Is It Too Late to Get Started on TikTok?

Query: I really feel like I’ve waited too lengthy to get began with TikTok as a result of I didn’t initially assume it could be social community for advertising and marketing to clients, evidently’s not the case any extra and now I’m questioning is it too late for me to start out from scratch on TikTok? If not, how do I get began?

TikTok has already amassed over 100 billion energetic customers, so it’s no shock that companies of all sizes and styles have pivoted to incorporate it of their advertising and marketing technique. Analysis has discovered that TikTokers are 1.5x extra prone to instantly purchase one thing they’ve discovered by the app. So, making a TikTok account should you run a enterprise is unquestionably a good suggestion!

You might really feel such as you’re out of your aspect in terms of the platform, however all kinds of companies can thrive on TikTok. Even The Washington Publish —  a prestigious information outlet — has discovered nice success through the platform. The Publish lately made headlines when their TikTok hit 1 million subscribers.

The account first launched in Might 2019 and garnered over 280K followers inside its first six months. Initially, video producer Dave Jorgensen, who goes by “Washington Post TikTok Guy” on Twitter, was the only real creator all the TikToks, making roughly 10 movies every week. Jorgensen coated every thing from the Trump administration to COVID-19 to well being care through bitesized movies with the intent to, “ship the information in a singular manner and attain new audiences.” These TikToks packaged breaking tales in a extra palatable format for youthful generations.

The medium turned certainly one of The Publish’s quickest rising social media channels ever. The newspaper noticed worth in investing additional money and time into the app in late 2021 and created new positions for his or her TikTok account. They now have a complete group devoted to TikTok and have elevated their output from ten movies every week to releasing over 4 movies in someday. The paper’s director of Editorial Video, Micah Gelman, stated they’re increasing their TikTok, to, “… additional develop, innovate and proceed connecting with extra individuals who could not frequently eat conventional information.”

Whereas The Publish was already a longtime media big earlier than launching its TikTok, smaller companies with no prior publicity have additionally enormously benefited from the app. Jeremy Kim, cofounder of Nectar, a small enterprise promoting exhausting seltzer, spoke to Enterprise Insider in regards to the position TikTok performed of their advertising and marketing technique.

Initially, Kim was additionally anxious that he was too late to TikTok however determined to put up a narrative time video anyway, recounting how he and his accomplice began their enterprise. To Kim’s shock, the video obtained over 300K likes organically. Nectar’s on-line presence – coupled with on the bottom efforts like pop up outlets – ultimately led to the seltzer firm being acquired by BevMo. Their TikTok account now has over 50K followers and has amassed over 1,000,000 likes. Nectar proves there’s no “proper time” to start out on the app — actually anybody can succeed on TikTok.

{That a} distinguished newspaper with an older reader demographic and a small mother and pop store can each thrive on TikTok demonstrates the app is appropriate for all types of companies, irrespective of the services or products! And when you might imagine you’re late to hitch the get together, there’s nonetheless time to create a thriving TikTok presence in your model. The wonderful thing about TikTok is the simplest content material is generated organically, that means creating your movies could be finished internally and with out a big finances. As a rule, movies could be made completely in your cellphone!

Listed below are some tips to contemplate when making a TikTok in your small enterprise:

Arrange your TikTok account

Ensure you create a free enterprise account in your firm — slightly than a private TikTok — to optimize your model’s presence on the app. TikTok Enterprise launched in 2020 as a manner to supply giant and small manufacturers alike with advertising and marketing instruments and metrics to extend their attain. Enterprise accounts even have the choice to run paid advertisements. Making a enterprise account is straightforward. When you’ve answered just a few questions on your model, you’re good to start out posting movies!

A enterprise account additionally gives extra perks as nicely like entry to TikTok’s industrial music library often known as the CML, which hosts over 500 songs you should utilize in your movies royalty free.

Work out what kind of content material greatest connects along with your viewers

Now comes the enjoyable half! When you’ve arrange your model’s TikTok, you possibly can dive straight into creating content material. TikTok thrives off of creativity, so there’s no mistaken or proper reply in terms of making movies. The most well-liked TikToks are usually essentially the most genuine and unique.

Whereas it’s nice to emulate sure manufacturers, keep in mind that each enterprise is exclusive and what works for one firm will not be the best path for yours. There can be some trial and error as you determine what content material most accurately fits your target market, and that’s OK! As you begin making movies, you’ll start to grasp which kinds of materials is an effective match in your firm.

Listed below are some beginning factors when occupied with the several types of TikToks:

Share a glance behind-the-scenes

A straightforward technique to give you content material is offering a behind-the-scenes sneak peak of your small business! Not solely does this present clients with a greater understanding of your model, but it surely’s a completely natural technique to create TikToks. As an alternative of going by the additional step of making new content material, you possibly can merely spotlight the work you and your organization are already doing!

Nowhere Bakery, a vegan and gluten free bakery, frequently posts behind-the-scenes content material giving viewers a glimpse into the kitchen the place all of their cookies, brownies, and treats are made. This TikTok reveals the group baking quite a lot of desserts.

Behind-the-scenes content material can be an effective way to introduce your workers! Nowhere Bakery is a completely women-owned and operated enterprise, and so they’re capable of showcase their teammates, particularly their founder Saphira, by TikToks. By way of behind-the-scenes movies, Saphira additionally delves into the mundanities of working a bakery like on this TikTok the place she assembles dozens and dozens of cookie packing containers.

These sorts of behind-the-scenes moments can assist your viewers type a stronger connection along with your model.

Educate your clients a ability

Working your individual enterprise means you’re an knowledgeable in your discipline, so why not create easy methods to movies associated to your services or products?

