Being unaware of TikTok, the brand-new social media site that Generation Z is enamored with is now all but impossible. We’ve got you covered if you’re thinking about using TikTok to expand your small business. Continue reading for the Ultimate TikTok Guide for Small Businesses in Kenya, which covers all the essentials as well as advice on how to succeed on TikTok and ideas for video content.
Ultimate TikTok Guide: What is TikTok?
Simply put, TikTok is a social media app for watching and making short videos. TikTok has been rapidly gaining popularity and bills itself as the “place for short-form mobile videos.” TikTok was the most downloaded app internationally in 2020, and as of 2021, it is the sixth-largest social network.
The best video duration for TikTok is 15 seconds, demonstrating that short-form video content will rule in 2022. Within the TikTok app, users can shoot a brief 15-second film that can last up to 60 seconds. Unsure about how to use the app to produce your own videos?
The TikTok Basics Small Businesses Need to Know
If we didn’t go over the fundamentals, it wouldn’t be an Ultimate TikTok Guide, right? Here are some fundamental phrases and features for TikTok that you should be aware of if you’re unfamiliar with the app.
FYP: FYP is TikTok’s term for “For You Page,” which is the platform’s equivalent of a “home feed.” When you first open TikTok, you will arrive at your “For You Page,” where you can start scrolling and watching videos right away. The FYP is distinctive in that you will be automatically presented with videos that TikTok believes you will like in addition to videos from the TikTok accounts you follow.
Music: TikTok isn’t the kind of software you can use without sound because the video app’s fun is greatly enhanced with music! Your favorite songs and sounds are all available in TikTok’s enormous music library, which is connected with Apple/Android Music. The audio clips that are currently trending on TikTok are those that are most popular on the app and are crucial to the platform’s growth, so keep an eye out for them.
Filters & Effects: Within the TikTok app, you can do a variety of entertaining things with your video clip. Everything from filters, graphic effects, transitions, stickers, GIFs, text overlay, and more is available within the app. Try out a few of the effects, but don’t feel obligated to use them in every video you make. Some of the most popular and trending TikToks don’t even contain any effects!
Trends & Challenges: The way the content changes on TikTok’s platform in response to current trends and problems is something special. A TikTok trend could be as simple as using a popular song and giving it your own unique spin. Additionally, there are hashtag challenges and trends for dancing. All of these share the practice of encouraging users to “copy” a trend by making a TikTok with their own spin.
Live: Nowadays, the majority of social networks include some functionality that allows users to stream live in the present. Going live on TikTok is comparable to doing so on Facebook or Instagram, although, for the time being, this option is only accessible to accounts with 1,000 subscribers or more.
Advertising: TikTok also gives businesses a range of options for social media advertising. Everything is available, including customized hashtags, challenges with branded sites, and in-feed video commercials. Due to the high cost of TikTok advertising, the majority of companies with sizable marketing budgets are currently paying to participate in the platform.
Why Small Businesses Should Care About TikTok
Due to TikTok’s reputation for having younger users, several marketers aren’t currently taking it seriously. However, TikTok is a strong platform that is gaining popularity across all demographics. Although Gen Z presently makes up the majority of TikTok’s user base, it’s vital to keep in mind that most social media sites tend to first become popular among younger people (much like Facebook and Instagram did!).
The popularity of short-form video content is rising on all platforms, in addition to the platform itself. Today’s consumers adore video; in fact, they watch an average of 16 hours of it each week!
Additionally, 86% of customers reportedly want to see more video content from firms. Tools like Boosted or Canva may assist you in producing expert films to expand your brand on TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms if you are unsure of where to begin when creating video content for your small business.
It’s crucial for your small business to produce more video content, but it’s also crucial to be concerned about TikTok as a platform, whether you’re producing or watching videos on it. Even if you prefer to develop and edit video content outside of the TikTok app, it’s still crucial for your business to be aware of what’s popular. TikTok sets many trends for the kind of video content that people appreciate.
Small Business Guide: How to Get Started on TikTok
We’ve got you covered if you’re aware of TikTok’s benefits for small company owners but aren’t sure where to start. To get your small business launched on the platform, follow these seven easy steps.
1. Create an account: Download the TikTok app from the Google Play or Apple App Store. Install the app, choose a sign-up option, and create an account.
2. Complete your profile: Just like other apps, TikTok profiles are easy to set up. You should think of a username, upload a profile picture, and write a succinct bio. Remember that the biofield on TikTok is limited to 80 characters.
3. Link to other social media: If you want to use TikTok to expand your small business, it’s crucial to link your other social media profiles, some of which you may be more active. Within the TikTok app, connecting to your Instagram is simple. By doing this, you give customers another simple option to interact with your brand.
