We can not deny the fact that TikTok has grown into a fully-fledged marketing machine: with over 1.5 billion users and an audience demographic that has evolved from a renegade-armed Gen Z overload to a more diverse and all-encompassing one that speaks to a wide array of content and communities, it is inevitable media-savvy businesses and creators alike capitalise on the platform’s opportunities. Luckily, there are some easy tricks that help you make the best of your TikTok toil and effectively grow your reach, which we are more than happy to share.
Hashtag hazard. Hashtags are a must when it comes to TikTok marketing, which is why it is smart to get your hands on a solid hashtag strategy when you are trying to get noticed on TikTok. Whether trending or less so, hashtags allow you to boost your reach and visibility beyond your following, can give you heaps of inspiration for your own content and can guide you in identifying potential competitors and collaborators all at once.
Harnessing the power of the TikTok-tag. You can’t go wrong with tags like #foryou, #fyp, #viral and #trending. Just keep in mind that three to four hashtags are recommended, and the fact that TikTok allows you to add only up to 100 characters to your caption.
It is harder to avoid a bulk of hashtags being in the actual caption of the video by adding them to the comment section of your video: hashtags in the comments are, unlike Instagram, not clickable and will thus be a fair bit less effective.
On the ‘Discover’ page you can find the biggest hits on TikTok of the moment, both music and tag wise. Keep an eye on this page and hop on hot trends promptly.
A trendy yet niche cocktail. A good rule of thumb is to make sure your tags hit all the right notes by shaking it up and combining the visibility guarantee of popular and trending hashtags with more specific and community-based ones. That way you actually have a good chance of climbing the ranks within your own niche, as you are targeting a nice blend of broad and specific audiences which are more likely to relevantly and meaningfully engage with your content.
Don’t go full copycat, but… Do make sure to peep both your competitors and target audience their hashtag habits. By tapping into pre-existing communities you are trying to engage with and wedging yourself in the conversation, you learn more about what works and at the same time what actually does not work so well with your audience.
Creating a community. More fun and rewarding, is to lock down your reach and build a loyal community of your own by creating a personalised or branded tag. A recognisable, easy-to-use and self-explanatory tag is an accessible and inclusive way to let your audience find you and additionally allows them to join your club of branded coolness by using the tag themselves.
