Should you jump on the TikTok marketing wave?
With over 1.4 billion users worldwide, TikTok is not only one of the fastest growing social media platforms, but also a must-have platform for brands and businesses – especially those looking to reach a younger audience. [Although many initially assumed that Tiktok was a direct copy of the Vine mobile app and would quickly die out, this has proven to be a different story. However, as TikTok has transformed from “just another app similar to Vine” to a global phenomenon, it has become crucial for businesses to understand the platform’s capabilities and inner workings. [2] You’re probably already thinking about how to differentiate yourself in a world of hashtags, trends and duets. Perhaps you’ve also heard people talk about how hard it can be to be seen by the right people on the increasingly crowded TikTok platform. However, the answer is very simple: You should focus on TikTok SEO optimization. TikTok SEO optimization is not atomic science, yet there are some rules of thumb and principles to remember if you choose to take the plunge and jump on the TikTok marketing wave. We touch on some of these in this article. Table of contents
1. TikTok is more than you think
In a nutshell, TikTok is a social media platform that primarily focuses on “short-form video content”. In the longer and more complex version, TikTok is more than just “short-form video content”. It’s a powerful marketing platform that reaches a young audience in particular. Figures indicate that approximately 50% of the total users in Denmark are primarily 18-24 year olds. TikTok is known among young people for setting trends in music, fashion and pop culture. Many also use the platform as a tool for social activism and education. If we look at TikTok from a business perspective, TikTok’s analytics and engagement tools give brands unique insights and opportunities. There are many cases where TikTok has created significant revenue for companies. A good example of this is the British company Gymshark, which specializes in fitness apparel and accessories for both men and women. Gymshark used TikTok for a “66 day challenge” campaign. They encouraged users to share their fitness journey. The results were outstanding and beyond expectations. After a short period of time, the #Gymshark66 hashtag had over 45 million impressions and a significant increase in revenue on a global scale.[3] While hashtags are the cornerstone of most social media, TikTok requires a more nuanced approach. You don’t get 45 million views, like the company Gymshark, by simply including lots of hashtags in your videos. Instead, it’s about understanding user behavior, optimizing video headers, descriptions, video thumbnails, and most importantly, having a “good” TikTok profile. Let’s dive deeper into these things in the next sections.
2. What characterizes a good TikTok profile?
What characterizes a good TikTok profile is something we could write a whole article about. If we were to boil it down to a few keywords, they are the following:
- Message: The profile description and content should have a clear message or theme. You should be able to understand what the profile is about at a glance.
- Consistent content: Regular posts that follow a consistent style or theme help build a strong profile identity.
- Engage with followers: reply to comments, participate in trends and create content based on user feedback. Build a direct connection with your audience.
- Video quality: Good lighting, clear sound and professional editing can actually make a big difference to the overall video experience. Often it’s easier than you think.
- Originality: While it’s good to follow trends, it’s equally important to have a unique angle or approach that sets your profile apart from the crowd.
- Profile optimization: An interesting profile picture, a short and informative profile description and the use of relevant links can make your profile more appealing and professional.
- Hashtags: Integrating relevant and popular hashtags can increase your chances of your videos being discovered by a larger audience. The rule of thumb is 3-5 hashtags per video.
- Adaptability: The ability to adapt to new trends, follower feedback or changes in TikTok’s algorithm can help a profile stay relevant.
