Here are 28 easy to use TikTok Strategies you can start using immediately to grow your account.
TikTok has taken the world by storm and short-form video content has quickly become the algorithm’s new best friend.
Everybody’s hustling to switch up their game, and if you’re new to the playing field, we’ve got everything that you need to know about TikTok – from how to optimise your account and what kind of content is best suited to your brand, to tips and tricks that will keep your account growing!
What Is TikTok?
TikTok is a video streaming and sharing app, formerly known as Musical.ly, that currently has around 1.39 billion users in total.
Allowing people to create and share short-form videos almost immediately and on virtually any topic, the app has skyrocketed in popularity and quickly caught up to the likes of Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
TikTok offers users a wide range of elements to use in their videos – such as sounds, song snippets, special effects and filters – and users also have the option to add videos directly from their phones.
Why Is TikTok So Popular?
There are several reasons behind TikTok’s catapult to success, but let’s start with celebrity partnerships.
Not only have celebrities (i.e. social influencers) been pivotal in driving the app’s popularity (for instance, by encouraging users to participate in viral challenges), but they have also been a crucial part of TikTok’s strategy to expand geographically.
Essentially, the app uses celebrities to create viral content that in turn generates conversation and draws followers in from other social platforms.
It’s the undeniable power of influence, at the end of the day, and it also helps that these celebrities make bank.
TikTok star, Charli D’Amelio, for instance currently tops the list of highest-paid TikTok influencers in 2022 bringing in around $17.5 million per year.
It’s clear that paid partnerships are a great incentive, but TikTok also benefits from household names and social influencers who use the platform.
Let’s take a look at some of the other reasons why TikTok has become so popular.
First off, the app pays particular attention to localised content; meaning that even though TikTok is a global app, local trends are captured through the use of localised hashtags.
The app also runs local challenges for users to participate in whereby the top video creators are rewarded.
Local trending hashtags are used to suggest content creation topics to users, and the app also sends personalised recommendations to ensure that users remain in the loop when it comes to the latest trends.
Remember: TikTok is trend-based and users are more likely to engage with trending content.
Another noteworthy feature is how quick and easy TikTok videos are to create.
The app offers simple content creating and sharing like no other, hence its sudden rise to fame, and this short-form video content also plays immediately upon opening the app (which makes scrolling through a feed of entertaining and hysterical content very difficult to stop).
TikTok has added a digital well-being feature, for this very reason, alerting users who spend over two hours on the app.
What Makes TikTok Unique?
One of TikTok’s best features, especially for brands and digital marketing, is that the app does not support traditional display ads nor does it compete with any other social platforms.
Of course, ad-free viewing is great for users, but how does this benefit brands?
Well, TikTok currently has the highest engagement rate of all other social media platforms – more than 1 billion TikTok videos are viewed daily and its usage per day continues to increase.
With that being said, engagement of this calibre is particularly great for brands because it allows digital marketers to utilise techniques such as TikTok contests and themed challenges to get users to create brand-related content.
Leveraging hashtags is also an effective tactic here, as well as collaborating with TikTok stars to generate and promote brand-specific content in paid partnerships.
Another important feature that makes TikTok unique is that the vast majority of users are teenagers and young adults.
For brands and digital marketers, this is super valuable information because the app allows advertisers to specifically target this highly influential age group.
Younger audiences are oftentimes more interested in trying new products and discovering new places, which is why advertising on TikTok through the use of contests and themed challenges can be so successful (especially when utilising TikTok ad formats and branding features).
TikTok is arguably one of the best branding apps in the world, and TikTok’s paid user acquisition is one of the best investments that a brand can make.
At Arora Online, we can assist you with your TikTok account by crafting your strategy, creating campaigns and content, working with influencers, and managing your TikTok ads.
TikTok is too big to ignore as a marketing channel and we are eager to assist you!
How To Optimise Your Account
Let’s have a look at some useful tips and tricks for optimising your TikTok account.
Remember: when it comes to your TikTok Profile, it’s best to make use of every feature made available to you as this page will essentially act as your business card.
Maximising your reach is the ultimate goal here, and your Profile has everything to do with whether a user decides to follow you from their For You Page.
