TikTok Marketing Strategy: How to Maximize Engagement and Growth with Email Marketing

TikTok has taken the social media world by storm, rapidly growing into one of the most popular platforms globally. Its fun, engaging short-form videos make it easy to see why influencers and brands flock to TikTok. However, relying solely on one platform, especially with potential bans looming, can be risky. Diversifying your marketing efforts is more critical than ever.

A multi-channel marketing strategy can ensure stability and sustained growth. While TikTok is great for reaching a broad audience, integrating it with other channels, particularly email marketing, can amplify your efforts and help you build a more resilient online presence.

In this article, we’ll guide you through leveraging TikTok within a broader multi-channel marketing strategy, with a special focus on the power of email marketing. Let’s dive in and explore how you can turn your TikTok followers into engaged email subscribers and why this approach is essential for long-term success.

Multi-channel marketing involves engaging with potential customers through various platforms, such as social media, email, websites, and more. This approach allows businesses to reach a broader audience, cater to different preferences, and create multiple touchpoints, enhancing the chances of engagement and conversion.

The importance of multi-channel marketing

Diversifying marketing efforts across multiple channels is crucial for several reasons. First, it helps mitigate the risk of relying too heavily on a single platform. Platforms can change their algorithms, face technical issues, or even be banned, as is the current concern with TikTok. By spreading your marketing efforts across various channels, you ensure that your overall strategy remains robust and less vulnerable to these disruptions.

Second, multi-channel marketing allows you to reach your audience where they are. Different people have different preferences when it comes to consuming content. Some might prefer watching videos on TikTok, while others might enjoy reading newsletters or engaging with posts on Instagram. Being present on multiple channels allows you to cater to these diverse preferences and ensure your message reaches a wider audience.

Third, this approach enhances the customer experience. Providing multiple touchpoints creates a more cohesive and integrated experience for your audience. They can interact with your brand in different ways, whether engaging with video content on TikTok, personalized emails, or informative blog posts. This increases engagement and builds a stronger connection with your brand.

Channels you can leverage include:

• Social media: Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
• Email: Newsletters, promotional emails, and personalized email marketing
• Content marketing: Blogs, videos, infographics, and whitepapers
• SEO and SEM: Organic search optimization and paid search advertising
• Affiliate & influencer marketing: Partnerships with influencers and other businesses
• Direct mail: Physical mail campaigns for a more personalized touch

Leveraging multiple channels helps you create a comprehensive marketing strategy that maximizes your reach and engagement, ultimately driving better results for your business.

Thanks to its unique format and engaging content, TikTok has quickly become a powerhouse in the social media landscape. However, while it's a valuable tool in any marketer's arsenal, it's essential to integrate it within a broader multi-channel strategy.

Let's explore how TikTok fits into this approach.

Engagement and reach

One of TikTok’s standout features is its ability to engage a wide audience. The platform’s algorithm ensures that content can reach a diverse group of users, regardless of their following count. This democratization of reach means that even new creators have the potential to go viral. TikTok’s short-form video format is inherently engaging, capturing attention quickly and holding it with dynamic, creative content.

Why TikTok is a great growth channel:

• Wide audience: TikTok has over 1 billion active users worldwide, making it one of the largest social media platforms. This broad user base includes various demographics, allowing brands to reach different segments.
• High engagement: Users spend an average of 52 minutes per day on the app, interacting with content in ways that boost visibility and engagement.
• User interaction: TikTok's features like duets, stitches, and challenges encourage user interaction and content creation, further amplifying reach and engagement.

Content virality

TikTok’s algorithm is designed to support and amplify viral content. Unlike other platforms where reach is often limited to followers, TikTok’s "For You" page can showcase content to millions, regardless of a user’s follower count.

This is why it’s a powerful tool for rapid brand awareness and growth:

• Algorithm: TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes organic content based on user interactions, such as likes, shares, and comments, rather than just follower count.
• Trends and challenges: The platform thrives on trends and challenges, which can rapidly increase a brand's visibility. Participating in these can significantly boost engagement.
• User-generated content: Encouraging users to create content related to your brand can amplify your message and create a sense of community.

