TikTok reminds me of what the internet used to be. Authentic non-edited content. YouTube is increasingly professionalised—every trending video seems to be shot in a professional studio by an actual crew, and all of it is a half-hour long. TikTok, meanwhile, is mostly individual people shooting things on their phones. It’s REAL!

This exact characteristic, along with a potential audience of millions, just might make it the perfect place for your business to reach your audience. AND you don’t have to dance like an idiot to do it!

TikTok was launched in 2016 as a video platform where people could share and edit videos

Here are some tips on what we tell our clients who are considering TikTok:

Being authentic CAN’T be outsourced… So don’t attempt to save time and become Tiktok famous at the same time, it won’t happen. TikTok is about real people and that’s why you need to show one thing in your videos to make it work – YOU.

“Don’t make ads,” she told me. “Make TikToks.”

Have a specific goal in mind before you start making videos, then think of ways to work toward that goal. You’re going to have to put in a lot of time. Make sure it’s worth it.

Find quick facts
People like learning things—if it doesn’t take too long.

Get straight to the point – quickly
You have a very short amount of time to grab attention and keep it. You need to grab attention in the first two seconds. Cut out the frills and make your videos straight to the point.

Put trending sounds in the background
The algorithm is more likely to surface your video if it includes a sound that’s currently spreading on the platform.

You might not think about TikTok in the context of your business, but lots of organisations are making it work. Find a way to be entertaining, engaging, and useful—and you might find an audience. Just remember to be authentically you.

Here are some ideas for TikTok:

Introduce Yourself:
Workspace Tour
Day in the Life
Success Story
Meet The Team
About Your Business
Meet Your Pets
Community Service/charity
Your Why

About your business:
Packaging Orders
Organising
Product – how to
Start to finish time-lapse
Your Inspiration
The original idea
Best sellers
Most requested service
The finer details
Announce a sale
Collaborations

For fun:
Lifehacks
Cross promote other channels
Something satisfying
Shout out to other small businesses
Reasons to shop small/local
Say Thank You
Jump on a trending hashtag or challenge

Remember to tag us into your post @idomarketinguk and use the hashtag #idmcalendar2021