How to Market on TikTok: A 4 Step Guide to Grow Your Brand

The TikTok marketing is thriving, especially for small enterprises. Popular hashtags such as “smallbusiness”, “smallbiz”, and “supportsmallbusiness” have collectively garnered billions of views, highlighting the platform’s immense potential.

With over 1 billion active users and continual growth, TikTok has evolved beyond its initial role as a video-sharing app for lip-syncs and dance videos. It has transformed into a social commerce powerhouse, offering businesses the opportunity to tap into a vast pool of potential customers and drive sales effectively.

This article is geared towards helping you kickstart your journey of using TikTok marketing for business purposes. It will delve into the platform’s array of free marketing tools and resources meticulously crafted to empower businesses and facilitate their success on TikTok.

Step #1: Set Up a TikTok Business Account

The first thing you need to do in TikTok marketing for business is create a TikTok business account, follow these steps:

1. Download the TikTok app on your mobile device.
2. Open the app and tap the “Profile” icon in the bottom right corner.
3. Select “Settings and privacy” from the three lines in the top right corner.
4. Tap “Manage account” and then “Switch to Business Account.”
5. Choose a category for your business and tap “Next.”
6. Review your account information and tap “Done.”

Once you have created a TikTok business account, you will have access to additional features, such as:

• Business analytics: Track your account’s performance and performance of your videos.
• TikTok Ads Manager: Create and manage TikTok ad campaigns.
• Promoted accounts: Promote your account to people who are interested in your content.
• Brand effects: Create custom effects and filters for your videos.

To get the most out of your TikTok business account, it is important to create high-quality content that is relevant to your target audience. You should also use relevant hashtags and keywords in your video descriptions so that people can easily find your content.

Also Read: 7 Proven Tips on How to Create High Quality Content for Instagram!

Step #2: Optimize TikTok bio

Your TikTok bio is a great opportunity to introduce yourself to potential followers and tell them what your account is all about. In TikTok marketing; it’s also a great place to include a call to action, such as inviting people to follow you, subscribe to your channel, or visit your website.

Here are some tips for optimizing your TikTok bio:

• Keep it short and sweet. Your bio is limited to 80 characters, so make sure to get your message across quickly and concisely.
• Use relevant keywords. Including relevant keywords in your bio will help people find your account when they’re searching for content on TikTok.
• Include a call to action. Tell people what you want them to do, such as follow you, subscribe to your channel, or visit your website.
• Add link URL: Your URL will now be displayed in your TikTok bio. People can click on the URL to visit your website or other online presence.
• Use emojis. Emojis can help make your bio more visually appealing and engaging.

Here are some examples of well-optimized TikTok bios:

• A food blogger: “I’m a food blogger who loves to cook and share my recipes with the world. Follow me for delicious recipes, cooking tips, and food inspiration.”
• A fashion influencer: “I’m a fashion influencer who loves to share my style with the world. Follow me for outfit ideas, fashion tips, and the latest trends.”
• A business account: “We’re a company that sells [products or services]. Follow us for updates on our products, promotions, and more.”

Step #3: Create Engaging TikTok Content as a TikTok Marketing Strategies

As one of TikTok marketing strategies, you need to create engaging TikTok content, you need to understand what your audience wants to see. Once you know what your audience is interested in, you can start creating content that is relevant and engaging.

Here are some tips for creating engaging TikTok content:

• Be creative and original. TikTok is a platform for creativity and self-expression. Don’t be afraid to be yourself and share your unique perspective with the world.
• Use trending sounds and effects. TikTok is constantly evolving, with new trends and effects emerging all the time. Using trending sounds and effects in your videos can help you reach a wider audience and get your videos seen by more people.
• Keep your videos short and sweet. TikTok videos are limited to 60 seconds, so make sure to get your message across quickly and concisely.
• Use eye-catching visuals. TikTok is a visual platform, so make sure your videos are visually appealing. Use bright colors, interesting backgrounds, and dynamic camera movements.
• Tell a story. People love stories, so try to tell a story in your TikTok videos. This could be a funny story, a heartwarming story, or an inspirational story.
• Engage with your audience. Respond to comments and questions, and participate in challenges and trends. This will help you build relationships with your audience and keep them coming back for more.

Here are some additional tips for creating engaging TikTok content:

• Use relevant hashtags. Hashtags are a great way to get your videos seen by more people. When you use relevant hashtags in your video descriptions, your videos will show up in the search results for those hashtags.
• Collaborate with other creators. Collaborating with other TikTok creators is a great way to reach a new audience and create unique and engaging content.
• Run TikTok ads. TikTok ads can be a great way to reach a larger audience and promote your content.
• Use TikTok analytics to track your performance. TikTok analytics can help you track your account’s performance and see what content is resonating with your audience. This information can help you create even better content in the future.

Also Read: Content Marketing Strategy 101: A Beginner’s Blueprint for Success

Step #4: Begin Selling and Marketing Your Products or Services

Once you’ve become proficient in the fundamentals of utilizing TikTok marketing for your business, it’s time to delve into the functionalities that enable you to promote your products or services, ultimately driving sales and revenue.

1. TikTok Ads Manager

If you’re experienced with running ads on platforms like Facebook or Instagram, you’ll find the TikTok Ads Manager interface quite familiar. This is where you’ll handle the creation and management of your ads on TikTok, and you’ll have the option to select from five different ad formats.

