How to grow your business on TikTok
By Felicia Guthrie
TikTok is hugely popular right now. In fact there are 800 million active users worldwide. Wow, right? But before you run to create your TikTok account, you may want to ask yourself if it’s right for your business. forty-one percent of users are between 16 - 24 years old, howeverusers of other ages are joining the app more and more every day. If this sounds like it could be your demographic then it may be the time to consider if more seriously.
We’ve covered a bit of TikTok already, so if you need to get caught up, here’s everything you need to know all about TikTok and 5 big brands that are using it creatively.
All caught up? Great! So, here are a few ways you can use TikTok to grow your small business for free:
USE HASHTAGS
Although TikTok users don’t typically use as many hashtags as Instagram users do, they are still popular on the app. Before you begin posting videos and using hashtags, I suggest downloading the app (which you can use without an account) to familiarize yourself. A great place to start is the “Discover” page, you’ll be able to see trending hashtags (like #SmallBiz) and search hashtags related to your brand/business. This is a great way to not only see what’s popular on the app, but to also see what other people and businesses are posting in relation to your products and industry.
TAKE PART IN CHALLENGES
We’ve discussed challenges previously on our blog but again, this is a great way to participate in trends and get your content seen on the app’s “For You” or “Discover” pages - and they’re fun! Not every challenge will be right for your brand but look for unique ways to get involved. For example, Discovery used the music from a popular challenge and the challenge hashtag to share this adorable (and educational) video!
SHARE BTS CONTENT
People love having a peek behind the scenes of what happens at your business and that even goes on TikTok! Not sure what types of behind-the-scenes content to share? Here are a few ideas and some examples:
How it’s made: There are tons of how it’s made videos on small business TikTok, from resin accessories, to jewelry, cosmetics, soap, and more. Check out this video or this one to get an idea of the content you can create.
Packaging orders: This will give people a sense of what to expect when they order from you, you can show the steps you take to package an order, your supplies station, how you assemble an order and more. Here’s an example.
You can even share bts videos like what a day in the life of a small business owner is like, how you got started/your story, introducing your team (even if it’s your family helping you package your orders), and more! Behind-the-scenes content not only allows for a sneak peek behind the curtain of running a business, but it allows you to show more of your personality and get a little more personal with your followers, which can also help you build trust.
SHARE “HOW TO” VIDEOS
Your business may offer products such as accessories or clothing and a great way to showcase them is to share “how-to” videos like styling tutorials. Of course, this isn’t limited to just clothing and accessories, so try to get creative and showcase how people can use your products.
INTERACT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE
This one is a must for any platform. Engaging your audience and interacting with them will help build a relationship with them. On TikTok, there are a few ways you can do this, like other popular platforms, you can like comments people leave on your videos and you can reply as well. TikTok even offers a neat little feature that allows you to pin comments to a video so you can reply to them in a new video. So for example, if someone asks you a frequently asked question about your products or if another entrepreneur asks for your advice, you can reply to them in a video - like this!
TikTok can be a super engaging and fun app. Whether you’re still unsure if it’s right for your business or if you’re almost ready to start sharing on the app, I suggest you download the app and begin getting a feel for it. Check out the Discover page, search hashtags relevant to your business, and check out what your competitors are doing!
If you want to talk about your social media strategy? Book your free 20-minute consultation.