We get it. It’s taken you years to perfect Facebook and Instagram marketing for your destination or business. Hey, maybe you’ve even managed to get some benefit out of Twitter too? Then, just as quickly as you started trumpeting about this ‘new mainstream’ in content marketing, along comes some young punk to disrupt everything!
TikTok, whether we like it or not, is here to stay – and if you, like many regions and operators out there have been left scratching your head about where to even start (or even if you need to?) then we’re here to make life that little bit easier for you.
Okay. The statistics around TikTok are almost as ridiculous as the latest dance meme, no doubt about it! But… let’s walk through some of the more relevant ones, as outlined in this recent Hootsuite breakdown:
TikTok may once have dominated by dance memes and lame prank videos, but it’s come a long way in a short time. Travel-related content is now a huge part of the content mix on this platform, and while many tourism destinations have held back on launching their own channels (just for now), a new generation of travel lovers and influencers (like Elliot Grafton from South Australia) have already taken the initiative by creating their own highly engaging and inspiring video content.
According to Skift, content shared with the hashtag #tiktoktravel has attracted around 24.5 billion views (as of May 2021), with #wanderlust attracting 1.1 billion views and #traveldiaries around 2.2 billion views. That’s a whole lot of eyeballs – and with video being the centrepiece of TikTok’s world, you can see why other platforms like Facebook and Instagram (likewise tourism destinations and operators) are now getting serious about it as well.
Contrary to what the above might tell you, Facebook and Instagram aren’t dying. In fact, according to We Are Social’s breakdown of Australia’s favourite social media platforms, they’re still sitting at the top of the tree – by a long shot.
The fact is that like anything related to marketing, you need to have a good think about who you’re targeting to determine if this platform is really the right fit for you and your business. Remember: the marketing channels you choose should always be dictated by who your Ideal Customers are, and where you can best grab their attention.
If you’re a regional B&B whose Ideal Customers are empty nesters or retirees looking for a quiet break away from the city, odds are you won’t see much benefit in using TikTok, given it skews towards a much younger demographic. However, if you’re an adventure tour operator whose Ideal Customers are backpackers and hipsters (read: Gen Z) then it’s well worth considering as part of your mix. Maybe you’re a funky café that pulls the ‘it’ crowd? Perhaps a futuristic museum whose demo sits just out of high school? Worth plenty of consideration then, we think.
Likewise for tourism destinations – remember your bread and butter! Your Ideal Customers – and the channels you use to reach them – should remain your most important foundation. If that’s Facebook and Instagram for you, then stick with them – and them only. But it’s also important to acknowledge that nothing stays the same forever.
Things can and do change very quickly. Fact is, today’s TikTok users will ultimately become tomorrow’s travellers to your destination and/or business. We haven’t met an 18-year-old that’s stayed a teenager forever, and odds are you haven’t either. And as we all know, they can also sway their parents’ travel decisions in a big way! So with all that in mind, be discerning – but you can’t completely ignore TikTok forever…
Okay. If you think it’s in your interests to really start getting serious about TikTok, there’s a few things to know. Such as… how to set up your channel, who to follow, how to find relevant content, and… what sort of dance moves you can bring (easy tiger, no pressure okay?)!
If you don’t know your FYP from your POV, well… TBH, you need to get up to speed quickly! Here’s a few important things to know, straight off the bat…
No, really. It’s almost all about vertical video. While you can still add photos to your TikToks, it’s how you incorporate them into one single creative moving piece that really matters. Importantly, you don’t need to be Spielberg to take full advantage either. Far from it, in fact! If you’ve got a smartphone with a half-decent camera on it (is there any other kind these days?), you’re good to go.
This place is all about real, authentic content. Sure, there’s filters and all that other stuff, but at the end of the day, this is about grabbing the audience’s attention with something either really beautiful, really entertaining – or totally different.
According to Hubspot, over 88% of TikTok users say that sound is central to their overall experience on the platform. It’s pivotal. While hashtags will definitely help reach your audience (we’ll get to that later), sound is the golden duck.
Trends also move super quickly on this platform (take one look at the #trendalert hashtag and you’ll see what we mean). Being aware of what the current ones are and incorporating this into your own videos can help you reach a much wider audience, FAST. Mind you, it’s also super important to recognise that not all of them are going to be relevant. If they don’t align with your Ideal Customer(s), brand voice or values, you’re best skipping over them. Stick with the ones you can use, and remember – no two days are the same.