Jeremy Test runs a massively profitable TikTok channel, ScheckEats the place he posts fast and straightforward recipes that includes all types of cuisines. Scheck began his account in 2020 and now has over two million TikTok followers. A pupil at Cornell College, Scheck tailors his content material for different younger adults by together with posts like recreating Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap.

What units him an element from different foodie TikTokers, nevertheless, is his “easy methods to” movies that should train faculty college students fundamental cooking expertise.

Watch as Scheck walks his followers by the method of caramelizing onions:

Right here, Scheck comes by with one other faculty hack as he teaches his followers to make espresso at dwelling, particularly chilly brew — a lifeline for many college students.

It doesn’t matter what you provide as a enterprise or creator, think about producing informational “easy methods to” movies that may be each entertaining and edifying in your viewers.

Create a sequence

Earlier than Nabela Nour turned a sensation at @nabela, the creator and entrepreneur had a YouTube channel with a comparatively giant following. However in a 2021 video, Nour addressed her absence from the platform and defined how she moved most of her content material to TikTok. Particularly, Nour began a brand new TikTok sequence titled “Pockets of Peace.” The thought for the sequence was easy: showcase the constructive moments all through her day as a technique to uplift viewers in wake of the pandemic.

Regardless of various enormously in content material, every “Pockets of Peace” video exudes calming vibes and is coupled with stress-free music. The sequence become an web sensation and Nour gained thousands and thousands of followers on her rising TikTok channel — 7 million to be actual — surpassing the variety of subscribers she’d amassed on YouTube over a number of years.

The TikToks shows Nour partaking in on a regular basis actions like a date night time together with her husband, baking a cake, and refreshing her visitor bed room.

“Pockets of Peace” frequently showcased Nour’s dwelling, particularly her kitchen and decor, connecting again to her model all alongside — particularly, her way of life and residential model Saara & Begum. Nour even included a sneak peak of her first product, a candle assortment, in certainly one of her TikToks earlier than formally launching the merchandise.

Your movies don’t should be as elaborately produced as Nour’s. So long as you’ll find a artistic theme that matches inside your manufacturers identification, making ready a sequence can result in nice materials for TikToks.

Undecided easy methods to kick off a sequence? Listed below are some prompts:

• Contain your group: Whether or not it’s your worker speaking about their specific position, discussing new product launches, and even simply introducing themselves, together with your workers is a simple technique to create content material!
• Take into consideration your mission and aim: How would you like your purchasers to really feel once they use your services or products? Attempt to see should you can seize that essence in your movies. For those who’re a candle firm whose mission is to supply aroma remedy for purchasers, you would create movies diving into the therapeutic properties of every scent. A Yoga Studio, then again, would possibly create a TikTok sequence round mindfulness, prompting customers to have interaction in meditations.
• Ask your followers what they’d wish to see: For those who’re not sure of what content material can be greatest in your sequence, you possibly can all the time use interactive options on social media to get suggestions out of your clients.

Keep constant

When you’ve landed on the content material you need to create attempt to keep as constant as doable when posting on TikTok. Frequent posts will improve engagement and assist your model turn out to be memorable to customers. TikTok’s algorithm additionally favors accounts that produce a gentle stream of content material and have established themselves as specialists inside a sure area of interest, so be sure there’s a standard theme amongst your movies.

Whereas it’s completely okay to have completely different sorts of posts in your feed, some content material will seemingly resonate extra along with your viewers. As talked about early, The Washington Publish discovered most success with its sketch-based information movies whereas Nabela Nour’s viewers flocked to her TikTok for its tranquil ambiance. As soon as you determine your area of interest, embody the related hashtags to your TikToks.

Posting persistently could be simpler stated than finished, particularly if you’re a small enterprise proprietor sporting a number of hats. Listed below are some suggestions that can assist you develop a rhythm in your account:

Make a social media calendar

Making a social media calendar can assist you keep organized and on prime of all your posts! A calendar not solely particulars how usually you’ll put up onto sure channels like TikTok, however it’ll additionally delineate the particular type of content material. Having a granular view of all your posts may even assist your social media feed turn out to be extra cohesive.

To get began, you should utilize Buffer’s social media calendar to have a simple and clear view of your content material for the week and month!

Batch create content material

When you’ve discovered your TikTok schedule, it’s time to truly make the movies! As somebody who would possibly run a enterprise, your plans are most likely all the time up within the air as you must are inclined to dozens of duties as they come up. As an alternative of looking for time to movie TikToks on a regular basis, it might be useful to dedicate particular days and even weeks to batch creating content material.

You’ll be able to block out sure days in your calendar for filming a number of TikToks without delay after which guide one other day for modifying the movies as nicely. After these classes, you’ll have created content material for a number of days, slightly than only one.

Have enjoyable and experiment!

Most significantly, keep in mind TikTok as a platform is all about having enjoyable! As you begin out in your channel, be open to attempting out quite a lot of movies and be at liberty to experiment with trending content material.

TikTok is thought for viral developments — just like the pet #blanketchallenge — and maintaining with these moments can optimize your model’s publicity. Oftentimes, companies can improve their attain by participating with trending content material.

Simply keep in mind, leaping on the bandwagon isn’t all the time a good suggestion. Although capitalizing on sure fads could assist your small business keep related, your content material ought to all the time join again to your model’s core values and supply perception to your clients.

Hopefully this answered your query and confirmed that it’s by no means too late to start out a TikTok account for your small business! Although the app could appear a bit daunting at first, TikTok is a superb advertising and marketing software that may additional your model’s attain. As soon as your account is all arrange, take a look at Buffer’s TikTok reminders the place you possibly can simply plan out your TikTok movies in a single place.

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