TikTok is where all the major growth seems to be happening these days. Here's how you can capitalize on it.
Are you on TikTok yet? Our research suggests it may be time to start. According to the HypeAuditor State of Influencer Marketing 2021 report, brands are increasingly looking to TikTok as a marketing platform. Not to mention, Tiktok is a highly engaging platform for influencers, with their average engagement rate being 18% for US-based influencers.
https://cdn.circle.so/olqeye3cpisq9tl71kd6wdx2drmq
While influencer marketing has declined on Instagram, TikTok seems to be taking on a much higher share of influencer marketing budgets. 68% of marketers said Instagram is important for Influencer Marketing (down from 80%), while 45% are now using TikTok for influencer marketing. As TikTok takes an increasing share of brands' influencer marketing budgets and short-form content continues to dominate, the value of cultivating an audience on the platform is undeniable.
For those of us who haven’t jumped on the TikTok bandwagon yet, starting a page may be intimidating. To help you get started on growing your TikTok presence, we compiled tips from 4 successful TikTokers to share with you.
Their advice: be consistent, experiment with your niche, use hashtags that are popular in your niche, and use your creative energy when you have it.
By far the most common piece of advice we received from the creators we spoke to was that consistently posting on the app is key to growing an audience and having TikTok recognize you as a creator.
Natalie of @natalielanghorne shares that you should just “post like you have a big following… If you post consistently like your favorite influencers, the audience (and the confidence of posting/talking on camera!) will follow.”
When you are just starting out, avoid boxing yourself in and instead experiment with different niches while maintaining a consistent posting schedule. Melissa of @xomelissatovar shares, “Don’t get discouraged when something doesn’t perform well immediately - the algorithm is learning and creating your audience. The more you use the app, the more familiar it becomes with you and your content.”
https://www.tiktok.com/@xomelissatovar/video/6988630642359602437?refer=embed
Don’t be overly worried about trends! Geno of @genothefilipino recommends saving sounds and videos if you see them consistently on your FYP, but remember there will always be new trends to try. However, if you have the creative energy, use it. Videos on TikTok don’t have to be perfect, so Geno suggests that you instead focus on giving lots of value instead.
When she first started her TikTok, Tee of @asipoftee posted twice a day for a full week. She also recommends that you, “Respond to as many people’s comments on your videos as you can and look up popular hashtags in your niche.”
Their advice: Pay attention to what videos are gaining you followers, be consistent, and niche down.
Viral videos have been key to Natalie’s growth and she shared a few key things she learned: comments disagreeing with a trend forecast she made helped propel one of her videos while another one gained her 35K followers when she made an off the cuff video promoting her own account.
Consistency was key to Melissa’s growth, she more than doubled her following after posting 40 videos in a row. She shares. “Back in December I was sitting at about 24k followers on TikTok and I felt very stagnant… I took on a 40 day Tik Tok challenge where we HAD to post 40 videos in the span of a month… After posting 40 videos, in a row, I was able to jump from 24k to 80k in only a month. This was when I realized the power of consistency in the app.”
Similar to Melissa’s experience with consistent posting, Geno felt that momentum was key to his success on TikTok. The more content you create, the more opportunities you receive to gain followers. Not to mention, the more you create the better you will be able to understand what works and what doesn’t. Geno recommends approaching TikTok as something that you will always be learning more about!
Tee shared that niching down was a big factor in her growth on the platform. Her TikTok shares stunning hiking locations mostly in Georgia. She notes, “there aren’t many TikTokers who focus on hiking in the Southeast and there are a ton of people who love to hike in this region so my content does well. You need to think about what need you can provide to your audience.”
https://www.tiktok.com/@_asipoftee_/video/6995619414347451654?refer=embed
Their advice: Don’t just cross-promote, avoid being a perfectionist, use titles on your videos, and stop worrying about a shadowban.
Each creator shared a different potential pitfall to avoid when using TikTok. Natalie notes that she increasingly sees creators come onto TikTok solely to promote other platforms. She notes, “although cross-promoting is great, it shouldn’t be all that you do. Make content that you would want to see!”
Consistency has been a common piece of advice, and Melissa notes that it can be extra difficult if you’re under the impression that your content needs to be perfect to perform well. She shares, “The most common mistake that people make is that they go above and beyond to create high-quality/perfect videos. It’s impossible to be consistent if it’s going to take you 2-3 hrs to create a video.”
While your content doesn’t need to be perfect, Tee notes that you want to, “Make your videos clear (not blurry or too dark).” She also shares that you should, “Put at the beginning of the video a phrase to catch their attention if it’s not clear what’s happening or what the video is about.”
https://www.tiktok.com/@genothefilipino/video/6991518137539661061?refer=embed
Geno shares that many creators fall into the trap of believing that their account has been shadowbanned. The biggest issue with this is that you may fail to analyze your own shortcomings in the content creation process. To make being consistent and avoiding this trap easier, Geno recommends picking a few content pillars and creating content within those frames for best results! Be sure to check out our full IGTV series with Geno for extra tips.
Have you tried any of these tips? Or have one you'd like to share? Let's chat in the comments 👇
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