On top of figuring out how to help their content align with Google’s ever-evolving preferences to increase their organic search results, brands now have another algorithm to worry about: TikTok is supplanting Google as the top search engine among the Gen-Z demographic.
With this new player on the digital scene, a strong TikTok marketing strategy could be a game changer for companies looking to reach Gen-Zers on their home turf. Below, members of Forbes Agency Council share effective ideas brands can use to leverage TikTok for search marketing to reach a whole new, and highly engaged, audience.
Forbes Agency Council members share ideas to help brands leverage TikTok for search marketing.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Utilize AI To Match With TikTok Creators
Gen-Z is looking for quick, easy ways to digest content from creators they authentically connect with. Brands should utilize artificial intelligence to match with TikTok creators based on aesthetics and audience engagement to understand the audience clusters and psychographics that translate brand value organically in short-form content. In return, brands can seamlessly integrate into trending videos across TikTok. – Ricky Ray Butler, BEN
2. Include Location And Keywords In Text Descriptions
As they do with YouTube, too many creators focus on the content of the video more than the text description. But increasingly, TikTok’s and Instagram’s algorithms are using the text in the description as clues for how to rank content. Use that to your advantage with descriptions that include location and other keywords. – Jim Tobin, Carusele
3. Leverage Store Associates To Create Product Content
Social media is the new search bar and storefront for Gen-Z. Just take a look at #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt or at the success of unexpected products, such as The Pink Stuff, a cleaning paste for hard surfaces. The potential is massive! One idea that excites me in retail is to leverage store associates to create relevant product content and answer popular questions. It’s all about being helpful, relevant and authentic! – Etienne Mérineau, Heyday.ai
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4. Start Developing Your TikTok Capabilities For B2B
TikTok isn’t big with B2B buyers yet, but it will be. So now’s the perfect time to start developing your TikTok capabilities. Begin by identifying the pain points that cause a customer to consider a solution such as yours. Create individual, 60-second videos addressing each pain point, tied to appropriate keywords. Don’t sell; inform. And be sure the videos are consistent with your brand. – Robert Finlayson, Bold Marketing and Communications
5. Ask Creators With The Top Videos To Link Up With You
For high-search-volume terms on TikTok, the goal is to be found in the top search results. Reach out to creators on the platform whose content is found in the top videos, seed your product or service and link the problem it solves to the creative they have made. You can ask them to update the copy on their top videos and link to your account. – Kale Panoho, K&J Growth
6. Disprove A Popular Misconception Related To Your Industry
One unique thing a brand can do to leverage TikTok for search marketing would be to start your video with a popular misconception people have about a product or brand related to your company or industry. Then, you can explain why it isn’t true and supplement your point with facts. This tactic brands your company as a thought leader in your industry while giving you great searchability. – Marilyn Cowley, PREM – PR & Social
7. Consider Tying In Relevant Visual Search Aspects
Think about it from the perspective of audience value. TikTok is a short-form, visual channel; brands ought to consider how users might be searching, going beyond simple hashtags and keywords into visual content cues. Consider tying in visual search aspects related to the content, such as objects, spaces or environments that are specific to how the end user might find content of yours that is relevant to their needs. – Bryan Specht, Salient Global
8. Incorporate SEO Best Practices Into Your TikTok Content
Google made it challenging to succeed as a blogger unless you followed the algorithm’s rules and created lengthy, detailed blog posts that few wanted to wade through. TikTok provides an alternative to that experience, giving users quick video answers to everything from how to crack an egg to how to bone a quail. Incorporate SEO best practices into your TikTok content, and you’ll be ahead of the game. – Laurie Buckle, CookIt Media
9. Create Bite-Sized, Engaging, Occasion-Based Content
TikTok can be occasion-based marketing reimagined. Get into the mind of your perfect customer, see the content they are consuming and identify occasions where your brand or product can be relevant in their day, their month or this season. Use these insights to create bite-sized, engaging, occasion-based content and connect with your audience on a personal level. – Katie Schibler Conn, KSA Marketing
10. Transform Your Blogs Into Video Content
TikTok is a search engine where people type in the same things as they do on Google—but they get answers in a 60-second video instead of a text-heavy blog post. So, employ the identical strategy as you do on Google: Uncover keywords users use and create content to answer those queries. – Dejan Popovic, PopArt Studio
11. Experiment With Creating Trending Sounds
Companies have a tendency to underestimate the power of trending sounds. Everyone uses trending sounds to try pushing their articles to the top of the feed. A brand can experiment with creating sounds that can become trends, then leverage their source status as the linchpin to push more of their brand and product content out there. – Fernando Beltran, Identika LLC
12. Get Your First Piece Of TikTok Content Right
When you start to use TikTok, the idea is to get the first piece of content right—something that nudges your audience into the funnel. This is where using social listening to identify their topics of interest and sentiment analysis to associate emotions with them comes into play; that’s where the unique idea to tailor the tilt of your content should come from. – Vanhishikha Bhargava, Contensify
13. Create Content That Solves A Problem Or Answers A Question
If your product is in a saturated market such as jewelry, focus on problem-solving characteristics in your copy, such as “conflict-free,” “fair trade,” “waterproof” and so on. Sell the hole in the wall, not the drill. That’s why TikTok recommendations gain so much popularity—people want products with purpose. – Bryanne DeGoede, BLND Public Relations
14. Use Captions As Visual Hooks And Run TikTok Ads
Share short video content that shows your brand’s benefits to your potential customers. Use relevant hashtags for searchability. Use captions in your short video content as visual hooks. Co-brand or partner with influencers who have a large following on the platform to reach a larger audience. Further, use TikTok ads to reach users who are not already familiar with your brand. – Candice Georgiadis, Digital Day
15. Work With Influencers
Influencer posts usually rank very high in searches because they get a high number of views and engagement from their audience. By partnering with an influencer, you can make sure your brand gets seen whenever Gen-Z audiences look for relevant keywords. – Anastasia Cecchetto, Ace Influencers
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Author: Expert Panel®, Forbes Councils Member
