How can I use TikTok for my Business?

TikTok is fast becoming one of the most popular forms of social media. In 2019 it was the second-most downloaded app and was only beat by WhatsApp with over 1.65 billion downloads. Despite the largest audience demographic being 18–24-year-olds, TikTok attracts all ages, with users in their 80s or 90s amassing large amounts of followers and likes on their videos. 

These statistics prove that TikTok has a large and diverse audience which means it is the perfect place for your business. It may have started as an app for dances and funny videos, but it has become a platform for so much more. People use it to share CV tips, talk about political injustices and promote their businesses. Large corporations such as Marks & Spencer to small start-ups are using TikTok to show off their products and the personality behind the sales. 

This being said, although TikTok is an amazing opportunity for your small business and can help its success, it is a saturated environment. You must stand out from the crowd. To help you do that, here are five tips to help boost your success on TikTok.

Understand the Platform

Before you get started, get to know the platform you will be building a presence on. Follow accounts you like, watch videos and get a real feel for the site. This will help you see what's popular and might give you inspiration for your videos. It also means you can research your competitors and get an idea of who you will be up against. You can see what works and what doesn't. 

Practise Making Videos 

Before you post, make a few practise videos. This is more if you have never used TikTok before and are trying to familiarise yourself with the platform. You don't want to post just anything as this won't capture people's attention, at least not for good reasons! Take some time to film and edit videos that you won't necessarily post to get you used to the editing process, and ensure your videos will be of good quality. Or, if you know someone more familiar with TikTok, ask them for help, see if they can film some videos for you, or give you some tips. 

Use the Right Hashtags and Trends

Just like with other social media platforms hashtags play a large part in being discovered. Research them, find out which ones are trending and see if there are popular ones related to your business. See if there are any trends you can get involved with. Maybe people are using certain sounds to show off their creations or a song to introduce themselves. There is bound to be some that will relate to you and your business so join in! It might help your video end up on the page of a brand-new customer. Users can search for a sound or song clip trending and the TikTok algorithm will continue to show them those videos as they are of interest to that user. This means if you get involved your videos are likely to end up on someone's news page. 

Be Consistent

Just like with any form of social media consistency is key. You can't just post one video and then forget about it for two months. You need to make sure you post consistently. You could come up with a posting schedule or make loads of videos at the start of every week or month to make sure you are prepared to stay active and build your following.

Have Fun

This may sound simple, but it is important to make sure you have fun! TikTok is a fun platform, and you should enjoy the content you are putting out. Have fun making your videos and people will enjoy watching them.