Thinking about using TikTok for social media marketing? Then you need to know how to set up your TikTok marketing strategy. A marketing strategy will give you the best chances of success using TikTok as part of your marketing plan.

WHAT IS TIKTOK MARKETING?

TikTok marketing is the act of using TikTok’s platform to promote your brand, service, or product.

You can raise brand awareness and build great customer relationships with Gen Zs and Millennials. You can do this by posting organic video content and interacting with your followers in the app.

TikTok allows you to tailor creative, fun, and informative 15-second – 3-minute videos and develop iconic marketing campaigns. You can partner with influencers and other brands to reach your ideal buyers. 

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TikTok is good for marketing because of the platform’s industry-breaking high engagement rates, low competition, and unique video-editing tools.

If your primary targeted audience is between 16 and 34 years old, TikTok marketing is a must!

HOW TO SET UP TIKTOK FOR BUSINESS

With a TikTok for Business account, you can learn more about your customers, use royalty-free sounds, get guidance from the Business Creative Hub, and access their Business Suite tools.

Setting up your TikTok For Business account is easy. Follow the steps below if you already have a personal TikTok account (if you don’t, click here to sign up).

1. Click on the Profile tab in the bottom right corner
2. Click on the three lines in the upper right corner
3. Click Settings and privacy
4. Click Manage account
5. Click Switch to Business Account
6. Choose the category that best describes your business

That’s it! Finish setting up your business account by adding your website and email to your profile.

HOW TO ADVERTISE ON TIKTOK

Paying for TikTok Ads can enhance brand exposure, increase website traffic, and generate new leads. You can do this by targeting the ads to reach your desired audience. TikTok’s Ads Manager makes it easy.

You will need a TikTok For Business Account to advertise on TikTok.

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DIFFERENT TYPES OF ADS AVAILABLE ON TIKTOK

• In-feed ads: These are video ads naturally appearing in the news feed when TikTok users scroll through the “For You Page.” Promoting an attractive full-screen ad will encourage users to engage with the content.
  
• Brand takeovers: These ads pop up immediately when opening the TikTok app. After a few seconds, they turn into an in-feed ad. You can add clickable links that lead to in-app landing pages.
  
• Topview ads: These ads occupy the first in-feed post after 3 seconds. Afterward, they autoplay as a one-minute full-screen video ad with sound on.
  
• Branded hashtag challenges: These ads appear at the top of the Discover page. They encourage people to participate in a challenge or trending topic. Usually, by dancing or doing something specific with a product, they post it with a particular hashtag.
  
• Branded effects: With branded effects, you can customize filters to design ads for your brand. Users can then reuse the branded effects on their own content. 

HOW TO CREATE A TIKTOK MARKETING STRATEGY

TikTok is not like any other social media platform. Copy-pasting your content from Instagram or Facebook into the TikTok app won’t benefit your marketing efforts. 

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TikTok focuses heavily on quickly-changing trends, entertainment, and straight-to-the-point video content.

Below we have curated the top 7 steps to include in your TikTok marketing strategy. These steps will give you the best chances of success using TikTok for marketing.

1. Get To Know The Tiktok App’s Trends And Features

Like any other social media platform, TikTok comes with its own set of features, rules, and algorithms. 

Download the app and get familiar with one thing at a time. This way, you won’t feel overwhelmed.

A great place to start is by checking out the app’s content-making features and Discover Page.

You should also follow other brands within your niche. This enables you to discover further what gets the most engagement (likes, comments, saves, and shares).

Don’t forget to read the Terms of Service (TOS) to understand the platform’s “dos and don’ts.”

2. Research Competitive Accounts

The number one thing you can do to win on TikTok is getting inspired by the ones who do it best!

Look for the top brands in your industry who are killing it on TikTok. Make sure they have a similar target audience. Analyze their content and watch how they interact with followers.

Use this knowledge to get inspired, understand your buyers, and create your own content strategy. 

Things to look for in competitive accounts:

• Number of followers
• What content are people most engaging with
• The amount of content they post weekly
• Choice of content topics
• Their use of TikTok ads

3. Set And Track Tiktok Marketing Goals

An important element of having a great TikTok marketing strategy is knowing what you are trying to accomplish with it.

When setting the marketing objectives for your business on TikTok, ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the purpose of marketing my business on TikTok?
  • Do I want to reach a new audience?
  • Do I want to spread awareness/educate?
  • Do I want to develop stronger customer relationships?

Whatever it may be, it must show in the type of content you produce.

Once your TikTok is up and running, you can analyze your performance with TikTok analytics. Go to your profile, then click the three lines in the upper right corner. Choose Creator Tools → Analytics.

4. Create A Content Calendar

Staying consistent on TikTok is one of the critical elements in a successful TikTok marketing strategy.

You can plan your posts by entering them all into an Excel sheet and list the publishing times in your work calendar.

However, you should consider using a social media marketing tool such as Canva or Later to optimize this process. They allow you to manage all your social accounts in one place.

With Canva or Later, you can plan posts, publish them at the best times, and track your performance. It makes it easy to stay organized. With Canva, you can also design all of your content using their platform.

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5. Create Content That Speaks To Your Audience

Now to the fun part: Creating entertaining videos on TikTok!

At this point, you should have already researched your competitors to see what kind of videos perform best in your industry.

Next, you can create your content directly in the app or use a platform like Canva. If you choose to use Canva, they provide easy-to-use templates.

If you want to create directly in TikTok, press the Post tab in the bottom middle. TikTok offers a wide range of effects, sounds, and templates to raise the level of creativity. Explore the options within the app.

Ensure you stay true to your brand voice throughout all your social media channels. Show personality and authenticity to keep followers sticking around for more!

6. Use Strategic Hashtags

Use hashtags to label your content. It helps your targeted audience find you.

You should use specific keywords (terms your target audience might be searching for on the Discover page) relevant to your audience and the content you produce.

There’s no limit to the number of hashtags you can use. But, it’s recommended to stick to 3-5 per video. It ensures you don’t exceed the character limit and stay on point. 

You can also find trending hashtags on the Discover page. But use quality over quantity. Relevant and brand-specific tags help the algorithm show up for the respective viewers you want to attract.

7. Engage With Your Audience

Since TikTok is a social media platform, being social is an essential part of building great customer relationships. 

Ways you can engage with your audience:

• Interact with followers in the comment section
• Ask questions in the video captions
• Create interactive content
• Promote engagement such as “share with a friend”
• Follow (other) influencers and brands

Once you have grown a following, you can ask them directly what they want to see more off. This is a golden marketing tool, as you will be able to better understand your audience’s needs, wants, and preferences.

CONCLUSION

We can confirm that TikTok is not like any other social media platform, and that’s why it’s so popular!

While trends form a big part of the app’s popularity, the seven TikTok marketing strategies will give you a significant leg up.

Experiment, have fun, and adapt as you go. Research your competition, create a content calendar, and engage with followers. You will quickly learn what’s working and what’s not. This enables you to adjust the content to fulfill your marketing objectives.

Are you interested in learning more about why TikTok is good for marketing?

Then check out our article: 8 Powerful Benefits of TikTok Marketing