1. In-feed ads: In-feed ads appear in the user’s “For You” feed, along with other videos from creators they follow and TikTok recommends. In-feed ads can be up to 60 seconds long and can include text, images, videos, and music.
2. Brand takeover ads: Brand takeover ads are full-screen ads that appear when users open the TikTok app. Brand takeover ads can be up to 3 seconds long and can include text, images, videos, and music.
3. TopView ads: TopView ads are full-screen ads that appear at the top of the user’s “For You” feed. TopView ads can be up to 60 seconds long and can include text, images, videos, and music.
4. Challenge ads: Challenge ads encourage users to participate in a branded challenge. Challenge ads can be up to 60 seconds long and can include text, images, videos, and music.
5. Spark ads: Spark ads allow businesses to promote organic TikTok posts from creators they partner with. Spark ads can be up to 60 seconds long and can include text, images, videos, and music.

Each ad format has its own advantages and disadvantages. In-feed ads are a good way to reach a large audience, but they may not be as effective as other ad formats for driving conversions. Brand takeover ads and TopView ads are very effective at grabbing users’ attention, but they can be expensive.

Challenge ads are a good way to engage users with your brand, but they may not be as effective at driving conversions as other ad formats. Spark ads are a good way to reach your target audience and drive conversions, but you need to partner with creators who have a relevant audience.

The best ad format for your business will depend on your goals and budget. If you are looking to reach a large audience, in-feed ads are a good option. If you are looking to drive conversions, brand takeover ads, TopView ads, and Spark ads are good options. If you are looking to engage users with your brand, challenge ads are a good option.

Here are some examples of how businesses can use each ad format:

• In-feed ads: A clothing retailer could use in-feed ads to promote their new collection.
• Brand takeover ads: A movie studio could use a brand takeover ad to promote a new movie.
• TopView ads: A food company could use a TopView ad to promote a new product.
• Challenge ads: A car company could use a challenge ad to encourage users to create videos of themselves driving their cars.
• Spark ads: A beauty brand could use Spark ads to promote organic TikTok posts from creators who share their target audience.

2. TikTok Shopping

TikTok Shopping is leading the way in the realm of social commerce. By establishing a storefront on TikTok, you gain the ability to market products directly within TikTok videos and showcase them on your profile page’s dedicated product tab.

There are a few ways to sell products directly on TikTok:

1. TikTok Shop: TikTok Shop is a feature that allows businesses to sell their products directly to their TikTok followers. To use TikTok Shop, you need to create a TikTok business account and apply for a TikTok Shop account. Once your TikTok Shop account is approved, you can start adding products to your shop and promoting them to your TikTok followers.
2. TikTok Live Shopping: TikTok Live Shopping is a feature that allows businesses to sell their products directly to their TikTok followers during live streams. To use TikTok Live Shopping, you need to create a TikTok business account and apply for a TikTok Live Shopping account. Once your TikTok Live Shopping account is approved, you can start scheduling live streams and selling your products during the live streams.
3. Product links in videos: TikTok allows businesses to add product links to their TikTok videos. This means that businesses can create TikTok videos that showcase their products and include links to their website or TikTok Shop where viewers can purchase the products.
4. Affiliate marketing: TikTok allows businesses to partner with creators on affiliate marketing campaigns. This means that businesses can pay creators to promote their products in their TikTok videos. When a viewer clicks on an affiliate link in a creator’s video and purchases the product, the creator earns a commission.

Which method you choose to sell products directly on TikTok will depend on your business goals and target audience. If you have a large following on TikTok and you want to sell a variety of products, TikTok Shop is a good option. 

If you want to sell products during live streams, TikTok Live Shopping is a good option. If you want to reach a new audience and drive sales to your website, adding product links to your TikTok videos is a good option. If you want to partner with creators to promote your products, affiliate marketing is a good option.

Also Read: What Does FYP Mean? Mastering TikTok’s For You Page

TikTok Marketing Case Study: Habit Skin Holds Q&A on TikTok

Source: Digiday

Habit, a New York City-based sunscreen company, has harnessed the power of TikTok to maintain a strong connection with its consumers. The feedback they receive on TikTok has become an invaluable resource for product refinement.

For instance, their welcome kit now includes valuable information on the correlation between SPF and anti-aging, along with instructions on proper product application. Furthermore, the comments and interactions on their TikTok account revealed a knowledge gap among consumers regarding sunscreen, prompting Habit to combat misconceptions through informative Sunscreen 101 TikToks.

These TikToks gained significant popularity, leading Habit to introduce a Q&A feature on their TikTok profile and consider its integration into their website. Their TikTok account has now cultivated a dedicated following of 382.6k engaged users.

The success of Habit’s campaign can be attributed to several key factors.

Firstly, it has enabled the brand to establish a direct and meaningful channel of communication with its customer base. This open dialogue allows them to promptly adapt their products in response to customer preferences and requirements.

Moreover, it has served as an excellent platform to educate both current and potential customers about the benefits and proper usage of their sunscreen products, contributing to increased brand awareness.

Presently, Habit maintains an ongoing record of customer requests and suggestions gathered from the app, further facilitating their commitment to customer-centric product development.

In the fast-paced world of contemporary marketing, TikTok marketing platform has emerged as a game-changing platform, particularly for small enterprises navigating the competitive landscape. This comprehensive guide serves as a strategic roadmap, offering businesses a blueprint to navigate TikTok’s multifaceted terrain with confidence and creativity.

From the inception of a TikTok business account to the art of crafting an engaging bio, the alchemy of creating captivating content, and the mastery of TikTok’s advertising and e-commerce functionalities, this article equips businesses to unlock the full potential of TikTok.

By embracing TikTok as a dynamic canvas for self-expression and capitalizing on its robust suite of marketing tools, businesses can connect with a diverse and highly engaged audience. In doing so, they not only amplify their brand presence but also seize unprecedented opportunities to foster growth and prosperity in the ever-evolving digital marketing agency Singapore landscape.

Ready to elevate your TikTok marketing strategy? Explore our TikTok Ads & Marketing services today and reach new heights of success!