Did you know that TikTok has 1.5 billion users globally and 1 billion users are active each month? Those are not figures you ignore.
But even if you’re not on TikTok, even if it’s not the right channel for your brand, even if you don’t care about it one bit – TikTok is shaping the content that performs well in every other social channel.
Get the tik without the tok
A lot of TikTok content makes it to other channels and performs really well there. That Instagram video everyone is talking about could very well have shown up in TikTok first.
So if you are on other channels, think about how you can inject a little TikTok magic by trying ‘TikTok style videos’ on Instagram or Facebook. You don’t need a TikTok account to make this happen. There are several software programs you can use to create these styles of videos, like Canva or CapCut (both free).
Here are some tips to make TikTok style videos for your business:
- Just start. Don’t over think or over plan your content because trends might change by the time you think you’re ready.
- You don’t need to run paid ads to be successful.
- Your video determines the success NOT the time of day you post or the hashtags you use. If your video falls short, it’s because the early viewers didn’t like it, so the algorithm didn’t promote it. It’s time to test something new.
- Your first goal should always be brand recognition. People need to get to know you before you build leads. Remember, Gen Z might not ‘buy’ from you now, but they could later.
- Try lots of different video styles at first to see which ones perform best. Adapt that formula for a while then test again. Keep some consistency so people get to recognise your videos but don’t be afraid to experiment.
- Dedicate some time to it: allocate one day a month for shooting video content. Post 2-3 videos per week, ideally.
- Social media users LOVE finding mistakes. Consider having something funny in the background or give four tips instead of five. Even ‘bad’ content can be good, and the more comments and engagements you get, the higher your reach. A word of caution, though: stay true to your brand and don’t undo your brand work to get some extra engagement on a video.
- Videos with people in them perform better, especially if they evoke emotion. Have a face for your brand, if possible.
- B2B content should be informative but not boring – for example a cyber security company went viral for “How we saved our client $500,000” and spoke of preventing a firewall break in.
- Media often reports on TikTok videos. If you have a great video, you can outreach to media to feature in their news.
- Don’t blindly copy trends, incorporate some of them into your campaign or adapt the trend to suit your style. Always revert to your social media strategy to stay on track.
Shereen Cherrett