One of the most burning questions for social media influencers and marketers alike is thus: how can I engage with users better? After all, engagement is the backbone of social media strategy; without users commenting on, liking, and sharing your posts, you’re never sure whether you’re shouting into a vacuum or actually reaching potential consumers. No matter which platform you’re looking to capitalize on, increasing engagement should be key to your approach, but nowhere is this more true than on TikTok. After all, TikTok has built itself a reputation for being community-focused; if your content doesn’t have engagement, you might not be perceived as “real” enough for TikTok. Here’s how to engage with users on this platform.
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Shop around
You don’t have to go it alone when it comes to your social media journey. Excellent platforms like TikTokFollowersFree can bring you organic followers and likes, bolstering your content and bringing in more viewers and followers as a result. Paradoxically, many people will stay away from TikTok channels if they’re not already established, which – as you’ve already worked out – can spell disaster for fresh influencers. That’s why it pays to have an existing bed of people following you so that you can demonstrate your proven track record. Always opt for a service that provides real followers and not bots or fake accounts. This may seem like a good idea in the short-term, but it’ll come back to bite you once newer followers realise you’ve been lying.
Obey the three-second rule
We’re not talking about when you drop food on the floor and judge whether it’s safe to eat here. Rather, we mean that the first three seconds of your TikTok video is absolutely crucial. If you haven’t managed to grab your viewers’ attention in that time, it’s unlikely they’ll stick around to see what else you have to offer, nor will they share your content organically among their own followers. Try to craft content that’s immediately attention-grabbing and leads with a strong hook. To do this, think about the nature of what you’re trying to create, and lead with an intro that encapsulates the theme of your content instantly. This might take a little thought, but if you want to become a successful TikTok influencer, you’re going to need to think a lot about your content.
Hit trending topics
In the ephemeral world of TikTok, if your content isn’t hitting trending topics, it means you’re likely not being seen. Conversely, if you’re crafting content that fits neatly into the hashtags currently trending on the platform, you’ll increase your audience significantly and vastly improve your chances of engagement. There are plenty of methods out there for creating trending TikTok videos and viral hits, but in the end, the most important thing is to communicate your personality and message effectively while remaining on-brand for the trend. If you do that – and if you work at it, creating multiple videos across different trends as they change – then you’re almost guaranteed to get more user engagement on your content.
Post consistently
It stands to reason that the more frequently you post, the more likely you are to get more engagement on your videos, but there’s a little more to it than that. Establishing and maintaining a profile for yourself online ensures that users have a reason to keep coming back to the content you’re creating. If you’re a one-hit wonder – if you make videos sporadically and with no consistent schedule – then users won’t know when to expect a new video from you and will instead look elsewhere for their content fix. The time you post content is, of course, important, but far more critical is the frequency with which you post. Try to craft and publish content at least once a day if your schedule allows for it.
Make challenges and duets
TikTok is unusual among other social networks in that it actively encourages its users to collaborate on content. Two ways in which it does this are with viral challenges and duets. The first isn’t a feature TikTok is actively in control of, but it’s one of the most popular kinds of trending topics. Effectively, you film yourself doing something interesting or difficult, then challenge other users to attempt the same. This kind of content is organically creating engagement; you’ll likely receive credit as the originator of the challenge, and you can encourage other people to continue the chain. Duets, meanwhile, leave half of the video intentionally blank in order to insert your own collaborative interpretation, which should need no explanation as far as engagement goes.
Include calls to action
Earlier this year, TikTok trialed a new “call to action” button which would appear alongside marketing campaigns. This would be a great boon to marketers, but the idea of including calls to action alongside your content is an excellent one and will shore up engagement. Simply ask your followers a question at the conclusion of your video (or in the intro, if you’re feeling bold). Alternately, ask them to leave comments or follow up your video with one of their own. It takes finesse to do this right; it can come across as desperate if you’re too insistent, so make sure to act natural as you always should in TikTok videos. Calls to action will make users feel included in your content, as though they’re a part of your following, and that’s what you want in order to facilitate engagement.