As we’re sure you’re aware by now, TikTok has emerged as one of the most popular platforms for influencers and companies trying to expand their online presence and connect with more people.
What makes this platform so amazing for business growth is that it has over 500 million active users worldwide.
However, with such a crowded space, it can also be challenging to stand out against the competition and gain traction on TikTok.
Fortunately, we are here with our nine proven strategies that can help you grow your business quickly and effectively on the platform.
1. Create high-quality and relevant content to engage your audience
TikTok is a platform intended for sharing video content, primarily for entertainment purposes.
For this reason, funny and relatable videos that feature catchy music and dance moves usually perform best on this platform.
There are, however, other types of entertaining videos that your audience might prefer, depending on your niche and their interests.
For example, your target audience might prefer videos such as:
- Comedy sketches
- Vlogs with personal updates
- Cooking videos
- Travel videos
- Beauty tutorials
- DIY how-to videos
- Fashion hauls
If you’re unsure how to identify the kind of content your audience would enjoy, a great starting point could be to look at the popular trends and hashtags on the platform.
Be wary about copying someone else’s unique approach, though, as the TikTok community is strictly opposed to this.
Instead, you’ll want to find a unique voice when tackling these trends. What is the best way to go about it? Have fun and let your personality shine through your videos.
Once you’ve nailed the content idea, your next step should be investing in a good camera and a microphone. This is because professional and polished content seems to perform better on TikTok, so you might also benefit from learning how to edit videos yourself.
If you don’t have the time or resources to create content on your own, outsourcing social media efforts can ensure that your brand is in good hands while allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business or personal life.
2. Use relevant hashtags to increase visibility
Once you have content in place, the next thing you’ll want is for it to reach its intended audience. You can achieve this goal by using relevant hashtags that are popular the moment you upload your content.
Namely, hashtags are how TikTok users find relevant content on the platform, so picking ones that are relevant to your audience will be of the utmost importance.
A great indication of this would be to search for a particular hashtag or click on one used in someone else’s video to see how many views it has. If it’s used by a large number of users, it’s likely to resonate with your audience as well. (For example, #fyp or #viral.)
However, if you’re working in a niche industry, you might have to be a bit more particular about the hashtags that you use. (For example, #choreography or #veganrecipes).
Mixing popular and niche hashtags is another solid growth strategy. The former can help you expand your current audience, and the latter can help you further engage with the existing one.
Warning: It’s best to steer clear of any 18+ hashtags or hashtags that are spammy or irrelevant to your content, as they may result in the flagging of your content and ultimate removal from the platform.
3. Use the “Duet Feature” to expose your content to a new audience
If you’re struggling with revenue growth, you might want to redirect your focus to expanding your customer base and raising brand awareness.
Thankfully, TikTok has a perfect feature that allows you to do this, and it’s called the “Duet Feature.”
The way it works is that it allows you to create a complementary split-screen video featuring another user’s content.
By duetting someone else’s content, you may get to show off your unique creative skills but also expose your content to a new, diverse audience.
Ultimately, the goal is to increase your engagement and get more views, likes, and follows on your TikTok account.
If you’re left wondering: “But how do I pick a user whose content I should duet?” – no worries, we’ve got you covered on that, too!
Our advice would be to pick a collaborator with an aesthetic similar to yours and contact them to gather more information on things like the video concept or why a particular song is being used in the video.
Then, you’ll want to make sure that your duet is edited and all the audio is synced up. TikTok also offers a variety of filters and effects that you can use, so don’t be afraid to utilize those as well.
4. Do cross-promotions with TikTok influencers to increase the reach of your content
This is yet another great tip on how to increase your exposure and gain more followers.
Collaborating with other businesses and influencers with a similar target audience to yours can be a great way to promote your business. Of course, you should also make sure that they have a following large enough to make an impact on your brand.
Now, the previously mentioned Duets are just one form of collaboration that you could propose to TikTok influencers. Apart from that, you could contact them about particular content ideas that could start a new trend or popularize a new hashtag that would be beneficial to both of you.
