It's very easy to go viral on TikTok or grow your account quickly. That's one of the main reasons why the platform is so popular with creators and, increasingly, with marketers.
But don't forget that you're not on TikTok just for views and likes. You're targeting leads and sales, which means you need a content strategy that generates leads. So here's a comprehensive guide to growing your audience and implementing a strategy that converts.
Direct Search vs. the Algorithm
In this type of TikTok content strategy, you focus on research to target your ideal customer.
It's important to understand that most people still discover content through the "For You" page: most TikTok users don't find videos through direct search.
However, users who are actively searching for content are very likely to become customers. That’s why it’s worth focusing on search. You prioritize quality over quantity.
That doesn't mean we completely ignore the "For You" page.
TikTok's algorithm is extremely smart. If someone watches and likes one of your videos, the algorithm will show them more content from your account.
So, if you implement an effective content strategy, you may find that the algorithm directs people to your content funnel even if they haven’t used the search bar. It will detect their interest in your most viral posts and gradually show them more of your TikTok videos, moving them from consideration to conversion.
Getting to Know Your Audience
The first step in any content strategy is to understand your audience.
Start by thinking about the buyer persona of your ideal customer or target audience. (You may have more than one!) Ask yourself the following questions:
- What do they want?
- What do they need?
- What are they interested in?
- Who else do they follow?
- Which of your products or services are specifically relevant to them?
Next, you'll need to research the competition. It's time to use TikTok's search feature yourself.
Type relevant keywords into the search bar, such as your product category or industry.
Next, watch these videos and take notes. What formats do they use? What kind of language or keywords do people use? What are the most popular topics?
You can also check out the comments on popular videos to get ideas. Look for topics that really resonated with the audience or that people asked for more information about.
This research phase will give you ideas for creating content. Next, it’s time to dig deeper and think about the different types of content for the awareness, consideration, and conversion stages of your TikTok marketing funnel.
@chezmaxi A bargain trip. #tiktokquebec #tiktokqc #quebec #qc #fr #foryou #humor
Create viral content to raise awareness among your target audience
During the awareness phase, you want to create content that reaches as many people as possible by targeting a broader audience. It should be short, entertaining, and informative. For example, videos that showcase quick tips or useful tools, or that explain trending topics in your niche, are often popular.
You can also experiment with different TikTok trends and video formats to connect with people. For example, a popular format right now is the “mock conversation,” where you pretend to be two different people and then edit the two videos together to make it look like you’re having a conversation. You can use this trend to draw attention to your content while it’s still popular.
Keep in mind that this content will make up about 70% of your posts. You’ll be creating a lot of it. So, in addition to finding formats that are popular on the platform, be sure to choose something that stands the test of time. The “mock conversation” format is fun, but it takes a lot of time to edit and isn’t necessarily a good fit for busy small business owners. You know best which formats work for you and are feasible for you to produce.
@earthrated The VMAs red carpet looks are nothing compared to the Earth Rated fashionistas #vmas #partywithvmas
Videos to Help Your Target Audience Take You Seriously
Even though this accounts for only 20% of your content, you’ll need to spend more time researching and creating this portion, since it forms the core of your audience.
Here's how to find content that will help you grow your audience:
- Make a list of four or five categories in which you have products, services, or expertise to offer;
- In each category, find 5 to 10 points that you could present in a 30-second video;
- Create videos based on each information point in each category. See which topics are most popular with your audience, and then focus on those.
For example, if you're a personal trainer, you could use the following categories: flexibility, weight loss, home workouts, and running tips. You'd then have 5 to 10 video ideas to try out for each of these categories.
You can also use your keyword research and comments to choose potential topics. If you answer a specific question or use a particular keyword in your video, be sure to include it in the video description so that more people can find your content more easily.
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Content to Implement for Conversion
Finally, there's the remaining 10% of your video content: encouraging people to convert.
Start by figuring out exactly what you want people to do. Do you want them to sign up for emails, schedule a sales call, download a freebie, or make a purchase?
In any case, you'll need a very clear message that can fit into a 15- or 30-second video. Tell people what's being offered, why they need it, and how to get it as simply as possible.
On TikTok, you mainly drive conversions by directing people to the link in your bio. So you’ll need to optimize your bio, as well as your videos. You have 80 characters and only one link to use, so choose wisely. You can always use a link-expansion service like Linktree if it’s really necessary.
Can content be repurposed?
Creating a short-form video content strategy from scratch can seem like a daunting task.
Don't panic! You can reuse content from time to time.
Since TikTok displays content through the “For You” page, you can repost videos multiple times. You’ll need to leave some time between reposts (a month, for example), but this won’t harm your standing with the algorithm.
It's also a good idea to change a few small details, even if the video itself is the same. Try using a different thumbnail, description, hashtags, or audio when you repost your videos.
In fact, once you've built up a library of content and know what works, you can regularly repost content to streamline your strategy. There's no harm in being a little lazy, as long as your content remains interesting and useful to new viewers.
How Can You Use TikTok Statistics in Your Content Strategy?
Compared to other social media platforms, TikTok doesn't yet offer very detailed analytics. But there are a few key metrics that will help you refine your content strategy.
For example, the video completion rate is the most important metric. This percentage tells you how often people watched your video all the way through—or even if they watched it multiple times. It’s a key signal to TikTok’s algorithm regarding the value of your content.
The audience retention graph is a new feature on TikTok, although you may already be familiar with it from YouTube. It shows you if and when people stop watching your videos. Keep an eye on the length of your videos and look for patterns in audience retention. For example, if you’re making 30-second videos but people stop watching halfway through, switch to 15-second clips.
The "likes-to-views" ratio is another key metric for the TikTok algorithm. If you can maintain a ratio of at least 10% (1 like for every 10 views), your audience on the platform will continue to grow.
You can use all of this data to continue improving your content strategy. Focus on the topics and formats that generate the most engagement to get the most out of your efforts.
With a clear content strategy and a solid understanding of your audience, you’ll generate more leads and sales through TikTok than ever before. In fact, we’d be happy to discuss this strategy with you anytime 🙂—just fill out the form below:
