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The Definitive TikTok Strategy Guide for 2023

Leira Lacuata
Written By
Leira Lacuata
Published On
Mar 29, 2023
A hand holding a phone with a TikTok logo displayed on the screen

TikTok sits at the top of the most used social media apps nowadays for a lot of reasons. As a video-sharing app, most of its users treat the platform as a means to share fun and catchy content, which has paved the way for countless pop culture trends.

Because of this, businesses are now using TikTok for advertising. Curious to learn more about it? You’re looking for a winning TikTok strategy—and we’ve got the ultimate guide.

Why You Should Be Using TikTok

Given the virality and massive reach of TikTok, multiple businesses worldwide have used it as a platform to promote their brands. Both big and small companies have created TikTok accounts just to take advantage of the app’s power—but knowing how to create a TikTok strategy that actually wins makes all the difference. To give you a full perspective on this, here are three reasons why you should be using TikTok:

1. TikTok Is the Leading Video-Sharing Platform

You’ve read that right; TikTok is now the leading app when it comes to content sharing. Its short-form video style has influenced other platforms to follow its lead. Moreover, Instagram has released ”Reels” while YouTube has a similar feature known as “YouTube Shorts.”

Despite these two apps leaning towards short-form content, TikTok remains supreme because of its one billion users. Choosing this as your platform for marketing and promotion will allow you to reach a wider audience. 

2. TikTok as a Platform for Advertising and Marketing

Businesses use TikTok as a marketing tool; the app offers four advertising methods known as brand takeovers, in-feed videos, hashtag challenges, and branded lenses. On top of that, you can even collaborate with popular influencers on the platform to help you market your products. Both of these strategies improve brand awareness as your content reaches millions of users online.

3. Creating a Community With Your Followers

The best part about using TikTok as your platform is the chance to create a community. By posting strategic content, it becomes easier to engage and connect with your followers. Simply replying to their comments or encouraging them to participate in your challenges gives them something to look forward to every time they get on the app! In turn, this gives you the chance to collect loyal followers that can be turned into regular customers.

Understanding the TikTok Algorithm in 2023

With all the benefits of TikTok, it is quite exciting to start using the app for your business improvement. But before you do so, you need to understand the TikTok algorithm first because it can help your videos become more visible to others. To put it simply, the TikTok algorithm is a recommendation system that dictates the kind of videos you see on your “For You” page

Defining exactly how the TikTok algorithm works can be a challenge since its ranking program changes regularly. Nevertheless, the TikTok algorithm in 2023 is said to be based on the following ranking signals:

1. Video Completion

TikTok values how long a user stays on a video. Watching a video in full will make the content appear in other users’ feeds. This element, in a way, signals the app that the video is worth your time. 

2. Hashtags Are the New Keywords

More people are leaning towards using TikTok as a search engine instead of Google. By using hashtags, users can easily find what they are looking for especially if it’s from a unique niche. From there, the app notes your search habits and begins to present related content based on the hashtags you use.

3. Video Information

Video information refers to the content you search for on the Discover tab of the app. This includes captions, songs, filters, effects and hashtags.

4. User Interactions

On the other hand, user interactions are all about how you interact with videos. Actions such as liking, commenting, and sharing are part of this category.

5. Device and Account Settings

Another important factor you need to consider is a user’s device and account settings. These include the language, country, and device type of the user when interacting with the app.

All of these factors contribute to what you see on the “For You” page of your account. Based on a user’s activity, the app will begin to recommend content they might like. In turn, this makes the user experience more personalized and fitting to their taste.

The question now is: why does it matter to learn how to land on the “For You” page? The answer is simple: this is how TikTok trends start due to popular culture! Of course, all of the videos in this feed are viral because lots of users continue to engage with it through likes, comments, and the creation of chain videos under a hashtag. With this knowledge under your belt, it can be a great TikTok strategy that will boost your business content!

 A preview of TikTok’s profile page displayed on a phone

How to Plan Your TikTok Content

Your goal as a business owner is to make your products and services well-known to gain leads and customers. In the digital marketing world, establishing your brand awareness through content creation is a must! That is why you need to prioritize making quality assets.

Now that you know how the TikTok algorithm works, it is time to pattern your content based on it. Here are great TikTok strategies you can use to make your content rake in numbers and be present on multiple “For You” pages: 

Step 1: Have These 3 Types of Content Present in Your Feed

A good TikTok strategy you can use is to diversify your content by having three types present on your feed. These are known as trends content, original content, and community engagement content. 

A woman posing in front of her phone

Trends Content

Posting viral trends on your account allows you to become more visible. The fastest way of achieving this is by using the correct audio to match your videos. On TikTok, you won’t have a hard time finding trending songs since the app suggests them to you. From there, all you have to do is select one and ensure it fits the whole aesthetic and vibe of your video.

Original Content

As a creator, you need to make something that excites your followers. Businesses often use how-to videos as a way to introduce themselves to their audiences. Aside from that, small businesses were put into the spotlight when the “pack orders with me” trend became a thing. It was all about owners providing their followers with a glimpse of what it’s like to prepare packages before it reaches a customer. 

