TikTok Marketing: How To Advertise Your Business on Tiktok

If you’re building a social media strategy in your business, it’d be hard not to consider using TikTok. With over one billion monthly active users and more than 173 million first-time installs across app stores in the last quarter of 2021 alone, it’s just as powerful as any other “big” platform.

In the world of TikTok, genuine content reigns supreme. More than on other social media platforms, users favor raw and engaging TikTok videos over highly edited, curated posts—the type brands typically produce for platforms like Instagram and Facebook. 

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a social media app where users can share short videos of themselves lip-syncing or dancing to popular songs. The app is extremely popular with Gen Zers and has been downloaded over 1 billion times. TikTok has also been the subject of some controversy due to its ties to China and data privacy concerns.

What is TikTok marketing?

TikTok marketing is a new and exciting way to reach out to potential customers on the popular social media platform, TikTok. By creating engaging and creative videos, businesses can reach a wide audience and promote their products or services in a fun and unique way.

With over 800 million active users worldwide, TikTok is quickly becoming one of the most popular social media platforms. And with its huge user base comes a great opportunity for businesses to market their products or services to potential customers.

So how can you get started with TikTok marketing? First, you need to create an account on the platform and start posting creative videos that promote your business. Make sure to use hashtags and keywords that will help people find your videos easily. Also, don’t forget to link back to your website or online store in your bio so people can learn more about what you do.

If you’re not sure where to start, this article can help you get started with making videos for TikTok marketing purposes.

Why use TikTok to market your business?

As a business owner, you are always looking for new ways to reach your target audience and promote your products or services. TikTok is a social media platform that offers a unique opportunity to do just that. Here are four reasons why you should use TikTok to market your business:

TikTok has a large user base. There are over 800 million active users on the platform, which gives you access to a huge potential customer base.

TikTok is highly engaging. Users spend an average of 52 minutes per day on the app, which means they are highly engaged with the content they see there. This presents a great opportunity for businesses to get their message in front of interested users.

TikTok offers creative marketing opportunities. The app’s format lends itself well to creative and innovative marketing campaigns that can really capture users’ attention. Plus, with features like duets and challenges, businesses can encourage customers and followers to interact with their content in fun and unique ways.

TikTok is still relatively new, which means there is less competition from other businesses. This provides an ideal window of opportunity for businesses that start using the platform now to build up their presence before more companies jump on board.

5 Reasons You Should Be Using TikTok Marketing for Business

Are you looking for a new way to market your business? If so, you should definitely consider using TikTok marketing.

Here are 5 reasons why:

1. TikTok is extremely popular right now. There are over 800 million active users on the platform, which means there is a huge potential audience for your business.

2. TikTok is very visual. The platform is all about short videos, so it’s perfect for businesses that have products or services that can be demonstrated visually.

3. You can get creative with your marketing on TikTok. There are no rules when it comes to creating content, so you can really let your creativity shine through in your videos. This can help you stand out from other businesses that are using the platform for marketing purposes.

4. TikTok allows you to connect with people on a personal level. Unlike some other social media platforms, users of Tik Tok tend to be more open and engaging with each other. This makes it easier for businesses to build relationships with their target audiences.

5. Finally, using Tik Tok marketing is relatively inexpensive and easy to do. You don’t need any fancy equipment or software – just a smartphone and some creativity! Plus, since the videos are only 15 seconds long, they won’t take up too much of your time or resources.

How to set up a TikTok business account

A TikTok business account is a great way to learn about trends and become a TikTok Pro. The platform offers a commercial music library for business creators, with over 500,00 songs, performance and audience data, and a web business suite. 

Setting up a TikTok business account is easy. Start by downloading the TikTok app from the Apple App Store or Google Play store. Then register for a TikTok account and follow these steps:

1. Head to your profile page.
2. Tap the hamburger icon in the top right corner, then select Settings and privacy.
3. Under Account, tap Manage account.
4. Tap Switch to Business Account under Account control.
5. Choose a category that best describes your account, such as Clothing & Accessories, Electronics, Pets, etc.
6. Then complete your profile.

How to create a TikTok business strategy

To create your TikTok marketing campaign, take the following steps to ensure your efforts are focused and will bring you closer to your business and marketing goals.

Define your audience

We know TikTok is a popular platform for Gen Z consumers, but those aren’t the only people who use it—and Gen Z by itself is far too broad to qualify as a “defined audience.”

