy to the max. Therefore, it is always a good practice to measure and track all of your marketing activities and campaigns. The data obtained can be analyzed to make further improvements and introduce new tactics. Measuring and tracking also help you in improving your TikTok marketing strategy. As said before, always set goals that are measurable, attainable, and relevant.
Conclusion
The goal of any marketing strategy (regardless of the platform) is to generate leads and convert them into full-time customers. By understanding the TikTok audience, their demands, and the type of content they prefer to watch, you can develop a marketing strategy that produces positive results. If you would like to learn more about TikTok marketing, including real data and hyphen tricks – download our TikTok Handbook for Advertisers.
