It may come as no surprise that TikTok–a social media platform that allows users to create, share, and watch short-form videos–is the hottest social media platform right now. As its user growth statistic demonstrates, TikTok’s popularity has surged in recent years:

• The platform is expected to gain almost 2 billion users by the end of 2022

• It currently holds a young demographic (Millennials and Generation Z), with the majority of the users being under 30 years old

For restaurants looking to expand their customer base and increase brand exposure, consider starting a TikTok account as part of your next marketing strategy. Here's some information on how best to kick off campaigns using Tiktok.

1. Understanding the TikTok algorithm

TikTok has a content discovery tool called the “For You page”, which is a personalized video feed that users can scroll through. Being featured on the TikTok For You page is the easiest and fastest way for an account to gain exposure and experience growth since it allows them to be discovered by viewers easily through the TikTok algorithm. 

According to TikTok, the app’s algorithm prioritizes user interaction and video information. These are the two factors by which videos are selected to be on the For You page. User interaction takes into account the shares, follows, and likes of the user, while video information considers the TikTok content itself and any other details, such as captions, sounds, and hashtags.

2. Publish quality content

Just like any other social media platform, posting quality content is essential for any account that aims to grow its followers on TikTok. That means filming videos in high visual and audio quality, with clean editing and production execution. Focusing on an aesthetic that represents the restaurant's overall brand will be useful in establishing a certain voice and a look to make the video easily recognizable and as a result, the restaurant brand memorable.

READ MORE: Why restaurant branding is a game changer in hospitality

Captions are also important in securing content quality on TikTok. Insert interesting and relevant captions, including restaurant information such as address and opening hours.

Creating an original hashtag for the restaurant is also a great way for hospitality operators to brand their restaurant on TikTok. This will secure wider viewer reach because the hashtag will help group a cluster of videos together, and will also make it easier for viewers to find any information related to that account.

Better yet, there is an impressive community of foodies active on #foodtok, where any type of food content is enthusiastically welcomed. Including that hashtag in the caption might just get that restaurant video into the right hands of some hungry viewers.

3. Invite user interaction

For more user engagement, user interaction is the way to go. TikTok is no different. Liking, commenting, sharing, and "dueting" with a TikTok video–a feature unique to the video-sharing app that allows users to respond and interact with another user’s original clip–boosts user engagement levels that ultimately result in greater audience reach. Restaurants should therefore integrate user interaction as part of their TikTok marketing strategy.  

Conducting polls on TikTok is a great way to increase user interaction since it can potentially stir some interesting conversation in the comments section. Polls not only gamify the interactive experience and make it more fun for everybody; it also provides a chance for the restaurant to gain some useful insights into what its customers prefer. Q&A’s, conducted by collecting questions from the comments section and answering them in a separate video, might also be worth a try. Perhaps customers can learn some practical, as well as some insider info about the restaurant, such as staff favorites or even backstories.

4. Share signature recipes, menu updates, recommendations

One of TikTok’s biggest strengths is that its 15-second short videos can visually relay all the necessary information to the viewer at the height of their attention span. This makes TikTok one of the best platforms to share information quickly, on a larger scale than many other social media platforms can achieve. 

With Tiktok, restaurant owners have the opportunity to let as many customers know about any exciting things related to the restaurant, such as its new menus, signature recipes, upcoming events, limited offers, and much more.

TableCheck’s client, Pizza4P's shares cooking instruction videos for their newest make-at-home pasta sets and introduces their latest pizza menus on their TikTok. Hop on over to TikTok to see more examples of how restaurants market their businesses on the popular video-sharing app.

READ MORE: Transforming Pizza 4P's into a global brand

5. Ride the Tiktok trend wave

Finally, TikTok would not be what it is without the trends that continuously make the app and its contents new and exciting. TikTok trends refer to viral videos that use popular soundtracks, effects, and features, as well as dances, challenges, and edits. 

While certain trends, such as dances or facial effects, may be difficult for restaurants to try, soundtracks and edits can be easily applied. It's important to signify the trends in the hashtags as well, such as #TikTokchallenge #duet #viral #trending to fully ride the trend wave.

Trends are what spreads content and captivate viewers the most, therefore restaurants should leverage them to grow their brand and expand their reach on this popular social media platform.