TikTok Helps Brands Improve Content with New SMB Guide

TikTok is one of the best platforms for brands to reach new customers because people are constantly browsing suggested videos rather than only the accounts they follow. Now that a lot of brands have turned to TikTok, standing out from the competition is getting tricky. To help brands market effectively on the app, TikTok has released a Creative Playbook to offer tips for creating promotions that work.

Overview of TikTok’s Guide

TikTok is proud to be a platform that doesn’t require big budgets or large productions to create successful content. 73% of TikTok users say they feel a deeper connection to brands on TikTok compared to similar apps, making it the perfect place to share authentic brand stories.

To help users get the most out of the app, TikTok made its creative guide to showcase the best approach to getting noticed. It discusses some tools and tricks to create videos that get people to stop scrolling and engage.

Steps for Content That Clicks

TikTok’s creative roadmap is divided into three key stages: sparking ideas, production, and optimization. Focusing on each one in order can set brands up for success.

Spark Ideas

Before starting your content, it’s important to come up with ideas that resonate with viewers. TikTok states that the following will level up your idea planning:

• Know Your Crowd: Determine who you’re trying to reach and figure out what type of content they interact with so you can target your videos.
• Let Your Personality Shine: Unique brand voices stand out on TikTok. Rather than trying to copy similar creators, embrace what makes you unique.
• Ride the Trend Wave: Spot relevant trends and make them your own. Use trending sounds, challenges, and formats to keep your content relevant.
• Show Off What You’ve Got: Find creative ways to showcase your product in videos. Tutorials, demos, and behind-the-scenes content are great starting points.
• Squad Up for Ideas: If only one person comes up with ideas, you could miss out. Work closely with team members to get a variety of perspectives while brainstorming.

Remember, sound is the key aspect of TikTok videos, so choose your music and/or voiceovers carefully. The other most important part of the content is the first 3-6 seconds (your “hook”). Right away, you should highlight a product, provide a tip, mention a promotion, call out an audience, or list key features to capture attention and prevent people from scrolling past.

At the end of your video, don’t forget a clear call to action. Prompt viewers to check out a product, follow your brand, or visit your website to keep them interacting even after the video ends.

Production

Once you have your ideas written down, you can move on to creating the content. 78% of TikTok users think that it’s okay for brands to try different ways of creating content, so brands should experiment and try different methods to figure out what works best for them.

Here are some production tips to keep in mind:

• Keep Ads Short: You can post ads up to 60 seconds on TikTok, but ads between 9 and 15 seconds usually perform best.
• Stick to Fullscreen: Using a 9:16 vertical aspect ratio for videos is the most impactful.
• Use Real Faces: Users love to see real creators, employees, and customers front and center when talking about products.
• Show, Don’t Tell: Whenever possible, show your audience your product’s benefits rather than just talking about them.
• Make Your Message Pop: Use smooth transitions, text overlay, and eye-catching stickers to make your message clear and accessible.
• Edit with CapCut: CapCut makes editing as a beginner easy, allowing you to seamlessly use trending transitions and effects to help your content stand out.
• Use Symphony Creative Studio: This AI-powered video generator helps you bring your ideas to life.

With the right tools and approaches, brands can create content that appeals to their audience. Focus on authentic storytelling in everything you do so you can build trust and connect with customers. As you build your TikTok presence, you can use the TikTok Creator Marketplace to collaborate with experienced creators who fit your brand.

Optimization

Once you plan and post content, don’t just ignore it and move on. TikTok has lots of tools to make good content work even harder after posting.

Here are two key tools to use for TikTok optimization:

• Smart Fix: Analyzes ads to find potential issues and offers quick fixes with the click of a button or manual edits.
• Smart Creative: Automatically optimizes ads based on performance, spotlighting the top performers and pausing the less effective ones so you can make the most of your ad budget.

TikTok is full of tools for all stages of the content creation process. Brands should take advantage of these tips to help their content stand out. For more information on how to succeed as a brand on TikTok, read the full Creative Playbook. TikTok frequently releases other guides to help users too, such as the official Smart+ guide.

Utilize TikTok for Brand Promotion

TikTok is one of the most popular platforms for discovering new brands. Now that the potential TikTok ban has ended in a joint venture deal, it looks like it’s only going to continue growing in the U.S. If your brand hasn’t utilized TikTok yet, now is the time to get started using the tips mentioned above.

Contact Avenue Z today to see how we can help you drive outcomes on TikTok and other trending platforms.