3. Tiktok SEO increases your revenue
TikTok SEO is all about how to optimize your TikTok content to rank higher in the app’s search results. With the right SEO strategy, you can not only improve the visibility of your content, but also engage your target audience more effectively and thereby increase your organic growth – without paying a dime in advertising. In practice, TikTok SEO is about carefully selecting keywords and descriptions in the video title and using relevant hashtags that act as keywords – in harmony with your strategy – to help users find your content more easily. In addition, engagement such as likes, comments and shares play a key role in improving a video’s ranking on the platform. Music selection and sound effects can also have an impact, as users often search for specific sounds. For businesses, a well-executed TikTok SEO strategy can be a goldmine. The increased visibility can significantly increase brand awareness and promote direct interaction with customers. By including direct links in biographies or video descriptions, companies can also drive traffic to their official websites. Combined with TikTok advertising, this can result in significantly higher conversion rates, which can ultimately increase a company’s revenue significantly. At Besa Digital, we have developed 3 TikTok SEO strategies that we use depending on the individual case and customer. We call the strategies:
- Hashtag horizon strategies
- Powerplay profile strategies
- Micro-influencers strategies
Want to learn more about the strategies and how we can help your business? Then get in touch with us here:
4. The tools and secrets behind TikTok
Many people overlook TikTok’s built-in analytics tool. Here you can analyze key insights such as the geographical location of your target audience, the sounds they listen to the most, and even the times of day when they are most active. However, in our experience, TikTok’s built-in analytics tool is not always enough. We also recommend third-party tools as they can provide even deeper insights into your target audience. There are many third-party tools such as Socialinsider and Analisa. When choosing third-party tools, you should consider elements such as data security, integration and price. The main question is also often what is the secret to success with TikTok from a business perspective? The secrets may be simpler than you think:
- Consistent content: Regular posts keep your followers engaged and attract new ones.
- Participate in trends & challenges: TikTok is driven by trends. Participate actively to stay relevant.
- Engage with your community: Interaction is alpha-mega. Reply to comments, participate in duets and collaborate with other big names in your niche.
- Optimal posting time: By analyzing your follower activity, you can determine the best time to post.
Although TikTok’s exact algorithm is a well-kept secret, several studies have shown that factors such as watch time, completed views and interaction rate have a huge impact. It’s not just about being seen, but also about keeping the viewer engaged from start to finish.
5. Predictions for the future of TikTok
We predict that TikTok will play a greater role in effective branding and marketing among businesses in the future. Companies that can adapt and create authentic and valuable content on TikTok will have a significant competitive advantage, especially when it comes to engaging with younger generations. TikTok will continue to provide a unique opportunity to create engaging campaigns that can result in viral content and strong ROI for businesses. Technically, we also foresee a shift in how TikTok’s algorithm weights different types of interactions. Businesses should prepare for an even greater emphasis on factors such as video sharing, user-created duets, and the use of the user’s original audio. Based on our experience with TikTok, we predict the following will happen:
- Content diversification: TikTok is likely to expand its platform by introducing new formats and categories. Besides entertainment videos, we can expect to see an increase in educational content and other professional tutorials and niche communities.
- Enhanced Augmented Reality (AR): With technological advances, TikTok is likely to offer more advanced AR features that will make user content even more interactive and engaging.
- E-commerce integration: TikTok can further integrate e-commerce into its platform, making it easier for companies and individuals to sell products directly through their videos. Whether it will be an innovative version “Facebook Marketplace 2.0”, only time will tell.
- Focus on long-form content: Although TikTok is known for its short videos, the platform can introduce a section dedicated to much longer formats, much like YouTube has done with “YouTube Shorts”.
- International expansion: TikTok will continue to grow in new markets and adapt to local cultures, becoming an even more global platform.
- Legislation: Advertising on TikTok in the EU is likely to undergo a change in the coming future. There is already talk that users will soon be able to turn off personalization, which could affect the way you advertise – only time will tell how and in what way.
6. Conclusion – what should you do?
In conclusion, success on TikTok requires more than just creative content. An in-depth understanding of TikTok SEO, user behavior, and the platform’s unique algorithm is crucial to reach the right audience. With the right strategy, however, you can benefit from TikTok and increase your revenue significantly. We’ve helped companies from the construction industry to the restaurant industry to the consulting industry increase their revenue simply by having the right strategy on Tiktok – so maybe you can benefit from the platform too? We have experts who have been nerding out on the platform since TikTok’s inception in 2016 and therefore completely understand the unique opportunities and not least challenges for businesses related to it. If you think this sounds exciting and have a desire for a stronger recognizable brand, a competitive advantage and potentially more revenue, then you might want to look into TikTok. Contact us today for a free consultation about the potential TikTok has for your business:
