Learn how to set up a TikTok Business Account and create a winning strategy on the billion-user platform.
At a glance, it might seem like TikTok is simply a platform for comedy sketches and dancing moms, but the business opportunities on TikTok are juicy.
After all, TikTok has 1 billion monthly active users. It’s the place to see and be seen, which means ample opportunity for brands to engage with audiences in a whole new way. And with the launch of TikTok Shopping, the commercial potential here only continues to grow.
Follow the lead of the big brands who are already optimizing the potential of TikTok, and tap into trending topics and hashtag challenges, experiment with TikTok live streams, or play around with editing tools and trending sounds to create high-energy short-form videos that represent your business.
It can feel overwhelming, though, especially if you’re new to the platform. So consider this your one-stop shop for all you need to know to get your TikTok Business Account up and running.
Read on to learn how to use TikTok for business, from setting up an account from scratch to measuring your success — or, if you’re more of a visual learner, start with this video that will walk you through the basics:
Bonus: Get a free TikTok Growth Checklist from famous TikTok creator Tiffy Chen that shows you how to gain 1.6 million followers with only 3 studio lights and iMovie.
If you’ve already got a personal TikTok account, it’s easy to switch over to a Business Account: just skip right to step 4.
And that’s it! Congrats on your new TikTok Business Account!
Even if you’re a whiz at Instagram or Facebook marketing, it’s important to remember that TikTok is its own beautiful, chaotic beast that requires a specific game plan. And building that game plan starts with gathering information.
Before you build a TikTok strategy, you need to get to know the platform inside and out. Get familiar with TikTok: spend time browsing through the videos on the For You page. Play around with the editing features, filters, and effects. Spend a few hours losing yourself in the infinite variations of whatever the latest dance craze is.
@kallmewhateveryouwant You’re welcome babes💅🏻 IB: @gibz_
The TikTok algorithm is constantly evolving, but you’ve gotta start somewhere. Read up on how TikTok ranks and distributes videos, and just what trending videos have in common.
At this point, TikTok stars have parlayed their fame into not just lucrative sponsorships but also reality shows, movie roles, and business ventures. These are the characters around which the TikTok world revolves, but your industry or niche likely has its own power players. Keep your eye on those rising stars.
@charlidamelio dc @chuckygonwild
Before you dive into making your first video, know your audience. While TikTok is extremely popular with teenagers and Gen Z, a wide range of demographics have fallen in love with the app.
Source: Pew Research Center
Where does your target market overlap with TikTok users? Or is there a new or unexpected audience to reach here? Once you’ve got a good grasp on who you’re talking to, the content planning can begin.
Is your business nemesis already on TikTok? Watch what they’re doing to get a sneak peek of what’s working and what’s not with your shared audiences.
TikTok influencers or creators may fall into the category of “competition” here on the app, too, so don’t rule them out as sources of inspiration or information, either.
Once you’ve compiled all this intel, it’s time to set some goals. Your TikTok strategy should establish what you hope to achieve on the platform.
A good place to start is with your business objectives: how can TikTok help you accomplish them? Try applying the SMART framework to ensure your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely.
See how a local candy company used Hootsuite to gain 16,000 TikTok followers and increase online sales by 750%.
Read nowThere’s certainly something special about a spur-of-the-moment, when inspiration strikes post, but plotting out content in advance is typically a good idea for a busy social media manager.
A social media content calendar ensures you don’t miss important dates and allows you enough time for creative production. Look for opportunities to capitalize on holidays or events or develop themes or series that can guide your creativity.
Ideally, your posts will go up when your TikTok audience is online and hungry for new video content. Check out our primer on the best time to post on TikTok here.
Or use Hootsuite to schedule your videos in advance with personalized timing recommendations.
Schedule posts, analyze them, and respond to comments from one easy-to-use dashboard.
Try HootsuiteYou’ve only got a few lines and one opportunity to share a link, but your TikTok profile is basically your digital storefront, so do it up right.
Make sure your profile photo looks good and represents your brand. Ideally, it should connect your TikTok account visually to your other digital platforms, using the same logo or colors to make it clear this is part of the same family as your website, Instagram, and Facebook.
With only 80 characters to work with, your TikTok bio needs to cut to the chase and include a CTA. Use an emoji if it’s appropriate for your brand voice: it can add personality and save on the character count. Win-win.
Should it direct to your ecommerce site, a specific landing page, your other social accounts, or a current blog post? That all depends on your strategic goals.
There’s no secret recipe for making a successful TikTok video, but there are some good rules of thumb to follow.
It may seem obvious, but the better your sound and video quality, the more enjoyable your content will be to watch. That doesn’t mean you need to invest in pricey equipment, but be conscious about filming in well-lit spaces where the audio is going to be clean. If clean audio is impossible, add a trending track to your video instead of the original sound.
@sebpic_ Who loves to visit Canada?
TikTok hashtags will help your content get discovered via search and help the TikTok algorithm identify what kind of topics you’re covering.
Learn more about the best hashtags to use to grow your reach and view counts here.
Whether it’s a fitness video or a cooking demo, audiences tend to like a little bit of education in their feed. Show off your expertise or reveal some behind-the-scenes intel to keep them watching.
@nutrientmatters That dipping sauce + these potato’s 🤤
Try out the Duets feature to engage with other videos, or commission an influencer for a partnership.
@iamauroramusic #duet with @jason_on_comms
Dive deeper into our guide to getting more TikTok views here and explore ideas for creative, engaging TikTok videos here.
First off: Don’t buy followers! We tried, and it’s a very bad idea! Stop it! Put that credit card down.
Ultimately, creating great content (see above!) is the #1 way to get those sweet, sweet views and follows. To keep those followers interested and engaged once they’re on board, the same rules of thumb apply as to any other social media platform:
That’s just a few baseline tips; find more on how to get TikTok followers and how to increase social media engagement here.
Once you’ve been playing around with TikTok for a while, it’s important to look objectively at how things are going. How are your reach and engagement metrics? Are those tutorial videos actually hitting? Who is actually watching and following your content?
Analytics take the guesswork out of content strategy: they prove what’s working — and what’s not. TikTok’s in-platform analytics tool can show you some really interesting metrics to help inform your next steps.
Learn more about TikTok analytics.
Advertising isn’t a fit for everyone’s social strategy, but if paid reach is something you’re interested in, check out our guide to TikTok ads here.
One key takeaway? Almost half (43%) of TikTok users are aged 18 to 24. Women in that age category make up nearly a quarter (24.7%) of TikTok’s advertising audience. So if you’re marketing to younger adults, especially women, advertising on TikTok is a natural fit.
Source: Hootsuite
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Okay, there you have it: TikTok for Business 101! Get your account up and running and start exploring all the opportunities this wild and wonderful platform has to offer, and explore the rest of our expert TikTok guides to deepen your knowledge even further.
Grow your TikTok presence alongside your other social channels using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you can schedule and publish posts for the best times, engage your audience, and measure performance. Try it free today.
Schedule posts for the best times, view performance stats, and comment on videos in Hootsuite.
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