To this day, we’re still living in the TikTok era. And if you haven’t fine-tuned your TikTok marketing strategy just yet, this article will help you catch up.

In 2021, TikTok turned five years old. And in the same year, it officially welcomed its one-billionth user, making it the fastest-growing social media platform thus far. To put things into perspective, it took both Facebook and Instagram eight years to hit the same milestone.

Now, while early adopters were quick to utilise the platform’s explosive growth for their marketing strategies, many business owners are still sleeping on TikTok’s potential to boost their brand.

Why?

Many of these business owners believe TikTok won’t be an effective marketing tool for them to reach their target audience. And it’s because, to them, the platform has always been dominated by a young user base.

But that no longer holds true—TikTok has started to attract a wide range of users. As a matter of fact, almost 38% of TikTok’s users in the US are above 30. This means TikTok has effectively expanded its reach beyond the younger crowd and is now home to users from all generations.

And yes, your target audience is most likely spending several hours in a day mindlessly scrolling through TikTok. That’s why you should strive to build your brand’s presence on the platform, if you haven’t already.

The 5 Strategies

The good news is that it isn’t too late to try and engage some of the platform’s billions of users. However, you do have some catching up to do.

Tens of thousands of businesses have been marketing on TikTok for years now. So, do your part by quickly learning everything there is to know about TikTok. Then, make sure you follow the following strategies to boost your TikTok marketing strategy this year.

Strategy #1 – Define your TikTok audience

As with any social media marketing tool, your first step should be to define who you want to target with your TikTok content. You don’t want your posts to reach high levels of reach and engagement that don’t translate to sales because they’re not reaching your target demographic.

As mentioned, TikTok has started welcoming users from all demographics in recent years. While a quarter of the platform’s user base is still under 20 years of age, there’s now a huge number of 20 to 49-year-olds on the platform.

Keep this in mind when you create your customer persona and who you want to target on the platform.

Influencer in photoshoot

Strategy #2 – Tap into influencer marketing

Since you’d essentially be playing catch up when you start marketing on TikTok, you’d need to boost your following real quick.

One effective way to do that is to work with influencers. These are people who have taken the time to study the platform and what it takes to go viral on TikTok.

Collaborating with these influencers could help you boost your following overnight, though you would of course need to bring something to the table in order to get featured in an influencer’s channel.

Strategy #3 – Be authentic even if your content contains ads

There’s too much noise on TikTok. You practically can’t scroll past five videos without running into a sales pitch of some sort. That’s all well and good because TikTok is indeed a great marketing tool.

But do keep in mind that people who use TikTok do it to be entertained and/or informed, not sold to.

So, make sure your content cuts through the noise by being relevant and authentic even though it contains ads. Make your followers’ time count by providing them with quality content they’d love to watch, even if they’re still essentially being sold to.

Strategy #4 – Get the gear and let your content stand out in terms of quality

Aside from authenticity, another thing that would allow your content to stand out amidst the platform’s chaos is quality.

After all, it’s 2023. No one likes watching low-definition videos with audio that sounds like it’s coming from underneath a well.

So, if you truly want to engage users on TikTok, you’ve got to make the investment in terms of gear. Even just a small ring light and a portable microphone would go a long way in elevating your content so that people actually enjoy watching it.

You do want people to keep watching long enough to hear your entire message. So, go get the gear and let your content stand out with its quality.

Strategy #5 – Be proactive in trying out new features to keep your feed looking fresh

The thing about TikTok being a ‘young’ platform is that it’s still highly dynamic. This means new features still get rolled out every other week. And it’s up to you to quickly adapt using these new tools and features to keep your feed looking fresh.

You don’t want to be that channel that’s always a few months late in trying out new trends and features. So, make sure you stay a step ahead and proactively try out new features before the next set of new updates rolls in.

Dial in Your 2023 TikTok Marketing Strategy

For the overall success of your brand, remember that it’s important for you to stay abreast with recent trends and ‘hot’ platforms in digital marketing. This is especially true if you are looking to scale your brand.

Now, some of these trends are pretty easy to catch. But it may still take a certain level of agility and flexibility to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing.

One thing that could help you develop those skills is a reliable digital marketing agency. One that could keep you updated on all the latest marketing tools and platforms. Not to mention would help you create digital marketing campaigns that leverage fresh trends.

Now, if you’ve been looking to partner with a digital marketing agency but have yet to find the right one, consider GMS. We can help you create a customised strategy that will help you achieve your business goals.

If you want to learn more, feel free to schedule a free consult with one of our GMS experts.