TikTok is a powerful way to showcase your products and help build a brand persona. Going live on TikTok is also a great way to present a lighter, more approachable side of your brand – something that will appeal to TikTok’s younger audience.
Whether members of your team go live, or you work with influencers to go live on your behalf, giving your brand a ‘face’ can be hugely beneficial. Hosting a live Q&A session, showcasing a new product exclusively on TikTok, or product tutorials are all effective ways of making your TikTok live a success. So here are some top tips to help you turn live streams into a profitable avenue for your brand.
Clear Objective
Before you go live, it’s important to define the objective of your live stream. What are you trying to achieve by going live? Having a clear goal (such as a new product launch) will help you structure the live stream, so it flows and feels more natural to the viewer.
Structure
No one likes awkward silences, especially not on a livestream. So, ensure you have a plan of how the stream will go so you can smoothly transition from one element to another without hesitation. A good structure to follow would be:
- Introductions – introduce yourself and what your role in the company is
- Topic – once members have joined the stream and numbers are consistent, introduce the topic that you are going to discuss
- Main content – delve into the main discussion
- Timing – keep an eye on the time, TikTok live videos are limited to 60 minutes. Try to let things flow naturally and end the stream when it feels natural
Schedule
The success of your livestream will depend on how many people join, so make sure you are going live at a good time for your audience. Work out what time they use the platform and interact most with your posts, and stream around that time. It is useful to also consider business hours.
Promotion
Announcing you are going live ahead of time gives your followers plenty of notice to be available to join. There are many scheduling tools available that will help encourage your followers to come and chat with you.
Authenticity
Try not to over-plan your live stream. It shouldn’t appear too scripted or formal. Authenticity is critical to make sure the stream feels natural and comfortable to watch for your audience. So, note down the key points you need to cover, but let everything else come naturally. TikTok’s audience are generally younger and won’t respond to the hard sell, so be casual and genuine if you want your Tik Tok advertising to be a success.
Technical Details
Ensure that all technical aspects have been thought through to give your livestream the best possible chance of success. The stream should be well lit – either with professional lighting or natural light. You should be in a quiet space without lots of background noise that you have to fight over to be heard. And you must have a good internet connection that will ensure your live stream doesn’t get interrupted.