TikTok Organic 101 with Cal Devine (episode 122)

by April Buencamino-dy

Cal Devine is the Managing Director at social media agency cbsocial where they run paid and organic social media activity for eCommerce brands around the world.

Cal Devine cbsocial TikTok

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The Opportunity in Organic TikTok

TikTok as a platform is still in favor of organic content, so there’s a lot of opportunity for any brand to get on it and find success.

When you land on the ‘For You’ page and your content goes viral, your brand can really grow. This is for free, too, so brands and businesses really should give it a try.

Organic TikTok for Brands

First, you have to get on the platform and create a profile that’s not business-related. Initially, going down the organic route will still enable you to create ads later on, and it will also give you access to all the trending sounds and music you can use for your content.

Then make sure you’re reactive with your content, especially if you want to jump on trends. This has the best chance of going viral and making your brand known on the platform.

In terms of frequency, Cal’s main tip is to be consistent. Post content consistently, such as once or twice a day, and from this, you’ll learn what your audience likes and what kind of content works best for you.

The Basics of a TikTok Video

Here are things to remember when creating content for TikTok:

  • Use portrait format.
  • You can add photos and text, with the latter being good for audiences who don’t turn on their audio.
  • Use hashtags related to your content.

With hashtags, Cal says you don’t need to do a lot of research because TikTok will also recommend those that are connected to what you’re putting out.

TikTok Engagements and Interactions

The success of your video won’t be directly impacted by how many followers you have. What’s going to help is to engage with your followers through the comments section of your videos.

Another thing you can do is to comment on viral videos and do so with humor or provide something of value. When your comment garners a huge number of likes, it can drive people to your profile and help increase your visibility.

More Organic TikTok Tips

Cal has a few more tips for those who want to grow organically on TikTok:

  • You can add CTAs but be careful about making them sound salesy. But do remember that you can’t add links or buttons to organic content. What you can do instead is have a link on your bio or profile to direct people where you want them to go.
  • If you want to go viral, the best way to go right now is through meme culture. Cal recommends checking out Ryanair on TikTok to see how a brand successfully puts out this type of content.
  • If you get on TikTok today, you’ll still be able to make an impact in preparation for the holiday season. Get the right content out using trends or sounds, and you can easily drive people to your profile for free.

Insider Tips

If we’ve inspired someone to take their first step with TikTok – what do they need to know to give themselves the best chance of success?

Get on the platform, create content, and figure out what’s going to work for you and what’s not.

Once you’ve started of course you’ve got to ‘keep optimising’! So what’s your favourite way to improve TikTok performance?

Look at your engagement statistics on TikTok and review the kind of engagement your videos get.

Once you have the data, use it to improve your content so you can perform better on the platform.

If someone listening wants to learn more about TikTok is there one cheap/free resource you’d recommend?

Find good creators on TikTok and then follow and connect with them on LinkedIn. That’s where they discuss and show you what works on TikTok and what doesn’t, and what kind of approach you should be taking.

So build your list of creators on LinkedIn and you can learn a lot about how to approach TikTok yourself.

Crystal ball time – what’s coming up in the next 6-12 months that we should be getting ready for in TikTok?

TikTok’s going to continue adding new features, improving the ads platform, and finding ways to make sure people stay on the platform and shop with the brands that are on there.

Interview Links

Cal on Social media:

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