Want to take your marketing game to the next level? Scale your business using TikTok.
TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform where businesses can create highly engaging, entertaining content for their audience.
While platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have hit a plateau in terms of growth, TikTok only continues to rise to popularity.
TikTok has seen explosive growth, with its global user base crossing well over the 1 billion mark.
This presents a significant opportunity for businesses looking to expand their reach on social media.
In this article, you’ll learn how to scale your business using TikTok. We’ll also share the TikTok marketing secrets a top social media marketing agency uses, which you can steal for scaling your business on TikTok.
How Can TikTok Benefit Your Business?
TikTok has dethroned Google as the most visited website in the world. After 15 years of dominating the top spot, Google has been surpassed by the rapidly growing social media platform.
In a recent statement, Google’s Senior Vice President Prabhakar Raghavan acknowledged the growing threat of TikTok to Google’s market share. The VP said, “In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, don’t go to Google Maps or Search,” he added. “They go to TikTok or Instagram.“
It’s clear that TikTok has captured the attention of users worldwide, and businesses should take note of its growing influence.
Here are a few benefits your business will enjoy from marketing on TikTok:
Reach Your Target Audience
As a business, TikTok has such a huge user-base that it presents the perfect opportunity to reach millions of your target customers.
Easier Customer Acquisition
While YouTube primarily relies on your subscriber base to drive views, TikTok is designed to push your content to new viewers. With an algorithm that favors engaging content, TikTok can help you reach untapped customers.
The key to success on TikTok is to be aware of the latest trends and hop on them at the right time. By doing so, you can create content that aligns with what’s popular and increase your chances of it being seen by a wider audience.
Enhance Brand Awareness
Regarding increasing brand awareness on TikTok, various options are available. Running ads, working with niche influencers, and utilizing branded stickers and hashtags are just a few ways to promote your business on the platform.
Plus, creating engaging, catchy, and entertaining videos can help give them an initial push to gain more visibility. Using these methods, you can increase your chances of going viral on TikTok and gain more exposure for your business.
Convey Your Message Creatively
Being overly aggressive with your TikTok marketing strategy is not a practical approach. Instead of directly asking your audience to purchase your product, your message must be more subtle. Use creative and consistent tactics to plant your brand in the subconscious minds of your potential customers.
One way to do this is by collaborating with influencers your target audience trusts and sponsoring them to create entertaining and informative videos.
This approach will increase the likelihood that they’ll remember your brand when making decisions. And TikTok pushes subtle yet effective content, as they don’t want you to take the users off their platform.
Localization Advantages
TikTok is a widely used app available in 154 countries and 75 languages. They have recently added features such as local tags and a “Nearby” feed, which aim to help local businesses target their desired audience in their area.
As a business, you can take advantage of these features to acquire more customers locally, thriving in a low-competition environment.
Why Leverage TikTok For Business?
Leveraging TikTok can help businesses scale by connecting with a new, engaged audience. The platform’s unique short-form videos and interactive filters, allow businesses to showcase their offers creatively. With the right strategy, businesses can use TikTok to increase brand awareness and drive more sales.
You need to incorporate TikTok into your marketing strategy for the following reasons:
Quality of Content
TikTok is known for its high-quality content ranging from funny to informative, creative to educational, and relatable to aspirational.
One of the main reasons for the quality of content on TikTok is the app’s focus on creativity. TikTok encourages users to create trending videos that will be shared and replicated across the platform.
Everyone’s seen those lip-syncing videos and dance challenges. But it’s not all light-entertainment with no other purpose. Businesses are using creating informative tutorials and creative short films.
The platform’s editing tools, filters, and effects make it easy for users to create professional-looking videos (even if they don’t have any video editing experience).
The barrier to entry on TikTok pretty low when it comes to creating high-quality content. Know that high-quality content doesn’t have to be from a high-budget production. Even if you shoot a video from the backseat of your car, if it’s creative and entertaining enough, TikTok will push it to your audience.
Clever Algorithm & Addictive UI
Another reason for using TikTok to promote business is its persuasive algorithm that loves viral content.
If you post something sharable, the algorithm will push it for you. The algorithm works based on video views, shares, and engagement metrics.
The “For You” page is personalized for each user, which means that they are more likely to find content that is relevant to them. Plus, the infinite scroll feature keeps users on the platform and encourages them to explore it.
It’s an addictive platform; the engagement rate on TikTok is 15% higher than any other social media platform.
That’s good news for you. The more time users spend on the app, the more likely they will see and engage with your business’s content.
Creates Community
TikTok fosters a sense of community; one reason why people love jumping onto the platform and spending a long time there. The app encourages users to interact with each other through hashtags, comments, and challenges.
