TikTok is undoubtedly one of the most influential social media platforms today, with more than 1.6 billion active monthly users. TikTok’s massive user base and engagement rates provide an incredible opportunity for brands to capitalize on. And, that means using TikTok for business can be a great opportunity to level up your marketing strategy and grow.
While it is mainly associated with younger demographics, TikTok attracts users from all age groups. According to a recent US TikTok report, the platform’s weekly users aged between 35-44 have increased since 2022. However, it is surprising that only about 26% of marketers are currently using TikTok to promote their businesses.
The following article will guide you on how to get started and use TikTok for business. You will learn how to set up your account, develop an ideal TikTok marketing strategy, run ads and leverage influencer marketing on the platform.
The Benefits of Using TikTok for Business
TikTok is no longer just a platform for brand awareness and discovery. It has also become an avenue for growing business. Several small to medium and large brands have earned success from using TikTok for business. Here are the main reasons why you should also get in on the action.
Increased brand awareness
TikTok offers several ways for businesses to spread the word about their brands. You can run different types of ads, work with influencers and use features such as hashtags and branded stickers to shine a light on your brand. Besides, your content has a higher likelihood of going viral if it is unique and entertaining.
Grow your audience
TikTok boasts over a billion users distributed across the world. That makes it one of the best platforms for reaching global audiences and growing your customer base. Besides, there is always the added benefit of target and attracting exclusive TikTok users who do not actively use other social media platforms.
Product promotion
Unlike most marketing activities, TikTok marketing is quite fun and stress-free. The platform offers multiple ways for promoting your products without pushing the audience too much. For instance, you could partner with influencers to create genuinely helpful and entertaining content.
Attracting new customers
TikTok emphasizes creating authentic, engaging content that feels personal and human. That helps with building strong relationships with your audience and increasing their chances of becoming customers. Besides, hopping onto the latest trends whenever they are still hot could see you acquire several new customers.
How to Get Started with TikTok for Business
At TikTok becomes more popular across demographics, the competition for audiences also gets stiffer. The following guidelines outline the best steps on how to set up TikTok for business and make the most out of the platform.
Creating a TikTok Business Account
The first step to setting your business up for success in TikTok is creating a business account. Those with personal TikTok accounts can easily switch them to Business Accounts. Creating a TikTok business account is free. Unlike a personal/ creator account, a business account on TikTok is suited to people using the app for product promotion. It offers additional commercial tools such as the TikTok business center and advanced analytics.
Here are steps on how to go about creating a business account on TikTok.
- Download and open the TikTok app
- Create a new personal account. You can use a new email or log in with your Facebook, Twitter or Google account.
- Tap Profile in the lower right corner and hit the menu icon in the top right corner.
- Go to Settings and Privacy
- Tap Account
- Hit the Switch to Business Account tab
- Pick a category that best defines your brand then, tap Next.
- Add the business’ email address to your profile
Optimizing your TikTok Business Profile
Setting up a business account on TikTok is not enough to put your name on the map. You should also optimize your profile to make the most of TikTok for business. Although there are multiple ways to optimize your TikTok profile, you must start with the basics. They include;
Set up a profile photo: The profile photo should be a high quality image of your logo, as recognizable by your customers. Choose an image that represents your brand well because the photo is what TikTok users will associate with you.
Describe your Business in the Bio: The bio speaks to your audience about your business. It should precisely tell the TikTok community why your business matters, covering whom it helps and how that happens.
Add a URL to redirect users to your website or online store: Add a link to your website or any other landing pages to your bio. That will give TikTok users an easier time in shopping and making purchases from your business.
An example of a good business profile on TikTok is Flora Flora Co. Their profile has a clear image of the business’ logo as the profile picture, a one-line bio sharing their mission and a special coupon code for the brand’s TikTok community.
You should retain your business’ name as the username on TikTok to make it easier to search. Besides, you should use the same logo and username across the other social media platforms where you have a presence to enhance brand recall.
It is also advisable to apply for a verified badge on TikTok after publishing a few posts. The badge adds extra credibility to your business at no additional cost.
