It’s time to talk about Tik Tok and the scrolling machine that has you, your best friend, favourite celebrity, kids and acquaintances absolutely hooked. It’s as addictive as it is entertaining and it is well worth your brand turning their attention to the app, whatever the industry. It’s the social media platform with the most opportunities to ‘go viral’ and see astronomical growth so that your brand can reach new, larger audiences. So it’s about time that your brand reaps the benefits and hops on the Tik Tok bandwagon.
Tik Tok Algorithm
Are you ever surprised at just how accurate the Tik Tok algorithm is? It is not uncommon for comments to read that the ‘algorithm is getting too specific’. This shows just how accurate the algorithm is at finding content that appeals and resonates with your likes and interests.
How does the Tik Tok algorithm work?
Essentially, the TikTok algorithm delivers the right content to the right people.This is highly valuable for brands and means that you don’t need a massive following to reach a huge audience. It also allows for your content to last and constantly be re-shared. This allows for both evergreen content (continually relevant and remains ‘fresh’ for users) and time-sensitive content (need to spread quickly).This means your content can be shared widely and rapidly but can also last the normal distribution for 3 months or more. This means the extended evergreen reach that you would normally have to pay for is possible, whatever your content.
How to get more views on Tik Tok
So, what works well on Tik Tok? Relatable, niche content does the trick and is the best way to get discovered. This content will scale naturally and Tik Tok will recommend your clips on the For Your Page (their home page and mean feed) if they’re similar to what your audience is already watching and interacting with.
Tik Tok trends
A great way to amplify your brand’s visibility on TikTok is to jump on trends. Creating organic content that capitalises on the popularity of trending hashtags allows your brand to show personality and take advantage of the fun and entertaining side of the app, while getting more reach.
A good example of this is Duolingo with their official character, Duo the big green owl who has become a Tik Tok phenomenon. The account is dedicated to Duo content that embraces relevant trends while remaining true to their brand identity. From obsessing over Dua Lipa and calling her his ‘wife’, while leveraging every trend under the sun, Duolingo has drawn 4.2 million followers and 80 million likes through its successful implementation of a viral Tik Tok strategy. This has resulted in a tangible impact on the business leading to the app skyrocketing to the #1 education app in the Apple App store. You never know where a successful Tik Tok strategy may lead you to…
How to get started with a Tik Tok strategy
We believe that the key to success on Tik Tok is consistency but there are 3 different types of content that we think you should incorporate into your strategy: flicker, flash and flare content.
- Flicker (reactive) content is fast, unedited content that uses trending audio and sounds. Make this relevant to your niche. This is the everyday content that you’re posting or engaging for regular reach. Recommendations: use creators to produce content at scale making sure you have a constant library of content to share.
- Proactive (flash) content is structured, consistent and has been thought about. This could include a mini series that showcases your products or services. This is content you’re posting to attract new followers and to engage existing ones. You want these videos to be shared as this is a massive part of the virality of a video on Tik Tok.
- Flare (branded) content: the idea is to create a branded creative campaign that for high quality production that will generate huge interactions. This content is dedicated to supporting your brands most important product launches, events or collaborations. Chipotle are an example of a brand that are winning the game with branded Tik Tok content:
Why Tik Tok Ads?
Tik Tok is relatively uncluttered with advertising and so it is a great platform for your brand to utilise and advertise on. Its ad formats are entirely video-based and it allows brands to share campaigns alongside regular content, without interrupting the user experience. Its high engagement rates is a huge win for brands, which has inspired companies like Gym Shark and Selfridges to invest in bespoke content and campaigns for the app. We highly recommend Tik Tok ads so get in touch with us if you’d like to see how you can achieve impressive results through a campaign.
How we can help you stay ahead of the curve
Success on TikTok is about two things.
- Maximising culturally relevant and trending moments. At speed.
- The creation of unique and distinct content, true to your brand values
Enter Assurance.
Assurance is our four stage framework that turns observation into action at competitively advantageous speed.
- Observe - a cultural trend or catalyst emerges
- Orient - the idea has potential brand value
- Decision - business case made
- Action - idea is turned into creative
Whether it’s to drive commercial action or brand resonance, using our Assurance framework as the ‘why’ behind content creation ensures engagement and impact.
Assurance does not stop at TikTok. Whether it’s social platforms, content generation or marketing decision making, Assurance provides a key part of the creative process.
So how does it work best?
Allow us to be your eyes and ears and let us fuel your creative fire. We will bring inspiration and innovation and support you on the concept for your next campaign or content idea.
We will work with your inhouse creative resource to bring this to life across your marketing channels, including TikTok. At the end of the day, no one knows your brand like you do.
We bring the ideas, you bring the ‘wow’ factor.
Find out how we can help your business leverage the power of Tik Tok and learn more about the ways we work here.