Challenges encourage users to participate in a shared activity or create content based on a specific theme. This can help bring people with similar interests together. Businesses can leverage challenges by making them related to their industry/niche and then creating a viral challenge for others to follow.
Live streaming on TikTok allows users to interact with their audience in real-time, which can help build stronger connections between users.
Emphasis on Music
Most TikTok videos feature popular songs, background beats, or lip-syncing.
TikTok’s library has a ton of songs and sound-bites for people to add to their videos. TikTok’s editing tools allow users to sync their videos to the beat of the music easily (a helpful editing hack for creating more engaging content).
TikTok challenges are usually based on popular songs. This brings the diehard fans of that particular song together, fostering community.
By incorporating popular music into their marketing campaigns, businesses can tap into the power of music to create an emotional connection with their audience. TikTok also allows businesses to create ads with music.
Businesses can also ride the wave of the latest challenges by analyzing the trending sounds through the TikTok Creator Center, an official tool provided to the creators.
Cross-platform Sharing
TikTok enables cross-platform sharing through the following features:
- “Share to” feature: This allows users to share their videos on other social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. This
- “Duet” feature: You can collaborate on a video with another user through the “Duet” feature, regardless of the platform they are on.
These features can help increase the reach and visibility of your content beyond the platform’s user base, scaling your business on TikTok in the process.
How To Scale Your Business Using TikTok
With the reasons we’ve mentioned in this article for scaling your business on TikTok, you might wonder, “That’s all well and good, but how do I expand my business on TikTok?”
Here are some TikTok marketing tips you need to be using in your business for great results:
Blend into TikTok’s Culture
TikTok’s unique culture sets it apart from other social media platforms, making it a valuable tool for businesses looking to scale their reach.
You must stay ahead of the curve to make the most of the platform. Observing what other brands are doing and what strategies are working for them is essential.
By understanding TikTok’s vibe and the types of content that resonate with your audience, you can create effective strategies for scaling your business on TikTok.
Engage with trending videos from influencers and other brands to stay on top of the latest trends. This will help TikTok’s algorithm recommend more relevant content to your “For You” feed, which is a curated, personalized content selection.
Once you start seeing viral content in your feed, take note of the trends and see if they align with your niche. Analyze the engagement on these videos, such as likes and comments, to determine if the trend is worth investing your time and resources into.
Keep in mind that trends on TikTok have a short life span of 3-5 days, so it’s crucial to jump on a trend at the start of its lifecycle. Using these tactics, you can effectively scale your business using TikTok and reach a wider audience.
Use Longtail Hashtags
When scaling your business on TikTok, mastering the art of hashtags is critical. Hashtags are one of the most important ranking factors on the platform because they help the TikTok algorithm understand the content and context of your videos. For reaching a wider audience and scaling your business on TikTok, it’s crucial to use hashtags that are highly relevant to your niche.
One effective method for finding the right hashtags is to use the search bar and type in your primary keyword. Then, navigate to the “Hashtags” column and scroll through the list of trending hashtags, paying attention to the views on the videos with those hashtags in their descriptions. Select the ones that are most relevant to your niche.
Keep in mind that the description section of TikTok videos is limited to 100 characters, so use 3-4 hashtags at most. Use the rest of the space to describe the brand or product you promote in that video. Instead of generic hashtags, try to use longtail hashtags that are specific and relevant to your niche to stand out from the noise.
Find Trending Sounds through TikTok Analytics
88 percent of users consider sound to be essential in TikTok content. To scale your business using TikTok, use sounds that are relatable and appealing to your target audience.
When browsing through the “For You” feed, you’ll notice trends in the sounds used in popular videos.
TikTok has made it easy for creators and businesses to find the songs and tending remixes.
Head to the TikTok Creator Center and find the “Songs” section. Click on the “Breakout” column to see a list of the trending songs. You’ll also see analytics such as the starting time of the trend, locations, the demographics of the audience, and related songs.
Using these sounds in your content can increase engagement and make your videos more likely to become trends on TikTok.
Choose the Right Time to Post
One key factor to consider when looking to scale your business using TikTok is timing. Just like in traditional media, there’s a prime time on TikTok.
Influencer Marketing Hub researched and analyzed over 100,000 TikTok posts to identify the peak time slots for each day of the week. By posting during these time slots, you have the highest chance of getting the maximum number of views on your video.
According to their research, the best time slots to post on TikTok (Eastern Standard Time) are:
- Monday: 6:00, 10:00, & 22:00
- Tuesday: 2:00, 4:00, & 9:00
- Wednesday: 7:00, 8:00, & 23:00
- Thursday: 9:00, 12:00, & 19:00
- Friday: 5:00, 13:00, & 15:00
- Saturday: 11:00, 19:00 & 20:00
- Sunday: 7:00, 20:00, & 16:00
These time slots are based on Eastern Standard Time and may vary for your business depending on factors such as the location of your target audience and your niche. By taking these peak times into account, you can take a step towards scaling your business on TikTok.