TikTok’s limitations

Despite its strengths, there are potential risks and limitations to relying solely on TikTok. It's crucial to be aware of these to mitigate any adverse impacts on your overall marketing strategy.

• Platform dependency: TikTok’s potential ban in various countries highlights the risk of depending too heavily on a single platform. If TikTok were banned, businesses relying solely on it would face significant challenges.
• Algorithm changes: Just like any other social platform, TikTok's algorithm can change, which might affect how your content is distributed and viewed.
• Content format: While engaging, TikTok’s short-form video format may not suit all types of content or brands. Businesses need to adapt their content strategies to fit this format, which might not always align with their goals or messaging.

Integrating TikTok into a multi-channel strategy ensures you leverage its strengths while balancing its limitations with more stable, controlled channels like email marketing.

Learn about the TikTok ban and what you can do to nurture your audience into other channels like email.

Integrating TikTok into your email marketing strategy can be a game-changer. By using TikTok's vast reach and engagement capabilities, you can effectively grow your email list and nurture a more engaged audience.

Lead magnets on TikTok

Lead magnets are invaluable tools for capturing email addresses. They are often incentives offered to potential customers in exchange for their contact information, typically email addresses. They work because they provide immediate value to the audience, making the exchange of information worthwhile.

For example, you can offer exclusive content, like special videos or behind-the-scenes footage, which entices viewers to subscribe to your newsletter. Discounts and free resources, such as guides or templates, are also popular lead magnets that can attract a wide audience.

CTAs on TikTok

Clear and compelling calls to action (CTAs) are essential for converting TikTok followers into email subscribers. A strong CTA guides your audience on what action to take next, making it easier for them to engage with your content further. Strategies for effective CTAs include using direct language in your videos, such as “Sign up for our newsletter” or “Get your free guide by subscribing.”

Additionally, including a link to your email sign-up form in your TikTok bio and referencing it in your videos can drive more traffic to your email list. Text overlays in your videos can also reinforce your CTA, increasing the likelihood that viewers will follow through.

Teaser content on TikTok

Sharing snippets or previews of your newsletter content on TikTok can intrigue your audience and drive email sign-ups. Teaser content gives potential subscribers a taste of what they can expect if they join your email list.

For instance, creating short videos highlighting key points or interesting sections of your newsletter can attract viewers' interest. Offering a behind-the-scenes look at your content creation process or upcoming projects featured in your newsletter can also engage your audience. Emphasizing the benefits of subscribing, such as exclusive tips, early access to content, or special offers, can further entice viewers to sign up.

Contests and giveaways on TikTok

Contests and giveaways are excellent tactics for encouraging TikTok followers to join your email list. People love the chance to win something, and by tying entry to an email subscription, you can grow your list quickly.

Clearly outline the rules of your contest, ensuring that one of the entry requirements is to subscribe to your email list. To maximize participation, offer prizes that are relevant and valuable to your audience. Creating engaging TikTok videos that promote the contest or giveaway and explain how to enter can drive more entries and subscriptions.

By leveraging these strategies, you can turn your TikTok presence into a powerful tool for building a robust email list, enhancing your overall multi-channel marketing strategy.

Email marketing remains one of the most effective strategies for driving growth and engaging with your audience. Unlike other channels, email provides a direct line of communication to your subscribers, ensuring your message reaches them without the interference of algorithms or platform changes.

"TikTok can drive significant traffic to other owned media channels like your website or email list. It's all about creating a seamless journey for your audience from social to your primary communication channels."

-Michael Stelzner

Direct access to your audience

One of the key advantages of email marketing is the control and direct communication it offers. When you send an email, it lands directly in your subscriber's inbox, giving you a direct line to your audience. This control is invaluable, especially when compared to social media platforms, where algorithm changes can drastically impact your reach. With email, you know your message is being delivered to those who have opted in to hear from you, ensuring a more targeted and engaged audience.

Email marketing platforms provide detailed analytics on how your emails are performing. You can track open rates, click-through rates, and other engagement metrics to refine your strategies and optimize your marketing campaigns. This level of insight is difficult to achieve on social media platforms, where data can be more generalized and less specific to individual user behaviors.

