Tik Tok Or Not?

If you are thinking about TikTok as a tactic in your marketing plan. Read this first.

9 months ago…

I spent 9 months on TikTok building a personal brand, and after 33k impressions, I share the low down on whether I think this platform helps build credibility.?

When I began I?

. Was clueless about communication structures?

. Audio and lighting?

. Editing?

So new skills were the very first thing that I completely loved!?

I quickly found that everyone either does talking head videos, mimes or dances to trends.?

Well that was ok.?

But does it work when you want to target a specific kinda of person??

This article is sharing my learnings, observations and next steps.?

I invite you to share this, feel free to share as a guest post (just let me know) and or share your learnings too!?

I found that at least 40% of followers were maybe worth having a conversation with as they matched my target audience.?

What I found easy is to connect with those that I thought I could serve and get to know them.?

Either asking for a introductory call or finding a common ground we could both create a conversation.?

Observations

What quickly came my attention is that there is always something new to learn video, lighting , props, scripts, preparation, copywriting, UX, sales, funnels, data interpretation, software, changes to leglisation, social etiquettes.?

I stuck at it and would say set yourself some clear goals.?

Example was to create conversation around the challenges that I heard that also formed my content pillars.?

Key Influencers

I studied key TikTok creators - Keenya Kelly, Rachel Pederson and Honest Hilary. Kenya helped me understand business on TikTok, Rachel Pederson - she helped with the style I was creating and Honest Hilary - just handles objections so direct and to the point.?

My first goal was to reach 1k and I did it!?

After growing my account to 1k I received a Lives function which I am yet to use in the next phase of my growth.

What's Next?

The main take aways after nine months were?

1. Set KPIs you will see growth?
2. The algorithms shifts are random and I learnt not to care about numbers and more about people?
3. Creating a series supports a personal brand strategy?
4. Tiktok gives different tools to creators - run your race.?

Other Learnings

Creating content is fast paced.?

If you are someone who thinks on their feet, and doesn’t mind producing content on the fly, this communication strategy is for you.?

The idea for me is to treat this as a public speaking channel and share between this channel and You Tube, IG Reels and Twitter.?

Video quality matters on Tiktok.

After 150 videos with 33k eyeballs on my account. I am now going in on quality - after all those vanity metrics - my engagement was not that great!

So I have tested a few 3 min and 10 min videos and that seems to do better than those short ones - you just have to keep up to date with changes on the platform.

I will use this exchange to go back and teach my ladies what I learned in 9 months to a shorter time scale. Just with a caveat, I am responsible for the tactics and not the behaviours of their audiences.?

I found that at least 57% are female and 47% are aged between 25-55 and now created a first basic self study course on Personal Branding.?

Does TikTok work for Personal Branding?

Yes!?

I’ve experience that all starts with the way I communicate on Tiktok.

My persona is calm and kool (hence the name of my agency) but I have a very quick and high level of emotional intelligence.

So figuring out how to use my strengths in short form marketing is something I am always testing.

Whilst I have made key connections, I am now planning the next KPI.

It takes time to really embed and although I was very consistent on creating content, there is a science to marketing.

There are so many features like Lives, Stories, Now, Videos to feature our pages on the For You Pages (FYP) which are all essential for building an email list.?

If you got this far - I should ask you how have you found TikTok and what have you learnt about yourself when it comes to short form marketing??

And if you haven’t even bothered with TikTok - would you like to have more insight on the exact things I did over 9 months in a four week teaching that suits you??

Did I Win- After 9 Months?

I would say yes.?

How so…?

1. I took time to understand the models of communications. It's very different to other platforms.
2. I created goals and objectives and if I was to do this again I would set shorter deadlines.
3. I have gained new communication sets for using short form content.?
4. The landscape of Tiktok is forever changing, there are lots of political concerns about the app so how does this fit into the agenda of change?
5. The social sets of people on Tiktok are like any platform so targeting an audience is a key to any strategy
6. The advancement of new apps mean that people are hanging out all around social media so it's important to consider how much time to results you are creating is important.?
7. Content styles are all quite similar, some a little more polished butin general people turn up as they are.

If you haven’t explored the world of TikTok, and you are creating change in the lives of others, this may be a platform you consider to test, my real experience here is that whilst I created an experience that I can build upon for my audience, I still have way to go. Like any relationship it takes time and although I use social media as a tool, it has its ups and downs (as I do) and so we learn to work together.?

I hope this helped you to think about your TiktTok marketing plan. I would love to personally explore and help you audit your options.?

Inspired for you to be the change.?

Vanessa x