8 Steps to get started on TikTok for Business!

The mobile app TikTok has recently taken the world by storm and earned its place among other social media giants. It’s one of the most popular apps today, with over 1 billion active users. Tiktok has a global reach; it’s available in 141 countries and 39 languages.

The app is top-rated with Gen Z, but it also welcomes anyone from any age group. The top five countries with the most Tiktok users are the United States, Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, and Mexico.

What is Tiktok exactly, and why is it so popular?

TikTok is basically a video-based app. Tiktok users can make and share short-form videos. Editing is simple. The app offers many filters and sounds to choose from. No wonder why the content on Tiktok is so unique and entertaining.

Users can engage with content creators by liking, commenting on, or sharing videos. There are lots of challenges and trends that users can participate in. It’s a platform that makes joining in on the fun as easy as possible.

What happens on TikTok doesn’t stay on TikTok. Videos that originated on the app in the first place keep popping up on other social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. So there’s little to no escape from TikTok, even for people who don’t have the app on their phones.

TikTok is a very dynamic place. There’s always a new challenge, a new viral trend, new content even after you’ve swiped down a bazillion times. Maybe that’s why an average user of TikTok spends approximately 50 minutes on the app every day.

What about marketing on TikTok?

Can your brand grow with TikTok? Absolutely! Engagement rates on TikTok are higher than on any other social media platform. And what if we told you that you’re going to engage with roughly 10.4% of the world’s population? That’s right! Marketing on TikTok is definitely an opportunity not to be missed. TikTok itself has TikTok for Business for helping brands with their marketing campaigns.

So what does it take to start growing your brand on TikTok? TikTok for Business is great for unleashing your creativity to boost your success. Even the sky is not the limit on TikTok. TikTok for Business can be an excellent help for tapping into the full potential of this unique social media platform.

Before you start, you can spend some time on TikTok to get a sense of the “vibe” of the app. Watch something you like? TikTok allows you to download videos. You can also use Circleboom’s TikTok Video Downloader.

If you’re still not sure how to dive into this social media giant, here’s a step-by-step breakdown for you. You will also learn more about TikTok for Business!

Step #1: Get a TikTok Business account quickly!

For sure, if you don't have a TikTok account yet, you should download the app and get one. But if you have,

• In the lower right corner, tap "Me," then "Edit Profile." You can add a profile photo and bio, as well as links to other social media profiles, in this section.
• Tap the three dots in the upper right corner, then "Manage Account" to switch to a Business Account.
• Select "Business" or "Creator" from the "Switch To Pro Account" option.
• Select the category that best defines your company and tap "Next".
• Include a link to your website and an email address in your profile.

That's all there is!

Step #2: Get to know your audience

Knowing more about TikTok users is essential for developing a marketing strategy for your target audience. Let’s look at some quick facts about your TikTok audience:

TikTok is very popular with Millennials, and Gen Z. 77,1% of TikTok users are 18 and 35.

Who runs TikTok? Girls! 56.1% of TikTok users are female.

Entertainment is the top most popular category on TikTok. It’s followed by dance, pranks, fitness/sports, home reno/DIY, beauty/skincare, fashion, recipes/cooking, life hacks/advice, pets, outdoors.

Let’s talk money. Households with an income above $75,000 are 20% more likely to use TikTok.

The audience is here, it’s time to work the room. Let’s jump straight into TikTok for Business to get you marketing! Damian Grabarczyk, a seasoned e-commerce entrepreneur and the co-founder of PetLab Co., says, “To truly connect with our audience on TikTok, we started by diving deep into understanding who they are—primarily passionate pet owners looking for trusted advice and products. We analyzed their interactions, comments, and the content they loved, which helped us tailor our videos to meet their needs and interests. This focus on knowing our audience inside and out allowed us to craft content that resonated deeply, helping us build a loyal following of over 871K. It’s clear that understanding your audience is not just a step, but the foundation of any successful social media strategy, especially on a platform as dynamic as TikTok.”

Step #3: Lift your brand awareness!

TikTok for Business is TikTok’s native service geared towards marketers. It’s conducive in key stages like setting your budget, designing your ads, tracking the statistics of your ads, and reaching your audience.

