Looking to employ TikTok marketing to boost your small business? This is where the magic happens. TikTok is not just a place for catchy dances and funny clips; it’s a goldmine for companies looking to get noticed.
People love videos, and TikTok, a video-based social network, has exploded in popularity, especially for Gen-Z and millennials. With a hyper-engaged community of shoppers, word-of-mouth advocates, and trendsetters, TikTok is the perfect place to reach new customers and grow your business.
Unlike YouTube, where everything looks highly professional and is shot by an actual crew, TikTok has more raw content of individuals shooting things from their phones, which makes it more appealing to the audience.
Here, we will discuss how small businesses like yours can shine on TikTok. We’ll share simple, straightforward tips on making videos that grab attention, how to jump on trends without losing your unique vibe, and the secrets to connecting with your perfect audience. Let’s get started!
How Can Marketers and Small Businesses Use TikTok?
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TikTok is among the most popular platforms in the world. It is available in 155 countries and has been translated into 75 languages. Moreover, it has over 1 billion monthly users, making it one of the most successful business platforms in the past two years.
TikTok has two types of accounts:
Personal account — This type is for individuals. It is a basic account without analytics or advanced features.
Pro Account — The advanced account is for businesses and creators. It has analytics, insights, and other helpful business and content-creator tools. The Pro account further has two kinds.
- TikTok for Creators: The type of account is for creators as it has more creative freedom than a personal account. Most influencers and content creators use this account to promote original content and advertise other brands’ products and services.
- TikTok for Business: This account is for companies to promote and advertise products and services. It focuses more on advertising, product reports, business analytics, and many other essential tools to help you reach a bigger target audience, budget, and advertise.
Why TikTok is Great for Marketing Your Small Business?
TikTok is not like the average Facebook or Instagram; it motivates the audience to get on the same page through trends and hashtags. The audience embraces copying and tweaking content, and the platform rewards you with a larger audience and better business reach.
Moreover, the TikTok algorithm is exceptional. The For You page will automatically serve the content you think you like. This means that whether someone is following your page or not, if the content is relevant, TikTok will present it to a new audience. So, you don’t need a massive following in order for your content to be seen; engaging and unique content is enough to make your business viral.
7 TikTok Marketing Tips for Small Businesses That Work
Many business owners will agree that TikTok’s growing popularity, trending content, advertising, and influencer marketing all play crucial roles in rapidly capturing an audience and developing a brand. TikTok can indeed put a spotlight on your brand.
Not sure how to do it? Here are the best first-hand tips and advice for small business owners on how to make the most of their TikTok marketing.
1. Learn TikTok Basics
The best way to learn is to experience it. Download the TikTok app and explore its features and offerings. Browse trends, hashtags, popular videos, and trending music to see how the “For You” page works.
Moreover, you can play with editing tools, use efficient methods, and make some practice videos. You can save them as drafts for future reference or upload them to understand the algorithm and workings of TikTok.
Moreover, during the learning phase, pay attention to how businesses use TikTok for marketing. Don’t focus on a competitor; just look at various companies in different industries to learn how they approach their audience.
2. Research your Competitors
Performing thorough research on competitors is essential to understand how to take a lead over them. TikTok is a relatively new platform, so you might not find many of your competitors; this gives you a chance to grow yourself as the leader in the market rapidly.
During the search, pay attention to:
- How do they approach their audience?
- What type of video content they are creating?
- What type of content is getting ignored?
The more you learn about the best practices, the more comfortable you will be in creating a TikTok marketing strategy for your small business.
3. Identify your Target Audience
Keep in mind that as a small business owner, you are not creating TikTok to simply get a lot of likes and views. The goal is to translate those views and likes into loyal customers. So, many likes from the wrong audience are useless to your business.
So, before discovering your target audience, ask yourself these questions.
- What does my business stand for?
- What products or services do customers on TikTok care about?
- What is the unique selling proposition of my business?
- What types of people are closely related to your business?
Use these questions to create content that resonates with the right audience.
To identify your audience, you can use customer surveys and competitor analysis to help you discover the right one. If you are targeting a younger audience, there is nothing better than TikTok.
4. Find your Unique Selling Proposition
A unique selling proposition (USP) is what makes you stand out from the competition. It is essential because many similar businesses compete for people’s attention, and TikTok has a ton of distracting content.
