Whether you are privy to the occasional browse, totally addicted to it or outright against it, there’s no escaping social media. Times have changed over the years and, perhaps more recently, social media has taken leaps to solidify itself in our everyday life.
Regardless of if your business has been around for days, weeks, months or even years, you need exposure to keep doing what you’re doing. With the appearance of social media, businesses were given new ways to interact with their consumers and exciting fresh avenues to reach new markets in a cost-effective way.
Now, there’s no denying that the past 15 months have been strange and there’s been a mix of being unable to go outside and, honestly, just not wanting to. We get it, sometimes we all need a day to shut off but the joy of it is that we’ve all been in the same boat and have turned to the plethora of social media options to pass the time.
On the other end of the stick, we’ve seen the rise of the self-starter and entrepreneur alike. Let’s be real, the choice to start a new business venture during a global pandemic is a bold and risky move but, in a time of ever-changing trends and ways to connect with each other you have to ask; how are small businesses marketing on TikTok?
How TikTok is Changing Marketing
So you’ve started a new business and now you need customers. Luckily for you, there’s a worldwide sensation in the social media game and its name is TikTok.
Just how big is the platform? First launched in 2016 for the Chinese market as a way for its users to make short-form videos, TikTok quickly grew to be the massive influence it is today. In 2017, TikTok was launched for iOS and Android devices in most markets outside of mainland China and within 3 years of its expanded release, amassed an astounding 800 million active users; a figure that took one of its rivals, Facebook, 7 years to achieve.
As if you needed more evidence as to how prolific this giant is, in 2020 the app was downloaded over 300 million times in the first three months and continues to grow to this day.
Let’s get back to business
Small businesses utilizing TikTok were given access to increasingly large audiences and an almost free way of attracting new markets. By employing the use of hashtags, users were able to get their message to a wider range of consumers and make sure their message was being heard.
Such an extensive range means that any strategy could perform on its own with minimal need for interference from the creator at all.
But how can I use TikTok for marketing?
In October 2020, TikTok announced a global partnership with Shopify, a platform to help creators set up their own online store. With this partnership came new tools to help independent businesses grow at their own pace whilst still utilising their own creativity and not drawing away from the main purpose of the platform. The features for Shopify merchants with their stores synced through TikTok allowed them to monitor and track conversations regarding their product, create campaigns, track performance within their target audience and users overall, and create shareable ads to draw in more potential buyers.
If that wasn’t enough to sway you then there was also the offer of $300 ad credit to jumpstart your first ad campaign.
Also Read: How to get more Facebook reviews for your business.
Further progression was made with the Shopify link just this week with the addition of in-app purchases. Rather than just being a way to make consumers aware of the products you offer, the functionality grew and bridged the gap between just being aware that a product existed and being a fully-fledged customer.
The mantra from TikTok for its business users is to make a connection with their audience, and there’s no arguing that there are plenty of opportunities to do so. You have your own freedom and almost unlimited interaction with your viewers as well as an enormous reach to reach new markets at the same time.
So, just how effective is a TikTok marketing strategy?
In February 2021, TikTok hosted the #ForYouSummit, and, according to data shared at this event, 67% of users agreed that the platform inspired them to shop even when they weren’t actively seeking to do so.
74% of users say that the platform inspired them to find out more about a product or a brand and 66% of users say that TikTok helped them decide what to buy.
Also Read: How to create your own LinkTree page on your website.
It’s safe to say that TikTok makes a lasting impression on its users and this is evidenced by the #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt hashtag garnering 4.7 billion views as of today’s date and the #SmallBusiness hashtag having 36 billion views respectively.
Don’t worry though, it’s not all about hashtags; TikToker Nathan Apodaca created a viral skateboarding video using the song “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac, causing this some 43-year-old song to reach #2 on the Rolling Stone’s top 100 chart and an influx of creators to post their videos with this as a backing track. There are never-ending possibilities to what you can do and, as we’ve proven, plenty of ways to get yourself out there.
How to develop a TikTok marketing strategy
There’s a wide and diverse amount of options out there for you to market your business but nobody can argue that TikTok is quickly becoming one of the biggest and most cost-effective. There’s an abundance of tools within the platform that are designed specifically to help your business grow and after all, who wouldn’t want to utilise a space with over 1 billion videos viewed per day?
So, if you need a hand or just want to talk about your options in more depth then get in touch with the Suki Marketing team today to find out how we can help you grow your business using TikTok!
