How to Grow Your Business on TikTok in 10 Easy Ways

Since its inception, TikTok has grown to become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world.

The app has millions of active users, making TikTok an ideal marketing platform for business owners. 

Brands yet to leverage this social site are leaving so much money on the table. 

…and we’re sure you want to avoid that. 

Being on TikTok can help you:

• Increase brand awareness
• Raise engagement
• Get more sales

Essentially, it can help you grow your business exponentially. 

How does that happen?

That’s what we discuss in this guide. The different ways you can grow your business on TikTok. 

1. Open a TikTok Business Account

Opening a business account is essential if you want to use TikTok commercially. 

Here’s how to open one:

• Download the TikTok app. 
• Sign up to register for a new account with your email address or phone number, or log in with another social media account.
• Input a username (preferably your brand’s name), upload a profile photo, and add a catchy bio.
• Head over to your profile and click on the three lines in the top right corner.

• Select Settings and privacy.

• Click on Manage account.

• Select Switch to Business Account and click Next on the page.

• Choose your category or niche and select Next 

Congratulations, your TikTok business account is live!

Creating a business account will allow you to drive traffic to your website and track the performance of your organic content or paid ads in real time.

To ensure your business takes off in the right direction, you wanna keep an eye out on what other businesses in your niche are doing. 

That takes us to our next step. 

2. Research your Competitors 

It’s essential to research your competitors on TikTok, especially those who are where you'd like to be.  You want to keep an eye on: 

• What they’re doing 
• What type of content they put out 
• Their strategy
• When they post
• Who their audience is

Why?

So you can have a good idea of what strategies you can use to grow your business on TikTok. 

More importantly, you’ll be able to identify gaps you can fill to gain a competitive edge. 

This way, when you launch your TikTok marketing campaign, you’ll have a clear direction about how to approach it. 

Now, how do you spy on your competitors? :)

• Identify who they are across different industries
• Analyze their audience 
• Observe which of their posts get more engagement
• Watch what type of comments they get on their posts

Do you want to stand out from your competitors? 

We’ve got an effective technique you wanna try.  

3. Work With Creators and Influencers 

Getting influencers/creators to endorse your brand can go a long way in helping grow your business on TikTok. 

They’re social media users with lots of followers who trust them. And, on a visual platform like TikTok, people tend to pause when they see their favorite creator while scrolling through the For You page. 

According to statistics, TikTok micro-influencers (10k-100k followers) have the highest engagement rate of 17.96% compared to other social media platforms. 

So, featuring them in your social media marketing campaigns can get TikTok users to engage with your brand.

In fact, studies show that TikTok happens to be the second most popular social network that brands use for influencer marketing. 

Now, there are two ways in which working with creators can pan out for you:

1. They can be featured in video content that you upload on your TikTok account.
2. Your creative collaborator produces a video about your brand that they’ll upload to their profile and tag you in the description. 

Both options are great and you can leverage them for your campaign. 

Here’s an example of an influencer partnership from e.l.f. Cosmetics: 

The influencer produced content, which they uploaded on their profile. And guess what?

The post got over 21k views and 1.5k likes which is pretty good, engagement-wise.  

How do you find creators to work with?

You could visit the TikTok creator marketplace or use our platform, Insense. 

Not to sound like we’re bragging, but our clients think we’re awesome.

We’ve got two ways you can get started after you’ve signed up or logged in:

1. Generate a creative brief where you’ll indicate what type of TikTok content you want and provide information about your brand. 

Then, we’ll match you with suitable creators to work with. 

2. Manually search for TikTok influencers in our creator marketplace, using different filters, such as location, gender, follower count, etc. 

4. Create Authentic Content that Converts 

You’ve heard this phrase so many times before but that’s because you must never forget it. Content is king! 

It’s how people find out just how fantastic your product is. 

And a short-form video platform like TikTok is the best way to get people to engage with your content and take action. 

The more engagement your content has, the more chances it has to be recommended by TikTok’s algorithm to new customers or users. 

So you need to produce content that users consider worthy of engagement. 

How do you create authentic content?

• Use hooks: Begin the video with a great hook that makes people watch to the end.
• Add sound effects or trending music: Music is usually appealing to viewers on TikTok. It could be the only thing that makes someone wait and watch your content. 

You can take it a step further by using trending sounds.

• Add captions: We know it’s not Instagram but that doesn’t make captions less effective. They’re calls to action that tell people what you want them to do next.

• Use the Translation feature: This is one of TikTok’s latest features that allows users from different cultures to understand and engage with your content.
• Partner with creators: Get TikTok creators to produce content for you, as they have a reputation for getting people’s trust. And we’re not just saying that!

Research shows that more than 80% of consumers rely on influencers’ content when making purchasing decisions.

If you’re wondering what the content should look like, we’ve got you covered. It can show: 

• The benefits of using your product 
• How to use it (tutorials)
• Reasons why people use it 
• How it differs from other brands 

Creating authentic content for your brand will make people more inclined to learn about your products and purchase from you.

