How to Use TikTok For Business: TikTok Ideas to Promote Your Brand

Most business owners have yet to figure out how to use TikTok productively. Maybe it’s because they think its user base is mostly young people. But TikTok has become more welcoming of a diverse group of internet users these days. Let’s see what makes it so popular and how you can use TikTok for your business to grow.

How Popular is TikTok?

In short – extremely popular.

In fact, TikTok is currently the fastest-growing application on the web. According to the Sensor Tower report, TikTok has acquired 3 billion users since its launch in 2017. And 315 million of these downloads took place in the first quarter of 2020 alone. The pandemic obviously played a huge role in such significant growth; however, there are a couple of other factors that have contributed to the app’s success:

• Bite-sized videos. TikTok attracts users with short clips that viewers can binge-watch on the go. The content is mostly entertaining rather than educational, so you don’t have to be super-focused to get the gist.
• Younger audience. Although we did say TikTok has a diverse audience, it is indeed more popular among teens and young adults.
• Monetization opportunities. TikTok lets both individual creators and business users make money from videos.

What’s in it for Business?

TikTok has much-hidden potential for businesses. As a relatively new platform, not many marketers have yet taken advantage of its features and capabilities. Those that haven’t are missing out on a lot.

For example, TikTok can increase your conversion rates. The more of your videos people watch, the more they learn about your business. It encourages them to search out your brand, visit your site, and potentially become customers.

Additionally, TikTok is perfect for getting your business’ name out there. Not only can you use it to launch a successful ad campaign that everyone will appreciate, but you may also go viral and gain a solid uptick in viewers overnight.

But all of this requires some hard work “behind the scenes.”

Let’s take a look at the factors affecting your online presence, success, and failure on TikTok.

How to Get Better at TikTok Marketing

Social networking sites are the perfect platforms for attracting and keeping customers and influencers attracted to your products and services. However, in order to attract the right customers and influencers on TikTok, you need to step up your game.

Learn Your Way Around

The obvious first step is to study what you’re working with. TikTok is different from other social networks like Instagram and Facebook, so you need to adjust your marketing strategy accordingly:

• Learn what content works in your niche.TikTok is mostly about entertainment, so think of how you can fit in.
• Find the right audience. The internet is a vast universe and so reaching the people who might want to learn about your product or service is very important. Think of different ways to grab the attention of the young viewers who make up the majority of the platform’s users.
• Research the competition. It is crucial to know who else is fighting for the attention of your target audience. Find out who of your competitors is already on TikTok and what they are doing. Then think of a way to beat them.
• Learn from the best. Subscribe to popular accounts and see what they’re doing. Get inspiration from brands and individuals before making your own videos.

Create Relevant Content

In terms of TikTok, relevant content means fun, short, and topical. There are multiple types of videos you can create, so here are some TikTok ideas that can work for your business:

• Promotional videos. Show off your product or service and persuade the audience that they desperately need it in their lives. You can upload these videos directly to your account or use them as advertisements via the TikTok for Business program.
• How-to instructions. Teach your followers how to use your offerings – software, gym equipment, beauty products, or anything else you sell.
• Behind-the-scenes glimpses. Tease the audience with some backstage footage that shows how your product is made and the team behind it. The goal is to make the audience feel a part of your world.
• Events teasers. Stir up interest by posting exclusive shots of a future product launch, company event, or workshop.

Make sure each video you create is under 60 seconds and delivers content that’s useful and entertaining at the same time.

Take Part in Hashtag Challenges

Participating in trending hashtag challenges is one of the surefire ways to get noticed. These videos use popular songs, usually get more views and likes, and appear in the recommendations. You can add your own twist on a popular challenge – an unexpected ending, skillful product placement – or set up your own challenge so that your subscribers can join in.

Get in Touch with Influencers

Popular TikTokers probably won’t say no to a collaboration with a brand, especially if its products or services are interesting for them and appeal to their audience. So why not join your efforts and create the ultimate viral video? Take care, however, not to make it a direct ad for your brand but rather a fun video featuring a TikTok celebrity. It’s a win-win situation: both of you get even more exposure.