1. Sign up for a Business Account
If your content is centred around your brand, you can sign up for a brand profile to not only connect with TikTok audiences organically but also gain access to useful insights on your overall performance and engagement, audience data, and an email feature so that followers can contact you directly.
We suggest starting here if you haven’t already done so, or you can simply switch to a Business Account instead.
Pro Tip: Business Accounts and Creator Accounts are free to all TikTok users and you can switch between account types at any time and as often as you wish!
2. Make your username memorable
Your username is basically the name of your account and is displayed right below your profile picture.
If your username is short and memorable, it will not only be easier for users to recall at a later stage (since scrolling through one’s For You Page is oftentimes fast-paced) but it can also reflect your brand and the kind of content you post.
Having a clever or punchy username can also help to earn credit before users have even viewed your Profile (e.g. momothefoodie)
3. Use searchable keywords in your name
This is the field above your profile picture which can be optimised by adding searchable keywords.
We would suggest adding keywords that your ideal audience would likely be searching for (e.g. Dog Trainer).
If your name doesn’t appear in your username or bio, it would then be best to include both your name and the necessary keywords in the name field (e.g. Rebecca – Dog Trainer).
Pro Tip: using searchable keywords in your name or your bio is a great way to increase your reach organically (e.g. Just a Cape Town girl relearning the art of skincare).
4. Use a friendly profile picture
It goes without saying that the more approachable your profile picture is, the more people are likely to engage with your content.
While it doesn’t have to be professional, make sure that your profile picture is well-lit, cropped to your head and chest, and that you are smiling!
The friendlier the better, and bonus points if you can make it applicable to your brand, industry, or content.
For example, if you’re a Dog Trainer, pose with your furry friend.
Pro Tip: a video can also be used as a profile picture, making your profile page eye-catching and that much more appealing to new followers!
5. Have a catchy bio that includes emojis
Create a bio that is both catchy and clear about who you are and what you do.
Your bio needs to be as original as possible to keep users engaged, and it can also include a call-to-action that is relevant and encourages users to check out your content.
Authenticity and relatability are also good ways to make connections; be sure to keep this in mind and your profile will have a higher chance of appealing to new followers.
6. Add a link to your website
If you have a Business Account on TikTok, you can add a link to your website in the website field on your profile page which is highly recommended for increased engagement.
However, if you have a Creator Account, you will need a minimum of 1,000 followers to access the feature – if this is the case, we suggest using a “link in bio” tool to be able to drive traffic to multiple sites or offers from your profile.
Simply set the link up and add it to your bio!
Pro Tip: If you’re not sure where to find one, we recommend EZbiolink.com.
7. Share links to your social media channels
TikTok allows users to add Instagram profile links and YouTube channel links to profile pages.
This is a great way for you to encourage other online communities to check out your TikTok account as well as to build followers or subscribers on your other channels.
Adding these links to your profile also allows users to click directly through to your social media channels where they can get a more rounded view of you as a person or brand.
8. Use thumbnails and titles that are engaging
While most users will find your content in their feed, thumbnails and engaging titles are still super important, especially when scrolling through your content and/or searching for a particular video from your profile page.
The more appealing and informative your thumbnails are, the more likely that content will appeal to TikTok users and encourage them to check it out.
Spend a little bit of time on your thumbnails to ensure that they’re uniform, and remain consistent with the colour and theme you decide to choose for added appeal.
Pro Tip: Make sure that your face is visible in the thumbnail and that the title doesn’t cover your view count in the bottom left-hand corner (e.g. Place text boxes behind the title in all your videos slightly above your face or to the bottom right-hand corner of the thumbnail).
If you take time to optimise your TikTok account, you’re guaranteed to not only better appeal to new followers but also to stand out in your niche. Your ideal audience will therefore be more likely to find and follow you on TikTok and you’ll be regarded as a pro in your industry.
Also read – Data Analytics: What It Is, Why It’s Important, and How We Can Help
9. How To Create Engaging Content
Before we have a look at what kind of content is best suited to your brand and how to go about creating it for your audience, let’s chat about who your audience is and how to leverage your account’s analytics when posting.
TikTok has 689 million monthly active users worldwide – that’s an overwhelming amount of people when you think about it – therefore, you must find or create a community where your content belongs.
