What many thought to be a lip-syncing app for Gen Z and Millennials to indulge in has become a marketing asset. The platform has worked quite hard to ensure that they become every business’ choice for brand building, promotion, and customer acquisition. 

Even though it is an app that dates back to 2014, TikTok rebranded itself from Music.ly in 2017. And the rebranding was a hit. The pandemic and the explosion of digital marketing techniques around that time became a major reason for the platform’s popularity. 

But for traditional brands and small businesses, TikTok still feels like a challenge, and it can be hard to understand what to create here. 

Well, if you are looking to work on your TikTok strategy  – or to start one – we have got you covered. 

This blog by the Kimp team covers the value of TikTok marketing and all the design tips you need to master the platform. 

So with no further ado, let’s dive in. 

Why do you need a TikTok Strategy in 2022? 

What is your first impression when you open TikTok and scroll down? The popular opinion is that it is very casual and does not stress on manicured feeds as Instagram reels do. Even though there are many short-form video platforms now, TikTok is credited with making this type of content popular. It all started here, and the platform still stands out from all the new kids on the block. Or the copycats for that matter.

That is precisely why you need to invest in a TikTok strategy so that your content caters to the audience’s needs on this platform. 

But can TikTok really prove helpful for your business? Isn’t it all about dancing challenges and weird filters? No, it is honestly a platform that once a brand tries, they will never go back. 

So what is so special about it?

Large user base 

TikTok is the fastest platform to reach a billion monthly active users, when compared to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. It is currently the third-largest social media platform just behind Facebook and Instagram. And this is remarkable since the platform has only been around 6 years in comparison to the other app’s decade-long presence. 

And the TikTok user base is quite active as well. The content here gets a billion views per day spread across 155 countries. This platform can single-handedly boost your video marketing campaigns. 

The best part is you get a diverse audience with this platform. From China, the USA, Australia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE – you can expose your brand to any demographic that you want to. 

Low competition 

Usually, numbers like these are a double-edged sword. It is great that the social media platform is getting so many views, but that means the bigger brands are already leveraging it. However, the case of TikTok is quite different. The platform is still very creator-based, and many brands are yet to make an impact here. 

In fact, less than 50% of major brands have a presence on TikTok. Since the platform is very different from anything they have seen till now, adaptation is taking some time. But hey, pivoting is hard for them, but for a small business, it is not. And that is your advantage. 

So no matter your niche and industry, you can make an impact on this app with a TikTok strategy.

Popular with Gen Z

Unless you are a small business with a 20-year old social media marketer, you will agree that attracting and connecting with Gen Z is a hard task. They are a unique demographic, and their tastes are quite different. They do not believe in traditional marketing models and you need a secret sauce to get their attention. 

But your odds dramatically increase when you start a TikTok account. 29% of US teens or Gen Z agree that they prefer TikTok over Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. They also make up 47.4 % of the platform’s user base which is a huge number. 

High engagement rates 

Engagement rates are a concern on legacy social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, especially with the looming threat of third-party cookies disappearing. But the engagement rates on TikTok have always been quite spectacular. Even before the pandemic had set in, viewership rose from 442 minutes in October 2019 to 858 minutes by March 2020. 

This is huge and much more than the industry standard for any other app. 

Heavy scope for branded content 

You may be thinking that while the numbers are quite engaging, people may not welcome branded content on this platform. Are they looking for content from businesses? Turns out, yes they are. Consumers on TikTok are highly interested in tutorials, how-to guides, storytelling videos, and entertaining videos from brands. 

Anything that allows them to connect with a business beyond ads is what they are looking for.

7 Design Tips to master your TikTok Strategy in 2022 

TikTok is constantly evolving. New trends, new features, budding creators, superstar influencers – there is so much to know that it can easily overwhelm anyone. But beyond all the statistics and analytics, are the videos at the heart of it all. Get the content right, and the audience and the platform will pretty much take care of boosting your engagement rates. 

The thing to remember is that while TikTok feels like every other social media platform that promotes short-video content, it is still different. It is quite out there, raw, and unpolished. 

