New Year vibes are upon us! Now’s the perfect time to dust the cobwebs off your 2022 content strategy– especially if you still haven’t tried your hand at TikTok.
Even though it’s only been a few years since TikTok rose to fame, a lot has changed since 2020. The platform’s popularity was built on dance challenges and lip-syncing and has inspired an ever-growing host of creative ideas ever since. Users flocked to TikTok during the pandemic, likely due to its unique ability to facilitate entertainment and connection. Now, it’s one of the most powerful marketing tools at our disposal.
Time moves fast on the internet. Platforms, people, trends, and content formats are always shifting. Yesterday’s entertainment may become tomorrow’s cringe. Refreshing your content strategy regularly is the best way to ensure you’re providing the right content to the right audience in the right place according to your social media marketing goals.
This doesn't mean you have to drop what you’re doing now, though. Your content should always reflect your brand’s unique personality. What does need to continuously evolve is the way you deliver that content. Using the most up-to-date TikTok strategies to convey your brand’s message leads to higher engagement, bigger audiences, and better results.
The number one way to ensure you get a good ROI from TikTok marketing is by setting measurable goals. Read over last year's goals, then check your analytics to see how you performed. If those goals hold true, create new milestones for the new year. If they’re no longer relevant, set new ones. Make sure you create milestones so that you can track your progress each quarter and re-evaluate as you go.
Next, perform a content analysis to evaluate how your current content is resonating with your audience. Assess content performance to see how well your content performed over the last year (or whatever time period you choose). Was your performance consistent? Find the content that performed the best as well as what underperformed, then try to dissect what elements led to each outcome. Don’t forget to check your video engagement, as well as how views correlate with an increase in followers. It may also be a good idea to check how often you engaged with your audience, as well as how strongly your engagement affected your analytics at that time.
Lastly, take a look at what you are using for your content strategy. Take a look at how well you’re incorporating TikTok’s features. Duet, stitches, TikTok Now, TikTok Live, TikTok Stories, etc.-- they exist for a reason. These unique features enable the creativity that draws so many users to the platform.
Take a look at TikTok’s latest new features. If you aren’t using them, work them into your content plan. Take a look at how other creators are using them to brainstorm ideas relevant to your brand. Here are some of the newest features and filters available right now:
Another important factor to consider is your consistency. Are you posting consistently? How does your posting cadence affect your analytics? How often would you like to post?
TikTok’s maximum video length has grown to 10 minutes, leading many creators to post more long-form content on the platform. Results indicate a mix of long and short videos will do your content strategy some good. Plan to try out long-form content if you haven't already.
Next, review your content pillars. Do they still make sense for your audience? Are they still performing well? Consider spicing them up with some new ideas to keep your content fresh and inspire creativity.
Lastly, how are your brand’s voice and messaging relayed throughout your content? Brainstorm ways to inject more brand messaging in a natural way.
Dig deep into your niche. TikTok niches are more specific than on any other platform. Once you find your niche, you might end up having multiple niches within your main niche. Figure out who you’re speaking to and how others speak to that audience on TikTok.
Use trends for a leg-up. You need to get your content in front of an audience to get engagement. That engagement will then signal the algorithm to push your content out to users with similar interests. Trends are the best way to get that initial push, as the algorithm will push your video to users who have shown interest in whatever trending audio, filter, etc. you used.
The TikTok algorithm will change this year. New features will pop up, content format restrictions may change, and what works for your audience will probably look a lot different a year from now. The best action you can take is to plan and review. Batch film your content, plug it into a calendar, and keep a close eye on your analytics so you’ll know when your strategy needs a little updating.
Lastly, remember that the most important best practice of social media still stands. Be authentic. Capitalize on your unique personality. That’s your edge over competitors, especially on a platform like TikTok that thrives on pulling back the curtain. Even though you use the same features and best practices as your competitors, content touched by your brand personality will always stand out.