TikTok launched in 2018 and has been nothing short of a success. While teenagers were initially viewed as the platform’s primary users, its reach has expanded dramatically. From businesses to major celebrities, TikTok has quickly become one of the trendiest apps for personal & advertising content. Although it won’t be the best channel for every business, it’s worth exploring whether it might help you reach your brand’s target audience. What makes TikTok unique is its lighthearted, “casual” and personal approach to content sharing. Below are some tips on how to get started as a new business on TikTok.
First you need to set up a business account. With a business account, you can add more information to your profile and access real-time metrics and audience insights. Connecting this business account to your other forms of social media will help enhance your brand identity as well.
TikTok is the platform for personality and creativity. Here is where you can truly showcase your business with behind-the-scenes footage, a day-in-the-life video, packaging orders for your business, and so much more. Planned “content” days could be very beneficial and can increase productivity and engagement with your account. Research trending sounds, hashtags, and successful accounts within your industry for inspiration. How often you post can also affect how your content is distributed on the platform as TikTok recommends posting 1-4 times per day. To find a posting schedule that will please both the TikTok algorithm and your fans, keep a close eye on your performance until you find a frequency and content strategy that works. Our team at Catalyst helps create new content and manages the social media accounts for Blush Bridal Boutique. Making a content calendar—and sticking to it—is key to a successful social media strategy, and Blush’s social media accounts prove that to be true!
Influencer marketing is a huge part of TikTok. There are influencers with millions of followers, but your small business does not necessarily need a high-profile influencer for successful marketing. Try discovering rising stars, influencers in your area, and/or influencers that align with your brand. Creating a contract to use with TikTok influencers is also key for you to receive exactly what you want from the creator. Influencers usually have a rate that they charge for creating content for businesses, so you want to go into it with a plan for success for everyone. Also, offering free product from your business is a great incentive for working with potential influencers.
If you are active on both TikTok and Instagram, we highly recommend posting videos to both platforms as they are similar, but both offer great benefits. TikTok is a platform that is powerful in creating brand awareness and virality, while Instagram reels are effective in keeping followers engaged through intriguing videos. With Blush Bridal Boutique, we post videos to both Instagram and TikTok, also known as “cross posting”, but we like to spread out the content to mix up the feed for people who follow Blush on both platforms. Checking insights on both accounts frequently is important to compare statistics and see how well your target audience is reached on each.
Finally, and most importantly, do not post on one platform with the opposing platform’s watermark. This is important because the video seems relatable and more authentic if it looks like it was recorded and posted on the same app as where it was posted. Also, the Instagram algorithm demotes reels which have the TikTok watermark on them, making your videos less likely to be shown or recommended to other users. Instagram makes it easy to simply save the video without a watermark, but TikTok requires a few more steps.
Check out Blush Bridal Boutique’s Instagram & TikTok accounts to see the content we have created for them thus far!
Does your business need assistance in creating marketing success on TikTok? Contact us today!
