Why 2022 Is The Year That Every Business Targeting A Younger Audience Should Have TikTok …And Tips On Going Viral.

TikTok is commonly mistaken as another fad trend for Generation Z, but it may well be your answer to engaging a younger audience and creating brand awareness.  But don’t worry, to begin with all you need is a phone, the TikTok app downloaded and launched, and a creative spark.

By Mya Mills, Intern at Kai Communications

September 2016 saw the birth of the social media platform, TikTok. Since then TikTok has grown in popularity to one billion active users worldwide including 3.7 million users currently in the UK. TikTok is commonly mistaken as another fad trend for Generation Z, but it may well be your answer to engaging a younger audience and creating brand awareness. 

TikTok is a short video sharing app design which can be used to connect and persuade viewers to buy into a brand. The app is designed for ease of use, making it simple for one person to manage and create videos. Don’t worry you won’t need to employ a whole new creative marketing team. To begin with all you need is a phone, the TikTok app downloaded and launched, and a creative spark. 

Our top tips on getting started and going viral:  

1. Use trending songs. Music is at the heart of a viewer’s TikTok experience. As you scroll through TikTok you’ll notice the same songs are frequently used. These are the trending songs and can also be found on the ‘Discover’ page. When you see a song is trending, assess whether your business content pairs well with the song and if it does click on the song title at the bottom of your screen and select ‘Add to Favourites’ to use in a video later. 
2. Quantity is best. TikTok can be unpredictable, the video you think is less likely to go viral may get thousands of views. When you are starting out there is an argument for the more the better. By posting multiple videos a day varying in content, you will start to see which videos get the most views so you are able to produce videos with similar content that your viewers will enjoy – increasing the likelihood that your video will go viral. 
3. Use an engaging caption with hashtags. Captions including hashtags can increase interaction on your TikTok page. For example, if your content is showing ‘Top Tips on buying a property’ the caption could be ‘Comment below which tip you think is the most useful #toptips #buyingaproperty’or ‘Like for a Part 2 #part2’. By encouraging users to engage further than just viewing, there is a greater chance they will visit your TikTok page and then look at other videos helping them go viral too. 
4. Schedule posts at different times. People are most active on TikTok outside of school and work hours so posting in the evening is when you’re likely to get engagement in this part of the world at least but this is a global platform and global means your viewers could be in different time zones. Again TikTok is unpredictable, and you may not guess in advance what video will go viral so posting frequently is the best option. 
5. Location, location, location. Have you ever wondered why TikTok videos of nearby areas appear on your TikTok feed? This is because TikTok knows where you are viewing from and provides content that has been produced close to that location. Make sure you mention your location in the caption or use a hashtag such as “Oxfordshire” or “Cowley”. This will help to attract more local viewers. 
6. Stay away from the delete button. Despite some videos receiving fewer views, once one of your videos goes viral, new followers are likely to visit your account and scroll through all the videos. So, when one video goes viral it is likely that the other videos on your page will increase in views too. 
7. Keep it short and snappy. The videos that go viral are often between 8-10 seconds long. Keep your videos short, concise, and engaging from the offset. If you don’t start with something interesting the viewer will just keep on scrolling, so carefully consider how your videos are structured. 
8. Create your own audio. Viewers want to know there is a real person behind the TikTok account, make your videos more personal by recording a voiceover aligning with the content. For example, if the content is showing a new property for sale, the voiceover could mimic what an estate agent would be saying if you were in the property. This also provides TikTok with more keywords, so your videos are directed to the right audience. 
9. Story time. Viewers love story time. Why not explain to your viewers how your business was established? Or you could do ‘A day in the life’ of a willing employee at your business. These are often both very popular videos. Make sure you don’t ramble, TikTok doesn’t like excessively long videos. 
10. Be random. If you look at the comments on other people’s viral videos, you’ll notice a lot of them mention something random or unusual in the video. It can be as simply as a cute puppy running in the background of your video or you’re holding a bizarre, shaped coffee cup. By encouraging people to comment on your videos, this makes it more likely for your video to be put on the ‘For You Page’ which is another way to make videos go viral.