Collaborating with young TikTok influencers is a much more beneficial way to promote your brand on the platform than convincing a C-list celebrity to endorse your products. TikTok’s audience is young and smart – they spot a deliberate promotion right away and will be more convinced when they hear about your business from someone they follow on social networks.

Invest in Advertising

TikTok has a smart and creative approach to advertising. They encourage businesses to create dynamic TikToks instead of boring ads. The TikTok for Business program gives you the opportunity to have your brand discovered by millions of people. You can create videos with interactive polls, get connected with influencers that are right for you, and track ad performance in real time.

Big brands like Universal Pictures, Guess, and Clean & Clear boosted their campaigns by starting hashtag challenges. And there is nothing to stop you from doing the same: collaborate with an influencer, use a popular song, and get creative with the ad content.

How to Make a Good Video?

First, a warning: copying your YouTube tricks is not the way to go.

TikTok focuses more on the content of the video; perfect editing skills run a poor second. You can forget about expensive equipment, top-notch lighting, and a huge bill for a professional videographer. Any member of your marketing team can be in charge of a TikTok account, provided they have a smartphone (and an endless source of ideas).

Here’s what you need to consider:

• The format. What type of video are you making? Is it an ad? Is it a hashtag challenge?
• The plot. Is your video funny or educational? What’s the goal?
• Will you use the TikTok’s tools, or do you want something more advanced?
• The music. What tune fits best? Is it trending?
• What keywords will you use? What will your branded hashtag be?

If you feel stuck, check out some of these ideas for inspiration:

5 Creative Ideas For Making Instagram and TikTok Videos

What Tools Should You Use?

No matter what your ultimate goal is, you won’t get anywhere without the right marketing tools.

Content Creation

TikTok has great tools of its own, and in most cases, that’s enough. However, you can go for more sophisticated solutions to bring your ideas to life. The market is filled with various options – mobile, online, and desktop video editors provide valuable tools for creating marketing videos. You can choose a ready-made template by Magisto, take advantage of Movavi Business Suite’s special effects, or transform text into videos with the help of RawShorts.

The most important thing here is not to go over the top. Don’t overload your video with multiple effects and transitions just because you can.

Another suggestion is to try out free versions of different programs before you purchase anything. Mostly, trial versions let you sample the full scope of what you can do and whether the software has enough tools to create what you want.

Growing Followers

Gone are the days when you had to post videos and just hope people would subscribe. At least, now you don’t have to do that. There are multiple ways to automate followers growth. And we’re not talking about fake followers – algorithms spot such tricks and punish the guilty party. What you should consider is getting a service that helps you expand your follower base legally. Tools like FuelTok, TokSocial, and Social Buddy target accounts that may be interested in your content. Basically, you enter the names of your competitor and influencers and program a bot to like their posts and subscribe. Your potential customers will notice you and have the option to follow you back.

Analytics

Last but not least, you should monitor the performance of your TikTok campaign. TikTok’s native analytics can show you the full picture of what’s going on – video views, profile views, and follower count. However, for deeper insights, you can choose one of the available third-party marketing tools to stay in the loop. Loomly and Social Insider are among the apps you should consider if you want to have more data for analysis. These tools collect information about average engagement rate, video performance, and other metrics. By analyzing how people interact with your content, you will be able to better understand what you’re doing right and what needs improvement.

Final Say

When it comes to the ever-growing mobile internet, few platforms are as influential as the new-risen TikTok.

However, good TikTok promotion is a lot of work, especially for brands. But it is definitely something you should try in order to reach out to a broader audience.

TikTok can give you the exposure you need, provided your promotion style fits the platform’s general ethos – entertainment. If you engage your followers enough to subscribe and watch your content, you’re halfway there.

The other half of the job is to maintain the quality level of the videos you post. You need to be constantly searching for new ideas, participating in hashtag challenges, and finding other ways to be remembered and go viral.