Posted by Marley
Do you know how the Tik Tok algorithm works? Did you know that social media can be a massive part of your brand strategy? I’ll bet you that your Gen Z coworker knows all about Tik Tok and exactly how regular people launch themselves to star status with social media. You can do the same for your brand through social media marketing. By utilizing these social media tips and tricks straight from everyone’s favorite token Gen Z employee at a marketing agency!
1. Get on those platforms!
The only way you’ll EVER get social media exposure is if you’re on the apps in the first place — so get started. It can be kind of overwhelming to jump on social media for the first time, but chances are that you have a few team members with great understanding of how these apps and websites work. Keep in mind that you may not blow up on Instagram right away and your first few TikTok videos may not be showing up on everyone’s For You Page like you want them to. But, if you are constantly posting on social media, then you have a group of people who are engaged in your content and branding strategy, who follow you and create engagement on your accounts.
2. Find your niche
On social media, the best thing you can do is “not what everyone else is doing,” which can be difficult to accomplish when you’re first starting out and growing your audience. While there are no rules or expectations to starting social media for your company, finding your niche and what you are good at will bring in more people to your brand and create awareness and recognition surrounding your branding strategy. First, browse social media accounts that look like your company; How many followers do they have? How many likes do they get on average? What are they doing well and what could they do better? From here, implement what they do well in a unique way that works for your brand. Use your creativity to decide what you would like to do for your account that you feel your competitors are lacking. Then, as you continue posting, being creative and finding what performs well, you will find your niche on social media and expand!
3. Hop on trends
If you are on more trendy and “young” social media platforms, like Tiktok, I applaud you, because that is no easy feat. TikTok is a platform with a very interesting algorithm, which allows anyone to go viral and garner millions of views and likes at any time. This can bring tons of exposure to your brand and become an integral part of your branding strategy. One of the best ways to go viral on TikTok is to follow the trends before they become too widely adopted. I know that sounds so weird, especially since I just told you about finding your niche and being unique, but TikTok is a different kind of beast. Their algorithm works like this — you post a video and it lands on a few “For You Pages” (think Instagram home page but people you don’t follow). If those people engage with that video, TikTok sends it to even more For You Pages across a larger span of people. As your video gathers more likes, views, and comments, your video is seen by more and more people. If this were to happen to you, it would create huge exposure for your brand! In order to take advantage of TikTok’s unique algorithm to the fullest extent, catching on trends before they go too viral is your best bet. Have your social media manager study the latest trends and find ways to make them fit your message. It will be vital in spreading word of your company.
4. Engage with those who you want to engage with you!
The golden rule of life and social media — treat others how you want to be treated! If you want tons of engagement on your photos and social media posts, it’s in your best interest for your brand to stay active on social media. Like photos of brands AND consumers, follow accounts similar to yours, stay posting on your stories and responding to messages or comments; all of this will not only boost your engagement, but will keep your account in people’s minds! As a company and an aspect of your community, the marketing and branding you utilize on social media should not be stagnant. Usually, audiences respond best to User Generated Content, or UGC, which is a type of branding strategy where posts appear to come from real people. Engagement with others on social media is a great way to have your account appear to be run by a real human (even if it isn’t really) which will likely boost your following and the number of likes and comments you receive on average.
Social media can be an interesting ride, especially when you don’t fully understand it. Luckily — agencies for marketing and digital advertising (like us) exist to help you figure out how to best utilize new technology to create a unique branding strategy and increase your businesses exposure. Social media marketing is a powerful tool, and not one that should just be left to the young ones or Gen Z. Chances are, your church, your favorite coffee shop, and the clothing store down the block are all on social media and utilizing that facet of marketing and truly you should be too.