TikTok for business

Author and podcaster Will Francis asks: Is a TikTok presence really necessary for business?

 

Marketing has always operated on a simple principle - go where the audience is. In reality, marketers are slow to acknowledge where their audience’s attention is being directed. We saw it with the web, mobile and still today with social media.

 

But there’s something particularly daunting about TikTok, and yet it remains the most present opportunity to engage and rapidly scale an audience around absolutely anything. 

 

While LinkedIn is known for its professional gravitas and Facebook for its broad demographic, TikTok is often overlooked, dismissed as frivolous and concerned only with the viral trends of youth – not a place for the serious business of tech. It also demands that we venture in front of the camera. What do we shoot? How do we edit? Will we look stupid? 

 

TikTok’s potential for business

While there’s no denying that TikTok remains the domain of viral trends and challenges, amongst all the triviality is a surprising and vast array of content. With videos on every topic imaginable, TikTok is quickly becoming a useful resource not dissimilar to YouTube. Of course, its library is undeniably smaller – YouTube has had an almost 11-year head start – but that doesn’t take away TikTok’s potential. Or the opportunity it brings for any business willing to spend the time and effort necessary to maximise it.  

 

Part of this potential comes from TikTok’s format. Social media video holds tremendous power to connect – that’s why LinkedIn launched its Reels-style vertical video feed late last year. Video posts have greater reach, greater engagement, and greater sharing potential than any other media format. So, if you can create the right content, it becomes possible for a small business on a small budget to generate significant results. 

 

And you can do this without even paying for advertising, thanks to TikTok’s algorithms, which famously do the work of putting the right content in front of the right people.  But if you do choose to put money behind your content, results grow even faster.

 

That’s not to say that TikTok should be your only point of focus. LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook all have their own unique features, audiences and cultures. It all comes back to who you’re trying to resonate with. Where are they, and what do they already enjoy consuming and engaging with there? That’s your starting strategy in social media. Just remember that if you were to rank the big social platforms purely in order of the speed at which you can grow a relevant audience there, for most companies that would be TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook.

 

How to make TikTok work for you

 

Get to know the platform

There’s a tendency with people who don’t use a social media platform to go in blind, assuming that the same rules apply across the board. But this is rarely the case – if you don’t know a platform, you can’t expect to create content that resonates. You won’t understand how it works or what is expected from you. So, before you jump in, open a personal account and spend some time in your topic space. Screenshot anything you think works well. This will form your ‘swipe file’.. 

 

Focus on your people 

If you want to connect with your audience, forget about your products and brands. It’s people that make connections, it’s people who build loyalty, and sell. So, when you first start creating content, don’t showcase your innovation – showcase your people. Who they are, what they do, what they care about, and why. 

 

While highlighting your brand is obviously your first priority, you have to build trust, authenticity, and respect before you can expect people to listen as you brag about the things you’re good at and the benefits of your products. No one uses TikTok to look at ads, and if your content gives that vibe, the algorithms will quickly bury it. 

 

Find out what works

As a startup, no one is going to be watching what you say or do. That will come later, once you’ve created that viral video and built up a customer connection. So, the early days on TikTok, before you start paying for advertising, are all about experimentation. Finding out what appeals to your audience, refining your voice, and carving your niche.

 

Create as much content as you can – even if it’s just responding to trending topics. That’s how you’ll attract attention and eventually break out of the ‘800-view jail’.

 

Structure your content for success

That said, while you need to put out a lot of content, it still needs to be fit for purpose. Use the simple three-part structure - hook, intro, content. The hook is the first second or two that grabs attention. You don’t have to sensationalise or click-bait. Just put the most interesting thing first. Then the intro explains that a little more to those curious enough to linger, then the content is where you give value.

 

And that is always your focus. Tell don’t sell. Either entertain or inform the viewer without promoting.

 

Remember what you want from the platform

If there’s one thing that you shouldn’t use TikTok for, it’s driving traffic. Not only are users reluctant to navigate away from their feed, the platform actively discourages it. That’s not what TikTok is about. So, while you can include links in your bio and pay for ads, your primary focus for TikTok is to build your profile and enhance brand recognition. It won’t deliver rapid ROI, but it holds the potential to deliver dividends in the longer term. 

 

Remember that people of all ages and demographics are there (even if they don’t admit it!), so you don’t have to be ‘down with the kids’. As marketing titan Gary Vaynerchuk famously says ‘the creative is the targeting’. If you create unmissably valuable content, the algorithm will find the right people to show it to. Engineer your content for that, and your business can only benefit.  

 

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Will Francis is a digital marketing expert who trains thousands of marketers each year at the top institutions including Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK) and the American Marketing Association. He hosts ‘Ahead of the Game’, the DMI’s marketing podcast

 

Main image courtesy of iStockPhoto.com and 5./15 WEST