What makes TikTok different from other popular social media apps like Instagram and YouTube? While Instagram showcases a mix of image and video content, and YouTube focuses on longer-duration video content, TikTok’s bread and butter is short clips usually up to one minute in length. TikTok caters each user’s feed to videos to suit their preferences; while on YouTube users often start by searching for videos, TikTok immediately suggests videos that are recommended based on the user’s watch history. This hyper-personalization has made TikTok especially popular among Generation Z, who are also searching for more authentic, less “curated” content than what’s commonly seen on Instagram. Hotel marketers can leverage TikTok to show off their hotel’s fun, creative side through short, engaging video content.

The first step to launching TikTok for your hotel is to create a TikTok account. TikTok performs best on their mobile app, so it’s recommended to download the app and start there. After creating your account, you can convert it to a free Business Account (under Edit Profile -> Manage Account), which gives you access to tools like ads, audience insights, and calls to action. With a business account, you can link a website and email address to your profile, in addition to your profile photo, bio, and profile name. Take some time to get familiar with the TikTok interface: the homepage, or “For You” page shows a constantly evolving feed of videos that TikTok’s algorithm chooses to match your interests. You can also navigate to user profiles and view videos that were tagged with a given hashtag. Be sure to explore the video creation and editing features within the TikTok app, including a variety of different filters, effects, and text overlays that you can apply to your videos.

After getting a basic understanding of TikTok itself, you can turn your attention to how your hotel interacts with the TikTok ecosystem. Who is your target audience? What types of content perform best? A good way to start building up your TikTok presence is to experiment with content. Try posting many different types of videos, like room tours, behind-the-scenes looks, quick interviews with employees or guests, user-generated content, and even TikTok trends. Like on Instagram, you can work with TikTok influencers who can either create content for you or post content about your hotel on their own feed (tagging your profile, of course). After posting various types of content, consistently, for a few weeks, you can use TikTok’s analytics dashboard to find patterns and identify what content works best. Which videos got the most views, the most likes, and the most comments? Try to post more of the content that performs best.

Besides posting organic content, which is content you don’t pay to post, you can also run TikTok ads, which operate on a set budget that you choose. Your ads can have a call to action, like following your profile or clicking an external link, depending on what your overall strategy is. For hotels, it often makes sense to link out to your website so viewers can learn more about your property and ultimately book a reservation. If you don’t have bandwidth to create content and run ads yourself, you can work with a TikTok marketing partner to do the heavy lifting on your behalf.

What does success look like on TikTok? Let’s take a look at a few hospitality brands that stand out on this dynamic platform.

Fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle launched its TikTok account in 2018 and has amassed over a million followers and more than 20 million likes. Chipotle’s team creates their content as authentically as possible, trying to avoid looking too polished or over-produced, since the TikTok platform embraces content that’s “real.” Chipotle’s account is also filled with videos of hilarious skits and stunts, like using a burrito as an arm weight during a workout, to show off the brand’s sense of humor. In just four years, the brand has a huge following and has built massive brand awareness.

Hotel chain CitizenM is another great example of a hospitality brand doing things right on TikTok. Although CitizenM’s following is a modest 20-something thousand followers, their profile is set up for success with a catchy tagline (“A cheeky misfit among traditional hotels.”), an obvious branded hashtag for followers and guests to use (#citizenMhotel), and links to book direct and to download their app. CitizenM posts a wide range of content, from quirky room tours to their version of TikTok trends. Even a video that incorporated user-generated content to promote the brand’s spring sale garnered nearly two million views – a stellar example of TikTok to spread awareness and drive conversion.

So how can your hotel draw inspiration from brands like Chipotle and CitizenM to launch a TikTok strategy? To maximize engagement and reach on TikTok, follow these best practices, tips, and tricks:

• Keep your content authentic: The last thing TikTok users want to see is an upload of a glossy stock video of your property. Instead, grab your smartphone, film a self-guided room tour or a rapid-fire Q&A with a staff member, add some music, and upload it. Better yet, partner with influencers or encourage guests to film content which you can share on your profile.

• Keep it short: TikTok users will only look at your video for a few seconds before deciding to stay or to swipe to the next video. This is not the platform for long-form video content. Quick and concise videos perform best. 

• Post often: Consistency is key on TikTok, and because users watch so many videos in one session, it’s advantageous to post a lot of content on your profile to maximize your potential reach. Aim to post at least one video every day to stay competitive on the platform.

• Respond to comments: To encourage engagement, you want users to see that you maintain an ongoing conversation with your followers. Responding to comments is a great way to hold up your end of that conversation. 

• Use relevant hashtags: Hashtags can help your videos become more visible. Unlike on Instagram, where you can add dozens of hashtags to a post, stick to three to five hashtags on TikTok, and only the most relevant ones. For instance, you might want to include a hashtag with your hotel’s location, name, and video topic, like #newyorkcity #theplazahotel #roomtour.

• Try a TikTok trend: Hop on the TikTok trend bandwagon and create your own iteration of the latest challenge, dance, or joke. Time is of the essence here; you don’t want to post your video after the trend has passed. The best way to stay on top of trends is to watch several TikTok videos per day, then when you find one that works for your property, film and post your version right away.

• Find learnings from your analytics dashboard: To know what works for your hotel’s TikTok profile and what doesn’t, leverage the analytics module that comes with your business account. In this pane, you can see how many view, likes, and comments each video got. You can also see when your videos got the most views down to the hour; if your videos perform best in the evenings, for example, then you might want to modify your posting schedule to post when your followers are most active.