For years, LinkedIn has been the preferred choice of social media for business leaders, where they connect with other like-minded individuals and showcase their expertise through blogs and writeups. But in recent times, CEOs and leaders are using another unique platform to share their leadership expertise, connect with new-age audiences, and strengthen their company’s brand: It is TikTok!
Take, for instance, Spencer Rascoff, who founded Zillow. Mr. Rascoff has used TikTok to gain followers and likes and to establish himself as a thought leader. His short and effective videos offer valuable industry insights with clear captions and direct eye contact with the camera; he comes across as accessible and understanding.
From being an app for social media influencers and a place for random, simple entertainment, TikTok is transforming itself into a space to include community building, brand engagement, and thought leadership in a fun, engaging, and interactive way.
Why TikTok?
Despite the inundation in social media platforms, why are CEOs and other thought leaders now looking at including Tik Tok into their marketing mix? Apart from the advantages of being an early adopter, here are other crucial reasons:
- Personal Branding – Tik Tok helps personal branding as CEOs sharing videos about their family and pets seem to be gaining more traction on the site. Communication experts advise CEOs to use Tik Tok and post personal videos to offer insights into the company’s working and everyday lend. This lends a human touch to the leader’s image, further humanising the face of the company, building connections with audiences, and creating a lasting bond.
- Unique Algorithm – Every social media site has its algorithm , but Tik Tok is touted to be one of the best. This means that if you post consistently and interact with the app’s algorithm, posting organic content or cross-posting from other sites, Tik Tok can reach new audiences and increase awareness of you and your brand. Tik Tok’s For You page is built to help people discover what videos they like. It uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to learn more about users’ likes and dislikes and will show your videos to them if you post the right content.
- Video works better – Studies have shown that video content is better for marketing because it has better retention rates and people tend to absorb information better. With Tik Tok’s algorithm, posting relevant content regularly will help you reach a broader audience and steady followers.
How to use TikTok as a CEO?
Although Tik Tok is not a typical business conversion tool, including it in your marketing plan ensures that you can position yourself as a relevant, engaging, and on-brand leader. However, there are a few things to remember to ensure that your Tik Tok content is high quality and aligns with the rest of your branding.
Developing a creative strategy, posting consistently, and using keywords and relevant hashtags in captions will get you noticed faster. Also, make sure to use your name and designation on the video so that viewers always know who you are.
Suppose you’re running out of ideas to post content. In that case, you can always cross-post from your other platforms, turn your blog into a one-minute video with the main points, with a call to action, leading back to the original blog, or even convert a snippet from your podcast, which you can use as a teaser for the main event. After all, the world of snackable content is Tik Tok’s forte. Use your expertise to emerge as a thought leader, and post tips, lessons, and even Q & A sessions to educate the audience about your work.
Another great use of Tik Tok is to post storytelling videos, introduce the audience to your team members, and include product demos in short, easy-to-view videos.
The critical thing to remember about leveraging Tik Tok as a CEO is to create a connection with the audience. Everything else will fall into place.