TikTok for Small Businesses

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For a few years now, I’ve been an avid fan of TikTok. So much so that I have an entire section of my newsletter dedicated to sharing my favorite finds from the platform! Whether you’re in the mood to learn something new or laugh at something ridiculous, TikTok has you covered. The app values authenticity and weirdness above all else, which helps foster niche communities from elder emos to ADHD folks, from knitters to people who have experienced trauma. 

TikTok’s algorithm gets to know you better than you know yourself, some say, which helps users discover content they didn’t even know they were looking for. That’s great news for small businesses! You don’t have to beg people to follow you, you just have to create amazing content and the right people will discover it thanks to TikTok’s unique algorithm.

While I haven’t created TikTok content as Serve Me the Sky Digital, I’ve consumed plenty and have learned a lot about how the platform works and what performs well. I also recently attended a Small Business Block Party (aka webinar, but with better branding) led by TikTok, so I wanted to share some of the takeaways with you!

TikTok Demographics & Stats

I was shocked to learn from the folks at TikTok that the platform has over one billion active users! While folks think Facebook is dying, I often remind them that nearly three billion people use the platform. Instagram has just over one billion, and Twitter lags far behind with only 290 million monthly active users. I had no idea that TikTok had caught up to Instagram and was quickly encroaching on Facebook!

Even more surprising were the following stats they shared: 

  • 64% of TikTok users are not on Twitter

  • 52% of TikTok users are not on Instagram

  • 45% of TikTok users are not on Facebook

While you may think “hey, I can catch the younger generation on Instagram, I don’t need to be on TikTok!” that may not necessarily be the case. Plenty of TikTok users are not logging into traditional platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. That means TikTok has enormous potential for reaching people who haven’t seen your content before!

Furthermore, over 80% of TikTok users report that they’ve discovered new content they love through the platform. I’m guessing that’s significantly more than Instagram! Even better, 52% say they’ve discovered new products that interest them and 49% have actually made a purchase. I’m among them, having recently discovered a clothing brand and an artist whose work I love and bought things from both! People want to support small businesses on TikTok too--the #SmallBusiness hashtag has been used over 43 billion times to date. If you want to open your business up to this world of possibilities, you may want to dive into TikTok sooner rather than later.

Tactics to Try

Before you start creating content for TikTok, be sure to watch a healthy dose of TikTok content first. You can start to get a feel for the kinds of quirky content and honest storytelling that does well on the platform. You’ll also learn what kinds of videos or formats are trendy at the moment, and common frameworks for sharing. Here are a few tactics you may want to try as you’re getting started:

  • Share your story--when you started your business, what it was like in the early days, why you launched it, where you are today, and what makes it unique and amazing.

  • Highlight your product--you can do an in-depth demo, showcase a variety of your offerings, show off its many features, whatever makes the most sense for your product!

  • Results & an explainer--If you offer a service, you can show off the results of a recent project and then explain how you achieved those results. For example, if you’re a cleaner, you could share before/after videos of the space and highlight a few of the tips and tricks that helped you clean the space so beautifully.

  • Behind the scenes--This type of content performs well in Instagram Stories, so it makes sense that it’s a great fit for TikTok too! People don’t know what a day in the life is like at a hat company or record store or bakery, so highlight what an average day is like, from morning til night. People enjoy the mundane far more than you might expect!

  • Common questions--If you receive the same handful of questions day in and day out, make one dedicated TikTok to answer them! You can pin it to your profile for easy access and refer people back there as the questions continue to arise.

  • Show off your personality--People are what make this app so special. Don’t be afraid to share your real personality! Be funny, be strange, be yourself. That’s memorable! It’s easier to form a connection with a person than a product, so if you’re comfortable, share a little bit of yourself with the internet.

Thanks for reading! For more social media insights, check out my unboring email newsletter.