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With over 500 million active users, and in excess of a million videos viewed daily, TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms the world has ever seen.

With stats like this, it’s easy to see the appeal of using TikTok as a marketing tool. But is TikTok good for business? Let’s have a look…

Should I use TikTok?

If you’re wondering whether TikTok could be a good marketing tool for your business, then the first thing you should consider is who your target audience is.

Are they already active on other social media channels? If so, then using TikTok to promote your business is definitely worth thinking about.

Like most other apps and social networks, users can: follow other users, like and comment on content, and share that content to other platforms.

In addition, TikTok users can also:

Select tracks from a huge library of music and add it to their videos
Choose to include special effects, filters, and in-video text
Search, and view, millions of videos from users all over the world

Keeping the above in mind, it’s clear that TikTok is a great platform to use if you want to create fun, original, and sharable content that will capture the attention of your audience.

How do I start using TikTok for business?

Assuming you’ve already downloaded the app, the first thing you need to do is make sure that you are using the ‘pro’ version, especially if you’re using it solely as a TikTok business account.

This will allow you to access some useful analytics – giving you an insight into your content’s performance.

Then it’s all about getting those creative juices flowing and coming up with some original ideas to promote your business. But before you start, ask yourself the following questions:

· What are you hoping to achieve?

· Who is your target audience?

· How can you incorporate it into your current marketing plan?

· What exactly are you promoting?

· How will people find and view your content?

Let’s assume you’ve got it all sussed: your video content, your target audience, a great marketing plan, and an awesome business, product, or event to promote.

You’ve shared your video to TikTok and it’s out there with millions of other videos…and has had hardly any views! What went wrong?

This is where you really need to think about what your audience is searching for!

So, how do I promote my business on TikTok and actually get seen?

Using TikTok for business marketing is still a relatively new idea, with paid promotions and TikTok ads still in the process of being rolled out worldwide.

However, you may have noticed that there are some major brands on TikTok – creating a buzz with the use of hashtags!

Fashion brand, Guess, partnered with TikTok in 2018. Every time users opened the app, they were directed to the #InMyDenim challenge and urged to create some fun content.

This built brand awareness and got users interacting with the brand on a global scale.

However, if you’re reading this, then chances are you’re not head of marketing at a multi-million-dollar fashion powerhouse, and you’re probably still wondering exactly how you can use the platform to promote your business. In short, two ways; hashtags, and sharing.

What’s the best way to use TikTok for business?

If you’ve ever used Instagram then you’ll know all about hashtags – and TikTok is no different when it comes to using them.

Users can search by hashtag when looking for content that they want to watch, so make sure you do your research and select them accordingly!

If your business is location-specific, then make the most of local hashtags – this gives you the chance to get your content in front of people from your local area and build awareness of whatever it is you’re promoting!

Finally; share, share, share! TikTok allows you to create some fun, unique, and catchy content which is super-shareable, so make the most of it.

Think about sharing it to your other social media pages and profiles, and maybe link to it in emails and newsletters.

You don’t need a TikTok account to view shared content, so even if your customers don’t have the app, they can still check out what you’ve created!

How to use TikTok for business: a beginner’s guide

We’ve covered a few basics in this post, and hopefully it’s given you some ideas about using TikTok as a marketing tool.

However, if you want to learn more about using TikTok for your business, then check out Sookio School’s most popular course ‘TikTok for business: a beginners guide’.

It’s full of useful hints, tips, and inspirational ideas to get you started with using TikTok for marketing your business, and there’s a fun project for you to have a go at, too.

The course is completely free to watch and is available now on Skillshare along with all our other courses.

TikTok inspo: 5 brands being brilliant!

Need some TikTok inspiration? Take a look at how these brands approach crafting their content…

Euros 2020 @euro2020

The world-famous football games harnessed the Euros 2020 hype across the globe, by making videos that demonstrate the best memories from the matches of yesteryear. Using popular audio and some very clever editing, these videos routinely hit several million views.

Amazon Prime Video UK @primevideouk

Amazon Prime has been killing the TikTok game lately, making the most of its content – whether that be through edits of scenes from Amazon TV shows, or by using trendy hashtags like #saysaboutyou, or #fitcheck to show off outfits inspired by the characters.

Black Country Living Museum @blackcountrylivingmuseum

The Black Country Living Museum has 20.9 million likes across its TikTok videos. A Northern museum where staff regularly feature dressed in full historical attire, the page pairs its clips with current trends and audio.

This video has racked up more than 4 million views (and counting)!

Dolly’s Desserts

A small dessert restaurant in Yorkshire proves small businesses can also get in on the action by showcasing their products on TikTok! Dolly’s Desserts videos show the team making customer orders with relaxed and personal voiceovers. These dessert-based TikToks have been such a hit, they’ve even prompted new customers to travel across the country and try Dolly’s Desserts for themselves.

Gymshark @gymshark

This fitness fashion account proves companies can use TikTok to promote their products in a more indirect way. Gymshark videos feature workout ideas and memes, with athletes modelling Gymshark outfits. These videos have been thoroughly successful on the platform.

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How to use TikTok for business