Many people use TikTok as a fun platform to share videos with friends, families, and strangers worldwide. However, it's also an excellent marketing tool for businesses.

To be successful, you need to increase your company's TikTok watch time. Whether you're building your brand's website, social media pages, or working to grow your TikTok followers, long-term engagement is the name of the game.

There are several ways to improve how long followers are watching your content. Along with keeping a careful eye on your page TikTok analytics, here are some other tips to get and stay on top.

Be Authentic & Don't Force It

In other words, be real to your audience. Stick to entertaining and informing, not selling.

No one wants constant commercials and pitches on any platform. The best way to connect with your followers is to show your personality and get to know the users in your community.

When you reach the right audience and come across as authentic, viewers will stick around longer. They're also more likely to click the follow button to see more of your content when they're surfing TikTok videos.

Create Original Content

Don't just share videos you find or recycle content from your website or other social media pages. Instead, create original videos exclusively for your TikTok audience.

The options are endless. Stick with your brand's tone and make sure the content falls in line with its specific audience. Make sure to tell a story in all posts.

Random videos that have no connections can seem scattered and cause followers to simply click UNFOLLOW.

This technique will also help you connect with your audience emotionally. These deep connections can help build a long-term relationship with followers and convert them to buyers.

If you find it challenging to come up with new video ideas, browse your competitor's page. Use their content to inspire you. However, keep it original. You don't want to have content that's too close to your competition.

Only Post Quality Videos

Quality is key to increasing your TikTok watch time. No one's going to stick around with videos that are shaky, grainy, or have poor audio. Instead, spend time creating content that's engaging and has value, even if it means you have fewer videos to share.

Part of increasing watch time is to keep your content simple. Trying to create complex videos in a few short seconds can confuse your audience. In return, this may send them to another video with more engaging content that's easier to follow.

As you develop more content for your TikTok account, you can re-use parts of the videos in new ones. This trick can reduce the amount of work and total time without losing quality. Whatever direction you choose, don't lose track of the value. Becoming a resource in your industry can quickly help you increase your TikTok followers.

Post New, Creative Content Daily

You have to post content several times a week to keep up and stay engaging. The best practice is to add new videos to your account daily. If you can't keep up with that demand, engage daily and post every other day.

Keep an eye on your TikTok analytics after getting your content out. This information will let you know how successful your content is with followers. If you notice ups and downs based on how often you post, you'll need to increase the rate of content you add to grow your TikTok followers.

It will also help you find which content is working and what areas you need to improve (Check your Statistok numbers for that). Another trick—throw in a few spontaneous posts for your audience once a week or more. These can show your brand is genuine and not a faceless account ran by hired administrators (even if it is.)

Research the Right Hashtags

You can't get anywhere in a social media marketing campaign without hashtags. And not any hashtags. You need to research to find the ones that are trending and fit your brand and industry.

Then, find the right balance with hashtags. If they're too generic, your content could get buried among similar videos. On the other hand, if your hashtags are too complex, they might not generate any searches, which will defeat the purpose. For the best results, use a mix of both.

This technique can help you reach more of your audience and build a stronger following. Also, don't overdo it. Keep it simple. 

Bonus tip: You can check if you're using any banned tags by mistake here. 

Cross-Promote to Increase TikTok Followers

There are plenty of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram users that aren't on TikTok or rarely use it. Pique their interest by sharing your TikTok videos. Not only will this increase your followers, but it can also boost watch time.

Another benefit of cross-promoting content is you could see a rise across all platforms. That's a win-win situation that can improve your brand's reputation and increase sales and revenue.

Start Every Video with a Hook

Just like written content, you need a hook to each video to increase your TikTok watch time. Use an action word or something that will quickly capture your audience's attention. If you don't hook the viewer in the first three seconds, they're likely to bounce to the brand's content.

Remember, TikTok users never run out of content to watch. If you don't snag them first, your competitor could get their attention next.

Learn your Optimal Video Duration

Last but certainly not least, don't make long videos. You can share content up to one minute in length. However, that's too long. Instead, keep videos around 7-10 seconds long. If you have to go a little longer, don't go over the 15-second mark.

Also, make a variety of video lengths. Don't keep each one at 7, 8, or 9 seconds. By varying how long each one lasts, it's okay to make a few longer videos (up to 15 seconds) when mixing them with shorter ones. Don't forget to check which duration performed best for you on the Statistok dashboard. 

Knowing your TikTok analytics is the key to getting all the parts of your TikTok strategy to come together. Statistok is the #1 TikTok analytics tool to boost your TikTok watch time and grow followers.

Use the essential data to reach your audience with daily, quality videos. Don't forget to add trending hashtags to each video and share them across all social media platforms to create more cross-platform followers.

To see how Statistok can help your brand grow on TikTok, sign up for a free trial today.