When you notice your content is getting people’s attention organically, it’s time to scale it by running paid campaigns. 

5. Run Paid Ads

You can also launch paid marketing campaigns to get your brand in front of people other than your current followers.

This involves boosting your ad creatives to increase your reach and engagement like you would on Facebook and Instagram. 

Running paid ads can double your return on ad spend (ROAS) and generate incremental sales.

TikTok has got seven types of ads you can use for your campaign:

• TopView ad: The first video users see when they open the TikTok app. 
• In-feed ad: This ad pops up between TikTok videos on the user’s feed. 
• Collection ad: Allows users to view your product catalog on the app. 
• Spark ad: This ad type is created in partnership with influencers for more impact.
• Brand takeover ads: An ad that takes over the user’s screen and can be linked to your landing page. 
• Branded effects: Allows you to create stickers and filters for your campaign.
• Branded hashtag challenge: With this ad, you can create viral challenges your followers can jump on. 

Now, how do you run paid ads?

Step #1: Sign up on TikTok Ads Manager.

Step #2: Create an ad by selecting Create under the Campaign tab. 

Step #3: Choose the objective of the campaign.

On TikTok, this can be awareness, consideration, or conversion. 

• Awareness: Ensure more people are aware of your brand.
• Consideration: This objective helps you drive traffic to your website, video, and app installation page.
• Conversions: This will get people to take action, like buying or following, after they see your ad.

Step #4: Assign a name to your campaign and set your budget. 

The budget lets you input how much money you’re willing to spend on the campaign.

There are three budget types available:

• No limit: There will be no restrictions on ad delivery and the total budget spent will be determined by the amount set at the ad group level (we’ll look at that shortly).
• Daily budget: Here, you can set how much you want to spend on ads per day. You can set the daily budget at the campaign level.
• Lifetime budget: This is the amount you’re willing to spend during the entire duration of the ad campaign. 

Step #5: Create an ad group

This involves defining your ad placements, creative type, target audience, budget, and schedule, as well as bidding method and optimization.

Placements: Select Automatic Placements for your ads to be displayed across all the placements under TikTok Ads Manager or Select Placements if you want to personally choose where the ads are located.

Creative type: Here, you can toggle on Automated Creative Optimization if you want the system to generate different combinations of high-performing ad creatives, or manually upload your own creatives in the ad section.

Target audience: Define your target audience by choosing users based on their demographics (location, gender, age, language, interests). Here,  you can also include users who’ve engaged with your content before.

Budget & Schedule: In this section, you’ll get to set the: 

• Budget for your ad
• Start and end time of the campaign
• Specific times within the day you want the ad to run

Bidding & Optimization: Select your optimization goal,  bid strategy, and delivery type. 

Step #6: Create a new ad.

With the ad group all set up, it’s time to create your ad.  You’ll have to input the ad name and choose your ad format.

Input ad details and add the creative, the thumbnail, and the text/links to be used.

Next, you can add tracking pixels to keep track of the performance data. These pixels are snippets of code that help you get information about visitors.

Finally, click Submit to finish creating your ad. 

6. Build a Strong Brand Story

What’s the story behind your brand?

Every business has one and your audience needs to hear it. 

It can help you create a deeper connection with your consumers and give you a competitive advantage.

According to research, 55% of consumers consider purchasing from a business if they like its brand story. 

Brand storytelling humanizes the brand, making it easy for people to relate to you. 

In addition, telling your story benefits you in several ways, including:

• Raising brand awareness
• Increasing sales 
• Boosting customer loyalty
• Establishing  a connection between your brand and customers
• Raising brand favorability

To build a great brand story, you can:

• Tell the story behind your product or brand:  What was the origin story? What motivated you to create the product and introduce it to the market?

Is there a story behind the product or brand name? Perhaps there was even another name you were gonna go with at first?

• Show your results: Let people see what others have experienced since they started using your product and then narrate how it happened. 
• Introduce your brand: Do an intro video about your brand and what you stand for.  

If you’ve got multiple products, this will be a good time to get people reacquainted with them. 

• Show how your product can become a routine: Depending on the kind of product you’re selling, show how people can add your product to their daily lives.

Here’s a great example of an ecommerce brand telling its story:

In this clip, the brand owner told the story of how she started her jewelry brand and the video got over 46k likes. 

We’ve got another example from Jeneration Jewelry, where they explained how they came up with their brand name. 

While videos like this may not look salesy, they do a great job of helping you connect with your audience and that’s gonna boost sales in the long run.

7. Launch Branded Hashtag Challenges

If there’s one thing TikTok is known for, it’s the hashtag challenges where users get creative and produce content so they can participate in the challenge. 

The TikTok hashtag challenge has a 17.5% engagement rate. 

