Information for this blog post was obtained from Hubspot, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social.
Living in small-town Kansas my whole life, I have always been interested in small businesses and how they maintain and grow. Becoming a marketing student, I have learned that there is so much opportunity to grow through marketing that many small businesses need to take advantage of. However, they often do not know where to begin. If you are a small business owner or aspire to be one someday, you might be asking yourself, what exactly is TikTok marketing and how can you use it as a small business?
What is TikTok Marketing?
TikTok is a fast-paced app curated to each user’s interests that provides an individual algorithm. Marketing on TikTok has been on the rise for many years and has been a hub for small businesses to grow substantially. TikTok marketing involves using the app to promote a brand, product, or service. It can include different things like influencer marketing, advertising, and creating organic content. It can help your business to increase brand awareness, build engaged communities, sell your products, get feedback from customers, provide customer service, and advertise your products to target audiences. TikTok usage for social media marketers has increased 15% year over year and the app has the third-best engagement rate, according to marketers.
How to Start
As a small business, it’s hard to know where to begin when marketing on TikTok. Especially when you have to compete with much larger brands that have higher budgets. To get started, you will need to create a TikTok Business account, which is free. The business account will give exclusive features like an email button, a business creative hub, a commercial music library, call-to-action options, auto-replies for DMs, and more. It is also easy to switch to a business account if you already have a personal one.
With a business account, it’s time to understand the platform and explore the different features offered. Look around the app and get familiar with how to use it. Check out pages of successful businesses using the app to market their brand. TikTok has a user base of over 1 billion users, so the chances that your current and potential customers are on the platform are very high. It is a great way to connect with your target audience without having to spend a lot of money. Here are some TikTok ideas for small businesses that can help to jumpstart your page and build a community on the app to increase followers and customers:
Niche Audience
Since you have a specific audience, you can build connections and relationships with that audience by connecting with them in the comment section or answering their questions through videos. It is easier for small businesses to be involved with their audience as there isn’t a huge stream of comments rolling in. You can also use trending hashtags that your community can relate to.
Be Creative
Although it may seem impossible to be original and creative with ideas that are all your own, there are still ways to be creative on the app. Post about relatable situations, new information about your business, or even teach your audience something. Content is better when there is an original spin about it. Show your followers how to use a product, how you’d style an outfit or behind-the-scenes of setting up a new display in your store. Whatever your business entails, there are ways to be creative with the content you create.
For You Page
This page is the feed that is tailored to each individual’s interests. How can the For You page help your business? If you have unique videos about your brand or products that resonate with your audience, there is a high chance of those appearing on this page. That opens the door of your business up to more followers engaging with your business and more customers.
Trending Content, Sounds, & Hashtags
The easiest place to look for trending content ideas, sounds, and hashtags is right in the app on the discovery page. The most popular videos are there to look through and gain inspiration from. There are many unique sounds you can use on the app, but you also have the freedom to create a TikTok sound that can potentially go viral. This means free advertising for your business. TikTok hashtags are another easy way for your business to be discovered by new people.
Your small business needs to gain a presence on TikTok to grow in your marketing efforts. TikTok will be a money-saving initiative that will help to gain and keep an audience. Add this app to your marketing strategy and watch your small business continue to grow and prosper.
For more ideas on how to grow your small business with social media, check out Barrett’s blog here.
Resources
Bump, P. (2024, April 2). 57 TikTok stats to know in 2024. HubSpot Blog. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/tiktok-stats
Hirose, A. (2024, February 9). The 2024 Guide to TikTok Marketing: Tips, examples, & tools. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/tiktok-marketing/
Jansasoy, J. (2023, August 29). Small businesses on TikTok: The strategy guide for your brand. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/small-business-tiktok/
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