It’s been two years since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, and many businesses are just starting to regain traction in their industry, that is, unless you are in the Outdoor Lifestyle Business. This includes hardscape manufacturers, outdoor structure manufactures, grill manufacturers, awning manufacturers, or any kind of outdoor furniture/accessory manufacturers. If your business fits into any of these categories, chances are, you set a record over the last two years, and you also probably haven’t thought much about a manufacturing social media plan.
In March of 2020, people began to pay attention to their homes and outdoor spaces more than ever, because there was simply nowhere else for them to go. Families wanted to spend time outside and realized that the pandemic would be the perfect time to hire your company to create the outdoor space they always dreamed of. Sound familiar? This kept on for upwards of two years; but now what? With people back in the office and back at school, the warm days won’t look the same as they did summer 2021. So, how are you supposed to keep up the record-breaking number of sales you had last year? The answer is simple, but may be surprising; TikTok.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is one of the newest, most popular social media platforms in which users share short form videos, 3 minutes or less, on any topic they choose. With over 1 billion active monthly users, there is a lot of content to be seen, including outdoor lifestyle marketing. The most important way for your business to differentiate itself on this app is to find what your target audience is most interested in and emulate that through your TikTok page. This could be anything from pranks, dance challenges, DIY, or travel, and then base your video off these themes. There is no need to make your videos high quality with professional grade cameras because the laid-back approach is preferred; the content being shared from TikTok’s top content creators is shot right off their iPhones.
Partnering with Content Creators
Partnering with a content creator is a great way to get your name out there. For example, there are thousands of users whose accounts are based on sharing their recipes and showing you how to cook. Your custom grill brand could partner with a creator who will shoot their videos using your appliance, showing their hundreds of thousands, even millions, of followers how to cook using your grill. There are content creators who could demonstrate how to set the table for an outdoor summer barbeque using your custom wood table, under the custom pergola you built specifically for their house. With this kind of lifestyle marketing, all they need to do is mention your company’s name, and the video sells your product for you.
Using TikTok for Business
Another great opportunity that TikTok offers is TikTok for Business. TikTok for Business users can create five different ads to be seen by a specific target audience. The first advertisement type is a TopView Ad. These ads are placed at the top of the feed and can be up to 60 seconds long; users can scroll past this if they do not wish to watch the entire thing. Next, we see In-Feed Ads. These are similar to Instagram ads, 60 seconds or less, full screen, and skippable. Success is measured through clicks, impressions, click through rate, video views, and engagement. A Brand Takeover Ad allows a brand to take over the app for an entire day. The brand can create videos like TopView ads, but they are not skippable. To measure success here, we look at impressions and click through rate.
Brand Effects is a very popular advertisement on TikTok because this allows a brand to create games, stickers, filters, and special effects that users can apply to their videos. These effects can go viral, bringing a large amount of awareness to your brand name. The Branded Hashtag Challenge (HTC) is potentially the best way to get your brand name out to your target audience because hashtags play a major role on TikTok. If a user wants to participate in the HTC, they simply post their video using your company hashtag and are entered; this is typically for fun, but prizes are sometimes awarded. By sponsoring a Branded Hashtag Challenge, it is an incredibly effective way for a company to build a fanbase, which in effect will boost awareness and drive engagement.
If you are stuck, hiring a social media agency to manage your manufacturing social media plan may be an option for you. Social media for outdoor lifestyle manufacturers may seem like a reach, but it is the perfect lifestyle marketing choice your company needs. This is the time for your company to use TikTok’s popularity to drive your business onward and upward. Keep the momentum of the last two years rolling and give your company a fresh, young edge that your competitors do not yet have.
If you are interested in creating a TikTok for Business page, follow this link to get started. You can also work with our social media agency by contacting us here.