How to Use TikTok for Business: Tips and Strategies

2022 TikTok for Business Marketing

Are you looking for ways to market your business on TikTok? If so, you're in luck! In this blog post, we will discuss some tips and strategies for using TikTok to promote your business. We will cover everything from creating engaging content to setting up an ad account. So, whether you're a beginner or a pro, read on for some helpful advice!

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to create and share short videos with others. The app is extremely popular with young people, which makes it a great tool for businesses that want to reach this demographic. In addition to being popular, TikTok is also incredibly visual, has high user engagement, and offers many unique features.

Why Should You Use TikTok?

Because of its popularity, especially among the younger generation, a great TikTok can create brand awareness, boost user engagement, and tap into new audiences. It's an opportunity to show the human side of your business and connect with potential customers on a more personal level. Not to mention, it can be a lot of fun!

Creating Engaging Content on TikTok

One of the most important aspects of using TikTok for business is creating engaging content. This means creating videos that are interesting, entertaining, and informative. Keep in mind that your videos should be short and to the point. This is because people on TikTok have a short attention span and are more likely to watch videos that are under 60 seconds.

When you sit down to create content, here are a few ideas to think about:

-Share behind-the-scenes footage of your business

-Give tips or advice related to your industry

-Doing product demonstrations or tutorials

-Hosting contests or giveaways

-Highlighting customer testimonials

-and more!

The goal is to use TikTok to appeal to your target audiences and promote your business in a positive light.

And remember, no matter what type of content you create, remember to keep your followers in mind. Think about what type of video they would be interested in watching and what would resonate with them.

Also, don't forget to have fun, don't always focus on what's trending on social, use music, filters, or features you like! Creating videos should be enjoyable for both you and your audience.

Types of Content on TikTok

Before we get further, let's break down the different types of content you'll see into two categories so you can accurately use TikTok for business. In most cases, videos you see on your feed fall into the organic category. Organic essentially means 'non-paid' while 'paid' TikToks are the videos on your feed that have "sponsored" on the caption.

Organic content is content that is not explicitly created to promote a product or service. However, it can still be used to indirectly promote your business. For example, these are the videos giving a behind-the-scenes look at your company or highlighting your business culture.

Most brands that see success on TikTok and really, any other social network use a combination of great organic content and paid advertising.

Hashtag Challenges Strategy

A hashtag challenge is a great way to promote your product or service while also getting your customers involved.

Essentially, you create a hashtag and challenge for your customers to use in their own TikTok videos. It promotes organic interaction, is a great way to increase brand awareness, and gets people talking about your business.

These types of campaigns can also be useful if you don't have a huge production budget but are willing to put in the work to organically promote the hashtag and encourage user-generated content.

However, if you want to get into paid advertising, it will allow you to target specific demographics and interests, giving you more effective results.

TikTok Advertising

For your business to be discovered by new users in today's age you should strongly consider advertising on social media. Currently, if you use TikTok for business, the platform has many benefits compared to others. However, it's also important to put together a strong marketing plan and know your goals before you start creating ads.

Here are a few things you should keep in mind when using TikTok for business:

-Your target audience: Who are you trying to reach with your ad?

-Your budget: How much are you willing to spend on advertising?

-Your goals: What do you hope to achieve with your ad campaign?

-Your message: What is the main takeaway you want your target audience to get from your ad?

Types of Ads

Now that we've gone over a few things to keep in mind, let's dive into the different types of ads you can create on TikTok.

TikTok offers many different paid advertising options which include: Top view ads, Brand Takeover ads, In-feed native ads, Branded hashtag challenges, and Branded effects.

Top View Ads

Top view ads are the first thing users see when they open the app and appear on the For You page. These videos can be up to 60 seconds long and include a call-to-action button that leads to your website or landing page.

In-Feed Native Video Ads

In-feed native video ads are the traditional full-screen video ads that you see in between other videos on your feed. These can be up to 60 seconds long and are a great way to reach a large number of people with your message. These are typically considered less intrusive and promote engagement in the comment and like sections.

