6 Stellar Tips on How to Use TikTok for Business

How to use TikTok for business? As a matter of fact, is using TikTok for businesses even worth it?

Let’s start with the obvious, which turns out, is, in fact, not that obvious.

Too many businesses overlook TikTok when planning out their social media strategy. Most likely because they believe the platform to be irrelevant for conducting serious business.

Indeed, TikTok may not be great for serious business. However, it is the best social platform for building a brand identity, connecting with your audience, and winning the customer’s heart.

In fact, with its growing success in social commerce, it’s becoming an engine for impulse buying as well. This means that not only your relationship with your followers can benefit, but your bottom line too.

In this article, we’ll provide 6 stellar tips on how to use TikTok in order to maximize the value of your business on the platform.

Read on and keep notes!

1. Don’t Underestimate TikTok

TikTok seems to be all fun and games. As a result, people think that it’s a platform made purely for entertainment purposes.

However, this is exactly what makes it such a powerful business tool. It allows companies to show off the side of their business that is human, goofy, and playful. This way, they can build a true connection with their customers.

We all know how people crave behind-the-scenes material on, practically, any topic. It’s basic psychology – we all want to know the truth behind the curtain because this allows us to bond and relate to one another on a deeper level.

And, compared to other social platforms that glorify glossiness and perfection, TikTok is all about fun and enjoying the everyday aspects of life.

Furthermore, TikTok is believed to be a place where only Gen-Zs hang out.

However, although Generation Z is often considered to be a bunch of carefree college boys and girls, they are an active part of the workforce. They have $360 billion in spending power just sitting there burning in their pockets.

For businesses, that’s actually good news.

In addition, the platform has become wildly popular among all age groups. Hence, there are endless opportunities to benefit from using TikTok for business, even if GenZ is not your target audience.

2. Use a Business Account

When using TikTok for business purposes, it’s recommended that you create a business account.

Unlike the “personal” and “creator” options, with a business profile, you gain access to more commercially-oriented features that allow you to take better advantage of the platform. These include analytics, a commercial music library, advertising tools, a creative support database, etc.

As a result, you can better plan out your TikTok marketing strategy, and find insights about hot trends and how to utilize them.

In addition, you can better understand the impact your content has on the audience and improve it to boost engagement.

All in all, the only downside of business accounts is that you don’t have access to TikTok’s General Music Library, but only to the Commercial Music Library. This means you will not be able to use all the tunes you may want as background music for your videos.

On the bright side, there are more than 150,000 songs at your disposal which are safe for business usage, and are free of any royalty fees.

3. Take Advantage of TikTok’s Creators Marketplace

TikTok’s Creator Marketplace is a great tool designed to make it easier for businesses to find collaboration opportunities with popular creators on the platform.

Simply put, it’s a network that connects brands with influencers without the extra hassle.

Companies fill in their campaign’s requirements and preferences and are provided with a list of feasible creators to consider.

When they review the profile, followers, engagement, and history of the creator, they can decide whether or not to approach them with an offer. You can use this feature to help sell your products and have your orders sent out with the new fulfilment option by TikTok.

Creators, of course, can accept or deny offers and choose whom to work with.

Once a partnership starts, the business can track and monitor it in their campaign management tool, along with the rest of their active collaborations. There, they obtain insights into the views, engagement, and reactions to related posts, as well as a breakdown of the audience’s demographics.

All in all, the tool helps you find influencers that best fit your niche, industry, and followers, and makes working with them far easier.

4. Create Ads and Content That Feel Native

To make an impression, your TikTok content needs to feel native and naturally fit into people’s for-you feeds – this includes not only organic content, but ads as well.

To that end, you should avoid reusing videos and ads that you’ve created for other channels and create original content that doesn’t feel too businessy.

This may be challenging at first, especially if you are new to TikTok and are not familiar with its unwritten rules. If that’s the case, you should either hire a social media specialist who has experience with the platform or invest the time and effort to learn the nitty-gritty of TikTok’s culture.

