TikTok for Business: How to use TikTok

It’s no secret that video has become consumer's preferred form of digesting online content. Since its launch in late 2017, TikTok has gained immense popularity. The platform consists of short-form, user-generated content andhas become a staple for online video consumption during the past 12 months. TikTok Business has a lot to offer brands, and with well over one billion active users, it’s an excellent location for brands to gain visibility and reach a broader audience.

There are a number of brands already harnessing the potential of TikTok Business, tapping into the latest trends, hottest hashtag challenges, and catching their audience’s eye with unique, high-energy content.

Of course, just like any other marketing tool, you need to understand TikTok well, and know how commercial TikTok can benefit your business. If you’re new to TikTok Business, there’s no need to feel overwhelmed because this article will give you all the information you need to establish a loyal customer base and rack up the sales using commercial TikTok.

Read on to learn what TikTok Business is, how to use TikTok and the benefits of using TikTok Business for your brand. First, let’s see what tiktok is.

What is TikTok?

Since its launch, TikTok quickly became one of the high-ranking social media apps. Tiktok users around the globe produce, watch, and share short-form videos on their smartphones daily.

This had a profound impact on video marketing, as trending content overflowed from the TikTok platform and began to shape video trends. Before we knew it, consumers were obsessed with short-form, user-generated content – we have even seen other social media platforms tapping into these TikTok-created-trends, such as Instagram Reels which imitate TikTok-style video.

Can You Use TikTok Business in the Commercial World?

While commercial TikTok is a relatively new concept, an increasing number of businesses are investing marketing budget into TikTok to help grow their brand. The reality of branded video in 2022 is that consumers are flooded with ads and online video, making it hard for commercial content to cut through the noise and stand out. Gone are the days of promotional videos over 60 seconds long, and here are the days of 15-30 second snappy, attention grabbing TikTok-style videos!

The question of whether commercial TikTok is the right location for marketing your brand comes down to your target audience. See the deographic of TikTok users in the UK below (Statista):

– 24% of all TikTok users are between the ages of 15-25 years old

– The next biggest age demographic drops significantly to 9% of the demographic with 25-35 year olds

– 65% of users were female, and 35% male

It’s important to note that users are able to sign up for a TikTok account from the age of 13. A significant percentage of TikTok users are between the ages of 13-15, however TikTok for various reasons will not release official figures to clarify this.

What this tells us is that the demographic of TikTok is young, and that the audience is dominated by the 13-25 years old age group.

Have we just listed your target audience? If yes, commercial TikTok marketing could be for you!

If we didn’t list your target audience, don’t worry, they will be on another social media platform and we can help you find them! To connect with your target audience, speak with one of our social media specialists who is waiting to hear from you right now!

Success Stories of TikTok Business in the Commercial TikTok World

One of the major trends that followed the launch of TikTok was user-generated video. User-generated content is great for brands, it’s low-cost, hands-free and builds trust between brands and potential customers as they can see real consumers interacting with products and giving honest reviews.

Many brands have experienced incredible success with user-generated, TikTok Business video.

One example of a brand who has experienced success with TikTok Business is Chipotle. The Mexican grill restaurant chain launched a campaign in October 2021 just intime for Halloween and asked TikTok users to take pictures of themselves in their costume and share the images using the Chiptotle filter and hastags.

Similarly, the NBA successfully tapped into TikTok’s young, sports-loving fanbase. They famously acquired more than 14 million followers and 217 million clicks in less than 3 months. When done right, that's the magic of TikTok for business! Read on to learn how to use TikTok Business.

How to Set Up a TikTok Business Account?

Understanding how to use TikTok is vital, and luckily setting up a TikTok business account is not that different from creating an account on any other website.

First, you need to download the Google Play Store or App Store app. Then, you need to install and run the app. Now, all you need to do is follow simple steps to create a TikTok business account:

1. Tap “Me” in the menu bar at the bottom, and then tap “Sign up” to create an account. Here you can use your email address, phone number, or social media account.

2. At the top right of the “Me” page, there is a “…”. Click the “…”, then click “Manage Account”, and then click “Switch to Business Account”.

3. Select the appropriate category for your business to receive a customized feed.

Setting up a TikTok business account should be a relatively painless process, but if you need further support on how to use TikTok, feel free to reach out to one of our social media experts. Request a callback here.

Top Tips on How to Use TikTok Business

So that’s the set up sorted, now it’s time you learn how to use TikTok Business for your brand. First, you need to understand the platform:

TikTok Business Tip 1: Understand Tiktok & its Algorithm

You cannot implement a successful strategy on TikTok Business without knowing the platform inside out. The first step is to login to the platform and experiment to learn how to use TikTok, try creating a video and experiment with the editing features and effects. It’s very much possible that you’ll be lost in various versions of the latest dance trends.

Then, you need to spend some time studying the algorithm and reading about it from reliable sources. We recommend this blog by Hootsuite.

