How to use TikTok for brand building (3)

If you are asking yourself, "What content builds brand on this platform?", I will answer absolutely everything and, at the same time, nothing.

 

This concise sentence requires a little more precise explanation.

 

As with any platform or any marketing action, whatever it may be, there is always a trace of branding at the end of the day. We build the brand with each piece of content because it helps us to expose our values, communicate the territories in which the brand moves, position ourselves in a certain spectrum...

 

But there is something very particular in TikTok and that is that users have a very playful vision of interaction. If we are too obvious or, even worse, we are boring as an advertorial... we are lost, and the perception of our brand will be quite negative.

Hold a second! Do not get the CEO of the company to dance reggaeton in front of a light hoop, at least until you have read this epigraph. The content thing at TikTok has gotten strategically more sophisticated (thankfully).

 

You are going to have to rack your brains a bit more and manage to combine storytelling with this mix of entertainment and education (from the perspective of disclosure). This is a concept that is very popular internally in the Chinese platform and is often referred to as "edutainment".

 

The key to all this lies in being able to add something of value. Content for content's sake does not even work for personal accounts anymore, so imagine that for companies.

 

In other words: you have an audience that wants you to provide them with knowledge and to do it quickly, because this is by far the most immediate network of all.

Let's start here even though, in reality, it does not strike me as the most interesting type of content by far. It just so happens that TikTok's audience is particularly receptive to the platform's internal trends. 

If you have ever logged in, you have seen a certain song, dance, playback or action being repeated over and over again by different accounts. It is funny because it is clear that the audience cannot get enough.

It is easy to fall into the temptation to "take advantage of this", but you should know that, in order for people not to get tired, you need to bring a twist or personal touch to your version of that trend or that challenge.

If you are going to opt for this type of content, I recommend that you:

Another of TikTok's outstanding features when it comes to branding is that users reward everything that is real. While Instagram has generated a trend that wants to project success and an enviable lifestyle, TikTok is for people who have fewer complexes when it comes to showing themselves as they are.

 

As such, brands that understand this tend to have a lot of traction on the platform. But let's stress something important: the fact of "showing themselves as they are" does not mean that we have to dramatize the work context. We don't believe that in any normal company people go dancing around the warehouse like in a Broadway musical.

 

That may make sense at a specific moment, seasonally (such as at Christmas) or in front of a specific action, but it cannot be the greater part of your content.

 

However, you can show how your products are made, who is the person who prepares them for shipping, tell how you came up with the business idea, how you developed the product... Do not be afraid to tell things about yourself, because it is the best way to generate empathy in this network.

 

You can also show how the photo and video sessions behind the content you share on TikTok are made, this type of meta-content works like a charm.

On TikTok, your brand must be on the lips of content creators. Its communities are probably the most loyal of all social networks and platforms.

 

This brings us back to the comparison with Instagram. Influencers on that network have generated large groups of people who follow them in a somewhat aspirational way. Meanwhile, on TikTok there is a paradox: the relationship seems closer and more organic, but at the same time it is still a "viewer and media" an interaction reminiscent of the classic television model.

Yes, without a doubt, TikTok is equal parts competitor of Instagram and TV. How can you not be interested in branding on this platform?

 

I will not tell you that it is essential to have these content creators in your strategy, but it is more than recommended. Especially at the beginning, which is when they will give a boost to your profile and brand awareness in general.

We have always argued that the digital paradigm has brought much greater proximity between brands and public. TikTok has probably been a further step in that direction.

 

A large percentage of the users of this platform look at brands as equals, even with a certain superiority. We need to show them that we are there through proximity and interaction.

 

Let me give you an example that seems very clear to me: until now, a user could perform an incredible unboxing of a product on his YouTube channel, but the brand could only give him a like or share the video on their own networks. TikTok boosts interaction, allowing you to comment on a video or react in a duo (split screen with both contents simultaneously).

Interacting is basic to draw attention to your brand and, to this day, it still makes the difference with respect to many of your competitors.

 

As you can see, branding on TikTok gives a lot to talk about.