You can use the TikTok search bar to find the influencers who target keywords similar to yours and then see which of them create content relevant to your brand.
Once you’ve identified a user you’d like to collaborate with, you can try to engage with them privately through DMs, or if that’s not your thing, you could initiate contact by commenting on their content.
In the end, collaborations like these are a great way to gather fresh ideas for new content, get a feel for the TikTok community, and network for the sake of future business opportunities.
5. Participate in trends and challenges to grow your following
Sometimes jumping onto someone else’s TikTok challenge bandwagon is just as good as starting your own.
That is if you catch up with the trend quickly enough and participate in it in a way that is fun and engaging to your target audience.
Just scrolling through your feed will quickly reveal a behavioral pattern or a trendy soundbite that is currently popular with the TikTok masses. A “Discover” button on the bottom of your TikTok screen is another way to go.
Our advice? Take some time to study the rules and guidelines of these trends so you can use them to make your content more popular.
Aside from that, don’t be afraid to engage with other users participating in said trends. Think of them as your potential partners or clients, instead of perceiving them as competitors.
Finally, don’t forget to look at the stats. See how many people your content has reached and how many users have engaged with it. If the numbers are low, you might want to rethink your strategy and find challenges that are more suitable to your particular audience.
6. Use TikTok ads to promote your brand
There are different ways you can use advertisements to reach a wider audience on TikTok.
For example, you could input the demographics, behavior, and interest data of your target audience on TikTok and pay for sponsored content to appear in their feeds.
This type of personalized content is usually around 15 seconds long and includes different ways for users to engage with your content (think: clickable links and polls.)
On the other hand, you could also opt to use branded hashtags for the promotion of your products and services on the platform.
These hashtags are unique to your brand, so if you’re posting baking recipes on TikTok each Saturday, you could use the #sweetsaturday hashtag in those videos.
7. Share your TikTok videos on other social media to drive traffic to your TikTok account
If you have a following on another social media platform or use email marketing to target your audience, you might want to use these platforms to promote your TikTok videos too.
Brands with a presence across multiple platforms tend to have a higher following, as each of these platforms has a unique user base.
Additionally, multi-channel communication with your target audience can set you apart as an industry leader and label you as an authoritative source among any potential customers.
Finally, communicating with different audiences across different platforms can help you gather insights and feedback from all of them, which can help you:
- Improve your products and services
- Build trust with your audience and
- Increase your sales
8. Stay consistent with your posting to grow your TikTok faster
Posting once or twice in a blue moon won’t do much for your TikTok growth: Consistency is the key.
Once you have the attention of your target audience, you want to make sure that they stay interested in and engaged with your content.
If you manage to create that sense of “When are they going to post again?” for your customers and have them waiting for more, you’re more likely to attract new followers and potential customers too.
Posting frequency is also essential for improving your brand’s social media performance, improving your engagement rates, and increasing your website traffic and sales.
9. Engage with your followers to increase customer retention
To grow your business, you shouldn’t only focus on gaining new customers but retaining old ones as well.
A great way to connect with your existing customers, make them feel valued, and create a sense of community for them is by simply engaging with them.
So, if they hit you up with a message, leave a comment on your video, or leave a review on your product, respond to it whenever you can.
This way, you’re not only gathering valuable insights from them on how to improve your business offering but also building a loyal clientele that feels respected and appreciated by your brand.
Lastly, brands that are quick to address the issues and concerns of their customers are generally positively perceived among their audience.
A positive brand reputation is integral to any business’s success, while repairing a negative brand reputation can require significant time and effort that you might want to avoid.
Author Bio
Sophie Douglas is a digital marketing specialist and a journalist based in Columbus, state of Ohio.
Her characters are passionate, innovative, and ambitious.
Before becoming a writer for DigitalStrategyOne, she was writing short stories, screenplays, and directing short films.