Running A Business

Marketing Your Business on TikTok

Mar 28, 2021 • 5 min read
Phone showing TikTok app on the phone
Table of Contents

      At first glance, business owners might write off TikTok as an app for teens to share dance challenges or makeup tutorials. However, there are very real opportunities on the app for businesses to connect with younger generations and grow their brands. 

      Furthermore, TikTok isn’t just a branding opportunity. You have the power to drive traffic to your products and increase your sales if your videos are engaging and relevant. 

      TikTok, like other social media platforms, is a useful channel to reach potential customers. Learn how to market your brand and attract business with engaging videos and added value on TikTok.

      Who Uses TikTok? 

      As with any marketing channel, success starts with research. Know who the target demographics are on TikTok and what they want from the content they engage with

      TikTok boasts more than 800 million monthly active users, with many viral videos shared across other channels like Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. This is a huge audience that you can tap into. 

      While only 9% of American-based internet users have used TikTok, 49% of teenagers have downloaded or used the app. The average daily time spent on TikTok is 45 minutes, which means users engage with dozens of videos each session, looking at 15-second clips and 60-second video strings.

      Essentially, TikTok is an ideal app if you’re trying to reach younger audiences. While teens make up most of its user base, the rise in content creators means more audiences are curious about the tool and want to download it. For example, NPR’s Planet Money podcast has grown immensely popular on TikTok, attracting new listeners while piquing the curiosity of its existing listener base.  

      How Can You Market Your Brand?

      On TikTok—even more so than other social media channels—the focus should be on helping or entertaining the audience. While platforms like Facebook and Twitter can be used for customer service or business-related announcements, users turn to TikTok for entertainment or education.

      Of course, this doesn’t mean that only brands in the entertainment industry can build up a following. Companies in finance, law, human resources, marketing, and various other fields can connect with users by sharing engaging content.  

      For example, Tori Dunlap, a nationally recognized millennial money and career expert, recently shared how she earned $60,000 in 6 weeks using TikTok. She created videos with sound financial advice and directed users to check out her related products—like a resume template or side-hustle course. The advice she shared has clearly struck a chord, with 1 video reaching more than 3.5 million views and 730,000 likes. 

      “Going viral and gaining 350,000 followers in such a short amount of time is proof that Gen Z is craving personal finance advice,” Dunlap says.     

      If you want to be successful, focus on creating quality content and providing something of value to viewers. Dunlap gained success by breaking down complex financial concepts and providing digestible bits of information. How can you help the TikTok community? What can you offer that would make someone want to keep engaging with you? 

      5 Tips for Creating Successful TikTok Content

      While the process of content creation might not be entirely new to you, the format for creating and uploading TikTok videos can be intimidating at first. Keep these tips in mind to increase your chances of success. 

      1. You don’t need a lot of equipment. Most videos are filmed on smartphones and edited in the app. Consider investing in a ring light, though, for more control over how you look. 
      2. Create videos in batches. Instead of placing the burden on yourself (or your social media team) to create a new video each day, spend a few hours creating a batch of videos that you can tease out. This strategy also ensures that all of your content is on-brand and aligned with your messaging.
      3. Write out your plans and rehearse them. TikTok videos look seamless, but the best content creators practice their transitions and what they plan to say. 
      4. Test different content formats to see what works. You likely won’t go viral on your first post. See what people like and what they ignore. 
      5. Act fast on a new trend. Like all things on social media, trends can come and go within a few days. The first few posts can be viral gold, while many others seem outdated or annoying (like the Bernie-sitting-with-gloves meme). When you spot a trend, try to get a video up that day to stay ahead of other content creators. 

      Finally, use the app—don’t just log in to upload a video. Spend time each day finding videos you like and getting to know trends. This is the best way to stay on top of them.   

      Try TikTok for Your Brand

      TikTok is still a relatively new app for users and content creators alike. This means there’s room to build your audience before the competition grows stiff. Download this tool and see what you like—and don’t like—in video content, then try to make a few clips of your own. You may discover that you enjoy this new content platform and your audience finds value in what you have to say.

       

      Disclaimer: The information provided in this post does not, and is not intended to, constitute business, legal, tax, or accounting advice. All information, content, and materials available in this post are for general informational purposes only. Readers of this post should contact their attorney, business advisor, or tax advisor to obtain advice with respect to any particular matter.
      About the author
      Derek Miller

      Derek Miller is the CMO of Smack Apparel, the content guru at Great.com, the co-founder of Lofty Llama, and a marketing consultant for small businesses. He specializes in entrepreneurship, small business, and digital marketing, and his work has been featured in sites like Entrepreneur, GoDaddy, Score.org, and StartupCamp.

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