The Do’s and Don’ts Of TikTok For Businesses

With the digital marketing ecosphere forever changing, business owners and marketers need to be ready to adapt and utilise new trends and social media platforms. So let us introduce you to the newest kid on the block -TikTok! It’s now the ‘latest and greatest’ fast-paced social media app, and it has the potential to work wonders for brand awareness and exposure, as well as the crème de la crème all brands are fighting for – attention. Increasing awareness of your brand, and ultimately gaining attention from the right audience will help you reach consumers who may consider purchasing your product or service.

How has it evolved?

First, a quick history lesson – TikTok was originally released in 2016 under its original name “musical.ly”. In 2020, TikTok saw a large spike in users which has been attributed to the Covid -19 pandemic. Firstly becoming very popular with ‘Gen Z’ and ‘Millennials’, the statistics for 2022 show that TikTok’s demographic has since expanded with 43% of users between 18-24 years old, 32% are between 25-34, 13% are between 35-44 years old, 6.4% are between 45-54 years old and 3.4% are older than 55.

So what is TikTok?

TikTok is a global social media app that is taking video content, reach and engagement to a whole ‘nother level. It has 1-billion active monthly users and has successfully entered over 150 countries in 75 languages. It has an algorithm that seems to be unlike many of its competitors – meaning a new account with zero followers (using relevant content) has the potential to reach millions of users, virtually overnight.

TikTok focuses on short videos from 15 seconds – 3 minutes,  the content creation of said videos can include; but is not limited to, lifestyle, food, fitness, education, comedy, dancing, etc. Advertising on a new platform can be overwhelming but you can prepare yourself for success by following our do’s and don’ts of TikTok advertising for businesses below.

The Do’s

Be Genuine

Viewers are more likely to engage when the content is light-hearted, informal, fun, and humorous. Over-produced content such as TV-quality ads aren’t the norm here, and they tend to get seen as such and ignored. Be yourself and don’t treat it quite as formally or curated as you might on Linkedin or Instagram..

Shoot in the correct format

A simple but effective way to utilise TikTok and its reach is to film your content in the correct format. In this app shooting vertically is the best way for this – and this makes it easier for your content to be viewed by users.

Be a good follower

It’s important to take the time to monitor what is trending and recreate them. However, it is also important to remember that you too are a follower. So as much as it’s great to create content that’s trending, it’s also key to engage with your community, the people you follow, and your followers.

Work with Influencers

It’s great to mix up your content and find “brand fit” content creators with large followings. This can be an effective way to increase brand awareness, followers, and reach.

Pick a niche

Like other platforms, it’s important to pick a niche and stick with it. Create content that encompasses your brand and “niche down” to encapsulate the audience you want to target. Adapting audio or trends to your maket in a creative way is highly beneficial for brand awareness on TikTok.

The Don’ts

 

Don’t sound too sales-y

As a business, you shouldn’t create content that purely sells your product or service. Users are wanting to engage with real people to find an authentic connection behind the brand. A good approach to keep in mind is TikTok’s advice to advertisers to “make TikToks, not ads”.

Don’t violate the guidelines/rules

TikTok has tighter restrictions than its social media counterparts so tread with caution. If you have violated these community guidelines your account can be suspended and therefore can set your marketing plans/efforts back.

Don’t forget to engage

This app is about engagement, so when users and potential customers take time to engage with your content it is essential to build a relationship with them. You can even respond to users in a video format too!

Don’t expect TikTok to generate leads/sales

This one is self-explanatory, however, TikTok is about engaging with your audience and bringing awareness and attention to your business. So don’t expect that you will get new leads and sales from TikTok immediately. You should view TikTok marketing as part of the sales funnel, building brand awareness and reaching new audiences, but you may not see direct results from the platform.

Don’t create content for the sake of creating content

Content that holds no value is extremely unbeneficial and a waste of time. Users on TikTok enjoy sharing content that is knowledgeable. So whether you are educating them, sharing your thoughts, or giving advice, the TikTok community will love it if you are creating valuable content.

How to reach new audiences?

Using TikTok for business and as a marketing tool is incredibly important and can be extremely powerful – with research showing that 56% of users and 67% of creators feel closer to brands they see on TikTok.*

So how do you as a business owner take advantage of this? These are some points to consider when trying to create a successful marketing campaign on the platform:

• Personality that is authentic and fits your brand
• A conversational tone
• Engages users in a creative way
• Energy is high and entertaining for consumers to watch
• Relevant to popular trends and audio/sound effect

If you are wanting to diversify your audience, connect with Gen Z (teens to 25-year-olds), and take a fresh approach to your paid digital advertising, then TikTok might be the social media platform for you and your business. Take advantage of the 1 billion active monthly users and turn it into a massive brand awareness and attention-grabbing channel for your business. However, be sure not to rely on TikTok as your primary source to drive leads, as early evidence suggests it performs significantly better as a brand awareness tool. If you are considering making a TikTok account for your business, the one key theme is: don’t make ads, make TikToks that help your consumers to get to know you and the brand.

If TikTok is something you would like to explore, talk to our TikTok experts today.