Both of these styles are unique, but what they both possess is that they make people come back for more! Moreover, you can even turn your original content into a series as a TikTok strategy. By labelling each video, your audience knows that there will be more related ones coming in the future.

Community Engagement Content

Last but not least, don’t forget to connect with your audience! On TikTok, you can respond to comments by uploading a video. This feature allows you to provide a short, concise answer all the while giving space for a follower to speak up. By doing so, you will more likely have a loyal audience base that can turn into potential customers.

Step 2: Research the Best Hashtags You Can Use

A hand holding a hashtag cut out

Before you post your videos, you need to be ready with a good hashtag strategy. Using this will not only make your content visible but also help you identify competitors. That is why you need to utilize the “Discover” page on TikTok and see which hashtags are trending and popular. By doing this, you can have a clearer view of which tags will fit your content.

Step 3: Use Your Scripting and Editing Skills on Your Content

Treat each of your TikTok videos as a project. This means you should go all out on strategic planning to ensure that they all perform well once they are live. When doing so, keep in mind that scripting will be part of it. This method allows you to break down every scene, which involves describing how a frame should look and listing down the actions of talent. 

After capturing footage, elevate the quality of your videos through editing and adding effects. These can make your content snappy and pleasing to the eye, which is necessary when it comes to retaining the attention of TikTok audiences.

Step 4: Have a Posting Schedule Ready

The last step of our guide on how to create a TikTok strategy is posting during peak hours. This is the period when most of your followers are active and scrolling through the app. One way to accurately know this is by using your TikTok analytics. The data you will receive will give you an idea of which hours of the day are the best time to post videos.

Three digital marketers creating a TikTok strategy

What You Need to Know About Advertising on TikTok

If there is a surefire way to instantly amplify your presence in the digital world, it’s through TikTok advertising. Taking this opportunity allows you to reach a wider audience and target certain niches that align with your brand. Moreover, one of the reasons why businesses use TikTok ads is that it allows them to create affordable campaigns.

With the benefits that TikTok ads offer, it is a no-brainer to use it for your business. However, hold your horses first since this advertising tool is not like others! Here are some things you need to know about TikTok advertising:

There are 5 Types of TikTok Ads

As briefly mentioned earlier, there are 5 types of TikTok ads. These are known as the following:

  • In-Feed;
  • Brand Takeover;
  • TopView;
  • Branded Hashtag Challenge; and
  • Branded Effects. 

Each of them is meant to increase your engagement and sales, but they all have different executions. What is interesting about these TikTok ads is that they not only become organic content in a user’s “For You” page but also create a whole different world that walks a potential customer through your brand. 

All About TikTok’s Safe Zone

Creating a TikTok ad is meticulous due to its Safe Zone policies. If not followed, all your hard work will be in vain because some elements of your videos will be awkwardly cut or blocked once uploaded! 

Fortunately, there are TikTok templates available online that can help you fit all your video content in one frame. Using this will make your videos appear exactly how you envisioned them once they are published. 

A Foolproof Plan for Creating Campaigns

If you are having second thoughts about creating a TikTok campaign, fear not because TikTok advertising guides are here to help you! The best part is that the app itself provides you with a knowledge center that teaches you everything you need to know about advertising. This includes choosing the right objective, tips on budgeting, and more.

3 TikTok Tools to Support Your Marketing Efforts

Maximize your marketing efforts in TikTok by using effective tools! Below are a couple of suggestions you may find helpful:

Iconosquare

Tracking the performance of your content is important, so you’ll know what to change and how you can improve. With Iconosquare, you’ll be able to tell what kind of content captures your audience and it shows you how your videos fare online. On top of that, this marketing tool presents data regarding views, likes, comments, and post history.

Loomly

Loomly has recently introduced its integration with TikTok. This feature allows you to schedule your posts on the app. Plus, you can also use it to seamlessly create, preview, approve, and share planned content directly to your TikTok account.

Editing Apps

Aside from the technical aspect of your campaigns, you also need to ensure that the quality of your videos is great. To do that, invest in good video editing apps like VSCO, Adobe Premiere Rush, and Zoomerang. These are all available to download on your phone and give you lots of special effects that can take your content to another level!

The TikTok logo against a white background

Become the Talk of TikTok

Marketing and advertising on this platform can be a daunting task—but you don’t have to figure out how to create a TikTok strategy all on your own. The experts from The Influence Agency are here to help you make a winning game plan. With our TikTok services, you can boost brand awareness and generate leads that turn into successful sales. 

Contact us today to get started.

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Leira Lacuata

Leira Lacuata is a Content Writer at The Influence Agency with a penchant for creating mood-specific music playlists, discovering song samples and collecting vinyl records. You'll find her lifting heavy weights at a gym while rapping Tyler the Creator and Kendrick Lamar's songs word for word in her free time.
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