When talking about small business digital marketing, TikTok likely isn’t the first platform to come to mind. But most businesses should at least consider marketing on TikTok. If many of your target audience are on TikTok, you need to be there. Whether you already have a TikTok marketing strategy you are looking to improve or need to get started, the following tips will help.
Start With a Business Account
The first step to TikTok marketing will be creating a business account. This is incredibly simple to do. Just log in to your personal profile and head to “Settings and Privacy.” Click “Manage account.” Go to “Account control,” then “Switch to Business Account.” You will be prompted to make a business account. You’ll choose the most relevant business category. Then, you can add your business email and website.
Understand the Types of Paid Ads
Using TikTok for marketing will likely involve a combination of free strategies and paid ads. You don’t necessarily need to use paid ads, but it is still smart to be familiar with them. There are two main categories—in-feed ads and ads for managed brands. With managed ads, you pay TikTok to manage your ads for you. This will give you extra types of ads, including branded hashtag challenges, branded effects, and Topview ads (that play when opening the app). But it isn’t necessary for most small businesses.
The regular paid ads on TikTok available to every business account include:
- Image ads
- Video ads
- Spark ads (boosting your content)
- Pangle ads
- Carousel ads
Create Content
But paid advertising is just one part of TikTok marketing. And it may not even fit your small business’s budget. At the very least, you want to consider the following tips for creating and promoting content.
The great news about TikTok marketing for small businesses is that the platform doesn’t just promote accounts with a lot of followers. It also promotes similar content, including those from lesser-known creators.
Make Relevant, Authentic, Informative Content
As you create your videos for content, you want them to be relevant, authentic, and informative. Some good options for small businesses include offering expert tips or sharing behind-the-scenes footage.
This type of video will help your company seem like it is run by real people and encourage your audience to feel connected.
Share Content From Users
Just like on other social media platforms, your TikTok strategy should involve sharing relevant user-generated content. But TikTok has a few features that make this even easier to do and more effective. This comes from the “duet” or “stitch” feature. These features essentially let you create a video that is your content on one side and content from another user on the other.
Encourage User Content
To get the most of this tip, you need to encourage users to create content in the first place. A simple option is to ask for honest customer testimonials. You could then share good ones and respond to negative ones. Another great option is to ask the audience a question or have them ask a question. If they ask a question, you can duet their video and answer it.
Remember that user-generated content is helpful in a few ways. To start, you don’t have to create the content yourself, saving you time. On top of that, the users who create content are engaging with your brand. Additionally, when people see others engaging, they are more likely to do so as well.
Consider Influencers
If you’re already working with micro or local influencers on other social media platforms, consider doing so on TikTok as well. You may even be able to work with the same influencer as you do on Instagram or another platform.
Harness the Power of Hashtags
As mentioned, TikTok makes sure that even creators with fewer views show up in the feed. But you need to create relevant content to make the most of this. A great way of doing so is via hashtags. Check out the popular videos or hashtags on TikTok to see current trends. Then, participate. When choosing the right hashtags (or challenges), look for ones that are relevant to your business and your audience.
Conclusion
Small businesses should take the time to create a TikTok strategy to reach a larger audience. You should start by creating content that is authentic and relevant and participating in hashtags. Don’t forget to consider if paid advertising is right for you as well.
