TikTok has been sweeping the social media landscape off its feet, particularly over the last year. It recently hit a huge milestone with 2 billion total downloads worldwide! TikTok’s incredible growth is evidence of just how popular the app has become, particularly among those under 30. However, can and should TikTok be used for business?

Ahead of the curve

Many businesses are often slow to adapt to new ideas and marketing channels, often jumping on the bandwagon too late and not getting the most out of it. For example, there are still plenty of businesses not using Instagram and still some that aren’t using Facebook!

If you want to continue to grow your business and succeed with your marketing efforts then staying ahead of the curve and ahead of your competition is imperative. With not many brands currently using TikTok, it’s the perfect time to get the upper hand and the competitive edge.

Why YOUR business should be using TikTok

Firstly, the extensive user base that continues to grow is one of the biggest reasons. 2 billion total downloads – that’s a quarter of the World’s population!

Secondly, the organic reach on TikTok, unlike Facebook and Instagram which have more or less become pay to play, is still great. You can get hundreds or thousands of views on your videos overnight.

Not only that, but TikTok has also recently added the functionality to include links and commerce URLs in your profile and videos, allowing you to drive meaningful traffic to your website.

Here are a few statistics:

• Roughly 50% of TikTok’s global audience is under the age of 34 with 26% between 18 and 24.
• TikTok users spend an average of 52 minutes per day on the app.
• TikTok’s average engagement rate is 29%.

Right now, TikTok’s user base is mostly under 30. Perfect if that’s your target audience, however, an older demographic could start signing up and using the app more, similarly to what’s happened with Instagram.

How to use TikTok as a business

Before your business delves into the world of TikTok, it’s important to do your research and understand what you’re getting into. If you’ve not used it yet, you’ll soon realise it’s not like other social networks. The content shared on TikTok is not formal. It relies on authenticity, fun and creativity. TikTok should be used as a place to show a light-hearted side to your brand, rather than serious with professionally shot videos.

Authenticity: Being authentic on TikTok is super important. If your brand doesn’t come across as genuine then you’ll either not build a following or if you do, you’ll soon start turning them away.

Simple and creative: Create content that is simple yet creative, showing off the fun side or human element to your brand. You can try creating your own hashtag challenges but always keep it as simple as possible.

Trends: Capitalise on existing video trends on the platform that are going viral and getting tonnes of engagement. Look at what others are doing and put your own twist on it, especially if it’s a trend in your industry.

Hashtags: Stay on top of trending hashtags in your industry and be sure to use them in your posts to boost your reach and grow your audience further.

Influencers: This is particularly important for e-commerce brands. Find influencers to market your products by searching through relevant product hashtags and the discover categories. From here, reach out to those that you see potential working with based on their content, following, audience and engagement.

Paid ads: TikTok paid ads enable you to drive further growth and engagement from the platform. There’s a number of advertising formats available currently, including TopView, Brand Takeover, In-Feed ads, Branded Hashtag Challenge and Branded Effects. You will require a TikTok ad account manager for most of their advertising options except for In-Feed Video ads which can be created in the self-service dashboard. We’d also recommend checking out TikTok’s Inspiration section, featuring several successful advertising campaign case studies.

Ready to take your marketing to the next level?

Looking to get more from your existing marketing campaigns and take them to the next level? Maybe you’re not doing any marketing currently and want to get started? WDA’s digital marketing specialists are here to help. From TikTok and Social Media ads right through to SEO, Content and PPC, we know how to create bespoke marketing solutions that get results.

Call us on 01332 372728 or email enquire@marketing.dev-wda.com