TikTok is a social media platform with over 1 billion monthly active users. With users almost equaling the Instagram active user mark of 1.4 billion, TikTok is establishing itself as the most popular platform for short-form content. 

TikTok’s popularity is seen by the fact that the app has been downloaded over 2.6 billion times worldwide. As a result, brands are jumping on the bandwagon to connect with this new and very engaged audience. TikTok is part of the marketing strategy for some of the biggest brands in the world, including Nike, ESPN and even The Washington Post.

New brands on the app are always looking for ways to reach new audiences. In this article, we have compiled some smart tips to help you make the most of this platform and grow your reach. Let’s dive right in.

• Find your target audience on TikTok

Before you go live on TikTok, you need to decide your specific audience. A large portion of TikTok’s community comprises Millennials and Gen Z users. This is the audience that has the potential to be the most receptive to your content, so it’s important to focus on creating content that appeals to them.

The best way to find your target audience is to look at the type of content they’re already engaging with. Take a look at the most popular videos in your industry and see what kind of content is resonating with users.

You can also use TikTok’s “For You” page to get an idea of the kind of content that is recommended for you based on your interests. Marketers need to understand different references used in videos so that it could be used as an inspiration for their own content.   

Once you have a better understanding of your target audience, you can start creating content that is relevant to them and caters to their interests. Brands should create content keeping the target audience and popular hashtags in mind, which brings us to our next point.

• Use Popular Hashtags

Hashtags are an important part of TikTok’s algorithm and can be extremely useful in helping you reach new users. When you use a hashtag, your content gets added to a page where all the other videos with that hashtag are displayed. By using relevant hashtags, you can make your content more discoverable to users who are searching for that particular topic.

TikTok has a limit of only 150 characters for the caption so choose your hashtags wisely. Spending some time and doing some research to find the most popular and relevant hashtag is absolutely worth it.

There are popular hashtags on TikTok for just about everything. For example, if you’re a travel brand, you can use popular hashtags like #travelgoals or #wanderlust.  If you’re a cosmetics brand, you can use hashtags like #makeupaddict or #beautyjunkie. Additionally, make use of general hashtags that are popular across all industries like #foryoupage or #trending.

You can also use TikTok’s Hashtag Challenge feature to jump on trending topics and participate in popular challenges. In fact, users are more likely to remember names of brands that pulled off an entertaining video to keep up with a trend.

One of the recent trends that took most users by storm was the “Pushing P” on TikTok. The term Pushing P (a slang term which means staying true and being real) went viral. Videos produced for this trend gained a high engagement. Pushing P helped spread positivity – a great opportunity for brands to establish their brand image. Get in front of a wider audience using popular hashtags and show that you’re up-to-date with the latest trends.

• Partnering up with influencers on TikTok

The creator economy has grown to a whopping $104.2 billion. Brands are realizing the power of this form of marketing and have found success on TikTok by partnering up with influencers. Influencers already have sizable followings so it is a great way to reach new audiences. With influencer marketing, you reach new audiences both locally and internationally. 

However, it’s important to partner with the right influencer who aligns with your brand. Ideally, the influencer needs to have a similar target audience as your brand and produce content that would be relevant to you. It is good to experiment with a few different influencers and then analyze key metrics to see which one works best for you. 

• Keep your users watching

TikTok’s algorithm mostly gives priority to videos with a high completion rate. You need to work on the quality of your content and see to it that users stay hooked till the very end. A creative video with impressive visuals is more likely to get users’ attention as compared to a badly shot video with monotonous content.

Some tips: Videos that have a hook at the very beginning tend to keep the users glued to their screens. Creating suspense or telling them something is about to be revealed will make users want to see more. An example of a video that keeps the users hooked: A creator asks users if he will be able to cut and join three jeans together to form a single pair of jeans. Would you want to watch if he’s successful? 

“How to” videos usually work well on TikTok as people are always looking for new tricks. Additionally, you can also use creative transitions to make your videos more engaging.

• Create a TikTok Business Account

TikTok offers business accounts for companies and brands. You can start creating ad campaigns on TikTok and target your ads to a specific audience. This account gives you access to some powerful features that can help increase your reach on the app.

Some of the features include:

– Brand Takeovers: 

You can have your ad appear when a user opens the app. The ad can be in the form of an image that stays for three seconds or a GIF that could be three to five seconds long. The ad draws the attention of users and also allows a very high reach. Brand Takeovers are redirected to either a company’s website or a Hashtag Challenge.

– Hashtag Challenges on TikTok: 

Brands that create their own hashtag challenge and get users to participate have a higher chance of going viral than opting for an organic hashtag. Brands can sponsor their challenges which means that the particular challenge is placed on the discovery page for six days.

Tip: It is important to make the challenge entertaining and something that users would want to do.

– In-feed Native Videos: 

In-feed video advertisements can be used to increase your exposure. These videos appear while users explore content. These ads have a maximum time limit of 15 seconds and take the full screen size. Similar to Brand Takeovers, the Call-to-Action (CTA) can be a website’s landing page or redirection to a hashtag challenge according to the brand. 

– TopView: 

The ad appears as a full-screen video when users open the app. The video is three seconds long and also has a CTA that can be customized according to the brand. TopView is in the form of a video ad, whereas Brand Takeovers can be an image or a GIF. 

Branded lenses/effect: 

TikTok makes use of Augmented Reality (AR) for advertisements. You can use AR to bring 3D objects and create your own branded lenses or effects that users can use in their videos. This is a great way to increase brand awareness as users feel a sense of connection to the brand. 

IKEA has started using TikTok to create unique AR experiences for its audience. Imagine moving your phone around to see where a couch would look best in your room? TikTok users are attracted by such “cool” features. Not only do you reach new audiences but using such technology leads to a very high brand retention.  

 

• Post on other platforms besides TikTok

Ever seen the TikTok watermark in videos on your Instagram feed? This is a common way to share your TikTok content to audiences that are not on TikTok or do not follow you. If your content is engaging and entertaining enough, people will search for your TikTok handle and your following will increase. 

The step can be rewarding especially if you are new on TikTok and have followers on your other social media accounts. The trick is to create quality content and share it on other social media platforms as well. If your content is appealing, people in that niche will start posting your videos from their accounts too. Many meme pages on Instagram have adopted this strategy and have seen their reach skyrocket!

Summing up the ways to reach new audience on TikTok

Focus on creating quality content. Using creative transitions and keeping up with the trends is one certain way to reach new audience on the TikTok. Additionally, creating a hashtag challenge can be beneficial as it allows for more user involvement.

Partnering up with influencers in your niche is also a fruitful way to increase your engagement. Moreover, setting up a TikTok business account and making use of TopView and In-feed video ads can be used to increase brand awareness. Lastly, do not forget to post your TikTok content on other social media platforms for the highest reach.