3 Essential TikTok Tips
As a TikTok user/lover/manager, I want to share with you my top 3 essential TikTok Tips you need if you are going to be using the platform anywhere in your social media strategy. Being a TikTok manager and social media strategist, I hear a lot of myths about TikTok and business owners shunning it as a platform. But HEAR ME. If you own a business in 2022 (or 2023, or 2024), you need to get on TikTok. Let’s break down the WHY and the HOW.
The Marketing Cycle
It’s kind of a funny marketing trope honestly. It goes a little something like this.
- A new app comes out.
- At first, the older generations roll their eyes and say “that’s what all the kids are on.”
- Then…they try it out a bit. A large percent start adopting it, although they still claim to like their old platform better.
- The resistance causes the younger peeps to be like, “Ew, _____ is dead.”
Think about it.
When Instagram came out, it was for young people. Too casual. Too self-absorbed. Facebook was the OG. That’s enough for me. As more people tried Instagram, more people got on it. Younger people began to say, “Facebook is for old people.” Eventually, the marketers and businesses showed up to Instagram, but most were too late to the game.
This is a problem because:
- When an app starts getting more adopted, there is a short window of time where growth is super easy
- Once marketers show up, the paid ads come, and organic reach gets harder
- Then a new app arises, and the cycle continues
Now the same thing is happening with Instagram and TikTok.
And I want you to be there before ALL the marketers like me show up and it’s more challenging to grow, k?
3 Things You Need to Know About TikTok
In my experience, here are 3 things you need to know about TikTok now that you’re going to use it for business:
- It’s an SEO powerhouse
- It’s a funnel
- It’s NOT Instagram Reels
Let’s dig into each one in a bit more depth.
1. TikTok is an SEO Powerhouse
Didya know that TikTok is now indexable by Google?
Here’s what that means for you:
If your ideal client or customer were to search for the problem that your service or product solves…your content on TikTok could show up in a Google search. NICCCCE.
Because of this, TikTok is really focused on being SEO (Search Engine Optimization) friendly.
So how do you optimize your content so that it’s more searchable?
Research keywords.
These are the words that your ideal client is using and searching for to describe the problem that you solve.
- In your caption.
- In your words.
- In the text on the screen.
- With your hashtags.
Consider what KEYwords someone would use to search for your content and amp those words up everywhere!
2. TikTok is a funnel
So even though I’m a TikTok manager … I’m still pro-Instagram.
Why?
Well to explain, I need to explain to you what buyer behind.
Here is the general structure of a funnel:
- Awareness – learning about you via searching for information
- Interest – learning about the product/service
- Decision – comparing / considering options
- Action – CHA-CHING!
So what does this have to do with TikTok vs. Instagram?
TikTok is at the TOP of that funnel (awareness). 90% of users’ time on TikTok is spent on the “For You Page,” where they are shown content that is not their followers, but that the app has learning they are likely to enjoy. That, combined with its searchability, makes it GREAT for visibility.
But even though I’m all about TikTok…
It has a weakness.
It’s not very good at nurturing the audience. The DMs currently suck, you don’t see THAT much content from the people you follow, so that “Interest” piece needs to come from somewhere else.
That could be:
- Instagram – where there are stories and very user-friendly DMs
- Email – where you can further promote interest on a platform you, more or less, own.
SO TRUST, TikTok is GREAT for lead generation and awareness at the top of that funnel, but it won’t make your business by itself. It’s just ONE PART of the marketing ecosystem.
3. TikTok isn’t the same as Instagram Reels
When peeps first get on TikTok, one of the most challenging things (and the reason I build out TikTok strategies for businesses) is understanding the culture of the app.
If they have been on Reels, it’s pretty much the same thing…right?
There are some key differences:
TikTok is more casual.
On TikTok, making a video that’s longer, without sexy transitions, that pays very little mind to aesthetics (both in the video and its color) can still get A LOT of traction.
On Reels, using trending sounds, quick transition, and having a cover that aligns with your feed is still where we’re at (as of writing this).
TikTok is more like Instagram STORIES than Instagram Reels. A way to show your audience behind the scenes, give them extra value and show up authentically.
The platforms are prioritizing different things.
While short reels with trending sounds still do better on Instagram, TikTok is trying to become more of a respected platform for creators and education.
TikTok wants to adopt more of what YouTube currently has. They don’t want a bunch of people growing like crazy by just doing any old trend anymore (which is why trending sounds are less and less important on TikTok). The app then becomes what people complain about with Reels: everyone doing the same trend, no originality, and just…boring. They wanted to keep people on the app longer, so they’re switching it up.
This means, TikTok is currently prioritizing evergreen content (videos with no trending sound), educational content, and longer videos (you can upload videos up to 10 minutes long now).
It all starts with TikTok.
A lot of people try to create on Reels and repurpose to TikTok. That doesn’t work effectively because, in Tiktok culture, people are typically anti-Instagram. No self-respected TikToker wants to hop on TikTok and see Reels fonts, trends, or 3-second videos (the app doesn’t even register the watch time on those properly).
Because TikTok led the way in short-form video, WATCH WHAT TIKTOK IS DOING to know how to operate well on other short-form video platforms. And start with creating there.
Overwhelmed with using TikTok for your business? Here are 3 ways I can help you.
This will give you 120 TikTok ideas, my system for batching, and my favorite TikTok tools. FOR FREE.
Yeah, you could probably find most of this information on the Internet and with practice, BUT you don’t have time for that. You want to get started and to know ONLY what you NEED to know, to prevent overwhelm.
That’s why I made this resource for you, to curate everything I wish I knew when I started helping business owners with Tiktok.
And if you want to take the guesswork out of your TikTok strategy, have someone help you 1:1 with idea generation, or even just do all the editing, posting, and management for you, I got you.
Now get to rocking TikTok!
And if we aren’t friends on there yet, follow me here:
