While TikTok has only been around since 2017, it is undoubtedly the giant of short videos. It has many features, such as branded hashtags, live streaming, and shopping on the app, making it perfect for brands looking to reach a younger audience.

However, like any other platform, competition on TikTok can get tough. According to Social Champ, 34 million videos are posted on TikTok daily. That means it can be hard to get your videos noticed. Fortunately, this article will guide you through the best TikTok marketing ideas.

What is TikTok Marketing?

TikTok marketing involves promoting a brand, product, or service on TikTok using a wide range of strategies, such as TikTok advertising, influencer marketing, and creating outstanding content that can go viral. Studies indicate that TikTok users, when split in half, purchase products on the platform. 

TikTok’s audience is very engaging with its rate of engagement at 4.25%, which is considerably high compared to Instagram's 0.6%. The TikTok engagement rate increases to 15% when using influencer marketing. With these crazy numbers, it's clear why brands are taking marketing on TikTok seriously and using the platform to reach a younger audience.

Marketing on TikTok can have various goals, such as:

• Increase brand awareness.
• Make sales.
• Build communities.
• Receive feedback from your audience and customers.
• Advertise your brand.

Getting Started with Marketing on TikTok

The first stage in TikTok influencer marketing is creating a business account. This will provide you with many features, such as the business creative hub, a business account, and a commercial music library. It also enables you to add DM auto-replies and calls-to-action. Fortunately, if you already have a TikTok account, creating a business account is easy and free. Here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Tap the menu button on your profile, which is marked by three horizontal lines.
2. Tap on Settings and Privacy>Account.
3. Tap on Switch to Business Account.

That’s it. TikTok will now walk you through navigating your account and some of the features you can use.

Top 17 Best TikTok Marketing Ideas

After creating a TikTok Business account, it's time to create a strategy for your marketing on TikTok. Here are the steps to follow when doing that:

1. Create and Brand Your TikTok Account

Once you have created a TikTok business account, the next step is to brand it. This step is so that your profile can be easily recognized among your other social media profiles. Here are the steps to follow when branding your TikTok profile:

• Profile photo or image. With TikTok, you can add an image or a video as your profile avatar. Use a high-resolution image of your logo. As for a video, you can use an animated video of your logo.
• Include a username. This could be your business name without space.
• Pronouns. It can be a good idea for sole proprietors to include their pronouns.
• Bio. Use this space to provide a quick synopsis of your business.
• Non Profit. If your business isn’t for profit making, you can highlight that in your profile.
• Category. Choose a suitable category that you feel is best suited for your business.
• Social. Ensure your TikTok account is connected to your Instagram, YouTube, and other social media accounts.
• Email. Enter your company contact email.

You can also set up an auto message to respond automatically when users contact you. You can go to the hamburger menu and click Business Suite, followed by Auto Messages.

2. Understand the Platform

A common mistake creators make is not taking the time to understand TikTok. To create engaging content on TikTok, you should first understand the elements that make the content engaging. 

To do that, start by exploring the various features that enhance content and increase the chances of such content going viral. Look at the trending content and note the type of content, sounds, and editing styles used. Be sure to understand the Instagram algorithm. Understand how the platform ranks content on the For You page.

3. Understand Your Target Audience

Before marketing on TikTok, you must determine whether the target audience is already on TikTok. With over one billion users, there is a high chance that they are. However, the app is banned in a few countries, such as India. If this is where the target audience is, you may need to think twice.

While TikTok is very popular with teens, its user demographics may surprise you. About 32% of TikTok users are between 25 and 34 years old. However, the app still heavily leans toward a younger demographic, with 76% of young social media users in the U.S. using it.

So, how do you understand the target audience on TikTok? To do that, you need to research the demographics, online habits, and psychographics. This will enable you to produce content that will resonate with the audience. Here are the steps to follow when analyzing the target audience:

Create a buyer persona

Start by creating a profile of the audience you are trying to reach. Consider their age, interest, gender, location, lifestyle, and habits. Resources such as TikTok's analytics (built-in) as well as other third-party tools can help you find this information.

Understand your audience's behavior

The next step will be to observe the target audience’s behavior on TikTok. This will enable you to understand their preferences, challenges, and motivations. You should also find out the type of content they are engaging with the most. Consider also the time of the day when they are most active.

Check your competitors

Identify creators and brands in your niche that attract large audiences with their videos. Review their strategy for content, what they are doing right, and if there are gaps in their strategy. If necessary, you can use a SWOT analysis to analyze their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Since Instagram is a creator-focused platform, you can include influencers in your analysis. Check personalities specializing in your niche.

