TikTok for business: Should you dance or not?

TikTok for business is developing fast and you don’t want to miss the opportunity to reach a new audience on it. In fact, it represents an opportunity for marketers and TikTok developed several features for businesses. More and more businesses are using it and no, you are not too old for TikTok!

TikTok for business: best practices

Easier than Instagram

When using TikTok for business purposes, keep in mind that it differentiates itself because it is for entertainment and not lifestyle. It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t publish quality content but if the lighting and sound are good, you’ll be okay.

Moreover, it’s an all-in-one platform with all you need to create content and even tutorials to use them. Since it is user friendly and intuitive you don’t need a video production team to create content. The users will prefer raw, authentic content and like when they see real stories and not polished content… they have Instagram reels for that. Finally, use hashtags which relates to the video and a short caption to give more context to the users. There is so much you can do or say in a video of 15 seconds to 3 minutes so you should  give more details in the text.

Your business needs to show up on TikTok

The famous algorithm will reward you if you show up consistently on the platform. I recommend posting at least three times a day on TikTok for your business with entertaining videos. Also, I suggest you to look at what your competitors are doing and the hashtags they are using to find inspiration. You can also think outside the box and experiment because TikTok is a new platform for businesses. If you have an idea that hasn’t been done yet, try it you may even become famous for that.

In addition to posting content, TikTok will reward you if you are an active user and member of the community.

Lastly, remember that your audience wants a story in order to build a relationship with your brand.

Build a community

Even if you’re using TikTok for business purposes, you shouldn’t aim to sell your product in every video you make. The users are not blind and will find that your content is not authentic or adding value to their lives. Consequently, they’ll  skip your content which will affect negatively your relevancy for the algorithm.

However, you should interact with people and build a community around your product or specific niche. The algorithm of TikTok is amazing for businesses because you’ll  end up on the for you pages of people that are interested by what you’re offering. In other words, you will reach people who find you interesting which will help you build relevancy. The more engagement you’ll get, the more your videos will be “pushed” to a greater audience. Finally, take the time to answer comments, interact with your audience but also other people on the platform to build a relationship with them.

Viral or not here we come!

The key to success when using TikTok for your business is consistency and relevancy. Here are three types of content that are working well on the app: educational, comedy and inspirational. You can choose to use one or all three if they match with your branding on the platform.

TikTok trends can take several forms; it could be a challenge, a specific hashtag or sound and you’ll have to create content around it. They can help you reach a larger audience because you’ll be part of the conversation and  all the content related to it usually gets more engagement. However, you must select and adapt TikTok trends to your business and make sure that it is coherent. Otherwise, keep in mind that if it goes viral you’ll get traffic that is not interested by what you are offering. As a consequence, they won’t interact with your content, your relevancy will decrease and you may be shadow banned.

I recommend using trends or hashtags to stay relevant for the users but not as a strategy on its own. You must adapt it to your story, your brand, make it your own to reach your targeted audience. Finally, posting original and authentic content consistently is what will pay off in the long run.

TikTok for business: Content Ideas

Here are a few ideas you can use and repurpose on TikTok for your business:

• Behind the scenes: Showcasing your offices, factories, photoshoots, meetings, team…
• Tutorials:
  • How to use your product or service
  • Tips and tricks for your niche
  • Educational videos regarding your domain of expertise.
• User’s generated content: Create a branded hashtag that people can use and repost the videos that you find relevant. Branded hashtags are also a great way to use TikTok for your business to establish your relevance on the platform.
• Use the Q/A feature:
  • Answer your audience’s questions
  • Answer questions that other users are asking
• Go LIVE and re publish parts of the conversation you find interesting to have on your page.
• Teasers and sneak peeks: People follow you because they’ll want to see the outcome and it’s great for story telling.
• Answer comments by video : It could be a question, gratitude or other comments from your audience. It will help you reach more people that have the thoughts.
• Milestones: Each time your company reaches an objective, share it with your audience. You can thank them and make them part of the conversation.
• Celebrate: Choose events that are relevant to your brand or community and find a way to celebrate it on TikTok. It could be as easy as posting a video of your company’s annual barbecue on July 4th.

As you can see you can do much more than dancing when using TikTok for your business.

They even created a landing page named “TikTok for Business” displaying all the tools they offer for companies to help them reach your goals. You can even use the TikTok ads service to easily create, target and reach your ideal curtomer. Now, you have no excuse to not be on TiTok !

If you want more information, you can contact me here.

Sources:

Liberge Audrey “ TikTok statistiques : les chiffres TikTok en 2022” : https://fr.oberlo.ca/blog/tiktok-statistiques

Cyca Michelle “9 Ideas for Creative TikTok Videos that Will Engage Your Followers”: https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-video-ideas/

TikTok for business web page: https://www.tiktok.com/business/en?tt4b_lang_redirect=1