Your customers here want to see the real you, so while trending videos are good, original content is quite often the hero for branded campaigns. 

So how can you master TikTok content creation; what are the design tips to watch out for? 

Keep scrolling and you’ll find the answers you are looking for.

1. Create informational content 

Educational TikTok or Edutok is quite popular. Even the most popular videos come from this segment on TikTok quite often. As a brand, educational and informative content always helps. It brings a lot of value to the table, so it is great that this works on TikTok as well. 

As a brand, you can reduce the barrier between you and your consumers by creating content that helps them and indirectly promotes your products too.

Some popular content ideas (paid/organic) for this category are: 

• How-to videos 
• Expert tips 
• Product demos 

In fact, if you get the video right, you can even be part of the biggest trend in the retail industry #TikTokmademebuyit. 

But how do you get it right? 

• Capture the audience’s attention in the first ten seconds itself 
• Start with a problem statement and then show instead of telling how the product solves it as part of the tips
• Craft a storytelling product demo or how-to video to keep the audience engaged
• End with a strong call to action such as “shop here”, “check out our blog” or “check out our YouTube video”, and so on.

Kimp Tip: Edits are very important in TikTok, and so are transitions. That is what separates it from a generic video on your website. So even how-to videos incorporate transitions to bring a little pizzazz to the video. For example, if it is a setup-related video, instead of showing the fluff in between steps, you can use transitions. 

Looking for an editing team to make the transitions work for your video? Try a Kimp Video subscription.

2. Promote your products creatively 

Entertaining content also wins on TikTok, it is the quintessential app for killing boredom worldwide. And if you want to insert your product promotions into a bored consumers’ feed and make them stop scrolling, you can do so here. But you have to be a little foxy about it. 

We know what you are thinking. TikTok’s traditional audience is not there to see your product videos or explainer videos. No, they are not. But they are willing to be entertained, so it all comes down to how you handle the messaging. 

• A product explainer video can be a cinematic video with flashy transitions, cool audio, and video effects. 
• Your typical unboxing video can have a green screen to show the products’ features in detail. 
• The video can have an intro section with doodles or animations instead of the regular opening format. 
• You can release product release trailers and teasers with branded hashtags. 
• Repurpose your testimonials as voiceovers to promote the product. 

A little creativity goes a long way on TikTok and can be the reason why you gain followers and customers faster than ever. 

Kimp Tip: Make your videos accessible to all your audience members by adding closed captions, and text overlays. This way, anyone playing the video on mute can also get the message without a mistake. Also, do not compromise on the quality at any cost. Even if the recording quality is low, work with a design team to handle it in editing and deliver a high-quality experience. 

Need a video design and editing team to support you on this? A Kimp Video subscription is just a click away.

3. Leverage challenges and trends 

TikTok is synonymous with challenges. As a brand looking to increase your audience base on the app, challenges are a great starting point. While original content is important, challenges can help you reach more people.

Moreover, the platform is looking to promote its duet and stitch features, and they work the best in challenges and trending content. And trending challenges can generate a ton of user-generated content for your brand which is always a great feature. 

For this, ensure that the videos you create: 

• are easy to remix and celebrate your brand. A product demo, value add, or a trailer that the experts of your industry can react to are just some examples. 
• use the audio that is currently trending on the platform. 
• work with the branded hashtags you have in place. 

The TikTok Duet and Stitch features are very popular across audiences as well, so use them well and make your brand campaigns go viral. 

Trends are not just a creator-favorite, the numbers they bring in make them a hot favorite with marketers too. “Trends are definitely a must-use for marketing. This is the way to stay in touch with your customers, to say nothing of their effect on sales. It’s difficult for me to say what my favorite trend is… “I’m Just a Kid” was a popular sound about a year ago, and I guess that’s the sweetest and kindest trend ever. We made a few videos for our clients using that sound back then and that was awesome!”, says Tim Duncan, the CEO of Hi Agency. The agency has worked on over 10,000 videos including creating videos for big brands such as Sephora, Huawei, and Yandex.

