TikTok is currently the fastest-growing social media platform in the world, with over 800 million active users worldwide. TikTok has a vast marketing potential – influences from J-Lo to the United Nations have been getting creative with the platform. Therefore, it can be used as an effective tool to grow your business.

If you’re a small or medium business owner looking to grow your presence on TikTok, read on to better understand this type of digital marketing platform and discover how an Alpha Key Digital marketing strategy can be incorporated to build a following.

From branding and time management to social media tips, small business conversations are already happening on TikTok—all you need to do is join in. There’s a TikTok community already waiting for you, whether you want to reach new customers, drive product sales, or simply learn how to grow.

Understanding TikTok

Before jumping on the latest social media bandwagon, ask yourself if this is the right platform for your market. TikTok is still growing and relatively new, so now is a unique opportunity for Alpha Key to establish your business niche. Short videos work best on the platform. 

How Alpha Key Digital will grow your following

It’s important to note that acquiring the right followers is better than amassing thousands of the wrong ones. Target audiences are a key to success.

If you build the right following the right way — you will have the opportunity to build an online marketing community of brand followers on the platform.

Alpha Key Digital marketing will grow your following in the following ways:

1. Alpha Key works with influencers

Much like Instagram, TikTok is a visual digital media platform that connects well to influencer endorsement.

We will begin by seeking out the right influencers — those aligned with your brand values, products, or services, who we can see connecting well with your audience.

We look to build long-term influencer partnerships, where you can work to build engagement and collaborate on making great content over time. This will significantly help to expand your reach – especially if the influencer already has a large following.

2. We will interact with your audience

Small businesses must engage with their audience on all social media platforms that they’re active on.

TikTok is a very interactive platform, allowing you to leave comments on videos you enjoy, share your content, and interact with your audience in the comments. 83% of TikTok users have uploaded videos, providing many active participation opportunities.

3. We will Create great content

As is true of all social networks – content makes all the difference. One of the best ways to grow your audience is to provide great content that your followers will comment on, like, and want to share.

Alpha Key Digital is on top of the latest trends and looks for relevant topical stories to share. We incorporate mobile apps and assure use by mobile devices. Creating quality content is also essential – keep in mind that while TikTok videos are generally spontaneous and fun, your content will be relevant and have high quality. We use plenty of video tools to create standout content. 

4. Alpha Key will Share videos frequently

We strive to post three to five times a week – this will help gain you traction over time.

To put it simply, when people follow you, they expect content. Alpha Key will post regularly to avoid losing followers. We also maintain this by creating a content calendar for your brand.

5. We will Post at the right time

It’s crucial to consider when your audience will be scrolling through TikTok. You want to post your content when your audience is present online. Alpha Key targets the best times to post on social media: during commuting hours, lunchtime and after work, and weekends.

6. We will use the Right Hashtags

For a platform made famous by hashtag challenges, using the right hashtags should play a big part in your TikTok marketing strategy.

We use hashtags relevant to your product/brand instead of only trending hashtags. Alpha Key also incorporates search engine optimization (seo) so that you reach more of your target audiences.

7. We will Gain Followers with music

TikTok is an app that is built on music! We use this to your advantage, and research the top songs trending on Spotify to stay relevant.

TikTok can be a powerful platform for business growth if used strategically.

Ways TikTok can help grow your business:

1. Reach a Wider Audience: TikTok has over a billion users worldwide, which means it offers a massive potential audience for your business.
2. Engage with a Younger Demographic: TikTok is particularly popular among younger users (Gen Z and Millennials). If your target audience includes these demographics, TikTok is a great place to connect with them.
3. Showcase Products or Services: You can create short, engaging videos to showcase your products or services. Use creative and entertaining content to grab the viewer’s attention.
4. Humanize Your Brand: TikTok allows you to show the human side of your business. We will share behind-the-scenes content, introduce your team, or show how your products are made. This helps build trust and a personal connection with your audience.
5. Leverage Trends and Challenges: TikTok trends and challenges can go viral quickly. By participating in relevant trends, we will increase your visibility and gain new followers.
6. Educate Your Audience: We create informative and helpful content related to your industry. This positions your business as an authority in your field and can help attract potential customers seeking information.
7. User-Generated Content: We encourage your customers to create content related to your products or services. This can increase your brand’s reach and credibility.
8. Influencer Collaborations: We partner with TikTok influencers can give your business a significant boost. Influencers have dedicated followers who trust their recommendations.
9. Utilize TikTok Ads: TikTok offers advertising options that can help you target specific demographics or interests. This can be an effective way to reach potential customers.
10. Track Analytics: We use TikTok’s analytics tools to monitor the performance of your content. This helps you understand what works best and refine your strategy.
11. Direct Engagement: TikTok allows for direct engagement with your audience through comments, messages, and live streams. Responding promptly and engaging with your audience helps build a loyal community.
12. Cross-Promotion: We share your TikTok content on other social media platforms to expand your reach. This can help you tap into your existing audience on other platforms.
13. Stay Consistent: Regular posting is important to maintain audience engagement. Consistency helps keep your brand in the minds of your followers.

Remember, it’s important to align your content with your brand’s identity and values. Authenticity is key on TikTok, and users can quickly detect inauthentic or forced content.

Keep in mind that success on TikTok, like any social media platform, takes time and effort. Experiment with different types of content and track what resonates with your audience. Additionally, stay updated with TikTok trends and features to make the most of the platform.

Hashtags and creativity are all good but let’s not forget that a fundamental part of any marketing strategy is evaluating the results of a campaign’s success. Alpha Key Digital uses an analytics tool will give you valuable insights into your promotional efforts and how you can improve them.

If you’re not getting enough engagement, we think of what mistakes could have caused such an effect and how to fix them. Keeping you updated with analytics is a powerful way Alpha Key uses to enlarge your audience and eventually generate more sales.

Paid Ads to Grow Your Following on TikTok

Although it’s still quite new, TikTok has a specialized advertising system or affiliate marketing allowing brands and companies to tap into a massive user base. The platform offers three types of digital advertising:

• Native In-Feed Ads
• Hashtag Challenge Ads
• Brand Ads. This type of TikTok ad is the most efficient way to drive traffic to your landing page.

Targeting TikTok Ads

1. Interest Targeting. Works similar to Facebook ads. You select an interest relevant to your target audience and TikTok shows ads to those people.
2. Behavioral Targeting. This type of targeting helps you to advertise to people based on their behavior within the last week or two.

Bottom Line

There are many benefits of digital marketing and effective digital marketing that are far more productive than traditional marketing. If you are looking for a trusted partner to help you achieve your goals online and increase brand awareness, look no further than Alpha Key Digital. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help your business grow.

TikTok has overtaken Facebook and Instagram as the number one social app for younger users.

Surpassing 1.5 billion downloads last year alone, even during the pandemic (2020) and enforced lockdowns, we saw a surge of 315 million downloads.

This meteoric user rise is primarily in the age group of 16 to 24. The brands recognizing this platform as a powerful sales tool by this age group are eBay, Zalora, Maybelline, Puma, and Kia. Reaching this valuable young audience on the TikTok platform has been beneficial.

TikTok concerns have come up because, by law, the Chinese government requires technology companies to provide information obtained on their networks.

By distancing itself from ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, the ties to the government of China have been severed. TikTok has addressed the security and privacy loopholes that remain a significant concern.

TikTok appointed former Disney executive Kevin Mayer as the new CEO, replacing China’s Alex Zhu. By the end of the year, TikTok will offer transparency centers so that anyone concerned about privacy or security can access this information.

TikTok boasts over one billion active users and has snowballed to rank among the world’s largest social media platforms.

TikTok began as a video streaming app for generation Z. Today, TikTok has taken the advertising and marketing world by storm. This has changed how brands share and create content.

This article will show why TikTok social network should be essential to your social media marketing strategy. And we’ll outline how to promote your products best, connect with customers, and grow your business on TikTok.

Why should businesses consider using TikTok?

The statistics show that 47.4 percent of US TikTok users are under thirty years and more than fifty percent are teens. Any brand that targets a younger audience can find a gold mine with TikTok.

But even if your business targets something other than generation Z clients, you can still reap the benefits of establishing your brand on TikTok.

