TikTok for business has gained massive attention over the last few years, with companies heavily investing in marketing on the social media platform. It’s been downloaded more than 4.7 billion times globally.
With its worldwide reach, users can easily search for similar interests. Some use it for brand awareness, others to create customer loyalty, and others to increase sales. TikTok for business marketing is very effective.
How is TikTok for business effective?
It’s all about personalizing customer marketing, and TikTok for business allows companies to take customers behind the scenes for connections and show how much they know their customers.
To create connections with customers, sound on TikTok is a vital element to the experience. According to research, 88% of its users said sound is essential to the experience.
What is TikTok’s reach?
Due to its broad reach, TikTok is one of the most effective digital marketing tools. The general perception is that the younger generation mainly uses it. However, TikTok for business is booming.
Companies can easily find their target audience on TikTok by searching for users with similar interests. Using relevant hashtags can help them find you more easily.
According to TikTok for business, 70% of its users discover new brands and products on its platform, with three in four users likely to buy something while using the app.
TikTok statistics
Nearly two billion people globally use TikTok actively each month. Most users are men (52%), followed by females (48%).
More than 60% of TikTok users are young adults aged 18 to 34. However, older people have also been using the platform lately.
Capturing the attention of customers on TikTok
Of the millions of people using the social media platform monthly, each person spends, on average, an hour on the app daily. That increases your chance as a business to capture the attention of potential customers.
That’s a better chance you’ll have to grab a potential new customer’s attention than a billboard on their way to work or an advertisement in a newspaper.
Research conducted by Kantar in 2021 found that 92% of TikTok users buy a product after watching a TikTok video.
However, for some business owners, like Australian delivery expert Steve Orenstein, TikTok can also be used to share industry knowledge and tips.
Prominent companies using TikTok for business effectively
According to TikTok thousands of Australian businesses have found millions of customers on TikTok for business.
The main benefits TikTokfor business offers are:
- Allowing businesses to get acquainted with new consumers.
- Build engaged communities.
- Drive sales.
Haus of Dizzy
Retail e-commerce business Haus of Dizzy uses TikTok to showcase its designer jewelry. It often has powerful political and social messages, which creates a connection with its users, who want to support the brand for its political affiliation and fashion.
Zorali
The Australian outdoor brand Zorali uses TikTok for businesses to showcase behind-the-scenes production to their customers. This builds trust and a better understanding of the brand itself.
Using their TikTok account, they go beyond just selling items; they create a community with customers who can identify with the style of living or inspire others to live their lifestyle.
Chefs and Dogs
It all started when Chef Daniel started showing his social media audience on TikTok how he prepares fresh gourmet food for his sick dog.
With nearly 3M followers, he owns a pet food e-commerce business called Chefs and Dogs. With the help of TikTok for business, he managed to resonate with millions of dog lovers who are now prepared to buy exclusively from him.
Locate2u
Zoom2u Technologies’ (ASX: Z2U) CEO, Steve Orenstein, shares parcel delivery tips but also connects with viewers, sharing his personal life.
However, Orenstein also uses his TikTok account to build how-to guides for new business owners in the delivery space. It’s all about setting yourself apart from competitors and brand visibility.
TikTok for business vs personal account
Having a personal account on TikTok has its advantages and disadvantages. It’s essential to establish what your goal is with TikTok. Whether you want to create connections, engagement, and brand awareness, a personal (creators’) account might be better.
However, a TikTok business account enables brand owners better access to engage their audience and sell online.
Enabling TikTok for business features
The first few steps are easy: download the TikTok app and set up and sign up.
To enable the business features, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings & Privacy
- Click on Manage account
- Select Switch to Business Account
This will unlock a range of tools and features that can only be accessed through a business account.
Strategies: Using TikTok for business
It is essential to create meaningful content for your customers that aligns with your brand message.
To ensure customers can find you on TikTok for business, you need to keep track of the following techniques. Fobes gives these tips to create content that can trend and allow more customers to find you on social media.
Shorter is better
Social media users want to scroll through videos, so you have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention and keep them tuned.
A TikTok video should be no longer than 15 seconds. Too long videos won’t lure customers. With shorter content, it has the potential to reach new communities and build your customer base.
