It’s no secret to marketers that the TikTok app has exploded over the last few years. It’s become to the go-to for Gen-Zs who love dancing, music, learning new skills and tapping into like-minded communities and global trends. Data shows that Millennials are not following far behind.

It’s one of the stickiest social media platforms out there with over 1 billion monthly active app users. And when we say “active” we mean it. According to TechCrunch, users now spend more time watching TikTok videos than they do YouTube, clocking in a whopping 99+ minutes a day. This makes the app everything from a search engine, to an entertainment hub and a social media platform beyond yesteryear’s Facebook and Twitter popularity. It’s also the place where celebrities and creators of all shapes and sizes are most likely to interact with their global community using short videos and trending sound. This has given the platform an almost cult status in a new era of authenticity and connection.

Organic strategies that will make an impact, fast

TikTok is a platform where your content can reach the right people, fast. Why? Because its stellar algorithm prioritises relevance. By getting your content onto the “For You” page (FYP) of the right audiences, you’re more likely to get engagement than you are on any other social media app.

Here’s how to work with the algorithm to get the best results:

Get a TikTok Pro account: This might seem counterintuitive if you’re trying to grow an organic following but it can jumpstart your progress. High-level benefits include the ability to put a link in your bio, tracking functionality and followers and gaining better data and analytics.

Tap into trends: You need to be agile on TikTok to tap into trends quickly. You’ll see that videos with content set to trending music, sounds and hashtags perform significantly better on the app than those without. So, don’t fall into the trap of trying a trend and only releasing the content once the trend is already dead and gone. A video released at the right time is better than an overly curated version a month or two later.

Mix education and entertainment: The traditional ad doesn’t work as well on TikTok. Injecting humour, education and entertainment into your content is a far more powerful method on this app. Consumers even love to watch businesses and individuals creating and packaging products. They enjoy seeing the inner workings and learning about what goes into the making of their favourite buys.

Be strategic with your hashtags: By tapping into relevant and trending hashtags, you can get onto the FYP of the audiences you want to engage. You can start by using this hashtag generator tool specifically made to find out what’s hot. The other wonderful thing about TikTok is that you can simply type in a # and trending tags will pop up as suggestions.

Up your video quality: Everyone from popular influencers to burgeoning creators and brands have good lighting in their videos. Not only does this improve the quality but it also signals to TikTok that your content is safe for viewers. Something as simple as a ring-light can instantly improve your video presentation.

Rise to the challenges: Challenges are a big part of what trends on TikTok. We’ve already discussed the importance of being current and this is another way to do that. Pick a challenge that speaks to your audience and brands. Some of the most popular, with millions of participants, are makeup and music and dance challenges.

Stitch and Duet: On the right-hand side of videos you’ll see the option to stitch or duet under the “more” tab. As a brand or creator, you can stitch a video to use a few seconds from someone else and comment on it after or add to it. You can also create a duet video that’s running alongside another video to complete a harmony or show a reaction – the options are endless. This enables you to tap into the audiences of the people who originally shared the video without any copyright infringements and TikTok will prioritise these over other content. Encourage

User-Generated Content: You don’t have to be in a passive position on TikTok. You can also start challenges and generate interest. This will enable you to create your own hashtags and easily find and collect videos related to your brand. With the right permissions and partnerships, you can even use these in other marketing, social media and advertising materials.

Give it a boost. Paid strategies to get you growing.

There are 3 key ways to use paid strategies to engage and grow your audiences. Tap into TikTok Ads Manager, promote your videos and include strong CTAs. These paid approaches are similar to how you would use data informed, paid strategies on other platforms and are just as effective here.

TikTok Ads Manager: While TikTok presents so many fantastic opportunities for organic growth, you can get the edge with paid campaigns. TikTok Ads Manager can help you spread your message globally. First you’ll have to get a TikTok Advertiser account which gives you an array of tools to help you create video clips, monitor data, target, customise and enhance your results. But again, this type of advertising differs from traditional formats. It does give you a range of ad options though. Choose from in-feed ads, brand takeovers, challenges and TopView depending on your budget and what you want to achieve.

TikTok Promotions: Promoted ads can get you to the top of the feed and keep displaying every now and again as users scroll. For these, you’ll need to make sure you have the commercial rights to use sounds or images in your ads but they are an effective way to reach customised audiences. Think of how you use Facebook ads but tailored for TikTok. Use strong CTAs: People need information on how to take the next steps so help them do that at the end of every video. You can direct them to the link in your bio or other sites as popular options.

Get TikTokking today.

There are so many ways to organically and intentionally grow your TikTok following with potential to reach millions of your target audiences. Contact YDA for support getting started. We can help you roll out effective campaigns that take your brand’s social strategy to the next level of success.