Utilizing TikTok to Grow Your Business
Have you jumped on the TikTok bandwagon yet? Have you been wondering what in the world TikTok is? I’ve got Brandon Doyle, the founder of Wallaroo Media with me on the podcast this week. He and I are talking all about the wonderful new world of TikTok, and how you can utilize this quickly growing social media platform to grow your business. Listen in to the podcast below to get the full report on utilizing TikTok to grow your business, and read on to get the highlights of my interview!
So, what is TikTok? TikTok is a new-ish social media platform that has been in use for about 6 months as of February 2020. This app was formerly known as Musical.ly but was purchased by a Chinese company and re-branded and re-launched as TikTok. Worldwide, TikTok has around 1 billion users. Yes, that’s billion with a ‘b’. In the US, there are 60 million + active users, which equals about 1 in 6 people who are using the app. That is a lot of people! TikTok is most popular among younger users–teens and young adults account for the majority of the active users. But, the app is growing rapidly among users of all ages.
How does it work?
TikTok utilizes vertical videos that are 15 seconds to 1 minute in length. The most popular videos are musical or comedy based. You may have even seen a few TikTok dancing videos floating around recently on other platforms. All types of content are found on TikTok now, with businesses joining the ranks of TikTok’s users daily. TikTok’s algorithm is different than what you may be used to on Instagram or Facebook. Instead of your default screen being composed of who you follow currently, TikTok’s default screen is the Discover or For You page. This consists of people and accounts you don’t currently follow but who’s content is very similar to what you watch and follow already.
What does this mean for you as a business owner?
TikTok is making it a lot easier to be seen by people who don’t follow you on the platform. This is a huge difference! As a creator, this means that the app will push your content forward to new people without you doing it on your own. Posts on TikTok are not time based, so you can post multiple times a day on the app without bugging your followers. The algorithm will find videos that are most similar to what you are currently watching and enjoying no matte how old the videos are. Instead of your content having a shelf life of 2-3 days like it does on Instagram, your content can live for months on TikTok if you are producing quality content.
“The algorithm is finding people who are looking for your type of content and that’s a big deal.”- Michelle Gifford
How do you get started utilizing TikTok for your business?
Your first step to utilizing TikTok to grow your business is to download the app. Browse the discover section, see what videos are popular, and what hashtags are trending. Think about what you can create that is relevant to what hashtags are trending that also relates to your business. Be mindful of what you’ve already created on Instagram, so you can re-use the content you’ve already created. There’s no reason to re-do all of your content! If you’re already creating Instagram stories, then you’ve got vertical video content available to you to re-post onto TikTok. You can also re-post your TikTok content onto Instagram. Brandon’s tip for creating content on TikTok is to be willing to post a variety of different videos around your brand story. For instance, you could do behind the scenes videos, product tutorials or how-to’s, even quick tips can all be great options for TikTok. Remember to look at what is trending for the day/week/month and curate your content around that as much as possible.
Do you need to take this social media platform on?
Here’s my tips for deciding if you should be utilizing TikTok in your business:
- Try it out for a day or two–have some fun and get to know the app!
- Remember, it doesn’t have to be perfectly professional. More and more, consumers want to see what your real life looks like.
- Know how this app fits into your overall brand purpose. Can you move your brand forward on this platform?
How do you drive business and clients to yourself with TikTok? Brandon mentions 2 ways that TikTok can help you grow your business. One, you can add links in your profile which allows you to drive interested consumers to your website or other social media platforms. And two, as you build up your brand equity with your audience, they will know where to turn when they are in the market for what you are offering. Remember, where Instagram and Facebook were when they first started is where TikTok is currently. There is room for massive growth!
My biggest takeaway from this interview was that utilizing TikTok to grow your business is great as a part of your overall strategy, but it needs to link to some long term content such as emails or your website. And speaking from experience, you just jumping on the platform will teach you things that will help your business down the road.
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