4. View videos on TikTok: this platform has a huge variety of videos! Watching a lot of videos is one of the easiest and most effective ways to launch your small business on TikTok. The greatest approach to discovering how users are interacting with and enjoying the app is through this. Check out #smallbusinesscheck, #smallbusinessowner, and #smallbusinesske to see what other small business owners are posting online.
5. Follow a few accounts: You should start following a few accounts when you are watching some TikTok videos. Find some of the social media contacts you’ve made on other platforms and put some effort into following them on TikTok as well. Try to follow accounts in your niche as well.
6. Participate in videos: After you begin following accounts, it’s crucial to participate in videos that appear on your FYP. TikTok will start to learn what kind of stuff you like watching if you like and comment on videos. The TikTok experience will then become even more distinctive, customized to you, and pleasant as the platform starts displaying even more content that you are interested in!
7. Make your first TikTok! And finally, it’s time to actually create your first TikTok video after creating your profile, seeing a number of videos, and participating on the platform. It doesn’t have to be flawless, so don’t worry. Remember that you can upload video content made outside of the TikTok app if you are having problems understanding how to record and edit films inside of the app (it can be tricky!). You can make professional TikTok movies in just a few minutes with Canva’s extensive library of video templates.
Tips & Tricks for Small Businesses to Succeed on TikTok
Without including all of our favorite advice on how small businesses can prosper on TikTok, it wouldn’t be the Ultimate TikTok Guide for Small Businesses. Learn a few essential tactics to help you improve the visibility of your small business on TikTok by reading on.
Cross-Promote Socials: The majority of the time, you can’t link your website to your TikTok profile, but you may (and should!) cross-promote your other social media profiles that do bring visitors to your website. By connecting it to your profile or including your IG handle at the end of your TikTok videos, you can effortlessly advertise your Instagram on both platforms.
Post Often: While some TikTok videos become instantly popular, building a solid presence on the platform for your small business may require a lot of effort. To support the expansion and success of your small business on TikTok, it’s crucial to upload frequently.
Find a Niche: On TikTok, niche content does incredibly well. Consider what user-focused niches other users are focusing on when you watch videos and start formulating ideas for your own niche’s content.
Get Good Lighting: On TikTok, videos don’t need to be flawless! Users demand and expect videos that are real and appear to have been made by regular people. Nevertheless, having decent lighting and overall video quality is crucial for your films.
Use Trending Sounds: Utilizing a popular sound in your TikTok videos will enhance the likelihood that more people will see them on FYP. To add a sound to any video you’re viewing, simply save the song playing in it. Alternatively, you can search TikTok’s playlists for popular sounds to add to your video.
Be Authentic: While customers might desire more video content from brands, especially on TikTok, they don’t want any salesy videos! Make sure your content is relatable, be genuine, and refrain from producing videos that appear to be commercials.
Engage Frequently: Finally, don’t forget to communicate frequently. After all, TikTok is a social network! Engaging with content you enjoy is a terrific way to interact with others and expand your own network in addition to further customizing your FYP. Most importantly, make sure to like and reply to comments made on your videos for small businesses.
29 TikTok Video Ideas for Small Businesses
It’s time to start creating now that you are familiar with the fundamentals of TikTok and all the secrets and suggestions your small business will require to succeed on TikTok. As we’ve already discussed, it’s a terrific idea for you to identify a specialty for your TikTok posts. There are a ton of small company owners on TikTok, and some of their most popular trending videos are quite straightforward TikToks that demonstrate what it’s like to run a small business in the background.
We’ve put together a fantastic collection of questions or thought starters for you to use as you start coming up with ideas for video content to make and upload on the TikTok account of your small business.
Who:
– Who are you?
– Who works with you?
– Where do you work? (Show off your workspace!)
– Why did you launch your small business?
– Why are you so passionate about what you do?
What:
– What is your small business?
– What are your products/services?
– What are your most popular products/services?
– What does a day in your life as a business owner look like?
– What does your inventory look like?
– What does it take to run your business?
– What are some lessons you’ve learned along the way?
– What are the tools you use to run your small business?
How:
– How did you start your business?
– How do you make your products/services?
– How do you package your products/services?
– How do you manage inventory?
– How do you market your services?
– How do you run your small business?
We sincerely hope that our comprehensive TikTok guide for small businesses was useful. Learning the ins and outs of a brand-new social media platform can seem intimidating, but once you’ve mastered the fundamentals, explored all of TikTok’s fantastic features, and produced a few videos to help your small business, it won’t seem as challenging. Check out Becor Designs if you need assistance producing video material to promote on TikTok (or any other social media platform!).