Should you be using TikTok for business? This guide breaks down the benefits of building your brand's TikTok presence and ideas to help you get started.
If you’re skeptical about using TikTok for business, we get it.
Because so many social platforms come and go — is TikTok really worth it for brands?
The short answer is “yes!”
TikTok’s sky-high brand engagement rates speak for themselves. Oh, and people are 1.7x more likely to discover new products on TikTok over competing social networks.
Woah. Seamlessly blending entertainment with ecommerce, TikTok is a proven place to engage customers and establish your brand’s personality.
Still, investing in a new social network is daunting.
That’s why we wrote this guide! Below we break down the benefits of using TikTok for business and ideas to help you get started ASAP.
The fastest-growing social platform by far, TikTok has quickly gone from being a viral trend to a staple social network for brands.
To put it into perspective, TikTok is currently outpacing Instagram’s growth rate by 5x. Why are brands flocking to the platform, though?
Good question! We’ll answer it by digging into the big-picture benefits of TikTok for business.
Food for thought: 39% of Gen Z claim that their purchasing decisions are directly influenced by what they see on TikTok. They’re the largest demographic with the most buying power on the platform, too.
And with Gen Z accounting for 40% of U.S. consumers, reaching them should be a top priority.
In short, marketing to Gen Z means meeting them on their turf. That’s where TikTok comes in. Humorous how-tos, skits and challenges on TikTok allow brands to delight and sell to younger consumers at the same time.
And the idea that you need to be a “hip” brand to start using TikTok for business is a myth.
Look no further than legacy brands like Macy’s for inspiration. Introducing new product lines and categories to appeal to the younger crowd back in 2021, Macy’s was desperate to shake their old-school image.
The company also took to TikTok in their pursuit of attracting more “millennial moms” and younger consumers. Through content such as try-on hauls and “prom style” showcases from creators, Macy’s has built an impressive TikTok presence in a relatively short time.
Source: @macys
Unlike other social networks where brands need to be “softer” about selling, TikTok is a completely different story.
The popularity of the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt tag (with over 10 billion hashtag views!) signals just how much users love raving about their latest purchases.
The frequent use of #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt also highlights how brands can influence purchasing decisions and build awareness on the platform themselves. If you have a product that’s worth talking about, TikTok will let you know.
This is why influencer marketing is a cornerstone of using TikTok for business. Piggybacking on the point above, working with creators is key to winning sales on TikTok.
Because when creators post products and recommendations, people listen.
In fact, TikTok video ads featuring creators receive 83% higher engagement than “traditional” ads. By getting your product into creators’ hands, your brand has the potential to become a conversation starter.
Through recommendations and user-generated content, creators can be your biggest advocates on TikTok. The more people you have amplifying your brand, the better.
Consumers want to see how your products fit into their lives.
And TikTok provides a great platform to playfully show off your products “in the wild.”
Fact: TikTokers are 2.4x more likely to create a post and tag a brand specifically to shout them out after making a purchase. That’s wild!
Showing off your products in action not only encourages people to try them out for themselves but also generates fresh content for your profile page. For example, brands like IL Makiage constantly share product showcases, tutorials and how-tos featuring trending TikTok audio.
Source: @ilmakiage
The fact that the brand receives strong engagement and positive feedback from customers is telling. Showing off products, sharing creator content and participating in trends is a way to engage and sell to customers at the same time.
Chances are you’re already publishing a ton of content across social media, right?
Email. Instagram Stories and Reels. Product photos and videos. Facebook and Twitter.
There’s a lot of ground to cover. We get it.
TikTok provides yet another channel to repurpose your marketing content. This is especially true if you actively publish Instagram Reels. By taking your vertical videos and leaning into TikTok’s trends and audience, you can squeeze more out of your schedule and budget.
For example, brands like Scrub Daddy take simple, still product photos and adapt them to videos using trending TikTok sounds. Many of these photos aren’t specific to TikTok (hint: they’re assets that the brand likely already had on hand).
Source: @scrubdaddy
This is a shining example of how a bit of creativity can help you stretch your marketing creatives even further on TikTok.
Note: Most of your TikTok content should be created specifically for the platform. Don’t double-dip before understanding TikTok’s best practices and what effective repurposing looks like. For more, check out our guide to repurposing your user-generated content.
If you think you missed the boat on using TikTok for business, think again!
Although many brands have made their TikTok debut over the past year, the platform is largely new territory for businesses.
Note that 84% of marketers expect to increase their investment in TikTok during 2022, though.
Translation? Now’s the perfect time to establish your brand on the platform and get a head-start on your competition. Since TikTok is still growing, there’s plenty of room for brands to experiment with new marketing strategies.
