Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn - with so many different platforms to choose from it can be hard to decide which one is the right one for your business. While we always say that it’s important not to put all your eggs in one basket and diversify your channels as much as you can, there are definitely some that are more beneficial to you as a business than others. And one of them is TikTok.
With a billion monthly active users from around the world, TikTok is growing to be one of the most popular social media platforms and it has changed the lives of so many entrepreneurs and business owners already. But why is that?
The top benefits of using TikTok for your business
You don’t have a business but still want to make it on TikTok? Check out our top tips to get started!
There is an audience for anyone and anything
Now you may be skeptical and think that TikTok is just for Gen-Zs, and while the platform does have many younger users, the app is just as popular among young adults and middle-aged people. As a matter of fact, according to statistics, 25% of TikTok users are between 10 and 19 years old. Meanwhile, people between the ages of 20-29 make up 22.4% of the platform’s user base, 30-39-year-olds make up 21.7% and around 20.3% of users are between 40 and 49 years old. People over the age of 50 make up the remaining 11%. So, there really is every age group represented on the app. Additionally, you can reach people from all over the world. TikTok has millions of users in over 150 countries, which makes it one of the best platforms to reach an international audience and grow your customer base.
There is space for anyone
Not only does the app offer a space for every age group, but also for every niche. TikTok isn’t just for entertainment content, even if it might seem so with all the dances and lip-syncing videos. The social media channel is also a great source for informative and educational content - from both brands and creators. That’s why you can see even the most unlikely brands winning on the platform (I mean, who would have thought that an airline like Ryanair or a language-learning app like Duolingo would get millions of views and likes?). So, if you’re thinking that TikTok isn’t the right platform for you because of your industry, you might want to rethink that.
Your chances to go viral and grow an audience are much higher than anywhere else
For a long time, it was nearly impossible to go viral on Instagram if you didn’t have a lot of followers (that was until they introduced Reels). On TikTok however, it doesn’t matter how many followers you have. Anyone can go viral. How? Well, there is no golden rule, but there are a few things that your videos should include such as: a trending song, authenticity, short and snappy, and it should include something that will help people recognize you easily (it could be the way you cut your videos, something you say, something you wear, or something you do. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as there is one common denominator that can define you.) And with the high probability of going viral, you also increase your chances of growing on the platform and building up a community that loves and supports you and your business.
Selling can be done in a more genuine way
There are so many different ways for you to use TikTok for your business and to spread the word about your brand. The best thing is, that it doesn’t have to feel like you are trying to push your product onto someone. There are plenty of ways to promote your products without coming across as too “salesy”! With authentic and engaging content that feels human and personal, it is much easier to build strong relationships with your audience. That will help you increase your chances of converting your audience into customers and gain more sales.
You don’t need any editing skills - authentic content works best
Lastly, TikTok can be used by anyone. Since the platform prefers very natural and authentic content that is shot in the moment, it is very easy to create a lot of videos at once. Often, it is enough to just set up your phone somewhere and start recording. It’s even better to avoid creating formal and scripted videos. The more authentic you are, the better you’ll do on TikTok. Tell people a story, show them where you are, introduce your business, your product, or show user-generated content from your customers. Don’t think that you need a fancy video setup with crazy equipment. There is really no need for any high-level editing skills since you can easily shoot videos with your phone as long as your ideas are good.
Once you are ready to jump onto the TikTok hype and use it for your business, here are our top tips to optimize your account.
Step 1: Optimize your profile
Once you are ready to use TikTok for business, it’s not enough to just have an account - you’ll need to optimize it. From your profile picture to the link you display, it’s incredibly important because your profile will act as a digital storefront for your business.
Choose a photo that represents your brand: Your profile picture should visually represent your brand. Make sure there’s a consistent and coherent visual identity across all your social accounts. This would involve using the same logo and/or colors that help people to make an instant connection between your TikTok profile and your brand. Btw, did you know that you can also have a profile video? Simply go to “edit profile” and click on “change video” - here you’ll be able to add a 6-second video that will show on your profile!
Write a catchy bio: Next will be writing a catchy bio! On TikTok, you only have 80 characters to write a short description, so to make the most of this space, keep it short and to the point without losing your brand essence. You could include your slogan or catchphrase, a special offer, a hashtag that others should use or you could add a quote that aligns with your brand personality.
