If you’re a business owner, you are probably aware of the power that TikTok content has on a brand’s reputation and visibility. Every human on this planet can tell you how famous TT can make you – but how to make the TikTok algorithm work for you and connect you with your target audience? Luckily, there are tips that can be used to get your content on countless For You pages – keep reading to find out what they are.
To “hack” the TikTok algorithm, you will need to get familiar with the factors that affect it and ensure you follow all the proven tips for increasing engagement. This starts with switching to a pro account and learning when to post. Optimize your videos (in terms of duration and quality), utilize the first few seconds as best as you can, and ensure they have adequate captions (with hashtags and keywords). Use trendy sounds and effects, but stay true to your brand, and don’t overlook the importance of creativity.
Social Media Related Content – Does It Affect Your Brand’s Digital Advertising Strategy?
In the world of digital advertising, marketing trends can change quickly. If you’re serious about expanding your business and attracting new clients, staying on top of the game is a must. Preferably, curating a digital advertising strategy should be done with a professional social media management agency – and every single one out there will tell you that video content on social media is necessary for any reputable brand. So, it sounds like you should get on TikTok, and you should do it yesterday. Let’s see how you can find your way around the TT world.
How to Make the TikTok Algorithm Work for You? Learn the Tips for Expanding Your Audience
Before you can become a pro at making viral TikToks, you need to understand the logistics that are behind the algorithm – this will help you learn how to work it and land your content on the For You page of just the right users.
TT uses a recommendation system that ensures a highly personalized experience for all the users – the For You page is curated to suit the user’s exact taste and help them find the content they’ll see as fun and interesting. As the user’s interests change, the system picks up subtle hints and adjusts the recommendations on the For You page.
The Factors That TikTok Algorithm Takes Into Account
So, how does the TT algorithm work exactly? We don’t need to speculate because TT itself has explained its famous recommendation system. There are three main categories of information that have an effect on what videos are ranked better and subsequently go viral.
User Interactions
Interaction is essentially any action that users take while in the app. Whether it’s a like, comment, share, or follow, everything you do sends the signal about the kind of content you wish to see, and the recommendation system takes all of it into consideration. The watch time for a video and video completion are also crucial. Negative interactions such as reporting or marking as not interested play a role as well.
Video Information
When you post something on this platform, you put a lot of info in your video – captions, hashtags, keywords, text overlays, sounds, and effects are all the things that TT can use to understand what your content is all about and to whom it would be best suited. The more info you provide, the easier it will be for the recommendation system to figure out how to rank your videos.
Device and Account Settings
TT pays attention to the type of device you use and info about the account the user provides when signing up (language preference and country settings). However, these factors aren’t as important as the previous two categories since users don’t actively state them as their preferences all the time – this means that things like completion rate or a share hold more value.
Let’s Start With Basics – Focus on Your Brand’s Niche
Every reliable, reputable creator has their niche or subculture if you will. Posting consistent types of content is of huge importance – if you post videos on a few random topics on this platform, rest assured that TT won’t take you seriously. Luckily, for a brand, this won’t be a problem – you just need to focus on your product or service and center the content around that. Apart from that, if you’re a small business, you can work that into your strategy as well – the #SmallBusiness hashtag has more than 88.8 billion views on TT!
Switch to a Pro Account
Although getting a business account won’t get you more views, it’s an important step to creating content that will get enough engagement. That’s because it will allow you access to the insights you need. Keeping an eye on your analytics ensures you reach your target audience and helps you plan your content better. If you’re a sucker for math, though, consider hiring a social media marketing agency to handle that for you!
Post When Your Audience Is Most Active
Analytics will also be useful for deciding when you should post the videos – you have to pick the perfect time for that if you wish to get adequate engagement. Why is the time when you post important? The answer is simple – TT considers the level of engagement in the first few minutes after posting and factors that in when deciding which videos will be rated well and go viral. If there’s nothing going on in the minutes after you post, the chances are nothing will happen later as well. Check out this TikTok for some advice about when to post.
Capture the Viewer’s Attention in the First Few Seconds – Get Them Engaged in Your Content
Primarily, TikToks are supposed to be fun – if a user gets bored, they will simply keep scrolling, and your engagement will definitely not be great. This gets us to the value of those first few seconds. If you don’t grab people’s attention, you’ve lost them – they will be on their way to finding more engaging content from your competitor brands.
So, keep in mind that TT isn’t the platform for long, tedious intros. Incorporate something interesting in the beginning and ensure that the user has no choice but to keep watching to satisfy their curiosity.
Keep Your TikToks Short – Video Completion Rate Is an Important Factor
Sure, TikToks can be as long as three minutes – that doesn’t mean yours should. In fact, when it comes to this platform, shorter content usually ranks better. Humans’ attention span plays a huge role in this – who has the patience to watch long TikToks, right? Well, most of us don’t – so their completion rate won’t be as high as for shorter content. And as we’ve mentioned before, video completion is one of the crucial factors for the recommendation system.
Pay Attention to Your Captions
Captions on TT can be as long as 2,200 characters. Even though using all of them isn’t necessary, you also shouldn’t overlook the caption completely – it’s a valuable spot for providing information about your content that can help TT rank it properly and show it to the right people. Captions are also supposed to get viewers interested in what your TikToks are about, so try to write something creative and relatable – it might just be what makes the viewer decide to give you a chance.
Don’t Overlook the Power of Hashtags and Keywords on This Social Media Platform
There’s been a lot of talk about the benefits of SEO on TT – should you worry about keywords when writing your caption? Absolutely! Try to add as many keywords related to the topic at hand as possible – and try to make it sound natural. If you’re not sure how to handle keyword research, think about hiring an SEO marketing agency, our team at Made Online would be delighted to help you out with this little task. Of course, you shouldn’t forget hashtags – they may sound like an Instagram thing, but they can get you a long way here as well.
Trending Sounds and Effects Can Make a Difference to the Recommendation System
People love it when businesses follow trends – it makes them relatable and helps connect with the audience. When it comes to TT, jumping on a trend or two every now and then is a wise marketing strategy. However, it’s important not to go overboard with that – otherwise, your content won’t seem original. So, it’s a fine line between using popular effects and sounds to add value to your content and making it seem generic – you’ll have to balance it.
Hack the Algorithm – Use the Trending Sounds for Your Videos
If users hear a song that’s been stuck in their heads for days, they will probably keep watching the content. You can help your chances with the recommendation system by using trending sounds and adjusting them to your product and brand’s image.
That means that you won’t be able to work with every single popular new sound out there (and you shouldn’t) – pick wisely. Better yet, hire a social media agency to do that for you – we at Made Online can certainly take care of this kind of marketing. Now, let’s see an example of a brand using a trending sound and fitting it into its image.
Creativity Matters – Add a Dash of Originality to Your Content
When you’re new to the world of TT, you definitely have to explore various TT tips and hacks in order to get a hold of the game and reach your target audience. There’s no denying this, but at the same time, it’s important to stay true to yourself and your brand’s image. You can easily see that the most famous creators on this platform are those who bring something new to the table. Whatever it is that your brand offers, you will have to ensure it stands out in the digital world. Don’t underestimate creativity when deciding on your TT strategy!
If You Need Help Winning the TT Game, Reach Out to Our Advertising Agency
We all know how crucial digital advertising is to any brand. That’s why anyone who’s serious about reaching clients and building a reputation as a trustworthy brand can tell you that hiring an experienced agency is an investment that will pay off more than you can imagine. Made Online can be that agency for you – our team is ready to work with you and ensure you reach your long-term goals. Let’s start today – contact us to get the most out of not just TT but digital advertising in general.