Your business may not have a product to sell, but that does not mean it can’t take advantage of TikTok’s impact in the social media marketing space. Launched in 2016, TikTok is one of today’s most popular social media networks and was the No. 1 downloaded social media platform in 2021. So much more than just kids dancing on the internet, TikTok is popular among B2C businesses, but the platform has been also gaining traction as a useful tool for B2B companies to raise awareness about their brand and improve engagement with new and existing customers.
The key is to be relatable. Companies like Semrush, Canva and Grammarly use TikTok to appeal to their target audience by showing the human side of their business. These brands have found success on the platform by creating content that builds meaningful connections with their audience through relatability while also educating their audience and positioning themselves as a credible resource their audience can trust.
You’re probably thinking, “that’s great information, but how can my business show up on the platform? How can I create content to connect with my audience in a meaningful way that will benefit my business?” Glad you asked. Here are some of the ways you can use these TikTok tools to make your B2B business more visible on this popular social media platform.
Best Tools for TikTok #1: Influencer Marketing
If there’s one thing that can be said about the age of social media, it’s that brands have grown more willing to trust influencers as brand ambassadors. TikTok also offers a huge opportunity for brands to promote their businesses with influencers. Influencers already have a strong brand presence and have built trust with their audience. Because of this, working with an influencer to build your brand’s credibility can be achieved in a shorter amount of time than organic posting. This is a tool to look into if you are new to the TikTok community and have the budget to develop an influencer marketing campaign. For brands working with limited budgets, there is also an option on the TikTok platform to contact influencers directly to negotiate pricing or partner with active users of your brand. Many B2B businesses like Canva and Grammarly use influencer marketing with great success on their TikTok accounts.
Best Tools for TikTok #2: Paid Advertisements
If you’d like a more direct approach to promoting your brand on TikTok without having to rely on influencer marketing alone (or anything else), then consider paid ads. TikTok is a great place to run targeted ads and gives you more control over who sees your content and how often they see it. Paid ad placement also allows businesses without a large following to get in front of more members of their target audience and increase audience growth organically over time. Similar to influencer marketing, there first must be an established budget to use for ad spending. Start small and increase your budget as you improve your paid advertising strategy.
Best Tools for TikTok #3: Organic Content
What if you have a limited budget? Just create organic content. Hire a videographer or pull out your phone and start creating the content yourself! While creating content for TikTok may seem like a daunting task, self-created organic content could be a great place to start testing the platform for your business before making a large investment. Do not be afraid to test your content ideas and see if you can find a formula that works for your business. Consider hiring an agency to build on that formula or help you create new ones. When it comes to gaining new followers on TikTok, even if they don’t immediately deliver a solid return on investment, customers can still engage with your brand by watching more video content from you in the future. Organic content gives companies an opportunity for long-term growth without having the pressure of immediate results — something not common among other social media platforms like Instagram, where there are many competitors vying for attention from users each day!
Building a social media strategy for TikTok is similar to doing so for other social media platforms. Consider your target audience and be able to answer questions such as:
- Who are you posting content for?
- What reaction do you want them to have to your business?
- How does this platform fit into your company’s overarching social media goal?
Like many other social media platforms, Tiktok can be used to promote your business and connect with your audience. The short-form video hosting platform has become an important platform for social media marketing that B2B companies should consider investing in. For brands looking for a unique way to expand their reach, TikTok may be the right social platform. The platform is still in a rapid growth phase and offers various opportunities B2B businesses can use to connect with their audiences. If your business is just getting started with social media marketing or is looking for a wonderful way to increase your brand awareness, let us know how we can help you take advantage of the TikTok tools highlighted in this blog or any of the other social media marketing platforms.
