TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps currently in existence. Mobile-based, it offers the perfect opportunity for users to create short videos regarding any topic and then share them far and wide. While most people will use their phone or mobile device, TikTok videos can also be viewed on a web app, so accessibility is certainly no issue.
Since TikTok offers lots of creative tools, such as sound effects, voiceovers, stickers, filters, or background music, users can get very creative with their video making, which is a huge selling point; in 2022, the platform registered more than 1.4 billion active users monthly.
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Yet, with such popularity comes increased competition, and it can be difficult to maintain a consistent presence on TikTok and continually come up with fresh, new ideas for your postings.
There are dozens of trends out there, and while it may be tempting to latch on to all of them, it’s better to reflect on what your specific audience wants to view; if you want to broaden your audience, you’ll need to identify your target audience, accurately determine what they hope to see, and then, get to work! Everyone is vying for their attention, and you have to hustle to stand out.
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Whether you are a TikTok aficionado, or new to the platform, you may be looking for new ideas for your postings to start and stay relevant. These days, AI-generated social media content is gaining massive momentum, but it still pays to know how to get things going for yourself. Here are tips and tricks for creating and managing successful TikTok content.
Quality and Consistency Are Key When Posting on TikTok
Creating entertaining or engaging content, especially when done several times a day, can be quite a challenge. Filming and publishing a video is the easy part, but what to film is often the real challenge. Consider these high-quality ideas to grab users’ attention and followers:
1. Share Daily Routines
If you’re promoting your brand or business, posting a daily video from inside your company about what goes on inside can be appealing, especially if it shows behind-the-scenes tidbits regarding your products or services, as well as the people behind the brand. Backstage videos needn’t be limited to entertainment value!
A behind-the-scenes video can be interesting to consumers, especially if you post various aspects of your activities at least once a day; it will also make your brand more personal. Give your followers a glance into what goes on during a typical business day, from coffee break to overtime, to give your brand authenticity and a more human energy. Show how your product evolves, from the design stage and the sourcing of materials, to the actual manufacturing itself; people tend to be curious, so offer a sneak peek.
2. Share Your Brand’s Values
Sharing content that reflects the values of your brand or company can be a powerful media strategy, as consumers care about their preferred causes and are attracted to brands that take a stand regarding social causes.
Shared brand values can be a determining factor when it comes time for shoppers to purchase a product or service; those that care about similar causes will notice that your brand cares about an issue that they align with. If you care about the environment, waste recycling, or homeless pets, for example, any social issue can be a major draw to transforming a viewer into a customer.
Sustainable brand JUST Water’s TikTok content is a great example of this, packed with posts that highlight their core values and how they put those values into action; celebrating Earth Day 2022 with a TikTok video highlighting their sponsored beach cleanups is one such example.
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3. Share Your Unique Story
Sharing how you began your business and developed your brand can be inspiring and, again, adds a relatable, human element to your product or services. Give your viewers a close-up of how your brand came into existence; the obstacles you overcame, and how you care deeply about what you do.
This kind of TikTok video may even inspire others to decide to embark on their own entrepreneurial endeavors. Your origin story doesn’t need to be a glossy video production if that’s not your jam – authenticity is the most important aspect to get across; just be sure that your posts align well to your brand – from content design to impressive brand logo and communication style, make sure it’s all cohesive.
4. Put Production Center Stage
If you are an artisan or otherwise in manufacturing, use TikTok to show how your products are made. Many people never get a chance to visit a factory or site where things come into being and are produced, and it can be fascinating. Not only will a production video show the manufacturing and/or creative process, but viewers can witness first-hand just how much work that goes into creating the product, adding further value to your brand and products.
5. Educate Your Audience
Sharing useful information can be a real magnet for viewers, and offering insights and advice can build your personal and/or brand’s authority in your sector; if you make it a point to share information regularly about your industry or activity, viewers may automatically turn to you as an information source. Sharing your skills with engaging how-to postings or by simplifying a complex process or topic can make you a go-to TikToker. Consider creating a series of how-to videos, so audience members keep coming back for more.
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6. Make a Tutorial
Aside from sharing information, you can also teach skills. Make a short tutorial that explains how to use a product or how to resolve a problem; tips on how to remove stains, fix a leaky faucet, or style hacks using your product can grow your view numbers exponentially. Or if you want to provide more informative content, share short videos on TikTok and then put the longer versions on other teaching platforms including FreshLearn to keep in touch with your audience on different platforms.
7. Keep Storytelling
People love stories! Why else would Netflix be so successful? Sharing a narrative can be an engaging strategy, especially if you share it about yourself or your company. Pet spotlights or customer success stories, for example, can connect with audience viewers; even news regarding your industry can be successfully elaborated into a narrative to keep those views coming.
8. Answer Questions
Answering questions that people may have about your industry, your product, how you began – and a zillion other things – is a fantastic method for connecting with viewers, building relationships through social media. TikTok viewers tend to ask questions, so look through your comment sections for these, then create videos to answer viewer questions. Audience questions will also provide you with insights into problems that your customers may be having with your product; it can also indicate that your product information needs to be updated or increased.
