It's Time For TikTok
TikTok Has More Than 1 billion Active Users, and while most of the users are still teens or very young adults, it is beginning to be more broadly used across a wider demographic. REALTORS® have begun taking advantage of the free platform to create videos of properties and features in their communities to create leads and make sales. During the pandemic, many REALTORS® used TikTok to showcase their listings when open houses were not possible.
The most important thing to consider when using TikTok is creativity, whether you are showcasing a property, talking about #REALTORlife, or educating consumers about the market, make it fun and interesting. TikTok began as a platform to showcase music and most videos incorporate music and sound, so consider combining your personal taste with professional flair. The most popular content creators also use humor to get their messaging across, which really resonates with clients and helps to create a connection. Though be careful not to be too sarcastic or negative, some people may find it funny but as with any social media what you are posting should represent your professional brand.
There are a few different ways to manage a TikTok account, the most intuitive is to use the app natively to record, edit and post videos but there are some advantages to using a 3rd party app to record, edit and post. Apps like Canva and Lightricks give you added options when creating your videos, such as a choice of templates, adding custom color schemes and using stock video clips. However, creating videos on a 3rd party app does come with restrictions in the length of your video.
Like Instagram, TikTok is driven by a hashtag search and creating a follower base. You should research hashtags in your industry and area to find out which are the most relevant to your business. Being regionally specific is important in real estate because you want to reach people who may be interested in properties in your area.
TikTok is a great way to reach potential clients and have fun showcasing your brand. Though advertising is available it is still possible to reach many people for free with good content. Below is a handy guide on video specifications to easily create videos to be used on the platform.
How To Use TikTok
· Video Length: At first, TikTok videos could only be up to 15 seconds long, but the company recently extended the limit to 60 seconds when you string 4 15-second segments together. However, this only applies to videos recorded natively on the app. If you upload a video that was created elsewhere, it can be longer than 60 seconds.
· Video Specs: File size: The video should be up to 287.6 MB in size for iOS, or 72 MB on Android. For ads, it can be up to 500 MB. Orientation: TikTok is formatted to be viewed on a smartphone, so vertical video is best, though horizontal is also allowed. Dimensions: TikTok video dimensions should be 1080×1920. Aspect ratio: The aspect ratio should be that of a standard smartphone screen, 9:16. 1:1 is also possible, but it won’t take up the whole screen. File type: TikTok supports .mp4 and .mov files. For ads, it also supports .avi and .gif files.