Now available to stream on-demand.
While many still think of TikTok as a platform for Gen Zers and short video dance challenges, TikTok has expanded to include almost every type of content and community. In fact, with over 1 billion monthly users, TikTok is fast becoming a “don’t miss” channel for many brands. How do you know whether TikTok is a good fit? And if it is, how do you make sure your content strategy is optimized for the biggest impact for your brand?
Tune in to hear from Brittany Harris and Justine Fudali from the Khoros Strategic Services team and Elizabeth Solomon from Fleishman Hillard to get the answers to those questions, as well as learn more about:
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Current TikTok trends and how they impact your brand
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Best practices for developing a TikTok marketing strategy
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What works well for brands on TikTok and why
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If TikTok suits your brand right now
Stream today on-demand and learn how to launch your optimized TikTok strategy.
Below, Justine Fudali answers some of the most frequently asked questions from brands who want to launch their official TikTok account or need additional information on building their TikTok strategy:
I'm already managing 3-4 other social platforms, and my job wants me to manage Tik Tok as well. Is this reasonable for a social media manager?
Justine: Jobs of social media managers are demanding as it is and ideally you should have a team dedicated to TikTok. If you feel like managing TikTok would be beyond your bandwidth you should voice your concerns and come to the conversation armed with stats and numbers that would help support your case e.g. analyze your platform time split vs. goals and KPIs set for the financial year. What needs to be considered here is that TikTok is very time-consuming so understanding your responsibilities is key too - if you’re expected to create, edit and moderate content on top of everything else you are doing, you should argue for quality over quantity as being on TikTok shouldn’t take away from existing, successful initiatives/platforms. I’d also highlight that TikTok is not like Instagram or any other channel so it needs a dedicated platform strategy and repurposing content will not win you any favors in the long run.
My company is more B2B than B2C. Do you think TikTok would still be beneficial for us?/My company is more B2B than B2C. Do you think TikTok would still be beneficial for us?
Justine: Joining a new platform is not an easy decision and there are many variables you should consider but it essentially boils down to two things - if your audience and your competitors are on TikTok then so should you. The audience on TikTok is quite unique so understanding different segments, niches, and age groups will help you determine this and align with your target audience. There are many successful B2B brands on the platform so I suggest looking into which brands are doing well, are any of them your competitors, and creating a SWOT analysis of their strategies including a breakdown of positioning in the market and share of voice. This should help you determine whether TikTok is the right platform for you.
How do you know if a trend has peaked?
Justine: Using social listening to understand the volume of mentions of a particular hashtag/keyword can help you understand how this trend has changed over time. You can also benchmark it against other, bigger, and smaller trends to understand how this trend compares to other previously successful or on the rise trends. Lastly, understanding who has joined the trend and when will also help you determine whether that trend has peaked. Look out for any spikes in volumes and big brands jumping in on that trend.
When creating sponsored content, how do you keep users from immediately swiping away? I know when I sense a sponsored TikTok, I immediately lose interest.
Justine: It’s true, we all have the attention spans of a goldfish. So you probably have about 2-3 seconds to catch someone’s attention - and that is no easy task. I think it all comes down to content. It needs to come across as organic in order to be successful on this platform. Refrain from using animated graphics, banners, or static images - basically anything that works on other platforms. Avoid polished content too - keep your content raw! You should use recent trends, sounds, and real people, keep it short and snappy. Cater the video to the platform and the audience - ask yourself if it’s engaging and interactive. You should also consider product placement and influencer collaborations as these tend to work well in terms of more traditional advertising formats.
Can you explain more about what user-generated content is, and how brands can create it and or utilize it?
Justine: UGC aka user-generated content is any content posted by users (not brands) online. In brand context, it’s earned media, in other words, what other people post about your company on social media and online e.g. reviews, tweets, or unboxing videos. UGC can be identified by keywords specific to your brand, @ tags and brand hashtags, or even visual logo search. UGC should be an integral part of a social strategy. Its free content that you can repurpose on your channels and reposting brand love content from other users is proven to generate 4-5 times higher engagement rates too as people trust WOM more than they trust brands and corporations. In TikTok context, it’s not so much about reposting as it is about remixing - so taking an existing piece of content and adding to it by for example dueting with a user who recently posted a TikTok about your brand. Engaging with UGC on TikTok is also a great way to develop a deeper bond with your target audience and beyond. One thing to bear in mind is always getting consent first and crediting the author in your content. You should also look out for any items that can infringe copyright laws for your business - e.g. background of the video, music, or visual elements that may not be licensed for commercial use.
