Let’s talk about how you can use one of the most popular social media platforms to make your business more successful. TikTok has more than a billion monthly active users worldwide. It’s more than just engagement, though. These users also spend about $110 million per month. It is the top-grossing non-gaming app out there. To let it slip by without your business taking advantage of it feels like a mistake.
While people may believe this platform is “just for gen Zers,” rest assured it is not. A large percentage of the audience is indeed young users. However, TikTok is also just as popular with young adults and middle-aged users. Now it’s starting to feel like an audience you want to talk to. Let’s look at some of the numbers if you need more convincing.
According to Statista, more than 22% of TikTok users are between the ages of 20–29 years old. Moreover, just about 22% are 30–39 years old. Another 20% of users are 40–49 years old, and 11% are 50 plus. Suddenly, the TikTok audience seems to be right on target with your business goals. Further, add those percentages up and you’ll see that 75% of TikTok users are over 20 years old and more than 50% are over 30.
You may have thought the platform’s audience was too young, but it’s actually on target for the imaging industry. Now, you must decide what to do about that. How do you get a piece of this giant puzzle to bring consumers and revenue to your business?
Let’s get started. If your business is not on the platform, and you’re not sure where to begin, the steps below will get you moving in the right direction.
Create a TikTok Business Account
Once you download the app and create an account, go to the “Me” page and select “Manage Account.” This is where you can “Switch to Business Account” and choose your industry. Now you need to edit your profile. This is important since your profile is your business’s digital storefront on TikTok. Updating your URL, bio and profile photo are a few ways to get up and running. The photo you choose should be consistent with your other social media accounts.
What’s more, this is an excellent time to make sure the image representing your company is strong and consistent with your offline business. Your logo, color scheme and/or photo are the first indications consumers have that they are engaging directly with your company. A consistent brand image can go a long way with your current audience and help capture new customers.
Your brand’s bio on TikTok is limited to 80 characters. You need to keep it short and to the point. If you need help limiting yourself to such a small character count, consider using your company’s slogan or a catchphrase, if you have one. Think about how you would describe or sell your business to someone in a few words. It’s like an elevator pitch for your business in a building with just a few floors.
Just as important on TikTok is the one clickable URL you are permitted to include in your profile. First and foremost, make sure it’s recognizable for your business, so potential customers will have the trust to click on it. You can direct them to your website’s main page, a specific landing page or directly to your online store if you have one. Make sure the URL displays your brand name so people feel safe to click through.
Determine Your Target Audience and Content Creation
Creating content that resonates with your target audience is critical to making TikTok work for your business. For example, are you looking to attract a younger audience through this platform to expand your reach? Is your goal to attract customers over 30 with the advanced amateur angle?
Spending time to determine your goals will help you with campaigns for your TikTok account. Creating content that is compelling to your audience goals will make the time you spend focused on TikTok more successful.
A little research can go a long way toward the content you create. Determining what type of content as well as how often your business will publish is a significant first step in making a content strategy plan. Entertainment and dance content is still popular. However, more informative and educational content is just as prevalent.
Consider creating tutorials, photo hacks, how-to videos and DIY solutions for the imaging industry. They are great to add to your content strategy to engage your audience. Keep in mind that you’ll have more success if you diversify your feed, including a little bit from each category.
A feed with all tutorials can get boring after a while. So, change it up on your content schedule. This will also allow you to appeal to different audiences. Try to entertain them, enrich their lives and educate them through the diverse content you present. Showcasing incredible photos and videos one day and a how-to video the next day will keep people coming back to see what’s new on your feed.
The TikTok Algorithm
You will have more success on TikTok if you understand how the platform’s algorithm works. If you know what will influence the algorithm, you can use that to your advantage and gain more visibility.
The first thing to consider is the information you include within your videos, like captions and hashtags. Relevant captions and popular hashtags can help enhance your influence on TikTok. If the platform picks up on these, your video will be shown to a larger and potentially broader audience.
Engagement is the next key to success on TikTok. If the content you create is compelling, users will watch and share it with others. This, in turn, helps you within their algorithm. The goal is to get more people within your target audience to see your content on their “For You” pages.
Another important way to have more success is to use popular TikTok sounds in the content you create. People actually search for those sounds. And if your content shows up, you have just spread your reach.
TikTok can be a win for your business. With a few steps to get you started, you’ll be off and running on this dynamic platform in no time. From a strong profile to regular, solid content, this billion-user platform can help you grow, sell more and reach a broader audience.