These days, consumers are spending more time on social media than ever before. In fact, according to recent reports, people worldwide spend an average of 2 hours and 27 minutes per day on social media platforms. And while Facebook and Instagram might still be the most popular platforms, TikTok and other carousel video platforms like YouTube shorts and Instagram reels are quickly gaining ground as an important marketing tool.

The effectiveness of carousel video

TikTok, Instagram reels and Youtube shorts all use the carousel video format, it allows users to create short-form videos — typically 15 seconds or less — that they can share across other social media networks. TikTok started with this format, the platform has over 500 million monthly active users and has seen 40% growth in its user base since January 2019 alone. Other platforms like YouTube and Instagram quickly recognized the effectiveness of carousel videos and started implementing their own versions.

What makes this format so appealing to viewers? For one it’s the ease of use, as a user you just launch the app and start watching, the algorithm will figure out what you like and provide instant entertainment. It also mixes in videos that are outside of your usual topics so you keep swiping to find that next interesting satisfactory video.


For brands it’s also beneficial, it’s highly visual — making it a great way to showcase your product, service or industry in a fun way. Another reason why brands love carousel videos is because the algorithm has the potential to reach new audiences who might not have heard of your brand before for relatively low cost.


Carousel platforms like TikTok are a great channel for brands to reach consumers who are looking for entertainment. It’s also a place where people can find brands that aren’t as well-known, so it can be a great way to build awareness and establish a connection with your audience. Find some of the success stories here.

Understanding the format

To increase TikTok views and brand awareness across carousel platforms we need to understand the format. Carousel videos appear in users' feeds based on an algorithm, so they can't exactly choose what they’re going to watch like they can on YouTube or other social platforms. The algorithm is designed to show users personalized content that they will find engaging and that matches their interests.


It takes into account a variety of factors when determining which content to show a user, including the user's past interactions with the app, the type of content the user has engaged with in the past and the user's location. In addition to these factors, the algorithm also takes into account the overall popularity of a video, the number of likes and comments it has received and the length of time it has been on the platform.

Image: a YouTube short from our platform expoze.io, check out more YouTube shorts from us here.

3 Quick tips

But how do you stand out from thousands of others that are also looking to increase their TikTok views? We've got some tips on how to create effective content for not just TikTok but all carousel video platforms. It will help you stand out from the crowd and drive results.


1. Find your niche
There are many ways to use these platforms for your brand, but one of them is finding a niche topic that will make you unique. This will help you build a dedicated audience that is interested in the specific type of content you create.


Successful companies have used this strategy to share information about their industry and trends, but not directly pushing their own products in an intrusive manner leading to significantly higher TikTok views. It builds authority and trust with their audience and once you do recommend your product, the audience is more inclined to consider your recommendation based upon the trust and authority.


As an expert in your industry you’ll have a lot of interesting information or stories from your niche which can be highly entertaining to outsiders.


It’s important to find your niche so that you can be the person to the public that introduces and teaches everything cool about that niche. For example, if you sell makeup products, create different tutorials and insights on how to apply makeup. Someone who did this with great success is Nikkie Tutorials, she built her brand around makeup tutorials while also selling her own makeup products.


2. Create a hook
People have a limited amount of time to watch videos before they get distracted or click away, you can read all about our attention span in one of our previous blogs. So if you don't grab attention quickly, your video will be lost in the stream of content. The first few seconds of your video need to engage viewers. It should be interesting enough for them to continue watching it until the end.


Grabbing the attention takes a little bit of creativity. Create a hook by leaving viewers in suspense so they have to finish the video to get the answer, or share interesting information/stories of your industry or product you as an expert would only know. For example, if you are selling sneakers, show the design process that highlights how much thought went into making them.


Support your hook with eye-catching visuals and music— but don't overdo it. You want your viewers to focus on what you're doing or saying, not the background music or special effects. Use them sparingly and only if they're relevant. Also, add captions to your video so that people who can’t hear what you are saying can still watch it and understand what’s going on in terms.


3. Trending topics & hashtags
All platforms allow users to search for trending topics so they can see what's popular at the moment. This means that you can use these topics to promote your brand because they will be shown in the results when someone searches for them. If you want to use this method, then make sure your content is relating and adding value to that specific trending topic.


One way to relate content to a trending topic is to identify the key themes or issues that are associated with the trend and then finding ways to incorporate those themes into your content/niche. This could involve creating new content that directly addresses the trend, or it could involve finding ways to tie existing content to the trend in a relevant and meaningful way.


The second way is by using hashtags on posts so people can find them more easily. You should post your video under hashtags related to what it's about so if someone searches for something similar then they will find it automatically when browsing through, very similar to other social media like twitter.

To Conclude

If you're a huge fan of Instagram reels, YouTube shorts and TikTok like we are, and can't wait to start using it for your marketing strategy, keep in mind the key points covered above. Having a niche gives you credibility by demonstrating experience in your field. Using hooks will make people crave more information about whatever you're sharing. And focusing on trending topics will help you leverage the current world events to improve your performance.


If you want to try and use these platforms to promote your brand and get more views, these tips will help you appeal your content to a broader audience. So get out there, find new niches and trends, and get posting!

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