You don’t have to fill out every trait, but describe what you can to paint a picture of the people most likely to convert into customers. This will be your target audience.

Understand the landscape

On TikTok, you have two competitors: your business competition (who you’ve likely already identified) and your content competition. TikTok, like other social media platforms, is filled with people and brands alike, so you’re not only competing with other businesses but also other creators.

Take a look at your business competitors and see if they have a TikTok presence. If they do, look at the types of things they post and which posts have significant levels of engagement. This can clue you into what their audience likes, which is probably somewhat similar to what your audience will like. Just remember to create your own unique content—no stealing ideas here!

Then spend time looking at TikTok content itself to see what is already produced in your space. Search hashtags, join groups, look at trending posts, and look for topics relevant to your brand. Notice any overlaps from these posts with your business competition.

Figure out your promotion strategy

In addition to investing time and energy into creating your branded TikTok profile and videos, you can supercharge your TikTok marketing with influencers and paid advertising.

Influencer marketing puts your brand and products in front of someone else’s audience, serving as social proof. And influencer marketing is huge on TikTok, especially as it’s a creator-focused platform, like Snapchat.

TikTok marketing tips

Are you looking for ways to reach a larger audience on TikTok? If so, then you’re in luck!

In this section of the blog post, we’ll share some of our top TikTok marketing tips to help you get started.

1. Use hashtags wisely: Hashtags are a great way to make your content discoverable on TikTok. When selecting hashtags for your videos, be sure to choose ones that are relevant to your niche and have a good amount of search volume. Also, don’t use too many hashtags in each video as this can come across as spammy.
2. Create engaging content: Keep your target audience in mind when creating content for TikTok. What kind of videos would they be interested in watching? Make sure your videos are creative and engaging – users are more likely to watch and share videos that stand out from the rest!
3. Leverage influencers: Influencer marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach new audiences on any social platform – including TikTok! Find influencers who align with your brand and collaborate with them on creating original content that will resonate with their followers. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to growing your presence on Tik Tok and reaching more people than ever before!

Introducing TikTok Ads

If you’re not on TikTok yet, you’re missing out. The short-form video app has taken the internet by storm, with users spending an average of 52 minutes per day on the app. And brands are taking notice: TikTok ads are now available to businesses of all sizes.

TikTok ads offer a unique opportunity to reach a highly engaged audience. With over 800 million active users, TikTok has a vast and diverse user base that is constantly creating and consuming content. And since TikTok is all about creative self-expression, your ad can really stand out from the crowd.

To get started with TikTok ads, simply create an account and select your campaign objective: brand awareness, reach, or traffic (which will send users to your website). Then choose your target audience and budget. You can also use advanced targeting options like location, language, age group, and interests.

Once you’ve created your ad campaign, you’ll need to create an ad creative. This is where you’ll upload videos or images and write copy for your ad. Be sure to keep your videos under 60 seconds long so as not to hold viewers’ attention for too long—remember, TikTok is all about quick hits of entertainment. Also, be sure to use engaging visuals and catchy copywriting; after all, you want people to stop scrolling through their feed when they see YOUR ad!

What is TikTok Advertising?

TikTok Advertising is a new way to reach out to potential customers through the popular social media platform, TikTok. By creating short, engaging videos, businesses can reach a whole new audience and promote their products or services in a fun and creative way. TikTok Advertising is still in its early stages, so there are plenty of opportunities for businesses to get involved and make an impact.

If you’re not on TikTok yet, you’re missing out. Not only is it a great platform for sharing short videos, but it’s also becoming a powerful tool for marketing and advertising. Here’s everything you need to know about TikTok advertising.

TikTok Advertising 101

As businesses increasingly look to reach Gen Z consumers, many are turning to TikTok as a way to connect with this key demographic. And with over 800 million active users worldwide, there’s no doubt that Tik Tok offers brands a huge potential audience.

But how does one go about advertising on TikTok? In this blog post, we’ll give you an overview of everything you need to know about getting started with paid ads on the platform. But before we dive in, let’s first take a look at some of the different types of content that perform well on TikTok.

What Type Of Content Performs Well On TikTok?

Each social platform has a style of content that will perform better than others.

Understanding the types of content that drive engagement will help maximize your key performance indicators (KPIs) and will help you avoid the trap of only sharing purely promotional content.

