Top 10 TikTok Tips
– Clarissa Burrows
TikTok is the short form video sharing platform of the moment! Its possibilities are limitless. This platform can be used for personal or business use, but as with anything at all, you have to do it correctly. How do you do that? We’ll tell you! Strap in and let’s talk about the ins and outs of running a successful TikTok page!
Why even bother with TikTok?
According to Hootsuite, since TikTok was launched in 2016, the app has been downloaded 3 billion times. Users spend 55.8 minutes on TikTok which is the highest average time spent on any social media platform, says Influencer Marketing Hub. As of April 2023, Kepios says marketers have the potential to reach just over 1 billion people globally. Just how many users does TikTok have globally? 1.1 billion monthly active users, says Demand Sage, with most people spending about 1.5 hours per day on TikTok.
All in all, TikTok is a social media platform worth considering if your aim is brand awareness, community building, information sharing, or the like.
How does TikTok work?
TikTok has an algorithm that determines the videos you see on your For You Page. These videos get chosen for you based on the content you’ve engaged with before. So, if you searched for terms like fitness, gym, or healthy meals, it’s likely that’s the kind of content you’ll see, with occasional other videos on different topics to see if you’ll engage with that too.
Essentially TikTok shows videos they think each individual user will want to see based on their preferences. It’s very specific and will change depending on how you engage with the content. It’s highly technical and the algorithm places videos on a user’s For You page using a variety of factors.
What does that mean for your videos?
First off, the algorithm will ensure that most people seeing your content will be people already interested in the topic. They will have actively engaged with content like yours in the past and essentially told TikTok that’s what they want to see. Meaning, your videos will be what people want to see when they’re interested in it.
Other factors like hashtag use to categorise the video as well as the audio you use in the video will contribute to how likely a video is to end up on the For You page.
If you use a trending audio, everyone who clicks on the audio will come across your video. If you use trending hashtags to categorize your video, anyone who engages with those hashtags will see your video, and if your caption uses specific words relevant and trending, you will increase your own engagement too. It’s a little like SEO, tailored specifically to the audience you wish to target.
Let’s look at an example, say you make cakes. No matter how pretty and tasty your cakes are, your videos aren’t getting traction. Consider what we’ve said above. Try using a trending audio, yes this means you need to actually be watching videos on TikTok to see the trends. Instead of using hashtags like #cakes #cakedecorating, etc, try using hashtags like #satisfying or #DIY. Using hashtags like these will help you tap into people who enjoy watching things being created and those who enjoy watching things being done that they could possibly do themselves.
It sounds complex but we have a few tips for you to make your videos more likely to end up on the For You page.
TikTok Top Tips:
Find your niche.
Think long and hard about the type of content you intend to create. You cannot just wing it. You can morph and change your content depending on how it performs, but you need to keep a direction in mind. Will you get your CEO to do TikTok dances while info about your business rolls across the screen? Will you get your staff members to tell funny stories? Will you film videos of how perfectly you can paint a wall? Things like that may sound silly but there will be a market for anything, provided you do it right.
Don’t use too many hashtags.
Four to five hashtags per video is optimal. Use trending hashtags alongside broad hashtags. Try broad and niche hashtags together, and try to incorporate hashtags relevant to your content and some that are trending.
Don’t forget to do your research on currently trending hashtags using the search bar. It will even tell you how many times a tag has been used which will help you decide on which to use.
Captions have a 150-character limit.
Yes, we said character and not word limit. You need to think carefully about what to caption your videos, while also working in a little SEO, to ensure you’re using words that will appeal to your target audience or words they may have searched for. Don’t just use any random word though, you still need to accurately represent the nature of your video.
Ensure you understand the community guidelines.
Community guidelines on TikTok can be pretty strict. Users seeing your content can also report your videos to TikTok for violations or if they simply dislike your content, so knowing and understanding the guideline will go a long way to helping ensure your content remains visible.
Here they are in full, but boiled down, you can’t say hateful or harmful things, you can’t incite bad behaviour and you have to be careful of what words you say out loud or in your closed captions. This is why we see people using words like “unalived” instead of killed or “pew pew” instead of gun. The easiest way to internalise these rules is by watching what other creators do and follow their lead.
Be aware of your lighting
This is a video sharing platform, visuals are everything. Although people are more forgiving to bad lighting than they would be in an ad campaign, you still need good lighting for good engagement. Ring lights or natural light are best but any jerry rigged solution will work at a push. Ensure your videos are clear, crisp, and well-lit for best results.
Videos need to be short and sweet
Attention spans are short, despite TikTok letting you post ten-minute videos. Start your video with a hook, a reason to make people stop and listen. This is not the platform to begin with an intro, move on to the meat and end with a conclusion. No. Instead, pick the most important part of what you wanted to share, you could even employ some clickbait tactics like shock factor to start your video.
You’re competing for the attention of people who have trillions of other videos they could be watching. Make sure you give them something worth watching.
Be careful of drama.
You absolutely do not want to end up on #Dramatok at all, ever. Meaning avoid all scandals. You could have built a huge following for yourself, but one wrong statement or accusation and you can pretty much kiss your platform goodbye. The best way to avoid this is to be nice, be transparent and do things so by the book that any accusations fall flat.
Use TikTok audios.
93% of people use TikTok with the sound on, so you need to factor that in. Use audio clips available on TikTok or use the voice-over functionality but ensure there is some sound in your video. If people wanted images with no sound, they’d be on Instagram. Many users say that the sound a video uses is equally as important as the video itself.
Make use of trending sounds, that TikTok helpfully outlines to help make adding sound easier.
Engage with other creators.
This is a form of influencer marketing if you do it right. Comment on relevant creators’ content and be friendly, it’s a social media platform so be social. Try to make friends with others and engage with their content. If you’re genuine, they may reciprocate, encouraging their following to do the same. However, this works best if you only engage with creators in the same or similar niche as you.
Lastly, be yourself.
These tips are for companies or individuals but this one remains true across the boars. Stay true to your values, morals, and actual personality or corporate culture. People don’t like things they feel are fake or superficial. They do like authenticity. So, aim to be as authentic as possible. The more authentic you are, the more likely it is that people will like your content and forgive you little faux pas like bad lighting for example.
We hope these tips will help you get comfy on TikTok and achieve the objectives you want to achieve. Stay true to yourself, be nice and you should be just fine on TikTok.
For all things digital marketing, contact us!
