The world is different. If that seems an epic understatement, you could be forgiven. You could also be forgiven if you never wanted to hear the words ”unprecedented,”, “extraordinary,” or “previously unheard of” again.
Nonetheless, with the recent rise in the use of TikTok, home to Gen-Z America, by very grown-up businesses, any of the above-used terms could be apropos. To decipher the ins and outs of this unique platform, Social Media Breakfast Houston hosted J Franco who has translated her previous social media success into TikTok glory.
Our founder, Kami Huyse, hit the obvious question first.
Do we have to dance?
Anyone who has spent more than five minutes on TikTok has seen that the platform has not moved far from its Musicly origins. Lip syncs and dancing abound. However, J Franco insists that dancing is not necessary. Rather businesses can focus on utilizing the time in each video to provide tips in digestible bits.
Still, doubting that TikTok is the right fit for your business? J Franco understands. Just a few months ago, she thought it was a silly diversion for teenagers. Then something changed in February. Yes. That change.
When Covid caused our world to change and our doors to close, a lot of us started watching on-line entertainment. And a lot of us evidently found our way to TikTok. So yes, TikTok blew up and yes, you should join and now.
But isn’t TikTok getting closed down?
- Possibly in India, yes, due to political reasons
- Here in the US, not likely as it has offices here and we have much stronger laws protecting private business and free speech
- Yes, there was an outage but the hive mind suggests its related to upgrades, not government interference
And there are laws protecting our information from being shared with the Chinese government.
Can I just reuse my FB & IG video, for TikTok?
No. TikTok videos must be entertaining. There is a feel to these videos. Watch videos for a time. Chipotle has a great feed. It is fun and on-brand.
Serious organizations can still utilize TikTok. It can be a source for breaking news. Washington Post has struck a good balance of developing a strong following while still considered a credible source.
Expert Tips:
- Add links into bio, as call-to-action links cannot be included
- Send your TikTok videos to Instagram
- There are built-in editing tool filters – it will probably take you about 5-10 minutes to edit each. Then let it live in drafts until publish time.
- Consistency is key.
- Twice a day is ideal:
- Before 5:00 am est
- After 6:00 pm est
- Posts can’t be scheduled in advance, so utilize drafts to build up evergreen content for consistency
- Videos don’t have to be one minute, start with 10-17 seconds. TikTok algorithms really like the shorter videos.
New Features for Business Accounts
First off, don’t hesitate to set up an account. You can always make your account a business afterward. When you do make it into a business account, you will choose between creator and business.
Creator Marketplace gives you terrific insight into accounts you may wish to work with, whereas a Business account will give you insights into your own reach.
Cost of Advertising
Right now the cost of ads is prohibitive for most small organizations but according to J Franco that should not dissuade its use. Rather, a video has the potential of going viral providing immense free marketing.
To wrap up, J Franco doesn’t see TikTok going away soon and its potential is too good for us to miss. And we might just have some fun along the way.
You can check out the entire discussion here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=319101279486606