How to Use TikTok as a Business
Are you still sitting on TikTok? Wanting to dabble a toe, but not quite sure where to start. That’s totally normal, we promise. Here’s our guide on how to use TikTok as a business…
There’s still a concern we hear often from clients regarding whether TikTok is the right place to show up as a business. It’s hard for TikTok to shake it’s entertainment predisposition, but anyone who uses the app enough knows how perfectly refined the algorithm is and there truly is something for everyone (and this includes your audience).
So let’s talk about the TikTok audience, another classic myth is that only Gen Z is using it. But let’s debunk that myth right now, recent stats show this audience breakdown:
Ages 10-19 are 25% of users
Ages 20-29 are 22.4% of users
Ages 30-39 is 21.7% of users
Ages 40-49 is 20.3% of users
Whilst, we do see a slightly higher percentage of audience among the younger age groups, it’s fair to say the split is fairly even. It’s safe to say, every age group is finding a reason to be on TikTok and now more than ever is the time to show up.
The Basics
TikTok is truly the home of short-form video, whilst we are seeing a variation of longer formats being introduced and adopted. You most certainly won’t have to worry about creating entire feature-length movies to market your brand. Less than a minute is all you need to make an impact on this platform.
So, what type of content you should be using to communicate with your audience on TikTok? Nowadays you’ll even see photos popping up on TikTok but your best bet? Stick to those short-form videos, recent reports show the best performing are between 21 to 34 seconds. With those short amounts of time, you want to concentrate on bitesize snippets of info, engaging your community, and having some fun along the way.
Need some help on what tools you might need to create brilliant content? We’ve recently popped together our essentials into this handy TikTok video.
Right, now let’s get into our top five tips on how to use TikTok as a business owner:
Bring a face to your brand
We’re very used to a polished look and feel on Instagram, but TikTok is the place to chuck that right out the window. TikTok is a place to show off the true heart of your brand, and how better to do that than to give it a face (or faces)? Whether you’re a small brand or big brand, it’s the perfect space to show a little bit of the behind-the-scenes of your business.
This could be anyone in your business, but hooking your founder is a key tactic many brands have used to gain traction. We loved seeing Day’s Founder trying out the ‘Tube Girl’ trend recently if you need some inspiration.
Add value
It’s easy to jump into just trends on TikTok, but it’s important to bring something to the table. Virality is not the key to long-term brand success, so whilst stacking up views from a popular trend video is nice. It’s also important to consider giving a little substance.
If you’re a product-based business, this could be fun takes on how to’s with your product. Service based? Detail how your service solves your customer’s problem.
Education is a growing theme on the TikTok channel, more and more users are going to TikTok like they would Google to find out how to use or do something. It’s time to tap into that.
Entertain your audience
Trust us when we say, you do not have to dance or lip-sync on TikTok (unless of course, you want to!) to find success. Entertaining is a key part of TikTok, it’s light-hearted, and easy to watch. But entertainment comes in many forms, and it can simply be your brand being a little unpolished, showing the outtakes or those funny moments in the office.
It doesn’t need to be your main focus, more of a little sprinkle on top to make your audience feel at ease with your brand, as if they’re part of the fam.
Create a community
TikTok is a great community app, no one is scared to interact, and the interactions can be a source of new content. Building a community on TikTok is relatively easier than on Instagram, how? Because ‘following’ isn’t a huge deal, as the audience spends most of the time in their For You page, rather than Following - it’s more important that you just keep putting out fresh content that speaks to your niche.
If your content is of good quality and consistent enough, you’ll see the same faces, plus more as you gain traction on the For You page!
One of our favourite community features is being able to respond with a video to people’s comments, this is great for expanding on frequently asked questions or responding to fun comments.
Tap into Trends
People love a trend, you don’t have to be on them all but be sure to keep an eye out for that perfectly accurate meme or sound. It’s always fun to see a brand using these features that are so native to the TikTok user, it’s like a little sprinkle of joy throughout your strategised content.
In summary, TikTok is a brilliant place to grow awareness for your brand and to show up in a really organic, fun way. It’s definitely an app that the more you put in, the more you get out but you won’t be punished if you take a little break. Still feeling a bit nervous? Book a Power Hour to talk to one of our experts.
This post was written by our Doer, Allie. If you need Social Media advice or help, do be sure to book a 30-minute discovery call.