Below we break down three types of content that drive engagement on TikTok:

Humor

Why do end users gravitate toward TikTok?

They are looking for entertainment and a brief escape. Brands can speak to this audience effectively through humor.

Light-heartedly introducing a problem and how your product solves it can be a unique way to present your product and solutions.

Educational

Have you ever been tagged in a “TikTok tips” or “TikTok hacks” video? Probably too many times to count.

The reason why is that these videos are highly informative and intriguing.

Following a similar format can be beneficial for your brand. You can display how your products will help your prospects solve problems in a memorable and meaningful way.

Influencers

Establishing a strong working relationship with influencers in your industry can help you speak directly to your target audience.

Influencers have the unique ability to build a trusting relationships with large amounts of followers.

This trust is highly valuable since they have the opportunity to provide a candid review and endorsement of your product.

They can speak to the pain points of your audience and be perceived as an authentic and genuine source of information.

What Is The Benefit Of TikTok Advertising?

TikTok continues to improve its marketing efficiency and ability to drive revenue.

In 2022, approximately 24% of marketers found the app to be effective for their business goals.

The progress is not going to stop any time soon.

In 2021, TikTok users spent approximately $2.3 billion dollars on the app compared to $1.3 billion in 2020; that is a 77% increase in revenue!

And since TikTok ads reach so many people, the opportunity to get your product in front of the appropriate audience is fairly easy.

How to advertise on TikTok

Making an official ad on TikTok (in other words, paying TikTok directly for marketing) is a surefire way to get more eyes on your content. You’re not taking the chance that an influencer partnership might flop.

Types of Ads available on TikTok

In-feed ads are ads that you make yourself. Types of in-feed ads include image ads (which are like a billboard), video ads (like a TV commercial) and spark ads (boosting the content you already have, so it shows up on more people’s feeds). There are also pangle ads and carousel ads, which are only available through TikTok’s Audience Network and News Feed apps, respectively.

Ads for managed brands might look like in-feed ads, but there’s additional formatting available to folks who work with a TikTok sales representative (you can contact them to see if you’re a good fit).

The extra ad formats include Topview ads (they play when you first open the app and can’t be skipped, like a Youtube ad), branded hashtag challenges (an actionable hashtag that’s connected to your brand) and branded effects (like stickers and filters).

How to make a TikTok Ad Account

If you plan to run ads on TikTok, you’ll need to create an ad account for TikTok Ads Manager.

To do that, visit ads.tiktok.com, click Create Now and complete your information. (It’s just the basics: country, industry, business name, and contact info.)

How to create a TikTok marketing strategy

TikTok trends can seem random — remember the Adult Swim trend that took over TikTok in summer 2021? And there’s no such thing as a surefire marketing strategy. Still, there are legitimate steps you can take to help your business kill it on the app.

Here’s how to develop a TikTok marketing strategy that’s made to adapt along your TikTok journey.

Get familiar with TikTok

It would be wrong to approach TikTok marketing the same way you approach Instagram or Facebook marketing. TikTok is an entirely different social network with unique trends, features, and user behaviors.

Spend some time getting sucked in by TikTok videos. Explore the different features available on the TikTok app, and note what filters, effects and songs are trending. Keep an eye out for Branded Hashtag Challenges, which basically involve a song, dance moves, or a task that members are challenged to recreate (basically, TikTok’s spin on user generated content). Don’t overlook TikTok’s Duets feature either.

Read up on the TikTok algorithm, too. Understanding how TikTok ranks and displays videos in the For You tab can inform your content, hashtag, and engagement strategy.

You can also brush up on all things TikTok by taking courses in the TikTok Business Learning Center.

Define your target audience

Who do you hope to reach on TikTok? Before you start creating content, learn about the TikTok demographics, and identify those who might be interested in your brand.

TikTok is most popular with teens, but it would be a mistake to write TikTok off as a teen app. The 20-29-year-old cohort follows close behind teenagers in the U.S. In China, “glam-mas” are showing that fashion only gets better with age. Looking to expand your reach in India? You may want to reconsider. The video sharing app has been banned there since June 2020.

Spend some time researching your audiences on other social media platforms and look for overlap on TikTok. But don’t rule out new or unexpected audiences. Your current audience may not be on TikTok, but maybe there are subgroups with related or slightly different interests on the platform. For example, a children’s books publisher’s audience could consist of authors on LinkedIn, readers on Instagram, and illustrators on TikTok.