Don’t be surprised to see big brands with a handful of followers here. The TikTok algorithm focuses its attention on posts that achieve high levels of interactions (views and likes), within the first hour of posting. If you’re gauging success by followers alone, you’re missing out on the good stuff.
The TikTok algorithm is a little different to other social media platforms, which tend to prioritise content with mass appeal in a ‘traditional, crowd-pleasing’ sense. TikTok favours ’long-tail content’ and essentially ensures that any video – created by anyone (no matter how unknown) will be exposed to at least some users.
The more users watch and engage with your (or you to others’) content will also inform TikTok’s algorithm as to what to push out – i.e. material matching your/their interest niche interests and tastes.
First up, grab your mobile and download the official app from the App store or Google Play (duh, of course, right?). Like other platforms, when setting things up you’ll need to assign an email and/or phone number for security and password recovery. You’ll also have a chance to sync your phone and Facebook contacts list at this point.
Ideally you should choose a username (@username) that’s an identical match to your Instagram and other social accounts as this will make it nice and easy for your audience to find you. If your exact username isn’t available, obviously try the next best thing – but just make it very clear who you are.
You’ll also want to add a bio – you only have 80 characters to play with here, so make it super clear and punchy. Using emojis here can be a handy work-around and they also add personality. You might also consider publicising your official #hashtag. Oh, and definitely, definitely – link up your Instagram and/or YouTube accounts here too.
Remember you’re here for business. Just like other social platforms, it’s important to separate your personal life from the one you have here. If you want a personal account for a bit of fun and research, then open one. But your business TikTok should be totally separate. This is a marketing tool and should be treated as such. With that in mind, it’s important to switch to a Business account so you can get access to data and insights (think: who your audience is, when they’re most active, and what sort of content they like) – this will help you refine your strategy over time.
To switch to a Business account, tap the three line pancake in the top right of your profile screen – then hit ‘Settings and Privacy’, ‘Manage account’ and ‘Switch to Business Account’ (you can switch back to a personal account at any time, by the way).
Beyond getting access to data and insights from now on (see your new ‘Business Suite’), you can importantly link up your email as a call-to-action here too. Adding your website link may or may not be available just now (always worth checking), but if it is – do it! Generally speaking, the only way TikTok accounts with fewer than 10,000 followers can send people off-platform is by referring people back to this in your captions.
Another option might be to add a Q&A button to your profile like @visitnsw and @sealifesydneyaquarium. This is a handy way to encourage more two-way conversation between users and your business – but you need to be prepared to service their queries in a timely manner! To add the button, tap the three line pancake in the top right of your profile screen – then hit ‘Q&A’, and tap the three dots in the top right corner. But rest assured – if you don’t have enough resources to spend time answering daily questions, it’s best to park the idea until you can.
Naturally for security reasons, we’d also suggest choosing a robust password that’s not a repeat of anything else you’ve used elsewhere.
While you’re in the ‘Settings and privacy’ tab, it’s important to ensure your account is optimised and secure in the back end.
Now tap the ‘Profile’ tab at the bottom right of your mobile screen – is everything there that needs to be? You don’t have any content yet, but your blank profile should now be set up in a way that clearly articulates who you are, what you offer, where else you can be found – and how to get in touch.
See that little ‘Discover’ icon that looks like a compass at the bottom of your screen? That’s a good place to start looking for and engaging with other users and hashtags.
Tap into it and you’ll see all the latest trending sounds, hashtags and effects lumped together – they’re not likely relevant to you at first glance but knowing what’s trending can be key to success on this platform, particularly sounds and hashtags.
There’s also a little QR scanner icon at the top right of screen – this can also take you straight to the profile of a user if you’re shown their QR code (every user has a unique one – find yours under ‘Settings and privacy’).
Head to the Search bar and firstly, you’ll see TikTok auto-populates suggested searches based on trending topics (good to know when planning content). Now try entering a search phrase – be as specific as possible, and ideally something relevant. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be served up a bunch of sub-pages (top of screen) to help refine your search even further:
Importantly, the number of videos that fall within your search category will give you important insight into trends that are rising (hop on board!) and others that may have burned out (meh…).