Developing a TikTok Content Strategy
Setting up a business account is the first step to using TikTok for business. You also need an ideal strategy to make the most of using TikTok to grow your business. That means you must now switch focus to creating engaging content that aligns with your brand and resonates with your target audience. Here are some of the key considerations for developing a TikTok content strategy for your business.
Learn from the Crowd: Take time to familiarize yourself with TikTok before you start pushing out content. Get to know all the features and buttons, and the popular creators or influencers in your niche. You should also study your competitors and get conversant with the language that your audience speaks on TikTok.
Get in on trends and challenges: TikTok trends are constantly changing and, successful brands on the platform know the best times to jump in on the action. Get to know the trending hashtags, music, challenges and content formats. Approach them with a twist of creativity.
Keep things authentic: Scripted and too formal videos will not do your brand a lot of favors. Instead, go for raw, entertaining and playful videos that show the human side of your business. Take your viewers behind the scenes or showcase your employees and office pets. Creating authentic and engaging content is not about having fancy equipment but, simply creativity and great ideas.
Use TikTok’s video editing tools: Take advantage of TikTok’s creative editing tools to give your videos some buzz. Experiment with captivating transitions, filters and effects to give the videos an extra touch of pop. You can also use trending music to make the videos more engaging. Adding subtitles can also make your videos much easier to find.
Choose the best times to post content: Mastering how to use TikTok for business also requires you to know the best times to post content for maximum engagement. Monitoring the behavior of your audience can help you to determine the best times and days to post. Get to know when your audience is online and the days of the week when they use TikTok the most. Use that data to develop a content calendar and schedule posts for when they have the highest initial impact.
According to a Buffer study, the best times to post on TikTok is mid-week between 4 and 5 pm.
Create high-quality content: Informative, engaging and entertaining videos usually get more TikTok engagement. Those elements show that your content deserves more exposure and boost your overall visibility and ranking on the app. Besides creating videos that add value to your audience, focus on content that grabs attention with captions, high resolution visuals, hooks, good lighting, creative editing and transitions.
Leveraging TikTok Ads
TikTok ads can take several forms, allowing you to create ads that blends seamlessly with the rest of your content. Ads can enhance your marketing strategy on the platform by increasing your reach and driving more targeted traffic to your website.
Check out this TikTok ad by Kung Fu Tea
For instance, you can use Spark ads to promote organic posts or partner with creators to create sponsored influencer content. You could also tap into more conventional ad formats such as carousel posts, TopView, in-feed and brand takeover ads.
Collaborating with TikTok Influencers
TikTok is one of the best places for influencer marketing. The platform is home to influencers of all levels from mega influencers with millions of loyal followers to nano influencers with just a few thousand followers.
Partnering with influencers and creators can give your content a significant refresh. For instance, you can commision User Generated Content from influential creators. Here is an example of UGC videos commissioned by skincare brand, Airday.
Partnering with influencers can help your business to attract new audiences and build a credible brand image by using someone they trust. The following tips can help you to maximize your TikTok influencer campaigns.
Work with the right influencers: Find influencers that align with your brand image and voice. You should also decide on whether to use mega or nano influencers. Larger influencers offer more reach but, can be expensive. Smaller influencers offer less reach but, they are more cost-effective and often have loyal and highly engaged following.
Set clear goals: Collaborating with influencers if you do not have clear objectives can be a waste of time and resources for both parties. You should know exactly what you intend to achieve out of the partnership and communicate it to the influencer so they know how to go about it. Your goals could be to promote brand awareness, to attract more followers or drive sales.
Measure and analyze results: You should also track the performance of your influencer marketing campaigns both during and after the execution of phase. Know whether your outlined goals and objectives have been met or whether you need to re-position it in other ways.
Grow your Business on TikTok with Superior Social Boost
TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media platforms of all time. You are missing out on huge opportunities for brand awareness, revenue and engagement if you are not using TikTok business. This article has outlined definitive steps to put you on the right foot. However, making the most of TikTok for business also requires a significant following and engagement on the platform. At Superior Social Boost, we help brands and businesses to drive social growth organically. Whether you are looking to grow your business on TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, X/ Twitter and Google Business, we have the best packages for success. Get in touch with us today for solutions on how to grow your business on social media organically.