Higher engagement rates

Emails typically see higher engagement rates compared to social media posts. While social media engagement can be influenced by various factors, such as timing and algorithm preferences, email open and click-through rates are more consistent.

According to a study by Mailmunch, the average email open rate across all industries is around 21.33%, with click-through rates averaging 2.62%. In contrast, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram often see engagement rates below 1%. This higher engagement makes email a crucial tool for nurturing relationships and driving conversions.

Emails allow for a more focused and uninterrupted engagement. When a subscriber opens your email, they are dedicating time specifically to read your content. This contrasts with social media, where users often scroll through a feed and can easily be distracted by other posts. The focused nature of email engagement helps to build stronger connections with your audience and can lead to higher conversion rates.

Personalization and segmentation

One of the standout features of email marketing is the ability to personalize and segment your messages. Personalized emails can significantly increase engagement and conversions by making your audience feel valued and understood. Techniques like addressing subscribers by their first name, tailoring content based on their preferences, and sending targeted offers can all boost engagement.

Segmentation allows you to divide your email list into specific groups based on various criteria, such as demographics, purchase history, or engagement level. This enables you to send highly relevant content to each segment, improving the chances of your emails being opened and acted upon.

Platforms like ActiveCampaign excel in this area, offering advanced personalization and segmentation capabilities that allow you to deliver highly relevant content to each subscriber. By using data such as past purchase behavior or website interactions, you can create personalized email experiences that drive better results.

Ownership of contact list

Owning your email list provides a level of stability and reliability that other platforms cannot offer. Social media accounts can be suspended, algorithms can change, and platforms can decline in popularity. However, your email list remains a stable asset that you fully control. This ownership means you can reach out to your audience whenever necessary without relying on a third-party platform.

An email list is an asset you own, much like your website or physical store. It’s a direct line to your audience that can’t be taken away by changes in a third-party platform’s policies or algorithms. Having control over your contact list ensures that you are not at the mercy of external changes that can impact your ability to communicate with your audience.

Additionally, with email, you can gather rich data about your subscribers. You can track their engagement with your content, understand their preferences, and build detailed profiles that can inform your marketing strategies. This level of insight and control is unparalleled, making email marketing a cornerstone of a robust multi-channel marketing strategy.

Real-world example: Gymshark

Gymshark, a leading fitness apparel brand, has successfully used TikTok to enhance their multi-channel marketing strategy. One of their most notable campaigns is the "66 Days: Change Your Life" challenge, which leveraged TikTok's viral nature to engage users and drive significant growth in their email list.

Gymshark launched the "66 Days: Change Your Life" challenge on TikTok, encouraging users to commit to a fitness goal for 66 days, the time it typically takes to form a new habit. Participants were asked to share their progress using a dedicated hashtag, which generated millions of views and created a strong community around the challenge. The campaign's success was bolstered by Gymshark's consistent engagement with participants, including likes, comments, and shares of user-generated content.

Strategies used:

1. TikTok challenges: Gymshark capitalized on the popularity of TikTok challenges to create a viral campaign. The "66 Days: Change Your Life" challenge was designed to be easily shareable and engaging, encouraging users to document their fitness journeys.
2. User-generated content: By encouraging participants to share their progress on TikTok, Gymshark generated a wealth of user-generated content, which helped to increase the campaign's visibility and authenticity.
3. Exclusive content and promotions: To further incentivize participation, Gymshark offered exclusive content and promotions to challenge participants who signed up for their email list. This strategy increased engagement and helped grow their email subscriber base.
4. Multi-channel integration: Gymshark effectively integrated their TikTok campaign with other marketing channels, including email marketing. Participants who joined the challenge were regularly updated with motivational emails, exclusive content, and promotional offers, which kept them engaged and connected to the brand.

Why this worked:

• Engagement and virality: TikTok challenges can significantly boost engagement and brand visibility. Gymshark's campaign demonstrated how a well-crafted challenge can go viral, generating millions of views and interactions.
• User-generated content: Leveraging user-generated content amplifies a campaign's reach and adds authenticity, enhancing brand trust and loyalty.
• Email list growth: Offering exclusive content and promotions in exchange for email sign-ups can be a highly effective strategy to grow an email list. Gymshark's campaign successfully converted TikTok engagement into email subscribers.
• Multi-channel strategy: Integrating TikTok campaigns with other marketing channels, such as email, ensures that the engagement generated on social media is maintained and nurtured through direct communication. This approach helps build a more resilient and connected audience.

