TikTok is social media’s reigning and arguably longest-running star.
TikTok recorded a record-breaking 656 million downloads in 2021 (leaving Instagram in the dust by 100 million) and remained the only social media app other than Facebook to cross three billion downloads.
However, TikTok’s supremacy goes beyond statistics and creates even greater waves in terms of pure influence.
TikTok is to blame if your Instagram and Facebook feeds have lately changed to highlight video and show you more viral material from outside your network. Although it has an impact on all aspects of the social media environment, Meta properties appear to be particularly disturbed by how quickly the TikTok takeover occurred. Instagram, in particular.
For quite some time, content patterns have been trending away from the printed word. We had a big podcast boom five years ago, which has now slowed due to the appearance of market saturation. It’s all about bite-sized videos these days.
TikTok and its clones, such as Instagram Reels, are gaining popularity. At the same time, platforms like Twitter are largely stationary since continuously scrolling through videos is a more satisfying experience than the same information retweeted several times or updates from relatives and lingering high school friends you never speak to.
TikTok combines the best of both worlds in terms of social media content. It demonstrates effort and originality while not requiring a high level of polish to be effective. Your TikToks will look more real if they are less professional. This is why it’s difficult for brands, especially long-established ones, to wrap their minds around TikTok functions. Let’s face it: overwork and overthinking are widespread in most creative departments, and while they frequently generate excellent work, authenticity can be lacking.
The Four TikTok Success Rules
Rule #1 – Don’t make ads
If someone showed up to your birthday celebration and started handing out business cards, you’d be upset, to put it nicely. With one exception that we’ll discuss later, TikTok is not the place for influencer or Billo ads.
Nobody is on the site to see commercials, and it’s both improper and misguided to put out entirely promotional content for video channels. Accept the content marketer within you and begin thinking about how you might give value to people’s lives.
Rule #2 – Make ads…but run them as ads.
When I said “don’t produce advertising,” I meant “don’t make ads and post them to TikTok.” TikTok, like any other site, includes a business side where marketers may run advertising. This is where you may conduct a non-offensive ad campaign. However, I would not recommend merely putting advertisements on TikTok and disregarding the platform’s content – that is the guts of the app and what customers come to see.
Rule #3 – Not creative? Not necessarily a problem.
Contrary to common opinion, you do not need to capture your employees and compel them to dance to the current trendy music in order for it to go viral. If you lack the creative ability to create compelling TikTok content, hire someone who does. There is no lack of creators eager to collaborate with businesses.
But, once again, creators. Influencers do not exist. The difference is that a content producer can give your brand a plot and some direction (as well as much-needed comedy) in terms of what is trending. A charming influencer can hold your goods in front of the camera. This is ideal if you’re seeking for simply promotional material for Facebook advertisements but not for TikTok.
Rule #4 – Keep your ears open.
Social listening is an underappreciated and underused technique. I know I shouldn’t reveal my success formula, but I’m feeling charitable today. Invest in social listening solutions such as Awario or BuzzSumo to guarantee you never miss a beat when it comes to what’s going on online.
TikTok thrives on trends, but the unpleasant reality is that these fads only last about a week, if you’re lucky. Social listening technologies are useful for determining what is bubbling beneath the surface so that you can catch it when it emerges.
TikTok takes planning, creativity, and time. Major companies have all of these tools at their disposal, but they appear a touch helpless when it comes to mastering them for a bulletproof TikTok strategy.
If I were to sum up my advise in one line, it would be this: remember that you’re a marketer, a cross between a content producer and a seller. Use both aspects of that personality to create content that is effective.
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