How to Use TikTok for Business

TikTok, the social media platform known for its short-form videos, has become a popular tool for businesses looking to expand their digital marketing strategies. With its massive user base and engaging content, TikTok offers a unique opportunity for brands and brands to reach new audiences and build brand awareness. Find out how to utilize TikTok for business, to enhance your brand’s digital presence and boost your overall content strategy. 

Why TikTok for Business? 

TikTok’s short-form video content is highly engaging, making it an ideal platform for businesses looking to capture the attention of their target audience. By creating and sharing content that is entertaining, informative, and relevant to their brand, businesses can build a strong presence on TikTok and attract new customers. TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes content that is engaging and relevant, making it easier for brands to reach their target audience and increase their visibility.

Here are several ways brands can utilize TikTok for their digital marketing strategies:

• Content Creation: Businesses can create their content that aligns with current trends, challenges, and hashtags to engage with the TikTok community.

• Influencer Partnerships: Collaborating with TikTok influencers can help brands reach larger, highly engaged audiences. Influencers understand the platform well and can create content that resonates with their followers.

• TikTok Ads: TikTok offers various advertising options, including in-feed ads, branded hashtag challenges, and TopView ads, which can help brands target specific demographics and interests.

• User-Generated Content: Encouraging users to create content related to the brand through challenges or hashtags can increase engagement and brand awareness.

Creating a TikTok Business Account

To get started with TikTok for Business, brands need to create a TikTok Business account. This can be done by downloading the TikTok app, signing up for an account, and then following the prompts to convert your personal account into a Business account. During the conversion process, brands will be asked to provide information about their business, such as their industry, business category, and business email address.

Converting a TikTok Account to a Business Account

If a business already has a personal TikTok account, it can convert it to a Business account by following these steps:

1. Open the TikTok app and go to your profile.
2. Tap the three dots in the upper right corner of your profile.
3. Select “Manage my account.”
4. Tap “Switch to a Business Account.”
5. Follow the prompts to complete the conversion process.

TikTok Business Account vs. Personal Account

TikTok Business accounts offer a range of features and benefits that are not available to personal accounts. These include access to analytics, the ability to run ads, and the ability to schedule content. TikTok Business accounts also allow brands to connect their accounts to other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, making it easier to manage multiple social media accounts from a single dashboard.

Features Available to TikTok Business Accounts

TikTok Business accounts come with a range of features that can help brands manage their content and track their performance. These features include:

• TikTok Analytics: TikTok Business accounts provide detailed analytics about the performance of your content, including views, likes, shares, and comments. This information can help brands understand what content is resonating with their audience and adjust their strategy accordingly.

• Advertising: TikTok Business accounts allow brands to run ads, targeting their audience based on factors such as age, location, and interests. This can help businesses reach new customers and increase their visibility.

• Content Planning and Scheduling: TikTok Business accounts allow brands to plan and schedule their content in advance, ensuring that they are consistently posting and engaging with their audience.

How to Create a TikTok for Business Strategy – 7 Steps

1. Understand the TikTok algorithm

TikTok’s algorithm is complex and focuses on user engagement metrics like likes, shares, comments, and video completion rates. It also considers factors such as hashtags, captions, trending audio, account settings, and user preferences to personalize content recommendations for users. Getting featured on the “For You” page (FYP) is crucial for creators as it significantly boosts visibility and engagement. 

2. Identify your brand competitors

Conduct competitive research by analyzing competitors’ strategies. Find your competitors on TikTok by searching and tracking hashtags relevant to your brand, and identify what TikTok posts of theirs got the most engagement. See what their followers are talking about, and look for any missed opportunities where you can create content that can help their users. Understanding competitor content that resonates with audiences can help in crafting a unique brand voice and content strategy

3. Identify your target audience

TikTok’s target audience is primarily Gen Z, with 67% of users being under the age of 24. Identifying your target audience on TikTok is crucial for effective marketing. To connect with the right people on the platform, it’s essential to understand the values, characteristics, aesthetics, and vocabulary that resonate with your audience.

Key insights from the provided sources include understanding your target audience, creating buyer personas, leveraging market research and analytics, utilizing hashtags and trends, optimizing posting timing, engaging with your audience, and experimenting and analyzing content performance.

4. Set your brand goals and objectives

Set goals that align with your business objectives, such as reaching a new audience, improving brand image, promoting awareness for a product, or developing stronger customer relationships through engagement.

Defining key performance indicators (KPIs) such as engagement rates, follower growth, or conversion metrics helps in measuring the success of TikTok campaigns.  

5. Optimize your TikTok for Business profile

A well-optimized profile includes a clear username, an engaging profile picture, a concise bio, and a link to drive traffic to the website or other platforms. Choose a profile photo that represents your brand and is visually appealing.

Your bio should be concise and clearly state what your TikTok account is about. Your TikTok URL should be easy to remember and include your brand name. Verification can increase your credibility and visibility on the platform.

6. Create authentic & compelling content

Creating authentic and compelling content is what TikTok is all about. Use high-quality video and audio, and ensure your content is visually appealing. Create content that provides value to your audience. Live videos can increase engagement and create a sense of exclusivity for your audience, while hashtags can help your content reach a wider audience and be discovered by users interested in your niche.

Prioritizing user-generated content (UGC) can foster audience loyalty by showcasing authentic interactions with the brand and its products/services while collaborating with other creators to expand your reach and engage with new audiences. 

7. Engage with your audience

Active engagement with the audience through responding to comments, creating interactive content, and fostering a sense of community builds a loyal following on TikTok. Encouraging user-generated content through challenges or contests can further enhance engagement levels and strengthen brand-consumer relationships. Not only does the TikTok algorithm push brands who engage with their audience, but it will also help build a loyal following and increase engagement.

Advertising on TikTok as a Business

TikTok offers a range of advertising options for businesses, including in-feed native video ads, brand takeovers, and hashtag challenges. These ads can be targeted to specific audiences based on factors such as age, location, and interests, making it easier for brands to reach their target customers.

TikTok for Business Tips

To get the most out of TikTok for Business, here are some tips and tricks:

• Post consistently: Consistently posting content is key to building a strong presence on TikTok. Businesses should aim to post at least once a day if not more.

• Engage with your audience: Respond to comments and engage with your audience to build a strong community around your brand.

• Use hashtags: Hashtags are a great way to reach new audiences on TikTok. Brands should use relevant hashtags in their content to increase their visibility.

• Collaborate with others: Collaborating with other businesses or influencers on TikTok can help brands reach new audiences and build relationships within their industry.

Metricool for Managing Your TikTok Account

Metricool is a powerful social media management tool that can help brands manage their TikTok account, including analytics, ads, content planning, and scheduling. Metricool also offers a range of other features, such as social media competitor analysis and social listening, making it a valuable tool for brands looking to maximize their presence across social media platforms.

With Metricool, businesses can manage their TikTok with: 

• TikTok Ads Management: Analyze the performance of your brand’s TikTok ad campaigns, manage your ads, and see how well they perform.  

• Content Planning & Scheduling: Create and schedule TikTok content from Metricool. Add multimedia, search for popular hashtags, and auto-publish your content directly to TikTok. 

• Analytics & Reporting: Analyze your business’ TikTok growth, community, and engagement; see your audience demographics; and information about your posts reach.

Gretchen Oestreicher , 22 March 2024