Gymshark's "66 Days: Change Your Life" challenge is a prime example of how brands can leverage TikTok to drive multi-channel marketing success. It demonstrates the power of combining social media virality with direct email engagement.

While email marketing is a powerful tool for engaging with your audience and driving growth, it's crucial to integrate other channels to create a comprehensive and resilient marketing strategy. Leveraging multiple platforms enhances your reach and ensures you're not overly reliant on any single channel.

Here, we’ll explore how social media, content marketing, and paid advertising can complement your email marketing efforts to build a robust strategy.

Social media platforms

Maintaining a presence on multiple social media platforms is essential for reaching a broad and diverse audience. Each platform has its unique user base and engagement style, offering various opportunities for content distribution and audience interaction. By diversifying your social media presence, you can reach different segments of your target audience and drive more traffic to your email list sign-ups.

• Diversification: Engaging with followers on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn allows you to tailor your content to the specific preferences of each audience. For example, TikTok is excellent for short, engaging video content, while LinkedIn is more suited for professional and educational content. Creating platform-specific content can maximize engagement and direct followers to join your email list.
• Cross-promotion: Use your social media profiles to cross-promote your email content. Tease upcoming newsletters, share snippets from recent emails, and encourage your social media followers to subscribe for exclusive content. This drives email sign-ups and keeps your social media content fresh and engaging.

Content marketing

Content marketing involves creating valuable, relevant content to attract and engage your target audience. This content can take many forms, including blogs, videos, podcasts, and infographics. By offering high-quality content, you can build trust with your audience and drive them to subscribe to your email list for more in-depth information.

• Value: Consistently publishing informative and engaging content on your blog or website helps establish your brand as an authority in your niche. Use your content to address common pain points, provide solutions, and share industry insights. Each piece of content should include a call-to-action (CTA) that encourages readers to join your email list for further updates and exclusive content.
• Multi-format content: Different people consume content in different ways. Some prefer reading blog posts, while others might enjoy watching videos or listening to podcasts. By diversifying your content formats, you can reach a broader audience and cater to different preferences. For instance, create a blog post on a specific topic, then repurpose that content into a video or podcast episode to maximize reach and engagement.

Paid advertising

While organic reach is valuable, paid advertising can significantly boost your efforts by reaching a larger audience and accelerating follower growth. Paid ads on platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn can drive targeted traffic to your email sign-up forms and help you quickly expand your subscriber base.

• Boosting reach: Paid ads allow you to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors, ensuring that your message reaches the right people. Detailed targeting options can attract high-quality leads who are more likely to engage with your content and subscribe to your email list. For example, you can run Facebook ads targeting users interested in digital marketing, offering a lead magnet in exchange for their email address.
• Complementing organic efforts: Paid advertising works best when integrated with your organic marketing efforts. Use ads to amplify the reach of your most popular content, drive traffic to high-converting landing pages, and retarget website visitors who haven’t yet subscribed to your email list. You can create a more cohesive and effective marketing plan by strategically combining paid and organic strategies.

Integrating social media platforms, content marketing, and paid advertising into your email marketing strategy allows you to create a multi-channel approach that enhances your reach, engages your audience, and drives sustainable growth. This comprehensive strategy ensures that you’re leveraging the strengths of each channel while building a resilient marketing ecosystem that can adapt to changes and challenges in the digital landscape.

Leveraging the right tools and techniques is crucial to effectively implementing a multi-channel marketing strategy. These tools streamline your efforts and provide insights and capabilities that can enhance your overall strategy.

Let’s explore some marketing automation tools, the importance of analytics and tracking, and how to create integrated cross-channel campaigns.

Marketing automation tools

Marketing automation tools are essential for managing and optimizing your multi-channel marketing efforts. These tools help automate repetitive tasks, segment your audience, and deliver personalized content across various channels.

