How to use TikTok to tell your brand’s story
So, you’re considering adding TikTok into your digital marketing mix? Great idea! As one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world, it’s looking likely to become a challenger for existing social media giants like Facebook and Instagram.
Already a big hit among consumers across several markets, the recent launch of TikTok’s Creative Solutions guide suggests that TikTok is expecting more and more brands and businesses to make the move to the video-first platform. But where to start?
Creating Content for TikTok
It’s no secret that authentic content wins on TikTok. Brands that show their more human side in a less curated way are the ones most likely to resonate with their audience and find success on the platform.
Creating bespoke TikTok content is vital to your brand’s advancement. On this platform, you will not succeed if you re-post polished ads or content that was clearly created for another purpose or platform.
Another major thing to consider is TikTok’s reactive, trend-driven nature. With new trends and sounds popping up daily, or even hourly, it’s important to join the conversation and act fast to stay relevant. This is where it can become tricky for brands to perform well on TikTok as it requires quick turn-around on content and approval processes. The trend-driven nature of the platform can also make it difficult to showcase the true essence of your brand.
This is where storytelling comes in.
Storytelling on TikTok
Brand storytelling is an age-old concept that marketers use to engage with their audience. In a world where people are looking to resonate with a brand’s values and beliefs, it has never been more important to get your story across to your audience.
TikTok has so many opportunities for brands to do just this. Although keeping up with the trends and showing your brand’s fun, relatable side is a big part of TikTok, it is also a great platform to tell people who you are and what you offer.
We’ve shared three of our favourite simple storytelling frameworks from TikTok to get you started. Not only will this enable you to start creating content on the platform but will deepen your ability to resonate with consumers on TikTok and tap into more in-depth narratives.
Framework 1: The story of your product
What’s the story of your product, brand, or service? What are your values as a brand and what inspires you? Creating content that answers these types of questions can help you to build a story about your brand and help your audience to connect with your brand and resonate with its values.
Content tips:
- Introduce your product, brand, or service with clear messaging
- Use user-generated content (UGC) to showcase other users interacting with your brand and build brand trust
- Utilise trends and assets that directly involve your brand’s users
- Show off imagery of the process, where it started, behind the scenes or best-suited environments for your product or service
Example:
Framework 2: Step-by-Step
Consumers value convenience. If your product is accessible and easy to use, use TikTok to demonstrate this to the world. Detail the easy steps of using or accessing your product or service through quick and engaging video content. Make use of TikTok’s captions tool and showcase key visuals of the process to detail the steps with a clear message.
Content tips:
- Take the audience on a step-by-step journey with key visuals and captions
- Source assets that clearly showcase the process
- End with a UGC style reaction or comment on the use and feeling it provides tied to a clear CTA.
Example: @littlemoonsmochi
Framework 3: Build into routine
Allow your audience to visualise themselves using your product or service as part of their day-to-day lives and showcase how easy it is for your brand to be a lifestyle. Using a “Day in the Life” lens is a great way to demonstrate versatility and easy daily routine by filtering through different environments and scenarios.
Content tips:
- Introduce your product through UGC or a DIY-style asset that addresses users directly
- Filter through 3 or more different types of environments or routine-based parts of life
- Highlight your product or service with a clear CTA
Example:
We hope the frameworks above help you to create content that will connect with your audience in a deeper, yet still entertaining, way. More frameworks, tips and tricks can be found on TikTok’s website. If you are still unsure about where to begin or would like a helping hand in getting your brand started on this exciting platform, contact us at 8 Million Stories.
Happy TikToking!