Finding a unique selling proposition makes you stand out from your competitors. Here is how to find your unique selling proposition.
Ask yourself:
- What makes my products or services different from those of my competitors?
- Why should people buy my products or services?
- How am I helping people with my products and services?
Discover what makes your brand great and highlight this in every video you create to make an identity of your business.
5. Create Content, and Don’t be Afraid to Experiment
Many small business owners overthink how they will use TikTok. They spend months researching the platform but never actually use it. The process is easy: start with a simple video introducing your brand, incorporate some humor, and you are good to go. You can also participate in trends or try to create your own.
Be confident, and don’t fear taking risks and experimenting.
Here are some videos you can create to promote your business.
- Introduce your business and team with a fun song that captures the essence of your business.
- Give a tour of your workplace.
- Share inspirational stories about how you started the business.
- Instead of telling people how good the product is, encourage users to share a few words about your product. User-generated content is the best way of marketing on TikTok.
- If you participate in philanthropy, share the why and tell your audience why giving back to the community is essential.
- Create tutorials and how-to videos about your products.
There are many unique ways to engage your audience about your business on TikTok. Remember that you are not making commercials; you are making TikToks that will eventually promote your business.
6. Help Your Audience Find You
There are various ways to get discovered on TikTok by your target audience.
- Hashtags: Hashtags are used like on any other social media platform. They connect you with your potential customers and promote attention and engagement.
- Trending Sounds: You can click on the sounds of popular videos to find other videos using the same tone. This lets them follow specific trends by attaching popular sounds. So, if your competitors use a particular sound to engage the audience, you can also use one in your videos. But remember that people respond best to fun and unique content, so using music is not enough.
- Advertising: TikTok ads are another popular way to reach your audience. If you have an advertising budget, you can display ads on the platform to effectively reach your audience and promote your content on TikTok.
- TikTok Influencers: Influencer marketing is highly beneficial. It takes your business to the target audience quickly and efficiently. Influencers communicate with their audience in a relatable way to promote your products.
7. Always Analyze the Data
TikTok business account has many analytics and insights. It allows you to measure the success of your business and video campaigns. If it’s giving the desired results, stick with it; if not, rethink your strategy and tactics, experiment with different content types, and find ways to improve your TikTok marketing to reach the target audience and meet your goals.
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How to Target the Right Audience with Your TikTok Small Business Account?
Quality content is the key to a successful lead-generation campaign. However, it is only effective when presented to the right audience. That’s why ensuring your targeting strategies are actionable, well-thought-out, and insightful is essential.
So, begin your targeting strategy with the most critical questions.
- Who is my target audience?
- What factors define them?
This will help you identify their needs, interests, and pain points.
Once you have established the characteristics of your target audience. You can begin to create tailored content to connect with the specific user groups and subcultures whose values and ideas align with your brand. It will help you develop a deeper relationship that goes beyond TikTok.
FAQs
How does TikTok help small businesses grow?
With over 1 billion users in 155 countries, TikTok takes your business to the world. It allows you to tap into what content your target audience wants to see without spending a lot of money on TikTok. If you create exciting videos, the algorithm will display your content to more and more people, eventually enhancing your reach and business prospects.
Who are the primary users of TikTok?
Most of TikTok’s audience is under 30 years of age, and many creators are aged 18 to 24. So, it shows the main user base of TikTok around the world is people under 30 years
Can I advertise my product on TikTok?
Yes, you can advertise your products on TikTok. The platform has various add types and tools that can take your content to your desired audience.
Some of the popular advertising and promoting tools are
- TopView ads
- In-Feed ads
- Branded hashtag challenges
- Branded effects
- Promote Tool
- Spark Ads
Conclusion
So, TikTok is all about creativity, authenticity, and fun. The majority of its audience is younger and demands fresh and creative content. Some trends last only a few days, while others last for weeks or months.
So, to get your mark, start by experimenting with different types of content to see what resonates with your audience. Don’t be afraid to show the real, behind-the-scenes you; it’s what TikTok users love most! Keep an eye on trends, but always put your unique twist on them.
Most importantly, be patient and consistent with your efforts. Building a presence on TikTok doesn’t happen overnight, but with persistence, your business can become a TikTok favorite. Good luck!