[WATCH THIS] Deepak Sharma & Jamey Lee From DEEP Social Brands
DEEP Social Brands is a digital marketing agency specializing in short-form video content, including TikTok, Instagram reels, and YouTube shorts. The company is run by two partners, i.e., Deepak Sharma and Jamey Lee.
They have gained 1.4 million followers and generated over $327,000 in revenue for their clients. And all without spending a dime on advertising.
We hosted them on one of our podcasts, where they shared their secret sauce for TikTok SEO. We’ll reveal these secrets to you so you can use them to scale your business using TikTok.
Don’t Link CTAs in the Description
You may be tempted to include calls-to-action (CTAs) in the description of your TikTok content. But it’s important to remember that the primary goal of TikTok marketing is not to convert your audience immediately.
Instead, you should leverage TikTok marketing to increase brand awareness and connect with your audience. ByteDance didn’t invest billions for you to take their users away from their platforms.
They spend a lot of resources to keep their users on the platform for as long as possible. TikTok’s whole business model is designed to be addictive for that very reason.
When you add CTAs to your descriptions, TikTok’s algorithm doesn’t push them as hard as it would have without any CTAs. It’s counterproductive to do so. If you incentivize actions from within the app, the TikTok algorithm will prefer to push them over those with CTAs.
These actions include encouraging your audience to ask questions in the comments, a selfless follow, asking them to like or share, etc.
If you want them to click your CTAs, get them into your Instagram DMs.
Create Your Own Hashtags
Create a unique hashtag that doesn’t have any competition on TikTok. Then, sneak that hashtag into every piece of content you create, along with the high-competition ones.
After you’ve popularized that hashtag and everyone in your niche starts using it, you’ll outrank all other videos for that particular hashtag.
DEEP Social Brands created a hashtag named “#hockeytrainers,” which started at 300 views. Today, it has grown to 25 million views, and all the top results for this hashtag are populated by their videos.
Retarget Your Own Hashtags through TikTok Ads
To take a step further in the “creating your own hashtag” strategy, you can target hashtags in TikTok ads.
All the viewers under that particular hashtag are your audience, which you grew organically. With TikTok ads, you can target the audience that has already watched your content and is on the brink of converting.
Leveraging this strategy, you now have the power to scale your business using TikTok.
Don’t Go After Mega-Hashtags When Running TikTok Ads
Many people who use TikTok for business make the mistake of going after the mega-hashtags like “for you,” “fyp,” etc. When looking to grow your business with TikTok, you need to be more specific and snipe your audience like you do when running Facebook ads.
However, that doesn’t mean you should go ultra-specific. There should be a sizable audience under a hashtag for it to be effective for TikTok ads. A good rule of thumb is at least a million to a maximum of a billion views for a hashtag to be effective.
How to Scale Your Business Using TikTok: FAQs
Can you use TikTok to promote your business?
TikTok for Business offers various ad formats, such as TopView Ads, In-Feed Ads, Brand Takeover Ads, Branded Effects, and Branded Hashtag Challenges. These formats can help businesses increase reach, engagement, and creativity. It’s a great platform to achieve marketing goals and drive real business results.
How do I expand my business on TikTok?
- Blend into TikTok’s culture
- Use longtail hashtags
- Find trending sounds through TikTok analytics
- Choose the right time to post
- Don’t link CTAs in the description
- Create your own hashtags
- Retarget your own hashtags through TikTok ads
- Don’t go after mega-hashtags when running TikTok ads
What is the best time to post on TikTok?
- Monday: 6:00, 10:00, & 22:00
- Tuesday: 2:00, 4:00, & 9:00
- Wednesday: 7:00, 8:00, & 23:00
- Thursday: 9:00, 12:00, & 19:00
- Friday: 5:00, 13:00, & 15:00
- Saturday: 11:00, 19:00 & 20:00
- Sunday: 7:00, 20:00, & 16:00
Wrapping Up: Scaling Your Business On TikTok
Remember that TikTok represents a new frontier for businesses. It’s a platform that levels the playing field, giving everyone an equal opportunity to succeed.
With its algorithm that evaluates each video on its own merit, regardless of who created it, TikTok is the perfect place for new businesses to make a name for themselves.
As more and more businesses begin to realize the potential of TikTok, the competition will inevitably increase. But that shouldn’t deter you. Instead, it should be seen as a call to action.
At Scaling With Systems, we will empower you to acquire more high-quality leads consistently and develop a profitable client acquisition strategy. Book a free consultation call to learn more about how we can help you grow your business.