When looking for inspiration for your content, consider researching what other companies similar to yours are publishing and how they are approaching everything.

Here are a few rules of thumb to follow when creating videos and ads:

• Use Vertical Format. TikTok videos are watched primarily on mobile devices, so you should stick to the vertical format. In fact, according to TikTok’s own statistics, vertical videos have 25% higher watch-through rate.
• Create Videos With Sound. Unlike other platforms where most videos are played in silent mode, 88% of TikTok users say that they consume content with the sound on. To satisfy their needs and make your content more engaging, make sure to add the proper soundtracks.
• Keep Up the Quality. While TikTok is famous for its natural-looking videos, this doesn’t mean that you should compromise with the quality. Still, there’s no need to invest in expensive equipment – a mobile phone with a decent camera, and good lighting should be enough.
• Use the Platform’s Native Features. Nothing makes content more native than using the features unique to the platform. Play around with the filters, text and subtitles options, fonts and colors, cut scenes, as well as all the goodies the video editor offers.
• Don’t Be Stiff. This one is kind of self-explanatory. TikTok is the place to be fun, creative, silly, goofy, and upbeat. If you can’t do it, nothing can help you conquer the local audience.

5. Keep Up With the Trends

The easiest way to raise awareness for your brand, build a presence, and take full advantage of using TikTok for business purposes is to do what the “locals” do. In other words, partake in challenges and embrace the newest trends.

TikTok’s own research shows that:

[quote]
“61% of TikTokers like brands better when they create or participate in a trend on TikTok.”

For businesses, this is a great opportunity to attract a new audience and build a community. In fact, joining trends doesn’t only make your brand more relatable, it provides you with invaluable ideas on what content to populate your editorial calendar with:

• Join Challenges. The thing about TikTok is that you really don’t need to be that original to stand out. Almost all of the content there is a variation of someone else’s video and that’s considered normal. However, strive to give your own publications a twist to make them memorable and more engaging.
• Create Branded Challenges. Once you get the hang of challenges, consider launching your own. If you manage to think of something fun and easy, chances are, you’ll go viral. In fact, it’s easier to go viral on TikTok than on any other social platform, because the algorithm cares more about relevancy than popularity. This means that even if you don’t have many followers, your videos may still have high exposure and reach people who follow the relevant hashtags.
• Use Hashtags. Speaking of hashtags, these are very important on TikTok. They make your content discoverable.
  Research what interests your audience at the moment and add the relevant hashtags to your posts – this is bound to boost your visibility and engagement.

6. Express Your Brand Identity

The ultimate goal of using TikTok for business is to connect with your audience on a different level and bond. To that end, you need to express your brand identity in a way that speaks to your followers and matches their profile, personality, and preferences.

Consider what makes your business, brand, work process, team, and office unique, and create your TikTok personality around this.

For example, you can dress up your office pet on popular holidays. Or have your company mascot do crazy stuff, similarly to what Duolingo does. Or you can have weekly dance-offs between departments. Alternatively, you can simply introduce your team members by shooting lip-sync videos to their favorite songs. Whatever rocks your boat!

By using the platform’s marketing tools, you can research and find the relevant touchpoints between your business and the audience, and strengthen the connection.

What you focus on depends on your industry, line of business, your team, company culture, and, of course, your audience.

Once you figure it out, strive to maintain consistency and make sure to stay on-brand and in-character even when answering comments and engaging with content from other users. This way you will not only consolidate your image, but will make a good impression on the 21% of TikTokers who love it when brands comment on other people’s posts.

All in all, on TikTok, you need to show the most likable face of your brand and charm your customers with your personality. If you know your audience well and have a strong identity, this shouldn’t be difficult.

Bottom Line

Ok, gramps, ready to join the cool young people and have a blast?

Just kidding, you don’t need to be old to doubt the benefits of TikTok for business purposes. In fact, more often than not, businesses underestimate the value of this social platform.

However, with the tips we highlighted, you can join the first wave of companies. This way, you can successfully use TikTok to connect with their customers, show off their fun side, and build a competitive advantage.

Have fun!