Tik Tok for Business
Every marketer and non-marketer alike knows that the only way to stay ahead of the competition is to be proactive in learning as much as they can about new marketing strategies and platforms. That’s even more important when it comes to social media platforms because this particular medium evolves fast. This is evident with the growth and popularity of TikTok not only for personal use, but also for business purposes. TikTok sees an increase in the number of users daily, with estimates showing that TikTok will cater to a total of 1.5 billion users by the end of 2022!
With that in mind, here are 5 small ways you can best start utilizing TikTok for your business:
Research Competitors
The best strategy when first starting out and learning the platform is to see what’s working for similar businesses. See what performs well and identify untapped areas of need that those competitors may not be filling. Notice something successful on a competitor page that seems to resonate with your target audience? Jump into the conversation with your own videos by using that as a jumping off point to put your own spin on it. Think of ways to stand out in your particular category by identifying trends, but remember to keep your brand identity consistent throughout so your growing audience can always identify a video done by your business.
Make your Marketing Look Organic and Engage
TikTok’s marketing vibe is much different than any other platform and the usual in-your-face marketing does not land well with audiences on the platform. Because of that, you’ll have to find a way to market your business that doesn’t look like marketing and feels more organic. Brainstorm less direct techniques and instead focus on engaging content that shows more of the personality of your brand such as: behind the scenes videos, how to videos, walk throughs, tip videos, and more. TikTok is much more focused on quirky and creative content, so don’t be afraid to weigh all content possibilities. Take some time to browse through a few brand and sponsored videos on the TikTok Creators Marketplace to gather a few ideas of how to promote your brand in a non-intrusive way.
Create New and Relevant Content
Pick a posting schedule and be sure to stick to it. The content and trends on TikTok move fast, and people’s attention moves even faster, so you’ll want to give your audience new content regularly to stay top of mind. TikTok research shows posting 2 to 3 times a day is the best way to grow a solid following and ensure your customer base stays engaged. But when first starting out, posting once a day or even twice a week on the same days builds a steady schedule your followers can rely on and look forward to.
Understand Your Audience
79% of TikTok users prefer brands that understand how to create content specifically for the platform and aren’t just sharing the same videos across all platforms. This means you need to sit down to research and understand your target audience and their requirements on the platform. If it is the perfectly posed dishes in your restaurant that are popular on instagram, it may be your behind-the-scenes prep videos on TikTok. The key is to make your videos interesting and dynamic, as well as giving your audience a feeling that they wouldn’t be able to have access to this particular content on any of the other social platforms. This will keep them coming back. So take some time to do a deep dive into what your followers find interesting and mold your content to more closely resemble that.
TopView Ads
Eventually you may want to experiment with paid advertisements on TikTok. The most successful of these ads would be the TopView ads. These are full-screen videos that appear first in the user’s feed. The typical length lasts up to 60 seconds but, as always, the faster and more efficient you can express your message on this platform, the better. According to a TikTok survey, Seventy-two percent of people surveyed preferred this ad version and said that they felt the placement was more natural and more likely to result in a sale, download, or purchasing of the service.
These are just a few basic points to explore when start your journey on TikTok as a business. The platform does evolve a bit faster in ways others do not. Be sure to stay on top of the moving trends so you can be ready for the next steps in growing your business!
