To succeed as a marketer, you need to innovate constantly and consistently. To do this, you must always look for fresh and original ways to promote your business. It also entails making use of cutting-edge technology before the competition does. Stories, a new feature from TikTok, should also be on your radar if you want to give yourself an advantage in the market.
Let’s first define TikTok Stories and why they matter to your company. Your concerns have been addressed here. Let’s find out.
What Is a TikTok Story?
TikTok now has a function called “Stories,” where users may post films that will disappear from their profile after 24 hours. Like the Stories on other platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, the maximum length for these films is 15 seconds.
The TikTok Stories feature is conceptually similar to the Stories capabilities seen on other platforms. You can see that information if you’ve uploaded a Story and others have watched it or commented on it. In addition, a blue ring will surround your profile picture whenever you have a Story for fans to check out. Clicking on a user’s profile image takes them to their Story.
Also, a “Stories” tag will display in your video when it is featured on someone’s For You page, letting them know that you have a Story they can check out. TikTok Stories vary from those of other sites in this respect.
What makes TikTok videos so significant?
You may be wondering why you feel the need for TikTok Stories at this time. Why bother publishing a 15-second video to TikTok if it will expire in 24 hours anyway? Using TikTok Stories is a good idea for a few different reasons:
Now is the era of the short video. Shorter videos are growing in popularity as people seek convenience. Moreover, research by Sprout Social indicated that customers are 2.5 times more interested in watching short videos than lengthy ones.
Short videos, as may be expected, were found to be the most popular item in social media feeds. TikTok Stories might be a great approach to keep your audience’s attention due to its concise length.
Your Stories are a more organic method to connect with your audience because of the material you provide there. In reality, the TikTok team created Stories so that users could provide a more genuine and engaging glimpse into their daily lives.
TikTok has rapidly become one of the most popular social media platforms. A previous survey by Sprout Social indicated that it is one of the four social media sites that users want to spend the most time on over the next year. As the number of people using TikTok rises, businesses will need to adjust by devoting more time and resources to the app. This involves making use of the most recent enhancements to the platform.
Understanding TikTok Stories’ Functions
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can talk about how to use the functionality. TikTok Stories: Where Do I Even Begin? Just stick to these simple guidelines, and you’ll soon share your first TikTok Story with the world.
You first need to open the creator window by clicking the “+” symbol on the main TikTok screen.
Second, tap “Stories” by swiping across the bottom bar. Make sure you’re running the most recent version of the TikTok app to access it. TikTok Stories may still need to be available in your location, so you may not see this choice.
Third, choose the Timer symbol on the right side of the screen and tap it. Use this to restrict the length of your video. You can record for either 3 or 10 seconds by default. Or, you may manually adjust the timer’s slider to any value between 1 and 15 seconds.
Fourth, TikTok’s in-app recording feature makes it unnecessary to prepare videos before recording a Story. Just hit the Quick camera button to start a new video recording. You may still use prerecorded videos in your Instagram Stories if you want. Select a video from your device’s camera roll, then press the “Upload” button on the right to upload it.
The fifth step is to immediately share the video as a Story as it is complete. Similar to a standard feed post, you may have fun with filters, stickers, effects, voiceovers, and transitions.
Click the “Post to Story” button to immediately share your Story. Click the “Next” button if you’re OK with the current settings or “Back” to return to the previous screen.
Hashtags, links, captions, tagging people and places, mentioning other accounts, and selecting your own level of privacy are all options here. The Story’s cover image is also customizable. When you’re satisfied with your first TikTok Story, click “Post.”
TikTok automatically deletes Stories from the app after 24 hours. However, you may choose to delete the Story before the 24 hours are over. Simply choose the Story you want to read and then click the ellipsis icon in the sidebar. To delete a Story, just swipe left and tap the trash can symbol.
TikTok Stories: Good or Bad?
Since TikTok Stories are still in their infancy, you understandably have some concerns about utilizing them. Can we expect the same level of success as Instagram Stories? Alternatively, will it go the way of Twitter Fleets and disappear? The future of TikTok Stories is still being determined, but marketers can stay ahead of the curve by embracing cutting-edge tools and capabilities.
Adopting TikTok Stories early has no downsides (beyond some wasted time and effort). While this new feature may or may not be successful, you stand to win significantly if it does.