4. Set a Social Media Goal

Many TikTok creators are on the platform for fun. However, if you're serious about taking your brand to the next level, you must have a goal tied to your business objective. Some of the goals you can have include:

• Reach a new target audience.
• Build your brand.
• Make sales.
• Generate leads.
• Develop strong customer relationships.

By defining your goal, you can easily set your content creation process. For instance, you might want to create short videos (explainer) to build brand awareness. However, such videos might not work if you want to make sales. Instead, you can try to make product opening videos.

Therefore, ensure that each video aligns with your goal. This will also make it easier for you to determine whether you are reaching your goal. You can then use data to make decisions and continue refining your campaigns.

5. Start Creating Content

TikTok’s selling point is visuals, and the quality of your short video will determine the level of interest that viewers show in it. Therefore, you should ensure that you create high-quality and engaging videos. The videos should be uploaded using the recommended resolution and the ratio of vertical aspect of 9:16.

Remember that TikTok users have a short attention span. That means you should keep your videos short but engaging. You will likely get more followers when you consistently create videos that offer your audience value. People are also likely to comment on and share the content, which increases its visibility.

6. Post Consistently

When creating quality is more important than quantity, the number of videos you make on TikTok matters greatly. According to TikTok, you should post at least one to four times a day. However, many social media managers confess that this recommendation isn’t reasonable. Therefore, they recommend posting three to five times a week. This takes us to our next point.

7. Build a Content Blueprint

A good idea is to create and stick to a content blueprint to help you determine when and what content to post. The blueprint should have a calendar with details such as when to go live or post a sales announcement. Additionally, a content calendar will help you remain organized. Instead of struggling to decide what to post at the last minute, it will give you a steady flow of content.

It will also help you align your needs with trends, promotions, and events, which will help increase your brand’s visibility. First, determine how often you plan to post a video, whether on a daily basis, weekly basis, or three times a week. You can then think about the topic, theme, or challenge your video will tackle. 

The content blueprint should include the best posting time, as the TikTok algorithm prioritizes new content. Therefore, you should post your content when most of your audience is online. While this posting time will depend on your audience or industry, there are suggestions that the best posting time is on Thursday at 7 p.m.

8. Create Guidebook Videos

There are many video options you can create. However, to create videos that add value to your audience, consider investing in guidebook videos and product comparisons. This type of content works because it will position you as an authority in your niche. 

This content will also help you attract viewers actively seeking information or finding solutions, resulting in higher trust levels and engagement. It can also enable you to build a community and grow your following as you help your community solve its problems. Remember that TikTok users hate long content, so your content should remain interesting and short. Be open and straightforward in your content, and include a call-to-action.

9. Take Advantage of TikTok Editing Capabilities

Videos shot and edited within TikTok have the best results. This is because of the app's superior editing capabilities, which enable users to create engaging videos with only a smartphone. These features include:

• Text overlays.
• Trimming video clips.
• Filters.
• Captions.
• Audio editing.
• Voiceovers.
• Visuals and other special effects.
• Transitions.
• Slow motions.

With the TikTok editing capabilities, you don't need additional video creation tools. This is especially true as the TikTok algorithm pushes videos edited within the app.

10. Leverage Content (User-generated)

Do you have users who are satisfied with your products? Social media users trust reviews from other users more than other brand videos. You should ask your previous viewers for testimonials, ratings, and reviews. Such content will help you build connection and authenticity. UGC will also be social proof, showcasing real-life experiences and interactions with your products or services in TikTok marketing.

Therefore, ask your followers to create brand content for a reward. You can then share them, showcasing the delighted customers. This will help you engage your audience and inspire your followers to buy products. UGC is, therefore, a great way of attracting many TikTok followers and building a new connection.

11. Create Trending Content

One of the ways to increase the chances of your TikTok videos going viral is by leveraging trending video clips, audios, and challenges. However, when creating this kind of content, ensure that you only jump on trends related to your business. To discover some of the popular trends to jump on, you can check the TikTok Discover page. Make sure you also spend a lot of time watching TikTok videos.

Trends are significant on TikTok, and they change regularly. To increase visibility on your TikTok content, you should create content that relates with the prevailing hashtags, challenges, and themes. Ensure that you use music that is trending in your TikTok videos. By doing that, you will capitalize on the recent interests and conversations on TikTok that will make the content more discoverable.

Trends will also help you become more relevant on TikTok. Ensure you show your brand’s cultural consciousness, thereby increasing engagement and visibility. However, even as you leverage trends, make sure to use your brand’s uniqueness and view on the trend to stay unique and authentic.