Brand Takeovers

Brand Takeover ads are also full-screen videos, but they can only be three to five seconds long. They appear when users open the app or switch between videos and can include a call-to-action button that leads to your website or landing page. Brand Takeovers are a great way to catch people's attention and get your message across quickly, but they can get pricey because of their limited ad spaces.

Hashtag Challenges

As we mentioned before, hashtag challenges are a great way to organically promote your business. However, you can also choose to sponsor a hashtag challenge, which will put your challenge at the top of the discover page when people search for that particular hashtag. Hashtag Challenges can bring new TikTok users to your business page because the discover button is a popular feature on the platform.

Branded effects

Branded effects are special filters that can be used in videos. These are a fun way to promote your brand and give your videos a unique look. You do this by creating a filter with your brand logo or name.

Marketing on TikTok is still relatively new, so it's a good idea to experiment with different ad formats to see what works best for your business.

For example, you could try using a short video clip or an image with sound to grab people's attention as they scroll through their feed. Then compare the results of the data based on reach, impressions, clicks, or even how long someone watched the ad. The TikTok Ad manager platform makes it easy to create a custom report for you to be able to compare.

Steps to Advertise on TikTok

Now that we've gone over some of the basics, let's get into how you can start marketing on TikTok.

Creating a TikTok Ads Account

Once you have created a TikTok account and selected it as a business, the next step is to create a TikTok Ads account. You can do this by going to the TikTok Ads website and clicking on the "Create an Account" button.

For those familiar with social media advertising, the TikTok Ads manager is very similar to Meta(Facebook, Instagram) and is equally efficient in optimization.

Once you've created your account, you'll need to set up your payment information. You can do this by going to the "Billing" section of your account settings and entering your credit card or PayPal information.

Creating Your First Campaign

Once you've set up your account, it's time to create your first campaign. To do this, click on the "Campaigns" tab and then select "Create Campaign."

Choose your TikTok Goals

You'll then need to choose an objective. TikTok offers the following options:

-Reach: Which shows your ad to the maximum number of people

-Traffic: Send people to your website or app

-App installs: Get people to install your app

-Video Views: Increase video views

-Lead Generation: This option helps you collect leads through a form

-Conversion: Which drives sales or other conversions on your website

-Catalog Sales: This benefits e-commerce accounts that have a large inventory and want to retarget and prospect.

Keep in mind, that TikTok can have certain requirements on which type of ad you can show based on location, brand size, and market size.

Apply Budget and Audiences

Next, you'll need to choose a bidding type. The two options are "CPC" (cost per click) and "CPM" (cost per thousand impressions). CPC means that you'll pay for each person who clicks on your ad, while CPM means that you'll pay for every thousand people who see your ad.

After that, you'll need to set your budget. You can choose to set a daily budget or a total campaign budget.

Once you've set your budget, you'll need to choose your target audience. TikTok offers a variety of targeting options, including location, age, gender, interests, and behaviors. Compared to Facebook Ads, TikTok's targeting options are relatively basic.

You can also choose to target people who have already interacted with your brand on other platforms, such as Facebook or Instagram.

Final Steps for Marketing on TikTok

Finally, you'll need to choose your ad format and creative. TikTok offers a variety of ad formats, including image, video, and carousel. Keep in mind that users are attracted to TikTok because of its video features so most businesses use videos on the platform.

You can also choose to use one of TikTok's templates or create your own ad from scratch.

Once you've uploaded a video or image, and filled out your headline and description, you'll need to enter some basic information about your campaign, such as the name, start and end date, and delivery method.

You can then review your campaign settings and make any changes before you submit for review.

Once you've created your ad, click on the "Submit" button to submit it for review. TikTok will then review your ad and, if it meets their guidelines, approve it to run.

Once approved, it will start running and you'll start to see results in the "Insights"

And that's it! You've now created your first TikTok ad campaign. Remember to keep track of the data from results so that you can adjust your campaign strategy accordingly.

Tik Tok Prices

Advertising on TikTok is less expensive and has a stronger return on investment than other social media platforms. The average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) for TikTok Ads is $12.80, while the average cost per click (CPC) is $0.60.