Link your other social media channels: Don’t forget to connect your Instagram and/or YouTube channel to your profile. If people enjoy your videos, it’s very likely that they will want to check out your other accounts too, especially Instagram. Simply go to “edit your profile” and down at the bottom you can add your socials. Now, whenever someone comes to your profile, they will be able to access your Instagram/YouTube in one click!
Be strategic about your URL: Lastly, you will have to think about what link you post in your bio. You could link your homepage, landing page, blog post, a special offer, or anything else that makes sense to you, depending on your goals. Just make sure the URL works, is recognizable and is not too long (you can shorten it on bitly.com). You could also add a link, which will allow you to collect several pages in one link basically. We use milkshake or linktr.ee.
Step 2: Check out similar accounts/businesses
If you are ready to create your first TikTok but have absolutely no idea what to post, check out similar accounts. What are they doing? What type of content are they creating and are their followers engaged?
Looking at your main “competitors” and seeing what works or what doesn’t work for them is a great way to build your TikTok strategy. Since they’ve already given the platform a try, they can be a great source of insight for your business. Check if there is anything that you could do as well - but don’t forget, you only want to take the idea or get inspired by it. At the end of the day, you should always make it personal and fitted to your brand.
Step 3: Develop a content strategy
Once you have an idea of the content you could create, it’s time to develop your strategy. This involves outlining details such as the types of content you’ll create and how often you’ll publish new content.
While entertainment and dance content seem to dominate the platform, informative and practical content is just as popular. That means how-to and tutorial videos, DIYs, life hacks, advice, etc. So find a way to work these categories into your content strategy to engage your audience - just make sure that it all aligns with your business. It wouldn’t make sense for you to post a cooking video if you are trying to sell jewelry. Instead, you could give tips on how to care for your pieces, how to style them, you could show how you create them or package them, or you could also join a dance trend while wearing them. Anything can work as long as it makes sense for your brand.
Speaking of trends - if you have a business account you might not be able to access all sounds because of copyrights. In this case, you have two options: either change to a “normal” account, which would mean that you won’t be able to launch any ads but at least you can use all sounds. Or you can stay with your business account and post original audio or use the commercial audio options that are available. (Btw, if you are a member of #sootrendy you can now find business templates so that you don’t need to struggle with finding royalty-free audio or editing your Reels and TikToks anymore).
In terms of how often you should post, there is one rule for TikTok: the more the merrier. Since it can be so easy to create a TikTok, don’t be scared to post several ones a day! I would say, if you can, post at least 2 videos daily, but there really is no limit. The more you create, the higher your chances of going viral.
Step 4: Collaborate with other creators
Another great way to promote your business is by collaborating with creators and influencers that already have a large following. This will give you the chance to reach millions of users at once! If you choose the right influential TikTokers, they can potentially make your business an overnight success. Don’t believe me? Here is an example: the German supermarket EDEKA saw the potential of working with the successful TikTok influencer Lala. Now, she shares her favorite recipes, how to choose the perfect watermelon or other things that make sense for their account. The result: before she took over their account they had only a few thousands of views. Now, some of their videos have over 1 million!
And this is not the exception. So many businesses have done the same, which allowed them to grow exponentially and generate new sales. Your TikTok influencer marketing strategy could be as simple as getting an influencer to briefly mention your brand or you could have them feature your product or service in a way that resonates with their followers. Sometimes it’s even enough to just send samples of your product to a selected group of influencers without asking for anything in return. If they truly like it they will either mention it to their followers or simply use it and someone might ask in the comments where they got it from.
Step 5: Use TikTok advertising to maximize your reach and impact
The last way to give your business an instant boost is by paying for TikTok advertising. Since this requires some financial investment, it’s important that you carefully set up and manage your TikTok ads to attain a good return on investment. This starts with a clear and realistic goal and a defined target audience.
Also, your ads don’t have to be high production. You can use any of your videos that performed well for example. And if you would like to see what type of ads work well in your industry, you can use the TikTok Creative Center, which is a free tool that shows you the best performing ads in your country and niche!
And there you have it! All the essential steps to promote your business on TikTok! Now it’s up to you to go out there and create content. Don’t forget: the best thing is to just post as much as you can. Sometimes the most random and unexpected videos turn out to be the most successful. So many small businesses have become successful and even managed to sell out in no time thanks to this app - and now, it’s your turn!
Cheers,
