How Brands Are Capitalizing TikTok to Win New Audiences

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In the second quarter of 2021, TikTok’s user base cracked the 1-billion mark. Even more impressive, it was crowned the highest-grossing app of the same year.

TikTok continues to show great potential for helping businesses reach new audiences. The platform is also loaded with tools that can help brands and creators improve their short-form video marketing strategy over time. Read on to find out how to leverage TikTok to widen your online reach this year.

Here are some of the benefits of branding through TikTok:

Make your brand more approachable

The TikTok app revolutionized the way people use social media. Unlike Instagram, there’s no pressure to create hyper-edited photos and videos on TikTok. Here, you’d see distinctly ordinary but highly engaging content from individuals and businesses. So, what does it mean for your brand?

Since there’s no pressure to look “perfect” on TikTok, you can showcase your brand’s carefree and fun side. By posting easy-to-digest and relatable content like short videos and memes, you make your brand more approachable and follow-worthy in the eyes of users.

Reach over a billion users

Statistics reveal that TikTok has over one billion active monthly users. That means the potential of exponentially boosting your online presence is more than promising.

TikTok’s algorithm lands users on random pages dubbed as the “For You Page” — or “FYP,” for short. This automates content discovery for users while taking their interests and previous interactions into account. In other words, your brand can appear on TikTok users’ FYP even if they don’t follow you. As long as your products and services are related to their interests, you could appear front and center to potential leads.

You’d be surprised at how much easier it is to grow your following on TikTok than on other platforms like Instagram and YouTube. What usually takes months of hard work and paid ads may only take a matter of days on TikTok.

Find potential influencers

TikTok says that its community is a reflection of “diverse ecosystems of creators, people, culture drivers, and everything in between.” Following through with their statement, it’s easy to find influencers who match your brand’s personality on the app.

Traditionally, you need to scramble through various influencer discovery platforms to find the right influencer to convey your message. But with TikTok, this can be done after a few minutes of casual browsing. Thanks to its FYP feature, you may stumble upon an influencer who matches your qualifications and needs with zero effort. It also regularly compiles trending hashtags, video effects and songs that potential influencers hop on.

TikTok creator tools

Other than finding influencers, TikTok also helps brands create content quickly and efficiently— from content ideation to creation. Using TikTok’s “Creator Tools,” you can access analytics to optimize your strategy, use the “Creator Portal” to find learning resources, and leverage the “Promote” feature to supercharge your reach.

TikTok also has one of the most user-friendly video recording and editing tools on the web. You can trim, rotate, and adjust the speed of clips within the app. You can also play with a variety of stickers, effects, filters and voice effects to present your video just the way you want.

Hashtags

TikTok is undoubtedly a highly competitive space. To maximize your content’s visibility, you need to keep an eye out for trending hashtags. Hashtags help categorize content all over the platform. They are also clickable, allowing users to find a long list of related photos and videos with one tap.

The good news is, TikTok can provide a list of hashtag suggestions while you’re creating your post. There’s no need to rely on paid hashtag or keyword research tools to look for hashtag ideas for your content.

Now, let’s explore TikTok content strategies that get views and will allow you to win new audiences:

1. Upload captures of events

Do you have an upcoming event? Share some “behind-the-scenes” photos and clips of your event or seminar. If you want, you can run TikTok LIVE coverage for those who couldn’t participate in your event in person.

Take it a little further by sharing details about the event in the post’s caption. You can share some key takeaways, ask questions, inject relevant hashtags, and openly invite more users to attend next time. This strategy can help you reach new people and spark interest in your future events.

2. Ask questions on the thumbnail and answer them in the video

Asking questions is a good TikTok engagement strategy that will help you stir conversations around your brand. A simple way to do this is to record a video answering a frequently asked question.

To draw more views, use a thumbnail that displays the question you’re about to answer. Thumbnails serve as the cover photo of your content, allowing users to know what it is about from the get-go.

3. Show POV tutorials

Got a new product or idea in the works? Give your target audience a firsthand look at how to use your product or professional services through POV video tutorials. Walk them through the dos and don’ts on how to make the most out of your brand’s offerings.

By focusing on the problems that your product solves, you can turn the heads of potential customers who have never heard of your brand before. For existing customers, you can share “hacks” that can help them squeeze the most value out of their purchase.

4. Give followers a sneak peek at your company culture

Want to introduce your followers to your company culture? Show them what it’s like to work at your company by flexing your workplace facilities.

Create a virtual tour of your office to give your followers an idea of what a typical workday looks like for your employees. Show off cool workplace features that would pique their interest and show that they can expect quality and reliability from your organization.

5. Let followers decide your next post’s topic

If you’re running out of ideas for your next TikTok post, use TikTok Questions.

TikTok’s Q&A feature allows users to ask questions directly from your content. At the same time, you can answer questions compiled on TikTok’s Q&A page to establish your authority as a source of information.

Whether you’re a startup or an established business, TikTok makes an excellent platform for future-proofing your online presence. With over a billion users and low barriers to entry, it could be the key to accelerating your brand’s growth this year.

Just follow the strategies above to create engaging content, and grow your digital footprint through this amazing platform.

This article was originally published by Entrepreneur.com. Read the original article here.