4. Design your Influencer marketing campaign 

TikTok is the biggest platform for influencer marketing campaigns, quickly gaining ground on other platforms. So of course, your TikTok strategy has to leverage that. In fact, it is one of the most guaranteed ways of increasing your followers. 

But how do you stand out in your influencer marketing campaigns? No matter how niche the influencer is, they may cater to more brands in the same domain.

That is why we recommend coming up with a branded design style for your influencer marketing campaigns as well. 

• Start with a template that the influencer can modify if needed but without too many modifications so that your brand identity shines through. 
• Pick a few colors preferably brand colors that the influencer must feature in their video.
• If possible, create a mockup via storyboarding or animated videos so that they know what you expect.

Chime, an online banking company, is an example of a brand that ran an influencer marketing campaign that was very successful. They created their own original TikTok sound and unique hashtag (#ChimeHasYourBack), partnered with TikTok creators, and were rewarded with billions of views. That’s right we said billions.

5. Leverage In-feed ads and Trueview ads 

Unlike other popular social media platforms, TikTok viewers do not hate ads as they are always in the same format, so there is no real interruption. Plus, good branded content can be informative and entertaining at the same time.

The platform enables brands to promote their content in many ways such as through ads, filters, hashtags, and so on. 

Of these, ads are quite popular and come in two formats: in-feed ads and top view ads. 

In-feed ads are just as you imagine them to be. They are either in the form of images or videos and come in the same feed as other TikTok videos to the audience. So, they can just scroll up without any discomfort in the experience if they don’t like the ad. 

You can also boost your existing content to work as an ad through what the platform calls a spark ad. Carousel ads are also available on the platform if you want to showcase one or more products. 

Top View ads on the other hand occur the first time anyone starts a session on TikTok and users cannot skip these. They play out entirely before the user can start consuming content.

6. Leverage video memes 

We know that TikTok is a popular entertainment platform, so the fact that funny videos rule on it isn’t a shocker. But do they work for branded content? Yes, in fact, 74% of Gen Z and 72% of consumers above the age of 26 agree that they want to see funny videos from brands. 

So there is your cue to explore video memes, funny trending content, and humorous videos that involve your brand and resonate with your audience.

Sometimes, the audio plays a big role in making a video funny. So ensure that the voiceovers you have work well or that you pick a good soundtrack to match the theme of the video. 

And if nothing else comes to mind, try working with an animated video as you see below.

@maccheesebykraft

Some of these maccident stories we hear blow our mind. PLEASE ADD WATER! #kraftmacandcheese #maccident

♬ original sound – kraftmacandcheese

7. Create Branded AR effects 

The biggest feature for brands on TikTok has to be its branded AR effects feature. So they have to be part of your TikTok strategy.

Filters are very popular and have even become gamified content across platforms. They are engaging, immersive, and overall just great for brand awareness. So what if you could create a custom filter for your brand that promotes a product, feature, or event maybe? 

Sounds awesome, right? Well, you would be right in thinking so. 

A branded AR filter can be huge for brand awareness and may easily be your ticket to becoming viral on the platform. So pick the right design that celebrates your brand identity the right way.

Kimp Tip: The AR effect can be a logo design, a product design, or even a green screen-based design that allows a potential customer to try out a product. Work with a design team that understands your needs and can deliver the right design. 

Create compelling TikTok content with Kimp 

Video content is the most effective format in content marketing. And when you have a video-only platform that is tailored to your consumers’ preferences, it is truly the best thing for any marketing campaign. 

But creating videos can be an expensive and laborious process. Most small businesses start by shooting with their smartphone or the minimal equipment that they have so quality suffers. 

With Kimp Video, you can handle all your video editing and design needs at a flat monthly fee with no additional charges. And if you need a graphic design team, try a Kimp Graphics  unlimited graphic design subscription. 

Sign up for a free trial to test out the service. And you’ll be creating more TikTok content in no time!