10. Identify your target audience
You need to identify your target audience first and foremost because content that works for one group may not necessarily appeal to or resonate with another.
At the end of the day, you want to attract the right followers to your profile so that they will continue to engage with your content.
Remember, you can’t appeal to every group on TikTok, so you’ll need to find your niche and create content that appeals to that audience specifically.
11. Educate your target audience
Once you’ve identified your target audience and established your niche, you will then need to create content that is both entertaining and educational for your audience.
Creating content that is relevant and authentic to your brand will not only improve your engagement but will also allow you to make real connections on TikTok.
Keep an eye on the For You Page to have your finger on the pulse of trends, and use them to share information about your products and services in a way that educates your audience.
Pro Tip: identifying your niche will inform you about what kind of content to create and whether education is a pillar within that niche.
Some examples of niches could be health and fitness, makeup, lifestyle, travel, technology and gaming.
12. Keep your audience engaged
It’s important to remember that while TikTok videos can be 60 seconds long, the average recommended time for videos is only 8 to 15 seconds long.
This is because the attention span of TikTok users is very short so the goal here is to create short, high-quality videos that will capture their attention in the first 8 seconds.
TikTok will also increase your reach if people are watching your videos right until the very end, so be sure to prioritise short and snappy videos in your content strategy and limit the number of times you delete videos (otherwise, the algorithm will assume that you tend to release poor-quality content).
Pro Tip: creating how-to videos is a great way to boost engagement as well as educate your target audience about your brand, products and services (e.g. How to edit photos on an iPhone).
13. Connect with your audience
While it’s super important to keep your audience engaged, it’s just as important to have a back-and-forth conversation with your viewers.
We suggest that you always respond to comments and messages on TikTok, especially if your account is still small, and that you also find time to truly connect with your audience by live streaming.
TikTok Live is available to those who have a minimum of 1,000 followers.
This is a great way for you to show face and stay relevant as followers are notified when you go live, and it enables you to build closer connections with your viewers.
You can also give them a sneak peek of your brand or work behind the scenes and build anticipation for upcoming projects.
Pro Tip: create a TikTok video and post it to your account before you go live!
The notification and visibility of your live stream can help to boost views on your latest video.
14. Post at the optimal times
When it comes to posting on TikTok, the best way to start would be to have a look at your analytics and pinpoint the best posting times.
Posting your videos at the right times (when your audience is most likely to be online) is a great way to ensure that they actually see your content.
This might take some trial and error, though, as there won’t be one specific ‘right time’ – timezones are a real thing, so you’ll need to first figure out where the majority of your followers are located.
Your analytics should be a great help here, and so should a post-scheduling tool to automate the process.
Pro Tip: posting more frequently (at least 4 times a day) increases your chances of reaching many different types of audiences, which will help you grow your following quicker!
For example, posting twice before midday and twice before evening with 2hour intervals between each post.
15. Create original content
Once you’ve figured out who your audience is and how to leverage your account’s analytics when posting, it’s time to create content that is both trendy and unique to your brand.
This is a tricky one to get right, especially when trying to keep up with TikTok trends, but the main thing to remember is that your content quality ought to remain authentic if you are aiming to grow your following and establish authority.
Try to be as original as possible in the way that you create your content and put effort into the videos that you post.
16. Duet and stitch viral videos
Duets allow you to create content that rides on the back of viral videos, and TikTok’s stitch feature is also a super effective way to increase your engagement.
We recommend creating videos that are stitchable because you’re not only creating new content but you’re also engaging with other creators.
For example, try starting your TikTok video with something like, “Tell me you’re a small business owner without telling me you’re a small business owner.
I’ll go first.” Other creators can then take a small piece of your video and add it to their own.
This will mean that their followers will be exposed to your content as well as your username (which will be clickable).
This is a super effective way to get your name out there.
Pro Tip: add the words “Stitch This!” to your caption to get the ball rolling!
17. Use popular songs
Unlike other social media platforms, music plays a very important role in TikTok content.
Video content needs sound in order to keep viewers engaged and the choice of sound or melody often plays a significant role in understanding the video as a whole.
A great way to do this is to use songs in your videos that viewers know and love, such as popular or trending songs.