Tools like ActiveCampaign can significantly streamline your marketing processes. With features like automated workflows, email segmentation, and personalized messaging, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are efficient and effective.

For example, with ActiveCampaign, you can automate follow-up emails, schedule social media posts, and create dynamic content that adapts to user behavior. This saves time and enhances the precision and impact of your campaigns.

Automation tools enable you to create highly personalized experiences for your audience. By segmenting your email list based on user behavior, demographics, or purchase history, you can send tailored messages that resonate with each segment. This level of personalization leads to higher engagement rates and fosters a stronger connection with your audience.

Top marketing automation tools:

• ActiveCampaign: Offers advanced automation capabilities, personalization, and email marketing features to help streamline marketing efforts.
• Zapier: Automates workflows by connecting various apps and services, enabling TikTokers to automate repetitive tasks and streamline their processes.
• Buffer: A social media management tool that helps schedule posts, analyze performance, and manage all your social media accounts in one place.
• Hootsuite: Offers scheduling, content curation, and analytics features, making it easier to manage multiple social media profiles and track their performance.
• Later: Specifically designed for visual content, Later allows users to plan, schedule, and analyze their social media posts across various platforms, including TikTok.

Analytics and tracking

Tracking performance across all channels is vital to making informed decisions and optimizing your marketing efforts. Analytics tools provide the data you need to understand what’s working and what’s not.

Using analytics tools, you can measure the success of your campaigns across different channels. Tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, and ActiveCampaign offer detailed insights into user behavior, conversion rates, and engagement metrics. By analyzing this data, you can identify trends, optimize your strategies, and make data-driven decisions that improve your overall marketing performance.

Detailed reports help you understand the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. For instance, you can track your email campaigns' open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Additionally, you can monitor the engagement and reach of your social media posts. This comprehensive reporting allows you to adjust your strategies in real time and ensure that your efforts are aligned with your business goals.

Top analytics and tracking tools:

• Google Analytics: Provides in-depth insights into website traffic and user behavior, helping TikTokers track the effectiveness of their campaigns and understand audience engagement.
• TikTok Analytics: TikTok's built-in analytics tool gives any content creator insights into their audience demographics, video performance, and engagement metrics.
• Sprout Social: Offers comprehensive social media analytics and reporting, helping users track engagement, reach, and performance across multiple platforms.
• Iconosquare: Focuses on Instagram and TikTok analytics, providing detailed performance metrics and audience insights to help optimize content strategies.

Cross-channel campaigns

Creating integrated campaigns that span multiple channels ensures that your message is consistent and reaches a wider audience. This approach helps reinforce your brand and drives better results.

Techniques for creating cross-channel campaigns involve integrating your marketing efforts across various platforms. For example, you can start a campaign on TikTok to drive awareness and then follow up with targeted email campaigns to nurture leads. Similarly, you can use social media to promote your blog content and drive traffic to your website. By coordinating your efforts across channels, you create a seamless experience for your audience and maximize your reach.

Ensuring that your messaging is consistent across all channels is crucial. This means your brand voice, visuals, and core message should be aligned, whether you’re sending an email, posting on social media, or publishing a blog post. Consistent messaging helps reinforce your brand identity and builds trust with your audience.

Relying on a single platform for your marketing efforts, especially one as dynamic as TikTok, can be risky. By diversifying your marketing channels, you can reach your audience even if one platform's landscape changes dramatically. Multi-channel marketing enhances your reach and strengthens your brand’s presence and engagement across different platforms.

Email marketing stands out as a powerful tool within this strategy, providing direct access to your audience and fostering deeper connections through personalized communication. It provides the power to deliver consistent engagement, high conversion rates, and personalized interactions, making it an indispensable part of any multi-channel marketing strategy.

If you're ready to take your marketing strategy to the next level, start by building and nurturing your email list. Leveraging advanced email marketing and automation tools like ActiveCampaign can significantly enhance your efforts. ActiveCampaign offers powerful features such as segmentation, personalized email campaigns, and comprehensive analytics, making it easier to connect with your audience on a deeper level.

Don’t wait until it's too late—begin diversifying your marketing efforts today. Sign up for a free trial of ActiveCampaign and experience how advanced email marketing and automation can transform your TikTok business.