TikTok has undeniably become more than the innovative platform that companies discarded in early 2020 and even 2021. But its strategic usefulness for expanding startups is frequently ignored.
It should come as no surprise that TikTok is still not very busy. It is exponentially expanding. The biggest resource in the sector, creator talent, resides there. This means that TikTok is a potent experimentation platform that can accelerate a startup's transition from product-market fit to scalability.
These are four ways TikTok can help startups grow when the standard growth hacking tactics don't work.
1. TikTok provides a quick channel for testing product-market fit
There are numerous models for determining product-market fit. To construct a case for TikTok, we shall stick to Marc Andreessen's "The Only Thing That Matters" approach because it is straightforward. The most crucial goal for a startup is to achieve product-market fit, which is the result of having a strong team, a healthy market, and a product that has the ability to satisfy customers.
Here's where TikTok comes into play: it's a startup's go-to resource for identifying the ideal market and unmet demand.
TikTok is a platform for specialized communities (or TikTok "sides") that coalesce around particular ideals and requirements. Based on the value the content offers, the platform's technology naturally tailors the content to the appropriate communities. On the sponsored side, TikTok offers a variety of targeting methods to get your video in front of your presumed "perfect" audience, including demographics, specialty interests, hashtags, and creator profiles they follow (market).
Short-form, unpolished video, a more reliable format to communicate the idea of the service, is the creative medium that reaches the target audience.
When you combine all of these factors, you have an experimentation framework that aids in swiftly determining whether the startup's offering (product) and the consumer need are symbiotically aligned (market). Start by determining
- What market needs or opportunity areas the product can fill is the "why"
- The product and its salient features that set it apart from the competition make up the "what";
- The "how" is the precise technology used to provide the solution to the problem.
Create creative that informs potential customers about how the product will enhance their lives by leveraging the hypotheses surrounding these questions. Be specific about the issue you're trying to solve, how special your product is, and what real results it helps people achieve.
High engagement rates are a certain indicator of great market resonance when the product-market fit is attained on TikTok.
2. Use TikTok to drive top-of-funnel awareness
For every startup, establishing authority in the market can be difficult. TikTok tackles this problem by enabling companies to become instantly recognizable and well-known for their consistent value addition.
Early consumer buy-in and trust building are unspoken rules in startup growth. This trust is strengthened through high LTV and retention. Additionally, this trust encourages user advocacy and loyalty, which feed the startup growth cycle.
As a startup, you should keep the following strategies in mind when creating content for TikTok:
- Educate your audience and put your end user first.
- Include explanatory videos, how-to guides, and demos.
- Invite your community along on your growth journey as a tactic to gain support. Explain your history, the founder's love of the industry, and your expansion plans.
- Video interviews with the founders, team members, growth milestones, hints at upcoming releases and new features, etc.
- Tap into the dialogues already occurring in your niche to stay current and relatable.
- Incorporate current styles (music, filters, allusions to significant cultural moments and events), and always strive to add value before trying to sell.
3. Get user opinions on TikTok to help guide the growth path
TikTok has the potential to be a potent tool for establishing a feedback loop between the audience and the firm. The video comments area may contain insightful criticism that will help the team make decisions about anything from the roadmap to the product messaging. When examining content engagement, there are a few factors to keep an eye out for:
Are there any issues that the users are unsure of? Is there anything that makes converting them difficult?
- Solutions include enhancing the user experience, enhancing the copy on the landing page, adding a feature to the product, producing extra content to clarify things, etc.
What stands out to the audience, and are there any particular topics they would like to learn more about?
- The user experience can be expanded, more landing page copy added, a product feature added, more content produced to increase engagement, etc. as solutions.
Do their inquiries provide information on a broader range of applications you might be able to resolve?
- Options include expanding on the copy on the landing page, giving the product a new function, and producing more material on the proposed subjects.
4. Develop a flywheel of material you can use on different platforms
True startup growth requires ongoing experimenting. It crosses several platforms to cater to a wider range of audiences, therefore any TikTok test's lessons and assets should be viewed as a solid jumping off point on other channels.
A few strategies can be used to make use of TikTok learnings to broaden the area of exploration.
- Repurpose TikTok assets naturally for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and Facebook Reels.
- Repurpose successful assets as dark advertising on TikTok by adapting the messaging of the video to a specific funnel step (awareness, consideration, conversion).
- Utilize the top-of-funnel TikTok videos as paid social ads on other platforms including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.
- Employ AdWords, paid social, landing page text, and other marketing strategies that were successful on TikTok.
Using Engaged Audience campaigns, TikTok's array of advertising solutions can further enhance engagement and feedback loops if this particular feedback and user engagement strategy appears to be successful.