In comparison, the average CPM for Facebook Ads is $11.20 and the average CPC is $0.97.

This means that you can reach more people on TikTok for less money than you can on other socials.

Don't forget that TikTok is a different platform than other social media sites, so you'll need to create content that is specific to the platform.

Other Strategies for TikTok and Social Media

User-Generated Content

User-generated content (or UGC) is any type of content that is created by users, rather than brands. This can include videos, images, and even text.

This type of content is a great way to connect with your audience and create authentic connections. It's also a great way to get ideas for your own TikTok videos if you have a hard time leaning into your creative side.

To find user-generated content, you can search TikTok using relevant hashtags or keywords. For example, if you're a clothing brand, you could search for #OOTD (outfit of the day) or #style.

You can also use TikTok's "Duet" feature to create videos with other users. To do this, simply find a video that you want to duet with and click on the "Share" button. From there, select "Duet."

This will allow you to record a video alongside the original video. You can then edit and add filters to your video before you share it.

Influencer Marketing:

Influencer marketing is a form of marketing that involves working with influencers to promote your brand or product.

This can be done by sending free products to an influencer, working with them to create sponsored content, or even just paying them to mention your brand.

If you're not sure where to find influencers, you can start by searching for relevant hashtags or checking out TikTok's "For You" page.

You can also pay to use tools like Upfluence to find influencers that are the best fit for your brand.

Contests and Giveaways:

Another great way to connect with your audience and advertise your brand is by running contests and giveaways.

This helps get people interested in your product or service while also building up goodwill with your followers.

To run a contest or giveaway on TikTok, start by creating a video promoting the contest. Be sure to include all of the relevant details, such as how to enter and what the prize is.

Then, use hashtags and TikTok's "For You" page to advertise your contest.

You can also team up with other brands or influencers to co-promote your contest. This will help you reach larger audiences and increase your chances of success.

Using Hashtags Effectively

Hashtags can be extremely useful for businesses on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and even LinkedIn!

Hashtags allow you to reach a wider audience and get your videos in front of more people who show interest. In order to use them effectively, you should:

-Research popular and relevant hashtags to use

-Include a mix of both general and specific hashtags

-Use a maximum of 30 tags per video

-Update your list of hashtags regularly

This means using relevant and popular tags that will help you reach your target audience. For example, if you're a clothing company, you might use hashtags like #ootd (outfit of the day) or #fashion.

You can also use TikTok's search function to find popular hashtags in your industry.

In addition to using relevant tags, you should also make sure to use a mix of popular and niche hashtags. This will help you reach more potential followers while still targeting people who are interested in your products or services.

Finally, don't forget to use hashtags in your video descriptions as well as in the comments section. This will help people find your videos and learn more about your business.

By following these tips, you can maximize your reach on TikTok and increase the chances of promoting your business successfully.

Final TikTok Thoughts

TikTok offers a unique opportunity for businesses to reach a large audience with creative content, but just because it's great for some, doesn't mean it's great for everyone. Analyze if spending time on TikTok is worth it, or takig time away from other social platforms that have a bigger following of your target audience.

Finally to close out, here are a few more ideas for attracting TikTok users that can also be applied on any other social network:

-Keep in mind TikTok is particularly well suited for promoting products or services that are visual in nature, such as clothing, food, and beauty products.

-Sound and music play a big role in brands' success on the platform. Try to use trending music that aligns with your brand strategy

-Create short, attention-grabbing videos. TikTok users are looking for quick, entertaining content on the app

-Interact with other users. Commenting on and liking other users' videos is a great way to get your own videos seen by more people.

-If you're stuck trying to come up with a branded post, tap through other brands' or competitors' profiles on the app to strike motivation

- Use TikTok ads. Marketing on TikTok is less expensive and has a stronger return on investment than on other social media platforms.

By following these tips, you can use TikTok to reach a large audience or new users and market your business effectively.

Thanks for reading! We hope this was helpful. Check out more social media tips and tricks.