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Social media accounts are proven to help businesses build brand loyalty, direct users to websites, and collect customer feedback. TikTok rocked the beginning of the new decade with its popularity, gaining 800 million active monthly users since its adaptation in 2018. The free video-content app lets users share 15-second, 60-second, and 3-minute videos on any topic with the potential to go viral globally.
In 2020, a new site called “TikTok For Business” was launched to help marketing companies gain an all-in-one tool for advertising on TikTok. The platform helps marketers with the process of creating advertisements, setting budgets, reaching targeted audiences, and analyzing campaign data. Although it provides businesses with various advertising options (such as Top-View and In-Feed Ads, Branded Hashtags, Brand Effects, and Brand Takeovers), its pricing can reach well above $150k. The purpose of this document is to help you decide whether TikTok is right for your business, and to share common best practices on TikTok that you can do for free.
Do I Need TikTok for My Business?
The TikTok platform is mostly favored by Gen Z (users born between 1997-2012), but older users have begun using it as of 2020. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, share of 24 to 34-year-olds on the platform rose from 22.4% to 27.4% in the first quarter of 2020. In the same period, the 35 to 44-year-old demographic increased from 13.9% to 17.1%. Therefore, if your target audience is under 50 in the United States, TikTok can entertain your target audience.
How Can I Use TikTok for My Business?
TikTok is a video-centric platform. Whether you want to share product tutorials or employee testimonials, you can get creative with the kinds of videos you produce. Here are some helpful suggestions for producing TikTok content:
1. Keep Up With TikTok Trends – TikTok’s virality is based on how well you mirror trends. Tiktok trends can include hit songs or voiceovers made by other TikTok creators (called sounds). Trends can also include popular hashtag challenges or TikTok duets (the ability to film your reaction to another TikToker’s viral video). It can also include dance choreography, such as “The Whole Shack Shimmy” (a mashup of Britney Spears’s “Toxic” and The B-52s’ “Love Shack”).
2. Choose A Niche & Stick To It – There’s a niche for everyone. The more specific your niche, the higher chance you’ll meet your target audience where they are. Poppin Candy is an online candy store that currently has 4.5 million followers and 81.2 million likes on TikTok. Their videos consist of two themes: anonymously packing online orders, and filling storage bins with assortments of candies. Poppin Candy masterfully allured their audience with visual ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response). TikTok helped amplify Poppin Candy’s business by creating a niche following based on the repetition of their actions in their videos. Think of a niche following that may align with your business’s target audience and create consistent content from there.
3. Keep The Quality High – All you need to film a TikTok is a smartphone. However, video content online gets higher engagement when the audio/video quality is clear. Consider investing in a ring light or an extendable phone stand to enhance video stability. If you’re using animation or filming from another device, make sure your videos are the standard ratio of 9:6. Crafting 1080 x 1920-pixel videos will fill up the entire screen and ensure higher engagement compared to those that don’t.
4. Timing Is Everything – Nobody likes a late Larry. Whatever you see going viral in your For You Page (TikTok news feed), it’s best to replicate it as soon as it starts trending. The time of day when you post can affect your audience reach. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, the days and times with the highest engagement rates are Tuesdays 9AM, Thursdays 12PM, and Fridays 5AM. Note the following schedule for suggested post times during the week:
5. Don’t Get Discouraged – It can take some time for your TikTok account to build an audience. Sometimes older videos spike with more engagement than your recent content. Share some of your posted TikToks across other social media accounts, including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Consider including your TikTok handle on email signatures, website ribbons, business cards, and leave behinds. The more you tell people about your TikTok account, the more exposure you will get.
Are you questioning whether you should have Social Media platforms for your business? We’ve got you covered – You can download our latest Social Media E-Book from our website!
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