Remember that over fifty percent of TikTok users are thirty or older, which means that a potential audience for your business has yet to be tapped on TikTok.

The Benefits of TikTok for your Business

• Brand awareness is increased. There are numerous ways that your brand is spread through TikTok. Alpha Key Digital can run various ads while implementing branded stickers and hashtags, placing your business and brand in the spotlight.
• Promotes products. Your brand and products are promoted in a way that does not seem like marketing. Never pushy, Alpha Key can create videos that feel genuine and helpful.
• Audience enlarged and engaged. TikTok has millions of users in over one hundred and forty countries. If you wish to reach an international audience and grow your customer base, TikTok is one of the best platforms.
• New customers. Using TikTok, Alpha Key can create engaging content that feels personal and human. This authenticity will build strong relationships with your customers.

Three ways Alpha Key Digital will implement TikTok for your Business

Maintaining a presence on TikTok or any other social media app is not enough. The difference is that the experts at Alpha Key Digital will help to take advantage of the features and creative tools available on the app and get your business noticed. There are millions of users worldwide.

How to use TikTok as part of your Marketing Strategy

Alpha Key will Create relevant and unique videos

Your business and brand need to stand out in a sea of video content. Videos need to be relevant and attention-grabbing.

• Alpha Key considers your brand values and voice. With the nature of the platform and the audience. Adapting to the current culture on TikTok assures you will not compromise your brand.
• Alpha Key can quickly shoot videos. Shooting remote videos with ideas that are not only appropriate but good, as well as good lighting, is guaranteed.
• Show the human side of your business. Take your audience behind the scenes at your place of business. Remote videos can highlight your employees or even the company pet.
• Hop on trends and challenges. The beauty of TikTok is that you never run out of ideas for new videos. Alpha Key will access and research trending hashtags, music, and videos and join in. Remember, we will add a personal touch to make your brand stand out with TikTok hashtags.

Alpha Key can enhance your TikTok videos with the addition of music

Alpha Key can add a sound before or after recording your video and to previously recorded videos. Along with adding sounds to your videos, we can also access a bunch of video editing features from the recording screen.

Here’s a quick rundown of the features Alpha Key can add:

• Video length: Choose the video length that bests suits your content–up to 10 minutes long.
• Flip: Switch between your phone’s front and back cameras.
• Speed: Adjust the frame speed of your videos to slow them down or speed them up.
• Filters: Apply color or contrast filters to make your videos look more attractive.
• Beautify: Access an array of beauty filters to modify facial features.
• Timer: Stop recording automatically after a set time.
• Effects: Add overlays, face transformation effects, background changers, voice changers, interactive effects, and more.
• Templates: Drag and drop your photos and videos into these pre-made templates to quickly create eye-catching content.

Other video editing features include trimming your videos, joining several videos, applying effects and filters, and more.

Leverage TikTok’s content publishing features

Alpha Key can leverage the platform’s content publishing tools to ensure your videos get the attention they deserve.

Wrap Up

TikTok can be a goldmine for small businesses. Even the possible disadvantages can be turned around in your favor if you have the right strategy and know-how.

Pro tip: If you want to save yourself time and money, partner with Alpha Key Digital, we are upfront with our fees and discuss strategy products or services with you before tailoring your campaign.

Small companies have become very popular on TikTok, but they have much hard work behind them. You need the digital marketing experts at Alpha Key Digital to tailor the right TikTok campaign.

After that, the sky’s the limit.

Did you know there are over one billion active users each month on Instagram? These active users make Instagram the perfect channel for businesses to reach a massive audience. Studies show that users spend an average of 53 minutes per day on Instagram. Instagram is now the second most visited social network, only second to Facebook.

Ninety percent of Instagram users follow one or more favorite companies. Mostly because people enjoy being connected to their favorite brands through this network. This way, Instagram maintains your relationships with prospects, current customers, and a target audience.

Forty-six percent of Instagram users purchased from a brand either offline or online. Instagram’s opportunity for speeding up selling is a crucial point to consider.

So, a considerable advantage of Instagram marketing is that a company gains access to a vast audience. Users’ active interaction with brands they want to buy is a distinct advantage of marketing on Instagram. There are other benefits as well.