9. Ask Your Audience
Asking your audience questions can sometimes be even more effective than answering questions. It’s certainly a valid engagement-boosting strategy, and well worth adding to your arsenal of social media tools – plus, it can give you a great window into understanding your viewers’ opinions. Whether you are asking what next season’s trending color will be, or what TikTok postings are favorites, you’ll get input and info not only from your target audience, but from a broader selection of viewers as well.
Photo by Brett Jordan
10. Create Demos
If you are using TikTok for your company or a specific product, create a demo to show how to get the most out of it. Product demos are useful to customers and can eliminate doubts and frustrations that might prevent them from purchasing from you again in the future. Most of us do not have enough patience to sift through instruction manuals in small print, nor do we want to call customer service and risk waiting for someone to answer our call; watching someone using a product is so much simpler and faster.
11. Have a Passion? Share It!
Do you love to cook, sew, build cabinets, or do makeup? Well, there are countless cooks, would-be seamstresses, or carpenters out there just looking for some motivation to get started.
Whatever you’re into, connect with interested viewers by sharing and demonstrating your hobby or skills. Even if the topic you are TikToking about has nothing directly to do with your products or services, sharing your passions can be a great way to put a humanize your brand.
12. Review Others’ Hacks
Naturally, people love to see if things work well before they try it themselves. So, share your hack-attempting experiences and give an honest review. Whether you are making your first batch of Christmas cookies or attempting a repair, try a hack and don’t be afraid to fail…viewers will appreciate your honesty, empathize with you and enjoy the content nonetheless.
13. Collaborate With Other TikTokers and Influencers
Teamwork makes the dream work, and if you can partner up with an influencer, all the better. Top Instagram and TikTok influencers have huge followings of viewers that trust their opinions, so if you find one that is relevant to your brand or company you can significantly build your views and increase brand awareness. An influencer recommendation can powerfully influence purchasing choices. Team up to post your influencer’s content on your TikTok videos and ask your influencer to share your content to reach a whole new audience.
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14. Use Hashtags
Hashtags can drive brand awareness – by adding hashtags, you become more visible to a greater audience. When viewers browse hashtags, they see all kinds of videos posted and may even land on yours, leading to a click that could turn them from an aimless digital wanderer to a new customer in no time.
15. Use Trending Sounds
Like hashtags, trending sounds are another method for attracting new viewers through what’s trending. Viewers following trending sounds may land on your posting and decide to click on your profile to find out more.
16. Build Your TikTok Followers with Duet and Stitch Videos
Duets is a tool you can use to add something extra to another Tik Toker’s existing video. TikTok’s editing feature ‘Stitch’ permits Tik Tokers to clip parts of others’ videos and integrate them into their own. This encourages further creativity, as it permits reinterpretation and conversation among viewers that you may not have among your followers.
17. Create a TikTok Challenge
One of the cornerstones of TikTok activity (and the app’s insane popularity) resides in a good old TikTok challenge. Whether it be a makeup challenge or a dance-off, challenges are favorites within the TikTok community, and challenge hashtags are impressive for the number of views they attract; that #OldTownRoad Challenge accumulated more than a billion views.
Challenges can be random trends or even brand campaigns that invite viewers to make a TikTok video while doing a specific task, such as using a product, lip syncing, performing dancing, skits, playing musical instruments, or using a filter – the possibilities are virtually endless and keep TikTok’ers entertained day in and day out.
By adding a hashtag, the challenge automatically increases its visibility. Launching a challenge for your brand may attract new customers, as well as tons of user-generated content, thus building brand awareness. Challenges, in particular, get people talking about your brand or company with content that is entertaining but above all, authentic.
18. Speed Up Reality
Regardless of what activity your Tiktok video showcases, it’s often more appealing to see a lengthy process summarized in a short, snappy video clip. By fast-motioning your video, you can show the entire process and eliminate any boring parts; add the right music and you’ll find you have an impressive video to share.
19. Do a Live Stream
Live streams are a great way to present a new product, do an interview with someone special, host a Q&A session, and more. Viewers can comment or send you emojis, sending engagement soaring and providing a ton of value to your audience.
20. Dabble with Green Screen
A very popular feature, TikTok’s ‘green screen’ permits creators to superimpose videos or images in the background of their creations. From the ocean floor to the moon’s surface, your favorite artists or video clips are yours for superimposing to the max.
What to Avoid
When looking for new ideas for posting content, there are several things to avoid. Yes, TikTok is essentially an online entertainment venue, however, your posts should provide value regardless of the subject.
Remember, lifestyle videos are more adapted to Instagram than TikTok, and YouTube videos also have different formats and content, so attempting to repurpose them will not necessarily achieve desired results; long videos are certainly not the best option for TikTok. Audiences tend to visit TikTok to pursue content requiring a low attention span and may lose interest within seconds (no pressure). If you do want to post a longer video, try keeping it within a 30-second time frame, or make an enticing short to redirect to a more appropriate platform.
Get Creative and Make it Fun
Remember that TikTok is conceptually synonymous with creativity, so be original and then cross-post to give visibility on other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others. Get creative, aim for that perfect balance between value-adding and entertainment, keep it snappy, and keep the great content coming!