TikTok Business Tip 2: Identify Key Players & the Competition

You cannot enter the platform without knowing some of the commercial TikTok icons that have found their way into famous commercials, tv shows, and even movies. There are so many of these stars on TikTok that you’ll probably find one or two related to your specific industry. Make sure to closely watch those key players.

There are so many benefits to identifying the competition. Not only will you understand their weaknesses, but you will also see what works and what does not on the platform. Plus, they will point you directly to the target audience. Some of the top content creators on TikTok could be your competitor, which will help you learn from the enemy.

TikTok Business Tip 3: Create Unique Content

One of the most crucial elements in increasing brand awareness among your target audience is to create unique, original content. Not only is original content favourted by the algorithm, it also makes your brand feel familiar and approachable.

Compelling content can be achieved simply with authentic content that portrays brand spirit. Most brands operating on commercial TikTok don’t use expensive equipment or big budgets to create professional TikTok Business content. They just produce authentic, original videos with their smartphone which is far easier and more engaging than a standard “look how amazing our product is” ad.

You can do many things to create unique content that will put your brand’s name on the map. You could create a catchy theme song to introduce your team and show what your business is all about, or you can host one of those fun tours of the office to give the audience a peek inside the magic factory.

If you have a success story about your business, make sure to share it on TikTok and serve as an inspiration to your target audience. Instead of rambling on and on about your excellent products or services, ask some happy customers to share their opinions about your brand. This is why identifying key players, especially in your target audience, is essential.

If there’s something unique or special about your brand (name, logo, etc.), create a video and tell the story behind the whole thing. (A special tip from us, it never hurts to include pets in your videos because they are stars on TikTok!)

Similarly, if your company actively contributes its resources to the community, be sure to highlight that and explain why your company is so committed to it.

TikTok Business Tip 4: Don't Forget the Hashtags

If you want your content to be discovered, you need to do some hashtag research. What hashtags are trending, what is your audience clicking on, and which hashtags best fit your business? You can not just use any hashtags because they are popular – the hashtags need to be related to your video. Otherwise, the users who click on them will be disappointed and likely won’t return to your account.

Hashtags are one of the fundamental tools to promote your content. You should check to find top trending hashtags, but don’t use them right away. You can’t just put the most popular ones and expect a surge in views and clicks. No, it has to be related your specific video or industry. Otherwise, people will think you’ve used the old “click-baiting” trick – and consumers these days are incredibly wise to that one!

It’s crucial to find trending hashtags with your target audience, especially those related to your business. So, adding relevant, trending hashtags to your content is the perfect tool to get your videos discovered. But remember that the key to getting the most out of commercial TikTok is to produce fun content since that’s what most people want in there.

Benefits of Using TikTok Business Commercially

The benefits of TikTok business are in abundance – you just need to have a clear vision of what they are and how you can leverage them for your brand.

If we were to list all the benefits of TikTok for business, this would be a much longer article. For the sake of brevity, we’ve decided to focus only on our top 3:

TikTok Business Benefit 1: A Massive, International Audience

With over 2 billion downloads and about one billion active monthly users around the globe, TikTok can be the perfect medium to promote your brand. Teenagers and young adults are the predominant demographic of TikTok users – and if your brand resonates with this target audience, TikTok has the power to achieve great things for your business!

The number of users worldwide and record growth rate means that using commercial TikTok, you can access a vast spectrum of potential customers by creating fun, unique videos that can go viral. Plus, TikTok is an affordable and effective platform for those who want to enter international markets because it has users from more than 150 countries worldwide.

TikTok Business Benefit 2: Perfect for Video Marketing

We’ve said it a hundred times before, and we’ll say it again – when it comes to captivating your audience online, video is king!

Video is digestible, engaging and attention grabbing on newsfeeds. Many companies rely on video marketing because consumers prefer to watch videos than other media.

TikTok Business Benefit 3: Establishes a Trusting Relationship Between Brand and Audience

Creating authentic videos, sharing success stories, and publishing user-generated content are just a few of the ways to increase engagement online. When you launch cool campaigns and create special hashtags, ordinary users become active members of your community. That’s key to building brand affinity and spreading word of mouth.

Bottom Line

With about one billion users around the world, TikTok has taken the world by storm in the last couple of years. So, it’s no surprise that businesses from every line of industry are learning how to use TikTok Business to spread the word about their brand and increase revenue.

In this article, we put together a comprehensive guide to help you understand the benefits of commercial TikTok, how to use TikTok, and how to use TikTok Business to optimise your brand’s digital presence.

For busy business leaders, we understand you might not have the free time to dedicate to optimising your brand’s presence on Tikok Business and beyond. That’s why we are here to help!

Ideal Insight was born in 2012 as a video-first agency based in London, and after working with over 3,000 brands and expanding to New York and Milan, we realised that as well as producing premium video content for brands, we should also help optimise it online! We searched the UK, and found social media strategists, copywriters and graphic designers to form an in-house team of social media experts.