What is Instagram marketing for business?

Instagram marketing involves the promotion of a brand and is a type of social media marketing. This social media platform allows your brand to connect with a vast audience to increase brand awareness and boost sales.

Instagram marketing grows your brand’s awareness by increasing your audience, new leads, and sales. Instagram is the favorite social media channel among users between 16 to 34 years of age. Instagram has proven to be a highly effective marketing platform for entrepreneurs, creators, and brands.

Marketing strategies and types of content on Instagram include:

• Organic content: Photos, Images and Videos, Instagram Reels, Stories, or Carousel Posts
• Paid content: Instagram ads, including Stories ads, Shopping ads, and more
• Influencer Marketing
• Shopping Tools: Shop tab, Product tags and catalog, Live shopping, Instagram Checkout, Shopping ads

There are four ways Instagram can positively affect your business.

4 Benefits of Instagram for Business

1. Brand strengthening
2. Improved engagement rates
3. Increased sales
4. Audience growth opportunities

1. Brand strengthening

Brand awareness is greater because eighty-three percent of Instagram users discover new products or services due to Instagram marketing. Instagram also generates more trust when users see your brand on Instagram. The brands and businesses users do not see on the Instagram app are likely to be avoided by potential users.

2. Improved engagement

Maintaining customer relationships through social networks is one of the best ways to achieve this. Your brand gets direct feedback from your audience regarding your ads, photos, and videos through their comments and likes. User generated content through comments and likes also improves engagement.

You are able to notify customers of special offers, and garner interest with engaging content.

3. Increased sales

Instagram users are known to willingly make purchases. An enormous buying audience, estimated at eleven percent of social media users in the USA who shop and buy on Instagram.

With this information, Instagram offers a substantial collection of tools allowing users to easily shop on Instagram without leaving the site. Some of these tools are Instagram Story links, ads, and shopping tags, among others. The Instagram website has a complete list of these tools.

4. Audience growth opportunities

Precise targeting by Instagram boosts the overall reach of your business. Ads Manager can target your most suitable audience through demographic data, user behavior and interests, and more.

There are also retargeting options that can be gained through Instagram Ads Manager. Leads from other channels are funneled effectively, driving more qualified Instagram leads to your brand.

The Instagram analytics tool allows you to measure your performance.

Measurements and Tracking include the following:

• Overall number of purchases
• Ad performance
• Cost of each purchase
• Number of conversions
• Total campaign spending, and more

In summary, Instagram marketing brings you a willing-to-buy audience while making your brand stronger, engaging users with your business.

Instagram marketing can provide outstanding outcomes for:

• Awareness of your brand
• Loyalty of customers
• Lead acquisition and increased sales

A solid social media presence is key to building a reliable brand, standing out, and gaining traction with potential customers. Still, most consumers search for a brick-and-mortar business online before visiting for the first time.

A solid social media presence, though, requires consistent content creation and times to post, which can take much time. An Instagram presence is essential for small businesses.

An Alpha Key Digital marketing expert will provide an Instagram profile. Including branded hashtags, and social media marketing strategies to enhance your social media in real time. Social media aims to build engagement, create awareness of your brand, and tell memorable stories that genuinely help sell products.

Alpha Key Digital Provides Profile Optimization

A complete profile helps you to earn the trust of your Instagram followers. That includes a branded profile image, a descriptive bio, engaging Instagram story highlights, and a link to your website.

Alpha Key Digital Optimizes Keyword Research

Using the right keywords and phrases is essential to optimizing your Instagram presence. This is another place where professional help from Alpha Key Digital comes in handy. Our team knows the right Instagram hashtags to attract new followers and potential customers to your account. We provide highly specialized Instagram advertising as well.

Social media marketing is complicated and very competitive. Alpha Key Digital will create an Instagram business profile and add other channels to your marketing strategy.

Alpha Key Digital will get more qualified traffic on an Instagram feed that matter most to your business. Trust our proven track record to maximize your visibility online. Set your business up for long-term success.