The more popular the melody or sound clip, the higher your chances are of having TikTok feature your video (which could also lead to an influx in traffic).
Pro Tip: keep an ear out for trendy songs! Our suggestion is to hop onto them before they go completely viral.
This will keep your content fresh and relevant.
18. Use popular hashtags
Knowing your audience is super important when it comes to selecting the best hashtags for your TikTok video and making your content easier for people to find.
Using hashtags that are trending will better your chances of being featured on the For You Page page, as well as on the hashtag page itself, and is great for growing your audience.
TikTok will offer you hashtag suggestions as you begin to type them, but you can also use a hashtag generation tool if you’re unsure of where to start.
Pro Tip: use growing or niche hashtags that have around 300,000 and 1 million views.
This will ensure that your content doesn’t get lost among hashtags that have billions of views!
19. Participate in TikTok trends
TikTok trends are a great way to not only set your content apart from that of other creators but also to highlight the very essence of your brand.
Participating in these trends – whether songs, hashtags or challenges – will also allow you to be seen with other content creators on For You Pages, increasing your chances of boosting engagement and going viral.
Taking part in trends that are relevant to your target audience and on-brand is important.
Think about this before you join the masses; otherwise, you could lose touch with your audience.
You can dramatically increase your followers by jumping on trends as they arise, so try to stay ahead of the curve and keep your finger on the pulse.
20. Create your own trend or challenge
If you don’t feel that any of the current TikTok trends or challenges suit your niche, then try to come up with your own!
Create a challenge that directly relates to what your brand seeks to communicate with its audience; this is a great way to increase your social proof and to be seen as someone on TikTok with credibility.
Do this by researching successful past challenges, creating a share-worthy and memorable hashtag of your own that’s associated with your brand, picking a great song for your video, and making the rules clear.
Promote your challenge on all your social media channels and encourage people to participate in your trend!
The aim here is to have a big creator pick it up, and soon you could have millions of people tagging you online.
Pro Tip: TikTok rewards creators who share their TikTok content on other platforms such as Instagram or YouTube!
Also read – Influencer Marketing – Everything You Need To Know In 2022
How To Grow Your Account
When it comes to your content’s sustainability on TikTok, keeping up with what’s trending is crucial.
Why?
Because TikTok users are more likely to engage with content that is trending.
With this in mind, creating connections with your viewers and with other content creators is crucial to the growth of your account.
Once you’ve built a community on TikTok, they will help to improve your social proof and your account will have a better chance of flourishing.
21. Maintain consistency
One of the most important aspects of your TikTok growth is consistency.
Being consistent with your content will pay off in the long haul, even if your account is still small and it feels like you aren’t making much progress.
Trust – your efforts will keep people interested, especially if you post consistently and at optimal times.
Try to upload as often as you can every day, and make sure that your content is relevant and on-brand.
Keeping up with what’s trending is a great help here, especially when it comes to creating content that you know for sure your audience will enjoy instead of what you think they might like.
22. Leverage Instagram and Youtube
Bear in mind that social consumers are influenced by what their social network peers think about brands, products and services.
This is what we mean when we say that your “social proof” needs to be increased; essentially, your TikTok content strategy needs to include the help of other social networks as well because marketing on TikTok cannot be your only channel.
Use your online presence to cross-promote your TikTok videos!
Instagram and YouTube are two of the best places to put your TikTok content if you want your account to grow.
Instagram because it’s so similar to TikTok – your videos can be uploaded as Reels – and YouTube because it’s another video streaming platform.
Share or repurpose your content wherever you can to increase the number of traffic channels; wherever your audience spends their time online, that’s where your content should be.
Pro Tip: remove the TikTok watermark to make your content look native to whichever platform you decide to share it on (e.g. Repurpose Tik Tok mini daily vlogs into a monthly dump reel for Instagram).
23. Follow popular TikTok creators
This is a super useful tip for two reasons.
First, following popular TikTok accounts or creators is the perfect way to keep up with the latest trends and challenges (they are trendsetters, after all).
And second, engaging with their content is also going to get you noticed.
Put yourself out there and join in on their fun, whether it be in the comment section or by dueting and/or stitching their videos.
