TikTok is no longer just an app for teenagers to get involved in synchronised dance trends – and hasn’t been for a while. With over 1.53 billion users as of 2023, advertisers can expect to reach a many as 885 million adults on the platform. And the best part is that you don’t need a high-end filming studio to do it: a smart phone and a tidy background is all you need to get started.

With that in mind, it’s time to find your place on the platform and start strategizing the kind of short form video content that will find your target audience’s For You page. A few ideas to get you started:

• Educational content (bitesize snippets of information from within your sector)
• Behind the scenes content (show us what it takes to work behind the scenes at your company, show us a product coming together from raw materials to end results, show us the personality and culture in your office by getting involved in trends)
• ‘Oddly satisfying’ content (can you show your product in a weird and wonderful way? Can you package your products with a microphone nearby for a touch of ASMR?)

Browse the hashtags relevant to your audience and your industry and see what others are doing for some inspiration, but don’t be afraid to think outside of the box and try something new.

Authenticity is key

A recent study by Stackla suggests that 88% of consumers say that authenticity is an important part of deciding which brands they support, and 59% of consumers suggest that user-generated content is the most authentic type of content.

I’ve discussed before the importance of transparency when it comes to your brand messaging in PR, and the same is true for social media for all the same reasons.

How can you make gathering authentic user generated content part of your social media strategy for 2023? Try a few of these tips:

• Come up with a hashtag for users to share their experiences with you. You can try incentivising this interaction for a more significant uptake.
• Engage with your followers. Whenever somebody tags you in a post, share it. If somebody comments on your page, reply in a way that might start up a conversation. Make it so easy for people to share the UGC and feel appreciated for doing so that people just begin to do it naturally.
• Ask for feedback. Reviews and testimonials count just as much for showcasing your brand’s authenticity. Whether your business is product-based or service-based, be sure to follow up and ask for feedback when you’ve completed the job, and don’t be shy about sharing this feedback on your social media channels.

Get ahead of the competition with audio content

According to Cybercrew, over 19.1 million Britons listened to podcasts in 2021, with predictions that by 2026 the podcast audience in the UK will surpass 28 million.

What makes podcasts even more appealing, is that there are far fewer active podcasts to compete with for your audience’s attention than there are social media channels.

Podcasts can be a beneficial way to share information with your audience when they can’t watch video, be they commuters, people at the gym, or people wanting something to keep themselves entertained while doing household chores. They can be a great way for you to share educational tips, collaborate with industry professionals and form a close relationship with your audience so that they think of your brand when a need arises.

And it doesn’t have to be more work than you’re already doing; the same content can be repurposed and shared across social media, whether you create posts which delve deeper into topics discussed in your podcast, or you film you and your guests recording the podcast and turn it into short form video content.

With all that in mind, the sooner you jump onto creating podcasts that resonate with your audience, the more likely you are to make an impact.