Developing a content marketing strategy for TikTok

Whenever a trend comes out of nowhere and takes the world by storm, it can be an exciting time for marketers. This was the case when the video-based micro-blogging platform, TikTok, burst onto the scene in 2017.

When looking at what TikTok has become over the last 5 years – calling the video sharing platform just a “trend” feels like a misnomer. Its emergence in 2017 now feels more like a genesis.

In the UK, as of 2022*:

• TikTok is the most popular app in Google’s Play Store
• 3% of Brits aged 25-34 have an active TikTok account
• The lockdown led to 47% of TikTok users increasing their usage

*Stats pulled from https://review42.com/uk/resources/social-media-statistics-uk/

With such incredible penetration and consistent growth, the platform presents a slew of opportunities for social media marketers.

The problem is, when inundated with opportunities, marketers can become impulsive.

Going in with a plan

There is little doubt that one needs to be an opportunist to be a great marketer and knowing how to adapt on the fly is key, however, adaptability is often confused with reactivity.

Adapting vs. reacting

Adapting is figuring out how to make TikTok fit within your existing content strategy – an extension of your current content marketing ecosystem rather than a dismantling of it.

Being reactive is dropping your entire content strategy the moment you see something new and shiny.

Developing a posting strategy

A study by Invideo found that the top brands on TikTok – those that garnered 10,000 or more average views per post – at a minimum would post at least 3 times per week on average.

However, Invideo’s study also found that of the 317 top brands they studied, nearly 50% of them did not have a TikTok account or did have an account but with 0 posts including market leaders like Google and Facebook.

If a brand were to post on TikTok more than 3 times a week and do so consistently, there would be a real opportunity to gain a competitive advantage against top tier brands.

For other fascinating statistics around brand activity on TikTok, you should give Invideo’s report a read.

Sticking to your content marketing strategy

Remember that TikTok is merely another tool you can use to amplify your message – it should not be the reason you change it. Consistency across all the platforms you use is key.

Before embracing TikTok, consider who your brand is, what your brand stands for and what your brand’s goals are – is TikTok truly a good fit?

Things to consider when developing content for TikTok

When approaching any micro-blogging social media platform, I’ve found the Three Rs of Micro Blogging by Kaplan and Haenlein (Business Horizons, March 2011) a useful checklist to refer to.

Their 2011 study concluded that for commercial content to be received well on social platforms, it must be:

• Relevant: Fitting with the brand and the interests of its audience.
• Respectful: Should not be offensive for the sake of getting a reaction.
• Return: Should provide some sort of return to its audience (i.e., answer a question, give something away etc.)

If your content does not tick all 3 of these boxes, it will drive negative sentiment towards the brand amongst your target audience.

With that being said…

3 tips to help you avoid annoying people on TikTok

 1.) Do not be blinded by the star-power of macro-influencers

Whilst getting a celebrity to endorse your brand on TikTok can be a great attention-grabber, you do not want the wrong sort of attention.

The frequently quoted line – “all publicity is good publicity” – might work for shock jocks but, in the world of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), there are far too many examples of brands shooting themselves in the foot by partnering with the wrong people for this to be true.

Make sure that your brand ambassador not only reflects your values but is relevant to, and resonates with your core audience.

If the right person to promote your brand isn’t a celebrity but a suburban mum with a few thousand really engaged followers that are likely to need the sort of product you make, go with her.

A micro-influencer may end up generating more sales for your brand than a macro-influencer.

Keep your eyes on your end-goal.

2.) Make sure you have something to say – and make sure you take the time to listen too

Do not produce a video for the sake of producing a video. Your followers will survive a few days without hearing from you.

Make sure whatever you are saying provides your audience with some sort of return.

Are you telling them something they don’t already know? Are you offering them something of value that will make their day-to-day life better?

If not, don’t post until you have something clear to offer.

However, being a good communicator is only half the battle when it comes to TikTok, you need to be a great listener too.

A great listener will not only consider the feedback given by their more vocal followers through their likes, shares and comments – but will also look deeper into their analytics reports, taking note of:

• when people engage with their content
• what time they engage with their content
• which days they prefer to consume their content

Use this information to tailor a posting schedule that maximises these moments. Posting outside of these windows could be a waste of your resources.

As the adage goes, “if a tree falls in the woods, and no one is there to hear it, did it really fall?”

3.) Research the hashtags you’re jumping on – do people want you to be a part of the conversation?

This ties into the rule about being respectful.

As a rule of thumb, do not join a conversation you were not explicitly invited to.

Perhaps the most famous example of this going wrong was the Pepsi advert where Kendall Jenner attempted to solve racism with a refreshing beverage.

Pepsi had little to do with the Black Lives Matter movement and by incorporating the movement into their advert, they left themselves open to plenty of backlash.

They are far from the only brand to have slipped up in this way though.

Entennman, the baked goods brand, famously hijacked the #notguilty movement on Twitter with their ill-advised tweet:

“Who’s #notguilty about eating all the tasty treats they want?!”

The only problem was that the #notguilty movement was started to protest the controversial not guilty verdict delivered during the Casey Anthony murder trial.

It did not go down well on social media.

There are countless other examples of brands getting a little too involved in issues that did not concern them.

Indeed, that is the thing about social media, news spreads fast and nothing on the internet is ever truly deleted. A single misstep on a fast-moving social platform like TikTok could do serious damage to your brand.

I would advise playing it safe – start your own hashtags, do not piggyback off another’s.

Staying true to your brand

The best tip I can give you when it comes to promoting your brand on TikTok is to remember who you are and remember who your audience is and what they want from you.

If you always keep that in mind, you are less likely to commit a faux pas.

So there you have it, a one stop shop guide to creating your brands TikTok strategy. It’s also safe to say these tips should be considered and replicated across any of your marketing channels and strategies. If you’d like to discuss how we can help your social strategy, drop us a line here.