12. Leverage Influencer Marketing

If you need to reach a broad audience, consider leveraging influencer marketing. TikTok influencer marketing involves businesses hiring creators to advertise their brands. The content creators should have a considerably large following to promote your TikTok videos effectively. It could be a micro-influencer, nano-influencer, or mega-influencer. 

This method works because it will enable you to reach an audience outside your following. The creators are rewarded with money, services, products, or acknowledgement. For instance, an air fryer brand can partner with a chef who creates cooking videos.

Moreover, when people see an influencer they trust promoting your brand, they are more likely to trust it. However, avoid working with any available influencer with a large following. Instead, find one whose values and goals relate with your brand. It's also advisable to find influencers in your niche. For instance, if you are a beauty brand, you will likely get better results working with makeup artists. This is because their audience is likely to show interest in your niche.

Here are a few tactics to get the most out of influencer marketing:

• Send products to influencers. If you don’t have a budget for influencer marketing, you can ask influencers if you can send them free products to review and feature the product on their channel. While this doesn’t guarantee results, you might get positive results if you do it consistently.
• Partner on a new product line. You can also partner with a celebrity or mega influencers to promote your products for commissions.

Remember to consider your budget when finding an influencer. The amount you pay for an influencer dramatically depends on the number of followers. A macro or micro-influencer can cost between $151 and $793 per post. On the other hand, a mega influencer can cost from $1000 to millions per post, depending on their following.

13. Create Interactive Content

A key element in driving engagement on TikTok is interactivity. That is why you must use features such as challenges and polls to encourage users to participate and create a community. 

With polls, you can ask questions from your followers and get feedback. This will make them feel part of your brand’s activity. You can also create challenges that will involve them performing a particular task that can be replicated in their videos. Be creative and use other elements, such as multiple choices. It is a good way of encouraging content that is user-generated, increasing brand awareness, and engaging with your followers.

14. Collaborate with Other Creators

TikTok features enable collaboration on content, making it a great way to increase the reach of your brand. In addition to partnering with influencers discussed earlier, there are other ways to collaborate with creators, such as duets, challenges, or video highlights for both brands. That way, you can leverage each other’s audiences, create cross-promotion opportunities, and add originality to your videos.

15. Optimize Your TikTok Videos

If you want your videos to be more discoverable, optimize them for search engines. Different ways of optimizing TikTok videos include using hashtags that are trending, adding songs that are viral with compelling titles, and including visuals of high-quality. Hashtags will help people searching for content in your niche see your videos if you use the hashtag they use to search.

It's also important to use great captions that capture the viewer's attention. Use text overlays to improve engagement, particularly for users watching with the sound turned off. Experiment with different musical and sound effects. If these resonate with the audience, they can make your content more memorable. Ensure you optimize the videos to meet the TikTok trends and user behavior. This will increase the chances of your audience sharing your content and making it go viral.

16.Prioritize TikTok Ads

While you can take every step possible to grow your TikTok account, there are levels you won't reach without TikTok ads. This is because the reach of your videos will depend on the competition in your niche. If your competitors create better and more engaging videos than you, they will appear in the For You section at your cost. 

Fortunately, with ads, you can bridge the gap and increase the visibility of your posts. TikTok has various kinds of ads. Spark ads are created from your existing organic content. Other types of ads include:

• In-feed ads. These are similar to traditional ads. They can be great for adding website links and the Order Now button.
• Brand takeover ads. They link to a landing page with images, video clips, and GIFs.
• Hashtag challenges. These ads take users to the rules of the challenges. They are great options for helping businesses increase brand awareness and engagement.
• Playable ads. The ads have a mini-game look that prompts users to take a particular action.
• Image ads. These ads usually appear in the For You section.

17. Create a Series of Short Videos

When considering TikTok video ideas, consider ideas that can be turned into a series. Using interconnected videos can increase engagement and keep viewers coming back. You can create a series consisting of a storyline, a step-by-step guide, or a particular theme across different videos.

For instance, if you create home makeover videos, you can make a five-step video revamping your living room. You can also create a before and after video on your new space. Your followers are likely to follow the content and look forward to it. They will keep coming back to your profile and engaging with your profile.

Final Thoughts

Studies indicate that 71.2% of TikTok users have purchased products and services on the app. Another 58% suggest that they have used TikTok to find inspiration for their shopping. With people using TikTok to find products and services, this is a great platform to market your products and services. Using the TikTok marketing ideas above, you can take your brand to the next level.