Tik What? The 101 on Tik Tok

What is TikTok Marketing?

TikTok marketing involves using the TikTok platform to promote a brand, product, or service. This can include various strategies such as influencer marketing, TikTok advertising, and creating viral organic content.

Businesses can leverage TikTok marketing to:

• Increase brand awareness

• Build engaged communities

• Sell products and services

• Receive feedback from customers and audiences

• Provide customer service

• Advertise products and services to targeted audiences
  

What is TikTok Influencer Marketing?

TikTok influencer marketing is when businesses collaborate with creators to promote their brand. Companies connect with influencers and arrange a deal where compensation (monetary or through goods/services) is exchanged for promotional content. For example, a kitchenware brand might pay a food influencer to create a TikTok featuring their blender.

Influencer marketing can also be more subtle, such as through product placements within the creator's videos.

What is TikTok Affiliate Marketing?

Unlike the relatively unregulated influencer marketing space, affiliate marketing on TikTok is an official, platform-sanctioned strategy for businesses.

First, let’s define affiliate marketing. In affiliate marketing, creators promote products and earn commissions on sales generated through their efforts. For instance, when an influencer says, "Use the code Alyssa20 to get 20% off these shoes," they are engaging in affiliate marketing. The brand tracks sales by monitoring the use of the coupon code, and the influencer is compensated based on the sales they drive.

TikTok’s affiliate marketing connects businesses with creators and manages all sales tracking and payments to creators.

TikTok offers three affiliate marketing options:

1. The Shop Plan: TikTok’s simplest option, where you set a flat commission rate for all your products. For example, creators earn 5% of sales they generate on any product.

2. The Open Plan: This plan allows businesses to set different commission rates for different products and is open to all creators.

3. The Targeted Plan: This option lets you invite specific creators to promote specific products.

How to Create a TikTok Marketing Strategy

First,Familiarize Yourself with the Platform. Yes, this is part of the job!

Spend some time watching TikTok videos to understand what makes the platform tick. This is crucial for creating engaging content. Beginners can start with some popular TikToks to get a feel for the style and trends.

Explore the app’s various features and take note of trending challenges, editing styles, and sounds.Additionally, read up on the TikTok algorithm. Knowing how TikTok ranks and displays videos in the For You tab will help you craft an effective content, hashtag, and engagement strategy.

Research Your Audience

Before diving in, ask yourself: is your audience on TikTok? With over a billion global active users, the answer is likely yes (except in India, where the app has been banned since 2020). However, it's crucial to research your target audience to ensure TikTok is the right fit for your brand. Before creating content, familiarise yourself with TikTok demographics to identify potential followers.

Although TikTok is known for its popularity among teens, its user base might surprise you: about 32% of TikTok’s global active users are between 25 and 34 years old. Additionally, 76% of American social media users aged 18 to 24 use the app, and a Google executive noted that 40% of Gen Z prefers using TikTok over Google for finding local lunch spots.

Once you've identified your potential audience, research the types of content they enjoy and engage with. This will help you brainstorm relevant content ideas for your brand.

Conduct a Competitive Audit

While marketing on TikTok is competitive, it's essential to know your landscape. Are your competitors on TikTok? If so, you might be missing out on key opportunities. If not, TikTok could give you a competitive edge.

Regardless of their presence, identify at least three to five similar brands or organisations and analyze their activities on TikTok. Using the S.W.O.T. framework can help you pinpoint each competitor’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Since TikTok is heavily driven by creators, consider including influencers in your audit. Look for personalities who specialise in your niche to see what kind of content resonates in your industry.

Establish Goals Aligned with Your Business Objectives

While creating TikToks for fun is enjoyable, it's more effective to set goals that align with your overarching business objectives. Whether your aim is to reach a new audience, enhance brand image, raise product awareness, or foster deeper customer relationships through engagement, it's crucial to justify your efforts.

Utilize the S.M.A.R.T. goal framework to establish objectives that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.

Consistently Share Content

While quality remains paramount, quantity also plays a significant role on TikTok. The platform recommends posting between one to four times per day, though this may not always be feasible. Aim for a more manageable schedule, starting with 3 to 5 videos per week.

Maintaining a content calendar is essential for a successful social media strategy. Your TikTok calendar mirrors a traditional one, but instead of "Dinner with Dad" or "Dog’s Half-Birthday," you'll plan activities like "Go Live" or "Post Sale Announcement." Numerous tools are available to assist you in this endeavor, including our free social media calendar template.

Strategically schedule your posts for optimal visibility. TikTok’s algorithm favors newer content, so aim to post when your audience is most active on the app. The ideal timing may vary depending on your industry.

Monitor Your Analytics

Analytics serve as both a crucial starting point and a reliable indicator of your TikTok marketing effectiveness. Regularly check your analytics—at least once a month—to assess whether your strategies are meeting your goals.

Embrace Experimentation

There's no guaranteed formula for viral success on TikTok, but you can increase your chances with tried-and-tested tips.

Leave room in your TikTok strategy for creativity, spontaneity, and fun. Even political entities are embracing TikTok trends without taking themselves too seriously. (Is this beneficial for society? That's a tough call.)

If a video doesn't perform well, learn from it and move on to the next experiment. If your brand unexpectedly trends capitalise on it and keep the momentum going. Be part of the joke and don't take yourself too seriously on TikTok.