🔥Being one of the hottest apps in 2020, TikTok has become part of daily lives of many, especially during the global pandemic lockdown. People are simply spending more time online and looking for ways to entertain and be entertained. If you haven’t already indulged, it’s time for brands and agencies to join the party.

TikTok has become one of the most used platforms in 2020. The original TikTok / Douyin app hit 500 million global monthly active users in mid-2018, thanks mainly to China’s social media video craze. In addition to acquiring Musical.ly, TikTok has continued to grow in popularity since then at a rapid rate. It has been estimated that TikTok would have increased its user base to 800 million since then.

Not only that, but in a sample of 100,000 users made by Influencer Marketing Hub, TikTok has the highest engagement rate, over platforms such as Instagram and Facebook!

Source: influencermarketinghub.com

It can be hard for brands and marketers to get a hold of TikTok at first, that’s why here at VISU.AL we’ll take you through the basic steps of how to use TikTok, if you are a beginner, to get you started.

1. Download the app and sign up.

Go to the App Store or Google Play and download TikTok. 

2. Set up your profile.

Once you’ve logged in, you’ll instantly be brought to the feed of videos. Tap the icon in the lower right  to see and edit your profile.

Source: blog.hubspot.com

3. How To’s In TikTok.

• How to Post on TikTok

Tap the center tab to enter camera mode. To face the camera in the right direction, tap the Flip icon in the top right. On the right side of the screen, you’ll also see icons for the following:

• – Speed: Allows you to record your video in slow motion or speed up.
• – Beauty: An AR filter that can hide blemishes and smooth out your skin.
• – Filters: Lets you change the color filter of the camera.
• – Timer: Allows you to set an auto-record countdown if you want to film hands-free.
• – Flash.

• How to Make Your TikTok Account Private

Once you’ve signed up, you may want to keep your account private. If that’s the case, head to the profile icon on the right side of the bottom menu bar.

From your profile, click the three dots in the top-right corner of the screen. Go to Privacy and Safety, and click the Private Account button to switch this setting on. When you make your account private, other users can’t follow you without your approval. From here, you can also adjust other privacy settings relating to comments, reactions, messaging, and more.

Source:makeuseof.com

• How to Upload a Video From Your Gallery

 Hit the plus sign icon on the bottom of the screen. Once you arrive at the recording screen, click the “Upload” button in the bottom-right corner of the screen.  This brings you to your phone’s gallery where you can select which video you want to upload. To upload more than one video, select “Multiple”. You can then proceed to edit the length of the video, as well as add text and filters.

• How to Create a Slideshow

Click the same plus sign icon at the bottom of the screen. You’ll see options for the length of your video, along with one that says “Photo templates”. Swipe to choose a template, and then hit “Select photos”.This brings you to your gallery where you can pick multiple photos to use in a slideshow. 

• How To Make GIFs

When you find a video you like, why not turn it into a GIF? Click on the desired video, and then select the arrow button on the right side of the screen. You’ll see a series of sharing options, as well as one that says “Share as GIF”.

Once you select that option, TikTok directs you to a screen to edit the length of your GIF. Select “Generate” to create a GIF after you’re done. You can then share it on various social media platforms, or even via a text message.

4- Engage With The TikTok Community.

• Like, comment, or share videos you enjoy.

When you find a video you like, you can tap the heart to like it or the speech bubble to comment on it. To share the video, press the forward sign underneath the comment symbol to see your sharing options. These symbols are all located on the right side of the video.

 

•  Follow users via videos, search, and TikCode.

If you want to keep up with a great video creator, you can follow them by pressing the icon that includes their profile picture and a plus sign above the heart button on their video.If you already know of a TikTok account or person that you want to follow, you can search for them in the search bar and then press the “Users” filter. You can also find them by scanning their QR TikCode. This can be helpful for brands or people that want to promote their TikTok channel on other websites or in the physical world. It can also be great if you run into a friend in-person who wants to add you.

 To find your own TikCode, go to your profile and tap the icon with four squares in the top right.

5. Have Fun!

There are lots of different ways to engage and entertain with each other on TikTok. No doubt thee will be many more appearing over the coming months but here are a few to get you started.

Duet

Duets are a core part of the TikTok experience. It’s the TikTok way of remixing songs, where users can take another person’s video and add to it. It’s like setting up a joke and giving another person the chance to deliver the punchline. Quite fun, isn’t it?

Want to give it a try? Open the video from which you want to create a duet, tap on the Share icon and select Duet. Now, you can make a video as you wish.

Source: The Daily Dot

Cringe

Cringe videos have defined TikTok for a while: they consist of someone acting awkwardly or in an embarrassing fashion while attempting to perform sincerely. They have become quite trendy in the platform and people are for sure embracing the cringe.

Challenges

Challenges have united the TikTok community: TikTok thrives on challenges. For challenges, many TikTok users will all make videos attempting to do the same thing, like the stair step challenge, where they would dance up a set of stairs in elaborate ways. 

Speaking of challenges , we’ve just started to launch a few ourselves.

The first will be from our Gibraltar Hub, in partnership with a number of brands locally , were we’ll also be offering a number of prizes to go along with the challenges. We will then also launch in Malta, Spain , UK and the Philippines , so watch this space! ( you can follow the challenges @visualgibraltar across social ) . Read more about it here.

Lip Sync Video

Feeling creative? Try the lip sync video and let others see your performance and inspire others.

At VISU.AL we’re keeping brands and marketers connected and at the forefront of whats possible , including keeping up to date with the latest trends on social media. TikTok has for sure taken over this year, so best to join the party now! If you’re a brand and thinking of getting started on TikTok or launching a challenge , please feel free to get in contact and set up and introductory call.