And learning the ropes of TikTok now will make it so much easier to scale your presence in the near future.
TikTok should absolutely be on your brand’s radar.
Now that we’ve broken down the benefits of TikTok for business, it’s time to look at some examples of how brands are staking their claim on the platform.
Here’s the deal — people on TikTok are looking to learn stuff.
Consider that the biggest motivators for content discovery on TikTok are:
What does that mean for brands using TikTok for business, though?
How-tos, tutorials and “Did You Know?”-style video content are all awesome ways to teach and entertain your audience at the same time. There’s a reason why the best brands on TikTok are consistently posting all of the above.
Beauty brands in particular have mastered the art of edutainment. For example, so much of Fenty Beauty’s content strategy centers around tutorials and product “hacks.”
Source: @fentybeauty
Product showcases from influencers do double duty of engaging viewers while also highlighting a potential purchase. That’s creator content in action!
A little bit of personality goes a long way on TikTok.
Barnes & Noble probably doesn’t seem like the “hippest” brand at a glance.
However, they’ve managed to make a splash on TikTok thanks to content capitalizing on trending audio (like the popular “Are You In the Mafia?” sound bite at its peak).
Source: @bnbuzz
Being able to contribute to a trend while promoting your brand is what helps products and brands grow on TikTok. The app is all about community and brands are expected to hang with TikTokers, not talk at them.
On that note, hopping on a TikTok trend doesn’t necessarily mean you have to promote any products. If nothing else, relatable and trending content is a great way to delight your audience with no strings attached. Anything you can do to make a personal connection with your audience is a plus.
Working with creators is perfect for kicking off a promotion or launch, not to mention encouraging user-generated content that gets shared around TikTok and builds social proof.
Source: @supre
TikTok hashtag challenges are also all the rage on TikTok for big brands looking to raise awareness for product launches with help from creators.
For example, Pepsi launched the #SmoothLikeNitroPepsi to encourage users to hype up the brand’s latest flavor. Creator content was at the core of the promotion. For example, @fitdadceo used the hashtag to show off his “smooth” jokes and then encouraged others to show off their own “smooth entrances.”
Source: @fitdadceo
This highlights how humor is often used by creators to promote products and keep their ads from feeling “salesy.” The use of creators in this campaign not only elevated the hashtag but also got more people in on the fun. With over 10 billion hashtag views, Pepsi was clearly successful.
With growing competition on the platform, it’s no surprise that paid ads on TikTok are starting to ramp up.
And with so many types of TikTok ads to choose from, brands have the creative and financial freedom to build a promotion that fits their budget.
What makes a powerful paid TikTok ad, though?
In short, the best TikTok ads boast a ton of entertainment value. Loud, comedy-based ads are popular on TikTok because they’re perfect for getting people to stop scrolling and pay attention. This sums up TikTok’s mantra of “Make Tiktoks, not ads.”
Perhaps the biggest upside of TikTok ads is that they often feel like organic content and get served side-by-side posts from everyday TikTokers. The main difference is the presence of a call-to-action (see below).
Source: @bookofthemonth
Unlike Facebook or Instagram, ads aren’t as important to using TikTok for business (yet, anyway). Many brands are actually seeing the most bang for their buck by running campaigns with creators.
And hey, that leads us to our next point!
We’ve seen it firsthand — influencer content on TikTok is booming right now.
Working with creators should be the go-to social media strategy for any brand interested in using TikTok for business. Authentic and unfiltered, connecting with TikTok’s audience is so much easier when you have actual people posting about your brand.
From up-and-coming companies to enterprise brands, businesses are working with creators of all sizes to build buzz. Thing is, influencers with less than 20k followers actually have the highest TikTok engagement rate over celebs.
For the right brands, one of the key benefits of TikTok for business is the ability to quickly foster a dedicated customer community.
Many brands in beauty, skincare and CPG get a much-needed boost from creators that regularly shout them out and show off their products. Given the level of competition in these industries, having a dedicated team of creators on your side can be a game-changer.
Source: @corispruiell
From greater awareness to making meaningful connections with customers, the benefits of TikTok for business are clear.
And if you’re inspired to get your brand started on the platform, we’re here for it!
We know firsthand how challenging learning new social media platforms can be. In our experience, working with creators is one of the best ways to get your company's TikTok off the ground. Not only can you introduce your brand directly to your target audience but also generate some killer user-generated content along the way!
At Statusphere, our full-service platform makes it a cinch for brands to start and scale creator marketing campaigns. The best part? We handle everything from getting products in creators’ hands to reporting on the success of your campaign. Chat with one of our consumer-to-consumer marketing specialists today to find out how you can leverage creators to kickstart your business’ TikTok presence and get people talking.
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