Setting a good ‘following strategy’ is also important from the outset. This will not only tell TikTok more about you and the sort of content and/or users you’re seeking to engage with and publish – but also put other key accounts on notice to maybe follow you back.
Start by following accounts that are relevant to your business. In the first instance, that’s your National, State and Regional Tourism Organisation accounts (eg. @australia, @thisisqueensland, @visitwhitsundays). Check out who they’re following, and who’s following them – it’ll likely lead you to other relevant accounts. If you know of any local influencers, it’s worth searching for them at this point too, and repeating the same exercise.
The same goes for favouriting any official hashtags and ones relevant to your business – once again, a good place to start are those promoted by National, State and Regional Tourism Organisations (e.g. #seeaustralia, #thisisqueensland, #lovewhitsundays).
Once you’ve found a few accounts and hashtags to follow and favourite, you’ll also begin seeing their content flowing through in the Home tab, which we’ll go into next.
Head back to the bottom of your mobile screen. At the bottom and far left you’ll see the ‘Home’ tab – click on this and you’ll find two main sub-pages at the top:
Oh, lordy… THIS is what TikTok is ALL about. By default, TikTok will serve this one up to you first. For that very reason, that’s exactly why everyone wants their content to appear on the #FYP, as it’s where most eyeballs tend to end up! That’s of course dictated by the almighty TikTok algorithm (again, we’ll get to that in more detail later).
But in a nutshell, this is where all the stuff that TikTok deems as the best and most relevant to YOU (and you only) sits. Remember when we told you to follow and engage with relevant accounts and hashtags? That’s partly where this comes in. The algorithm is already learning what you like and what you don’t, so based on your behaviour the content on your ‘For You’ page should gradually become more relevant over time (though right now, it probably looks like a jumbled mess of random stuff). Think of it like Instagram’s ‘Explore’ page.
At this point, it’s worth liking and/or commenting on anything here that tickles your fancy. Just remember to keep your business hat on – the algorithm is learning all about you so it can start serving up the most relevant content (and users) for you to engage with in future.
As you’re making your way through, pay attention to videos with massive amounts of likes and views – perhaps it’s because of a particular trend? To investigate further, check the sound button on the bottom right corner of the video to find the song name, as well as the number of other videos using it. Incorporating trending songs into your own videos is a great way to ride that TikTok train to a wider audience – just be sure it fits your content. It’s important also to note here that while Business profiles get access to a whole range of extra features and functionality that’s relevant to them, the entire music catalogue of TikTok (and just about every artist ever) – isn’t one of them. For copyright reasons, businesses are restricted to using music in the Commercial Library for now.
Okay, back to those accounts you’re following… This is where their published content will appear – either their latest, best performing or most relevant material. Once again, it’s worth liking and/or commenting on relevant posts you see here. It’s a good way to catch their attention – and importantly also put yourself in front of their own audiences.
Besides the two main pages we’ve covered above, you’ll also see a ‘LIVE’ icon at the top left of your Home tab, offering for easy access to users broadcasting right NOW. At the top right, there’s also a handy little magnifying glass that takes you straight back to the search field of the ‘Discover’ tab.
This is where all your notifications will start appearing, and an important place to visit regularly to stay in touch with your audience and engage back with them.
By default, TikTok will display ‘All Activity’ here – which combines any likes or comments users leave on your content, as well as mentions and @tags, along with a simple list of who’s following you. Just click the down arrow to sift according to what you’d like to see.
You’ll also see a Q&A section here, which is full a run-down of all users’ questions to you – and your answers back to them, which is most relevant if you’ve enabled the Q&A button on your profile. Just keep in mind also however that users can still pose questions on your videos by designating their comment as a ‘Q&A’ – so you’ll also find them living right here, where you can answer them individually.
This is obviously THE key button to press when you’re ready to start sharing your own content. We could go on forever about all the staggering number of effects, filters and features you can draw upon when creating content here but remember – it’s all about trial and error. Don’t be afraid to have a go!
If you’ve already set up a personal (and maybe private) TikTok account on the side (always a good idea!) you might want to use this as your testing ground to experiment with the myriad creative options at your fingertips. Put simply…. there’s a LOT. With such an overwhelming number of nips, tucks and fillers in the Create arsenal, the only real way to get a handle on them (and what you feel comfortable with) is by diving right in. Keep in mind also that new features are being added almost daily – this makes it a genuine labyrinth, even for the fully initiated!