TikTok for Business is home to the Ads Manager platform, where businesses can create campaigns, ad groups, or ads.

What kind of ads can you create on Ads Manager? Let’s take a quick look at what TikTok has to offer.

In-Feed Ads

In-Feed Ads allow you to embed a video that appears on your target audience’s “For You” feed. They can be up to 60 seconds long. In-Feed Ads have a clickable CTA button. Users can interact with the video by liking, commenting on, or sharing the ad. You can also embed TikTok videos directly on your website, further expanding reach and engagement by showcasing the ad content beyond the platform..

TopView Ads

TopView Ads ensure that your audience doesn’t miss anything by appearing as the first thing on their “For You” feed. They are very similar to In-Feed Ads in format. TopView Ads maximize your brand exposure.

Brand Takeover

Brand Takeovers appear first when users open TikTok, but unlike TopView Ads, the audience can’t interact with Brand Takeovers. Brand Takeovers can be a video or an image.

Branded Hashtag Challenge

Users and businesses take part in creating content with Branded Hashtag Challenges. Branded Hashtag Challenges invite the audience onto the stage! The audience first learns about the challenge through regular ads on their feed. Then, the featured banner on the Discover page takes users to where user-created videos participating in the challenge appear.

Branded Effects

Branded Effects are similar to Branded Hashtag Challenges in encouraging user-created content. Brands can create shareable branded filters, effects, and stickers that the audience can use with Branded Effects.

Step #4: Influencer marketing on TikTok

While it’s a great way to boost success, TikTok for Business is definitely not the only way to be marketing on TikTok. Many influencers are active on TikTok, making the app the right place to be collaborating with them.

The content created by influencers on TikTok is different from other social media platforms. The audience wants to see creative and authentic content. So your marketing strategy should prioritize authenticity.

Before you partner up with influencers to promote your brand on TikTok and create influencer marketing stratagies, you should do a thorough search for finding the influencers that could best appeal to your target audience. Don’t go for influencers with the most followers. Instead, go for influencers with the most followers from your target audience.

Maybe a perfectly-scripted, perfectly-curated content with the highest quality can be suitable for marketing on Instagram. But this is TikTok, where usually the relaxed, homemade quality videos go viral. So you should keep in mind that perfection doesn’t do too well on TikTok. Let your influencer partners be authentic, be original and be creative.

Step #5: TikTok affiliate marketing

You can absolutely use TikTok for affiliate marketing. You just need to have a business account instead of a personal account. Then you can easily add affiliate links to your videos. You can also add coupons and discount codes.

What about affiliate links on your TikTok profile? This is also a pretty straightforward option to consider.

Unlike ads created by TikTok for Business, your TikTok affiliate marketing venture has to rely on your organic reach. Growing your organic reach depends on the quality of the content you create and your posting consistency.

Do you want to learn more about growing your organic reach? Let’s see what you can do to achieve more success.

Step #6: TikTok challenges

Don’t limit yourself by relying only on the Branded Hashtag Challenges. You can certainly create your own challenges.

Do you have a hard time coming up with any challenging ideas? You can explore TikTok first and participate in existing challenges. This is another excellent way to get your brand noticed.

You can watch a TikTok challenge video here.

Step #7: Engagement on TikTok

Another way to make sure your target audience can find you on TikTok is engaging with content that your audience is likely to watch.

You can comment on videos and follow accounts that your audience also follows.

Step #8: TikTok hashtags

Hashtags are your friend. They make it easier for your target audience to find you on TikTok.

There are new trending hashtags every day, so you should keep up with what’s going on on the app.

Trending hashtags can get your brand noticed by a lot of people, and niche hashtags help you gather your target audience around your TikTok profile. Your strategy should involve using both effectively.

Wrap-up

TikTok is a positive, light-hearted place. Users report having more positive views about a brand after seeing it on TikTok 404. There are lots of TikTok marketing options to consider and almost no limits to your creativity.

More and more brands are interacting with their audience on the app. TikTok is undoubtedly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Businesses looking for ways to diversify their social media campaigns should definitely consider marketing on TikTok. Don’t forget to have fun and keep it fun. After all, this is what TikTok is for.