Once you’ve zeroed in on a potential audience, research what types of content they like and engage with. Then start to brainstorm content ideas for your brand.

Perform a competitive audit

Are your competitors on TikTok? If they are, you could be missing out on the action. If they aren’t, TikTok may be a way to gain a competitive advantage.

Whether or not your competitors are on the platform, find at least three to five similar brands or organizations and see what they’re up to on the app. Try to learn from what’s worked and what hasn’t worked for them. If it’s helpful, use the S.W.O.T. framework to identify each competitor’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Because TikTok is a creator-led platform, don’t rule out including TikTok stars and influencers in this exercise. Find personalities that specialize in your area of expertise, from cosmetics to medicine or education and literature.

TikTok marketing examples

So what does great TikTok marketing look like? Here you’ll see five examples of businesses that are killing it on TikTok and driving sales. 

Send A Friend

Send A Friend is a store that lets you send cute stuffed animals anywhere in the world. Thanks to the “Link in bio” feature, Send A Friend was able to scale to $5 million in sales in two years.

Send A Friend takes advantage of the “TikTok made me buy it” trend but also shares user-generated content from its followers and customers.

Beardbrand

In the personal grooming space, Beardbrand has a significant presence on multiple social media platforms, including Instagram and YouTube. On TikTok however, it makes sure to utilize the platform’s own captioning and thumbnail title effects.

As a way to encourage users to go to the Beardbrand website, its bio includes a special code to get free shipping (at the time of writing).

HeyPixelCo

If a small design boutique is your jam, HeyPixelCo creates t-shirt designs and offers digital planners, bundles, and template freebies (at the time of writing).

What makes HeyPixelCo a little different is how the brand has documented its journey from idea to reality. The link in its bio also takes you to a special landing page designed to introduce you to the brand and direct you to either its shop or small-business video series.

Sud Scrub

A popular genre of videos on TikTok is personal hygiene—think hacks and satisfying transitions. One brand that has taken advantage of this TikTok niche is Sud Scrub. Sud Scrub sells one product: a soap scrub designed to lather better than a traditional loofah and keep itself clean.

What makes Sud Scrub do well on TikTok is how the team reacts to comments with full video responses in both creative and educational ways. 

Dr. Squatch

Another brand killing it in the grooming space is Dr. Squatch, which makes organic, handmade personal grooming products—though it’s best known for its soaps.

Dr. Squatch takes a more entertaining approach to TikTok content, making use of a sasquatch mascot and trending audio or videos. 

Conclusion: TikTok Marketing

In this post, we’ve explored how you can use TikTok as a marketing channel.

TikTok isn’t like the other social media platforms on offer, so it might be a while before you understand how TikTok works if you’re used to those.

That said, once you get it, TikTok can often work as a successful marketing channel. You may be able to reach a large number of people at a relatively low cost. This could allow you to surpass your competition, especially if they haven’t taken the time to learn how TikTok works.

Will you use TikTok as a way to market your business? Let me know in the comments!

Need help with marketing your business on Tiktok? Hire a TikTok Marketing Agency

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level with TikTok marketing, you may be wondering if you need to hire a TikTok marketing agency. The short answer is: it depends. If you have the time and resources to do everything yourself, then there’s no need to outsource. However, if you want help with strategizing, creating content, or managing your campaign, then hiring an agency can be a great option.

There are a few things to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to hire an agency:

What are your goals?

Before anything else, you need to know what your goals are for using TikTok for marketing purposes. Are you looking to increase brand awareness? Drive traffic back to your website? Sell products directly on the platform? Once you know what success looks like for your campaign, it’ll be easier to hire a marketing agency that will help you achieve it.

Let us be your TikTok Marketing Agency

Are you looking for a TikTok Marketing Agency? Look no further than us! We are a full-service agency that can help you with all your marketing needs. From creating content to running ads, we can do it all.

We understand the power of TikTok and how it can be used to reach new audiences. That’s why we offer tailored marketing strategies that will help you achieve your business goals. Whether you’re looking to increase brand awareness or drive sales, we can create a campaign that will get results.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to reach millions of potential customers on TikTok. Contact us today and let us show you what we can do!

Tiktok Marketing FAQs