Vibing visuals
TikTok is all about visuals. However, remember everyone on the platform is making videos. You need to create an ad with eye-catching visuals to stand out from the billions of content being shown to customers.
Make sure that the videos are exciting and appealing to your audience. Participating in trends must be eye-catching. You can use colorful graphics or funny animations to help with this.
Pump it up with music
Most TikTok posts are viewed with the sound on. When you choose your music or soundtrack, ensure it’s effective and matches your brand identity. Using unknown songs can punch your video, while trendy soundtracks can boost your views quickly.
Subtle sales
Although you want to ultimately make sales by using TikTok for business, you must avoid being too ‘salesy.’ That’s why most people use a TikTok business account to film ‘behind the scenes’ content to find customers instead of running in-your-face advertisements.
Remember, keep it fun and lighthearted. People use the platform to socialize.
How to connect with new customers on TikTok
Using TikTok for business can be a great digital marketing research tool, helping you better understand what your customers or potential customers want from your product.
Tips to engage customers on TikTok
- Talk to customers directly on TikTok to understand their purchasing patterns.
- Ask your followers on TikTok what new products you should design.
- Actively engage with your customers when they make comments on your posts.
- Speak to your customers in a clear message, and handle complaints professionally.
- Use comedy to promote your product and get more responses.
- Post reviews and success stories of customers on TikTok.
- Personal stories can resonate deeply with viewers.
Tips to avoid while actively engaging customers on TikTok
- Avoid only posting promotional videos.
- Ignoring trends on TikTok can lead to missing golden opportunities for trending content.
- Inconsistent posting can result in a lack of interest.
- By ignoring TikTok analytics, you won’t understand what content resonates with your target audience.
Is it wise to sell products on TikTok for business?
According to the latest statistics, 5 million new customers bought items on TikTok during Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2023, just months after TikTok Shop launched in the US.
According to Bloomberg, Amazon must watch out as TikTok changes its strategy to attract more online shoppers to its platform.
Does TikTok do eCommerce?
In 2024, TikTok expanded its Shop venture to $17.5 billion. The social media giant is now challenging online retailers like Amazon, JD.com, and AliExpress. It has the potential to reshape the social commerce landscape.
By integrating e-commerce with online shopping, businesses can keep TikTok users in the app longer.
Why do you need to sell on TikTok?
Data.AI predicts TikTok will reach a $15 billion consumer-spend milestone in 2024. It grew by 70% YoY in 2023. That’s almost four times faster than Candy Crush Saga.
TikTok ads
Getting started on TikTok for business can be overwhelming. TikTok has a step-by-step guide to help small business owners start their new journey.
The guide introduces businesses to Ads Manager, an all-in-one place for advertising campaigns on TikTok, from setting up payments to creating adverts.
Critical considerations for TikTok for business
Often, when starting a TikTok account for a business, the question pops up: Should the company be represented or an individual? The short answer is to keep it personal. TikTok users connect more easily with a person than a brand.
But often, it’s hard to distinguish between when to represent the company and when to talk about the person or the brain behind it.
Here are three considerations to make in the process.
Should a business or person represent your brand on TikTok?
There isn’t a right or wrong answer, but considerations must be made. However, some limits and advantages to a TikTok business account and creators’ account must be considered.
Here are some advantages of a business account:
- There are action buttons, which include emails, for customers to engage.
- There are unlimited messaging capabilities to interact with viewers, even if they are not friends.
- Access to TikTok Shop.
Here are some advantages of a personal account:
- Use trending music.
- Monetize account.
- Collaborate with other brands.
Do TikTok business accounts make money?
According to HubSpot, monetizing content on a TikTok Business account is impossible. The only way to make money on a business account is to sell through TikTok engagement.
Therefore, you can’t participate in programs like Creator Fund, LIVE gifts and Diamonds, or Tips. However, you can access these through a personal account.
What is the downside of a TikTok business account?
- Business accounts don’t have access to the creators’ rewards program.
- It has limited sound and music options. This can be seen as a significant downside.
- You can’t monetize content. You need a personal (creator) account to make money on TikTok.
Why do TikTok business accounts have limits to sound?
TikTok views business accounts as being used for commercial purposes. You still get to use sound, but it’s royalty-free music, which then excludes users from trending content and sound.
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About the author
Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
