With TikTok becoming one of the most downloaded apps in the world, marketers across fields are well on their way into exploring the potential of the platform for their brands. With more than 800 million active users of this platform globally, TikTok is certainly the new frontier for marketers to conquer.

This was the focus of a social media session titled ‘TikTok Marketing’ held on the ‘Sharjah Reads’ virtual platform as part of the ongoing Sharjah International Book Fair 2020. Led by content creator and social media expert Reed Khulusi, the session shed light on marketing techniques specially geared for TikTok.

Trend-based
Khulusi revealed that the TikTok audience, consisting primarily of Generation Z users, was very clued in and trend based. So, the content should consider trending news.“It is very easy to get caught on the wrong foot on TikTok,” she said. “The storytelling has to be relevant or be trend-based. Otherwise, it will just leave your audience cold.”

Collaborate with influencers

The expert recommended creator collaboration, using macro or micro influencers.“However, make sure they are aligned with the brand message,” she advised. “It will only work if the influencer is the sort of person who would typically use the product or service.”

Shoot in vertical format

Her third piece of advice was to use the vertical product shoot format. “TikTok follows a mobile-first approach, so make sure your content is oriented to the vertical format and not horizontal, as most content is shot.”

Hashtag challenges

Creating hashtag challenges, which are an essential feature of the TikTok community, can help you gain traction on the platform, said Khulusi. “TikTok’s users love taking up a challenge and making and uploading videos accordingly. Brands can leverage this to their benefit.”

The emphasis on TikTok is on user-generated content: “It is less like advertising and depends more on user-generated content to support the brand in some way,” concluded Khulusi.

Organised by Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), SIBF 2020 concludes on November 14. Register for upcoming discussions at sharjahreads.com.