WHY YOUR ARE NOT ON TIKTOK YET?

[dlmoodyfan]

I believe that as entrepreneurs, we have not fully utilised TikTok (representing shorts). We're still focused on "optimising for SEO," a process that takes years to generate traffic. Meanwhile, TikTok offers the potential for huge traffic with just a single 30-second video.

When was the last time you saw your 50-year-old parents read a blog? Yet, they spend a significant amount of time on TikTok.

In this piece, we'll examine the facts from 2023, and then I'll share some tips I've gathered to achieve success on TikTok (I've experimented a lot and learned about several 'NO NOs' on TikTok that could result in shadow banning).

1. Tiktok vs Instagram​

If you're not aware yet, people spend more time on TikTok than on Instagram, with 4.43 billion daily minutes compared to Instagram's 3.91 billion. I believe many can relate to this sentiment: Instagram isn't as appealing anymore, and personally, I only use it to keep up with friends (a feature TikTok doesn't offer).

Despite TikTok having slightly fewer monthly active users (82.3 million compared to Instagram's 118.4 million), users spend significantly more time on TikTok on average. This indicates that TikTok captures more attention.

Currently, Instagram excels in generating ad revenue per adult user per hour spent, around six times more than TikTok. This is mainly due to Instagram's longer attention span compared to TikTok.

2. Tiktok vs Search Engine​

Let's delve into search behavior. A Gen Z survey revealed that almost 51% of them prefer using TikTok over Google for searches—for food, places, tourism, health—I mainly use TikTok as it's more engaging and enjoyable than Google. I believe some of you might share this experience.

Using video format as a search engine isn't a new concept. For a long time, people have used YouTube for "how-to" videos, and YouTube was previously the second-largest "search engine" website. Moreover, most people don't watch an entire "how-to" video; they skip to the part they need. That's akin to TikToks.

### 3. What other are doing on Tiktok

TikTok isn't new; many traditional shops sell through TikTok, yet there are few TikTok videos promoting or discussing SaaS (Software as a Service). Instead, there's an abundance of SaaS-related blogs.

That's why I believe TikTok is a new playground that all SaaS owners should explore and engage with. One SaaS owner, Marc Lou, gains significant success through humorous videos. As for me, I'm still navigating this new terrain, and below, I'll share what I've learned about what to do and what not to do on TikTok.

4. Musts and must-nots on TikTok​

Must Do:
- Good lighting
- Good camera
- Good mic
- Engaging video hook; TikTok users have a short attention span
- If a video works, replicate it across multiple accounts for more traffic (be cautious of detection)
- Respond to comments using video

Must Not Do:
- Directly promote any external links; I've been shadow-banned permanently due to this. If you're starting, avoid promoting external videos or links. Be creative.
- Avoid responding to comments using videos (opt for simpler interactions)
- Avoid being too complex. TikTok users have short attention spans and prefer straightforward content.

That's why I believe TikTok is a better investment than SEO. I hope this post sheds light on this perspective. If you find it enlightening, don't forget to join our email news, where we share cool organic marketing tricks we've discovered.

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Check out decentool.com if you want quick cross platform organic traffic analysis

[h4]Here are some interesting references:[/h4]

• Search Engine Journal
• Search Engine Land
• Insider Intelligence
• Digital Information World
• The Washington Post
• Euronews
• The New York Times

 

[johnakamark]

@dlmoodyfan Must respond to comments using video, must not respond to comments using video

Got it

 

[wolfclaw]

@johnakamark "Must Not Do: Avoid responding to comments using video."

So, he means "must not avoid".

/s

 

[dlmoodyfan]

@johnakamark yeah I reading it now it also confusing hahah

 

[pinkjellybeans32]

@dlmoodyfan Will it work for B2B? How

 

[jaheim]

@pinkjellybeans32 For B2B LinkedIn video posts - must be funny or teaching something

 

[truckingalongforgod]

@jaheim Kindly help to provide with an example how the LinkedIn video post will be helpful for the B2B.