Make your niche clear and try getting in touch with them directly via their socials – you can even ask them for support (without being spammy). Though it may take some time, consistency is key, especially to get you noticed by bigger accounts!
24. Connect with other creators
While there are several celebrities on TikTok, there are also quite a few self-made influencers on the app who don’t have an existing claim to fame.
These are the creators who can inspire you, and they’ll also help you to keep up with the trendsetters. Networking with other creators is a great opportunity for you to grow your account.
Creating bonds with and supporting other creators, both big and small, can have a huge impact on the support that your account receives in return.
Pro Tip: because TikTok consists of communities that regularly engage with content that they like, it’s important to remember that the more you engage and interact with other creators and their content, the better your chances are of growing.
25. Participate in viral challenges
Content creation can be daunting, and although the key is to be as original as possible, there are ways that you can leverage viral content on TikTok while remaining authentic and on-brand.
Keep an eye out for challenges that are quickly gaining popularity and make them your own by adding flair to the challenge.
For example, change the ending of a viral challenge to make it your own and take them by surprise!
Videos that feature viral trends have a higher chance of gaining attention, and people love to see others’ reactions to viral videos as well, so saddle up and get involved!
Pro Tip: whenever TikTok offers a brand-new feature or filter, be sure to use it!
When you make use of new features, TikTok will increase the reach of your content even further.
26. Come up with good CTAs
Your audience might enjoy watching the content that you post on TikTok, but are they following your account for more?
Try placing a CTA (call to action) at the end of your videos to encourage new viewers to follow for more.
For example, “Click follow if you want to see more content like this” or “Let me know what you think in the comment section below.”
This will help you to stay connected with your audience but also engaged, showing them that you’re interested in their opinion and that you want them to be involved.
Simplicity is oftentimes most effective, but you can also try coming up with unique and catchy CTAs, too.
27. Use user-generated content
If you’re not able to create videos to post on TikTok more than once a day as recommended, reposting UGC (user-generated content) is a great strategy to adopt.
All you have to do is repost content that suits your niche and that your audience will enjoy.
Not only can this strategy help to fill up your TikTok feed without having to create your own content, but it’s also an effective way to increase your brand’s social proof along with your account’s engagement and followers.
UGC content contains the original creator’s username when you repost it to your page, so there’s also no need to stress about copyright issues, and it’s a nice way to support smaller content creators.
Pro Tip: to generate a large amount of UGC for your page and niche specifically, you can start your own challenge or create a new hashtag trend!
28. Use a growth service
If you simply don’t have the time to create content or to come up with strategies to grow your own TikTok account, you can always outsource your content and engagement strategy.
TikTok marketing and growth services are an ever-increasing industry and there are multiple digital agencies to choose from that specialise in TikTok growth strategies.
With this, several online tools can help you to either target potential followers or simply buy new followers; however, at the end of the day, it’s your content strategy that truly matters if you want your account to be sustainable and continue to grow.
Pro Tip: use modern digital services and strategies to glow up your growth and delight your audience and be sure to pick an agency that has a good reputation and only deals with real, active users, like Arora Online!
At Arora Online, we know what it takes to ensure that your TikTok account will flourish.
If you’re looking to get traction on TikTok, we can assist you by crafting your strategy, creating campaigns and quality content, working with influencers, and managing your TikTok ads.
Have a look at some of the campaigns that we’ve worked on before:
Top 8 influencer marketing agencies in South Africa 2022
By providing you with a competitor analysis and channel audit, we can then optimise your TikTok account for you and help to determine what to post and why that content would be the best option for your brand.
Conclusion
TikTok’s growth so far is unrivalled by any other app and it shows no signs of slowing down, so if you’re keen on getting more followers, the time is now!
All of the tips listed in this blog post are important to increasing your following and engagement, but the best place to start would be
a) pinpointing what kind of content your target audience is interested in on TikTok,
b) determining when the majority of your audience is online, and
c) creating high-quality content with a CTA to then publish during optimal times.
Once you have the basics sorted, you can then look at other ways to grow your TikTok account and build a vibrant community.
Don’t shy away from engaging with your target audience and other creators, and try your best to be as creative and on-brand with your TikTok content.
Over time, this strategy will enable you to build influence on TikTok that will help to meet your marketing goals.