Hit ‘Next’ once you’re happy with your video. From here it’s time to add your description (that’s ‘caption’, BTW). Be aware, there’s a 300-character limit for TikTok video descriptions (including hashtags) and they can’t currently be edited once you’ve posted them – so we’d suggest planning what you’d like to say ahead of time.
We’d suggest limiting yourself to 5-6 hashtags maximum. Once again, it’s a good idea to start by using the official hashtags from your National, State and Regional Tourism Organisations to grab their attention. Then consider others that are either relevant (e.g. #tiktoktravel), trending and/or hyper-specific to the content itself. By doing your research beforehand, you’ll get a good feel for what people are using the most around certain themes.
You’ll also see tags like #fyp, #foryou, and #foryoupage being used pretty often by users trying to get onto the ‘For You’ page. Nobody except TikTok knows if these even work, but hey – perhaps they’re also worth trying here and there.
On a side note – there’s no point adding a trending hashtag if your content has nothing to do with it. That’s just creating more spam (and probably a few eye rolls)!
Okay, this is an important one. When users visit your profile, you want to catch their attention straight off the bat. Just as the top nine images on your Instagram feed should serve as a strong visual snapshot of your brand (and just how awesome you are), it’s also key to select the most visually engaging part of your TikTok video as its cover. Video covers here are animated with a split second of movement – and should ideally tease the user’s eye enough to convince them to keep viewing.
Just as we’d advise for other social media platforms, cross posting your video from TikTok to Instagram and/or Facebook really isn’t best practice. Native uploads are key to success on any channel, so we’d suggest that you hold off on tapping those extra buttons at the bottom when sharing your content.
If you think what you’ve posted on TikTok can be used elsewhere, you might instead consider making a similar style Reel on the other platforms and posting it natively there. Besides, TikTok makes it so blindingly obvious you’ve cross-posted its content by placing their logo directly onto your shared video. No escaping that one, buddy.
Here you can choose whether you want to save the video to your camera roll after posting. You can also enable ‘high-quality’ uploads – which we’d strongly suggest you do (because hey, who wouldn’t want to wear their best suit to the party, right)?
You don’t need to worry about the ‘Branded content’ section yet, but this area works in a similar way to Instagram where commercial relationships can be declared between a Creator and you as a brand.
Now you’ve got through all of that, it’s time to hit that bright red ‘Post’ button and send your video out into the TikTok universe. As with any other social media channel – it’s over to you to engage, engage, engage with users after posting – a key strategy for building your own army of followers.
Okay, you’re more comfortable on Facebook and Instagram where all your same-aged peeps are right now. Totally understandable!
But if you’ve got a young staff member that fits TikTok’s demo and does it well, let them shine, baby! By handing them creative control, they’ll most likely enjoy the challenge. It’ll not only boost their confidence and inspire them to perform for you, but they’ll probably boast about it to all their friends – that’s your new audience, BTW.
At the time of writing, these are still in their infancy and in the process of rolling out to users, but they appear to be a new feature aimed squarely at taking on Instagram’s popular Stories feature. Similarly to that ‘other’ platform, TikTok Stories last for 24 hours before disappearing and can be viewed by clicking on the profile picture of any user.
TikTok Stories also allow you to use all the regular filters and effects as normal videos – just not so much with photos – and importantly, they’re now appearing on the ‘For You’ page. Any comments or replies you make to other users’ Stories (and theirs to yours) will also be displayed publicly – on Instagram it’s via direct message only.
Of course, these are our observations only, and only touch the surface of TikTok’s offerings from a tourism marketing perspective. There’s just so much to know about this platform that it’s still worth doing your own research and checking back regularly for updates – this space moves fast, and likewise, so will you.
TikTok themselves have published an a couple of excellent guides (and rightly so!) to Getting started on TikTok and well, just Getting started in general which are constantly updated, so we’d always encourage you to read through them both when the time comes to start setting things up – and periodically as you go along.
No, seriously. We only put this here just to frighten you! Put those blue suede shoes back in your wardrobe, okay? Unless you really love it – in which case… (but seriously, it’s probably not ‘The Sprinkler’ if that’s what you’re thinking).