An expert in digital marketing professional, we will get your company noticed. By implementing new strategies, the investment will pay off in the long run. Contact us for a consultation. Or call: (440) 796-9152; Email alex@alphakeydigital.com

Social media has evolved over the past few years. It is no longer just a place to share vacation photos with friends, but it is now a powerful tool in digital marketing. Effectively using these platforms is essential in building brand awareness and increasing your audience. More and more big companies are shifting their focus from traditional marketing to social media marketing. Here are some trends that are going to dominate in 2022.

Tik Tok

Since the start of the pandemic, Tik Tok has grown at an exponential rate and now sits on top as being one of the most popular social media platforms with over 1 billion monthly active users. Many people were skeptical about the platform and thought it was just a fad that would only be dominated by young teens. However, the platform has broken into a more mature audience and established itself as an effective marketing tool.

Tik Tok has allowed brands to get away from their more traditional social media marketing tactics and show a more raw and real side of their brand. Many businesses have gained a large audience by showing behind the scenes of their company for example.

Instagram Reels

Following the popularity of Tik Tok, Instagram came out with a feature that mimics the video-sharing platform. Instagram’s reels have the potential to be a key tool for marketing success. Videos on Instagram are receiving more engagement than pictures. They offer a unique way to showcase your business.

When creating video content it is important to note that many consumers have a shortened attention span, so it is best to keep your content under 30 seconds. Consumers are also more drawn to content that does not feel like a typical ad, they want to be entertained with less staged and more authentic content.

Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing will continue to grow in 2022. Utilizing influencers in your social media strategy will help expand your audience and generate growth. It is important to find an influencer that aligns with your brand and has an established audience of their own.

That’s not to say that effective influencers must have hundreds of thousands of followers. We have seen a big increase in “micro-influencers” that have less of a following but stand out in niche markets.

Social Commerce

Social media platforms are making it easy to shop for products without ever leaving their app. Many users were already using social media as their main source for product discovery, so it makes sense to leverage that by creating a native space on social platforms to complete a purchase. We’ve seen this with Instagram’s Shoppable Stories, where you can click on a product’s sticker to purchase it without leaving the app. Utilizing tools like this along with influencer marketing can generate more sales with a broader audience.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on everyone in recent months. Many brands are finding themselves at a loss for what to say, especially on digital platforms. Social media marketing, however, has become more important than ever. As Americans stay home, the internet is changing the way we connect with others as we attempt to normalize our everyday lives as much as possible. Many businesses are able to continue operating virtually, and communicating what you can offer and when you will be open can keep your customers connected and informed throughout this challenging time. Read on to learn some of the best and most effective techniques for social media marketing during COVID-19.

1. Know your audience – Even if you’ve spent years building your brand and becoming acquainted with your audience, it’s important to have a good understanding of the people you’re trying to talk to. You may not know your customer in their current state, and there may be new audience segments you can try marketing to. Now is an excellent time to take a step back and re-acquaint yourself with your ideal customers, including who they are and what they want to see.

2. Create interactive content – Interactive posts including quizzes, polls and 360-degree videos are great ways to engage with your audience. These types of social media posts tend to fare well, especially compared to static posts where audience participation is not an option. Whenever possible, think of ways you can create an immersive experience for your followers. Every piece of interactive content is a call-to-action in itself and is extremely sharable, which in turn increases brand awareness.

3. Increase social commerce – If you’re a business that can sell your products online, now is the time to take advantage of that. Platforms like Instagram encourage linking your products to your posts and making them easy to navigate for consumers. Shoppable posts and stories, social commerce apps and paid advertisements on social media are all great ways to boost sales during this time. Many internet users are finding that social networks have become important information sources for making product choices. This trend will surely continue throughout 2020, as options to visit retail stores are somewhat limited.

4. Try new things – Now is a great time to try new things on your social media channels. Posting to your stories, going live or even expanding your digital platform to incorporate different social media platforms are all excellent engagement methods. No matter what direction you choose, now is the time to explore, look for new opportunities, and set the stage for better, more engaged customer interactions now and in the future.

Following the tips above will help ensure that you maximize the use of your social media channels during this challenging time. Most people are looking for something to distract themselves from the contant flood of news updates during this precarious time. Making your social media a creative and interactive page for your followers can grow your engagement and build trust while keeping you in business virtually.