How to Use TikTok to Help Small Businesses Thrive
When I meet small business owners for the first time, I often ask them to tell me what they think they know about TikTok.
Previously the answers were about dancing and lipsyncing, but in the past 12 months that's changed dramatically. Now, I'm starting to hear more about the potential for new products to go viral overnight, our impact on culture and a diversifying audience base.
In just under three years, TikTok has grown into a hub of creativity and joy, where more than 100 million people across Europe come together to riff on, and start, new explosive trends, from sea shanties to feta pasta.
What really draws people to TikTok is entertainment and the ability for people to easily express their creativity using an array of in-app creative tools. Because of the way our platform serves up content - based on what you like versus who you follow - makes it a unique destination of discovery for creators and brands alike.
So what does that mean for businesses, especially those are starting out and looking to supercharge their brands from day one?
First of all, you don't need to be a big name brand to find success on TikTok as our community prizes individuality above all else and responds well to content that isn't overly polished.
Secondly, the low barrier to entry means that any entrepreneur with a new idea or a product can get started on TikTok quickly and create authentic content that has the power to turn a niche business idea into a viral sensation that has real impact on sales. This is what makes TikTok a brilliant place for upstarts in any sector to drum up excitement about their businesses in a genuinely joyful and engaging way.
Growth of the small business community on TikTok
TikTok has grown into an unofficial channel of choice for SMBs, many of whom have seen marked growth on the platform. The small business community supports itself through hashtags such as #SmallBusinessCheck and #UKSmallBusiness, with many also using the #LearnOnTikTok hashtag to share relevant educational content about how to build a brand.
Brands you might not have expected to find on TikTok are making a home for themselves, from eco-entrepreneurs such as Glasgow-based water filtration brand Phox Water to cloud business management solutions Sage, which whilst not an SMB itself is running campaigns that speak directly to small business owners because it sees that SMBs are reaching new audiences through TikTok.
One great example of an entrepreneurial thinker turning their side hustle into a fully-fledged career through TikTok is Partner in Wine. Founder Lucy Hitchcock was inspired to start her insulated wine bottle business after a socially-distanced drink with her best friend in the park exposed a gap in the market. Since starting her business, she has consistently posted creative, real-life content on TikTok. March 2021 was a record-breaking month for sales after she shared her unfiltered business story on the platfform. The instant viral sensation got half a million views in 12 hours and saw an item selling every two minutes. Sales increased by 1,700 percent in a single day, which has turned into sustained five-digit revenue every month. Soon after, Partner in Wine confirmed the iconic retailer Selfridges as its very first stockist and is due to make its debut into another high street store soon.
Lucy's inspirational story and phenomenal growth in less than a year shows that brands can play an important part in the TikTok experience, which lends itself particularly well to new businesses that are starting out and want reach scale quickly. Whether starting trends, connecting communities, or bringing awareness to critical issues, they are building authentic fans on the foundation of shared joy. From a creative perspective, any brand can themselves open up and play to the passions of the community to build it with them right from the start of their journey.
How can an SMB get set up on TikTok?
Although bringing your brand onto TikTok may seem daunting at first, luckily it's a well-trodden path. It's important to remember that content, culture and creativity sit at the heart of everything we do on TikTok. Some top tips for getting your business set-up on TikTok include:
Get inspired
Once your account is set-up, start scrolling through the For You feed (a stream of videos curated to you) to get a feel for the platform. Try searching for hashtags like #entrepreneur, #smallbusiness and #smallbusinesscheck for some inspiration.
Start experimenting
Once you're ready to post your first video, your content should be authentic and fun. without being too salesy. Try to grab the viewer’s attention quickly and within the first few seconds, show them the human side of your business, letting your personality shine through. Finding ways to riff on popular trends and hashtag challenges such as #PackingOrders, where businesses take us behind the scenes, is a great way to get involved to keep your content fresh and reach new audiences. The joy of TikTok is that trends can often be quite unexpected, so scroll through the 'Discover' page, where you can find all of TikTok's trending hashtags, to keep your finger on the pulse.
Content is king
TikTok shows people content based on what they like rather than who they follow, which means the platform rewards and recognises creative content, giving anyone the opportunity to go viral without a single follower. For example, Georgina Robertson, who has a handmade candle and soap business, Ivy & Twine, started using TikTok to tell the story of how her candles are made, with one of her early posts going viral and racking up 6.5 million views. She now has over 124K followers and is shipping her candles all over the world.
Collaborate with creators
SMBs can also promote their business on TikTok by partnering with creators who have built an audience around a specific theme or subculture. Creators on TikTok come from all walks of life and not only can they help expand your reach and amplify your message, but also build your brand. Top creator talent can be found in TikTok’s Creator Marketplace, a tool to connect businesses with relevant creators based on their goals.
Explore TikTok’s advertising options
Our TikTok For Business platform offers several different advertising formats and targeting options to get your product or service in front of the right people. To begin creating ads on TikTok, you can sign up for a TikTok For Business account on our dedicated small business hub. The SMB Hub provides provides simple, cost-effective advice to help entrepreneurs attract new customers and retain existing ones, while a new marketing guide is filled with tips and guidance for getting set up and creating content on TikTok.
Scale with TikTok
For brands looking to really scale their business, TikTok has a number of tools to support SMBs. As well as the Small Business Hubs, SMBs will have the chance to use the TikTok Ads Manager which offers easy-to-use tools to create and manage ads on TikTok to reach target audiences online and then convert that into real sales. Earlier this year, TikTok also announced a partnership with Shopify, to help its merchants create and run ad campaigns directly geared to towards the highly engaged TikTok community. Growing jewellery brand Omolola Jewellery took advantage of this partnership and saw sales increase by 335%.
Whether you're an entrepreneur just at the beginning of your journey or a fully-fledged small business looking to grow further, TikTok is a place where all kinds of businesses and brands can flourish and find an audience. We hope that small business owners feel as though they can become a part of the conversation on TikTok and share the highs, and lows, of starting a business whilst keeping it creative and inspiring. TikTok presents a huge opportunity for small businesses, with early adopters already seeing amazing results, which we expect to continue in the long-term.
By Lisa Friedrich, Head of SMB at TikTok
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