It’s a marketing strategy where brands put out content and invite users to engage with it by responding with user-generated content. 

Branded hashtag challenges help you:

• Promote your brand on TikTok
• Raise awareness
• Get visibility
• Spark engagement
• Create a full-funnel impact

Brands can decide to participate in a trending challenge or create one. 

If you decide to participate, you want to jump on a hashtag that’s related to your brand or products.

To launch a branded hashtag challenge, you need to:

• Define your goal.
• Come up with ideas for the challenge (what you want it to be about) such as dance or a lip-syncing challenge.
• Leverage the hashtag by including your brand name as part of the hashtag and adding it to your videos.
• Show your product in use when you can.
• Keep the challenge fun and simple.
• Design the hashtag challenge page.
• Be strategic with music and sounds.
• Collaborate with creators to increase engagement and co-creation rates.

A good example of a branded hashtag challenge is the #improvisewithJUKE challenge by Nissan. 

The car brand wanted to raise awareness for the Nissan JUKE, which was launching in Australia, so set out to launch a branded hashtag challenge on TikTok.  

The result?

They got about a 92.9% lift in brand awareness. Over 34k videos were created with 143.6 million views. 

8. Run Giveaway Contests

This is one event social media users look forward to and that’s because almost everyone loves freebies. 

By leveraging contest marketing, you’ll get to connect with your audience and they in turn will engage with you. 

TikTok has been thought of by users as an app that lifts their spirits. 

Also, 3 in 4 people say they’re able to openly express themselves there. 

As such, running a giveaway contest on the social platform is a good way for them to express themselves in a way that benefits your brand. 

How do you run one?

• Define the goal of your giveaway
• Select prizes for it
• Create entry rules and guidelines
• Create a landing page for the giveaway if you can
• Launch and promote the contest
• Select the winners
• Track the results

Here’s an example of a giveaway contest from LXR, a  fashion brand on TikTok:

In their video, they highlighted the entry requirements for the contest and even set a timeline for it. 

9. Leverage TikTok’s Features

Brands and users can leverage the Duet and Stitch features to facilitate engagement with each other. 

Duet lets you create a video alongside a video from another TikTok user. 

The Stitch feature, on the other hand, allows users to connect multiple videos from others to produce a new video.  

Both are great options if you want to create reaction videos, perhaps showing people using your product.

They can help you increase your reach, views, and engagement rate. 

How?

By leveraging other users’ popular videos to increase your views because the video you produce will be seen by your audience and theirs too.  

So, how do you use these TikTok features?

Find a video you’d like to Duet or Stitch and click the Share button. 

The next thing you’ll see is the menu above.  Click on either feature to get started. 

Then you just have to follow the on-screen instructions to proceed. 

Let’s see an example from McKenzi Brooke who stitched a video from Amazon Prime:

The video got about 89k likes and 213 comments. 

It was a response to Amazon’s request for people to create a reaction video. 

There’s just one more tip to help you get the ball rolling… 

10. Keep it Consistent

Growing your business on TikTok might take some time before you start seeing results. 

As such, you need to keep posting content consistently and engaging with your audience.

While you may not get the results you want immediately, showing up every day will definitely set you on the right path. 

To help you remain consistent, you want to:

• Create a content calendar showing when you should post.
• Upload between 1-4 pieces of content every day so people don’t experience ad fatigue when they visit your profile.
• Engage with your audience in the comment section too. 

Alright, let’s bring this post to an end. 

Get Started on TikTok

With all of the information provided here, you now have what it takes to get started on TikTok. 

You do, however, need to decide when you want to start so you can begin reaping the benefits. 

If you need someone to guide you through the process, feel free to book a demo with Insense. We’ve got someone waiting to assist you. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We added this section to answer questions you might have regarding business growth on TikTok. 

Q1. How can I boost my business on TikTok?

By running paid ads on the platform so you get more visibility, engagements, and sales.  

In addition, you can:

• Partner with creators and influencers
• Launch giveaway contests
• Post engaging content regularly
• Use trending hashtags and sounds
• Engage with your TikTok audience

Q2. Does TikTok help grow your business?

Yes, it does! TikTok helps business owners grow their brands by helping them:

• Reach a wide and diverse audience: Brands have the opportunity to reach different people across the world and in different industries by creating authentic content.
• Drive traffic to their website: By being active and engaging on the platform, brands can get users to visit their profile and then direct them to their website.

Q3. Is TikTok good for small businesses?

TikTok is good for small businesses because it can help them:

• Create niche communities so they can reach their target audience with ease
• Build a strong relationship with their followers by producing relatable TikTok videos
• Get discovered using TikTok’s search bar

Q4. What are some ways to grow your business on TikTok?

Brand owners have different options to choose from when trying to grow their business on TikTok, including:

• Collaborate with creators and influencers in your niche
• Run paid marketing campaigns
• Produce authentic content
• Run branded hashtag challenges