As humans began to evolve, we have developed very short attention spans, this has been proven by how social media has changed over time. We can also see this in different demographics by who is continuing to use specific social platforms and why. As we have seen the uprise of TikTok, the app formerly known as Musical.ly, it is the largest and most used platform in the world. If you combine all social media platforms and add them together, you will not even reach the number of daily users using TikTok a day. Therefore, TikTok is one of the best platforms to grow your business. Keep in mind that different target audiences use different social media apps.
There are so many ways to be found and seen by your target audience on TikTok. The TikTok algorithm has a very specific thing called the ‘For You Page’, no single person’s For You Page looks the same. The algorithm specifically tailors content to what that consumer most likely wants to see based on their actions like looking at videos for a certain length of time, commenting, favoriting, liking, or sharing those videos. For example, you could say something within your video’s very specific niche, and the TikTok algorithm will show that video to other people who meet that niche requirement. This has been tested by people who have made videos highlighting exactly who they are and what kind of content they like to see. Which resulted in that video going viral to other people who match that same content. It’s amazing how far this technology has come so quickly. With that in mind, TikTok makes it easier to reach your audience rather than going down the rabbit hole of ads and categories on Facebook.
There are lots of tips and tricks on how to go viral online, but when first starting out it is great to understand what TikTok is, where it originated from, and how it continues to grow.
What is TikTok?
First off, TikTok was originally known as Musical.ly. It was a Chinese-based app that was used for karaoke online. You could lip-sync to any song, make a dance and post it online. It was the equivalent of Vine, but solely for karaoke purposes. As the app continued to grow, users started creating short skits or talking about various topics, this is when it became TikTok. TikTok still holds to the original music aspect of its origin. Therefore, you see so many users copying trends with what sounds are currently going viral. There are also filters, just like you use on Instagram, a short caption, and hashtags. By combining all of these small features with a trending sound, it is easier to create content that is going to reach multiple people. A nice tip is that you can use those sounds but put them on mute so that your audience doesn’t fully hear them. However, the app registers that you did use them.
If you haven’t figured out by now TikTok’s true intention is entertainment, short format videos to capture and hold your attention span to keep you scrolling. If you have ever been on TikTok and started scrolling on your For You Page, you look up, and sometimes it will be 30 minutes to an hour later when you thought you’d scroll for five minutes. The whole purpose is to hold your attention, and continuously give you small dopamine hits. That is one thing a lot of people don’t realize about TikTok is that it is a form of entertainment – just like watching Netflix. With this in mind, when you are creating content for TikTok, you are not just wanting to show off your product you want to create entertainment to engage people. You want to solve their problems. But you need to do this by creating a hook and drawing people in. So, you’re fishing for views, but your goal is to create a call to action such as a link in bio, comment, like, follow, or share.
Will TikTok Work for My Business?
As TikTok has now changed its video limit from 15 seconds to 3 minutes, you can now create content that is not only entertaining but informative. Users are now going to TikTok for information, such as searching for recipes. Users might be searching ‘easy cheap dinner recipe’, and whoever makes content according to that long-tail keyword is the account that is going to show up when people are looking. TikTok is no longer just an entertainment platform, it has now become a visual search engine. With TikTok’s newest update, users can save their favorite videos into categories – just like a Pinterest board. As this app continues to grow, it is taking on some of the top aspects of each social media platform and is bringing them together into one. TikTok is not going away anytime soon, it is here to stay and those who use it to their advantage are going to succeed.
What we have found makes videos successful
The answer is simple: a hook that fills people’s desires. For example: “how to make $1,000,000.” It’s as simple as that, what does someone want and what can you say to get their attention. This is great because you can see what your competition is posting online and automatically see how many views per video they are getting. And what videos are more successful than others. It’s almost like cheating. You can’t use the same hook as someone else because that’s copyright infringement, but you can take inspiration. Trust us we’ve already had this happen to us, we’ve posted videos that have gone viral, and we’ll see ten other videos covering the same topic immediately afterward. However, we have seen everyone take inspiration from it and then give their idea and opinion on that topic based on the initial prompt. That’s something to be proud of, you started a trend and now other people are copying you. It’s the highest form of flattery, plus they probably liked your video to keep it saved for later so they’re helping you succeed as well. Not every video has to be lip-syncing and dancing as entertainment, because honestly not many of us would do that. However, creating content to help solve problems and give educational material helps you succeed. This is back to the four different types of content: viral, storytelling, educational, and sales related. By creating content under these four pillars, you will be able to be successful on TikTok.