 

[divinemarissa]

@pinkjellybeans32 Yes, that's the reason we don't do marketing on Tik Tok. The potential user base is just to small.

 

[dlmoodyfan]

@pinkjellybeans32 I thought it will not work untill I saw bunch of private jets company promoting on tiktoks. I believe most private jets sold to corporates.

My theory is whatever you do at the end it will be a person who decided either want to do business with you or not. Having tiktok personality might help build trust and show how your business is done. Not sure tho most of my product is not b2b

 

[tlmnaegame]

@dlmoodyfan “Don’t forget to join our email news(??), where we share generic marketing tricks that anyone can find on Google”

 

[dlmoodyfan]

@tlmnaegame ahhh forget to add that, thanks

 

[ruford]

@dlmoodyfan

When was the last time you saw your 50-year-old parents read a blog? Yet, they spend a significant amount of time on TikTok.

40-50 year olds invented blogs so of course they still read them, especially when they're industry specific.

My buyers are 40-65 years old, with millions to spend to solve large business problems who likely don't engage professional content on TikTok. Maybe the younger generation of technical service buyer will in the future. I'm in this age bracket and I certainly don't spend 4-8 figures based on short form video content.

My SaaS customers are not part of social-media hustle culture. They do read trade blogs, linkedIn feeds, and industry news sources (linley newsletter, lwn.net, theregister, et al.). They also attend trade events (both technical and sales/solutions focused).

One SaaS owner, Marc Lou, gains significant success through humorous videos.

This guy's business model is to either sell his low ARR SaaSes to people who have bought into his hype content and "want in on the action" but don't have the skills to execute, or to get aspiring individuals to buy his product to help them achieve his success (ironically that he's achieved by selling them that very product). It's very pyramid-schemey; "you too can succeed like I have by doing what I do by buying what I'm selling."

This whole concept of hype up a hustle to exploit the people you've hyped up is not something to aspire to.

For most SaaS products, the target customer who is going to be reading this are NOT other people who're building SaaSes. You're going to target individuals in a niche with services that help solve their problems. You need to place ads where they're looking to solve their problem, otherwise you're just throwing money in the wind.

I'm not saying there's no merit to TikTok, and it's certainly possible that engaging with a video platform could become the primary method informing SaaS buying decisions in the future, but I have some questions.

If you want to determine ROI for your marketing spend (either in time or dollars) you need metrics. Is it well understood how TikTok SEO works? Is there a similar rate of return and funneling from TikTok search? Can you gather this information from the platform? can one prove that the ROI higher for video content is higher than for written content when it comes to SaaS services?

Have you personally seen B2B SaaS content targeting Medium to Large businesses in niche domains?

Do you have thoughts on Tiktok vs LinkedIn and Tiktok vs Twitter for B2B (especially Medium and Large business).

 

[daisy34]

@dlmoodyfan Hummm is the target market of the SaaS even on tik tok?
Many SaaS are doing B2B and tik tok is more B2C young crowd. Tik tok could have 1000 trillion users but if your target market is not there it is a pure waste of time.

 

[new_christian]

@daisy34 tiktok has gotten to the point where even B2B owners/staff probably spend some time there. So its an informal channel and you never know if someone who watches ur vids owns a B2B business.

 

[ruford]

@new_christian So if I'm targeting a 55 year old buyer whose TikTok feed is filled with fishing and blacksmithing content but doesn't search for professional content in his socials, how am I going to target this buyer?

 

[new_christian]

@ruford Most likely the other departments in his/her team are young , like sales/HR/operations. The representatives from those departments may stumble across your tiktok content

 

[daisy34]

@new_christian Ok I see

 

[dlmoodyfan]

@new_christian I am thinking the same at the end it will be persons who decided to do business' or not. Seeing those private jets guy, luxury real estate and cars make me thinking of that

 

[jdimmick]

@daisy34 Bro im seeing private jet companies selling literal 30m planes marketing on tiktok, u can most definitely find ur target audience if even multimillionaires are there and private jet companies are getting traffic from there

 

[daisy34]

@jdimmick fair enough