Beginners Guide to TikTok for Small Business
I thought I would do a short video on how to use TikTok for your small business.
Watch the video below to learn how..
Or take a look below ….
As I said in my previous video, 9 Creative Ways to Promote Your Products, which you can take a look at here, it is difficult to promote decals just as they are without being applied to anything, so it is often better if you can think of different ways to show them off to your potential customers.
The same goes for other handmade products too… the amount of small businesses, all with such a diverse range of products that are smashing it on TikTok just because they get a bit creative, is amazing.
If you’re not on TikTok and you didn’t know that it’s not just for teenagers dancing, then this is your sign to check it out and see if it works for you!
I’m not an expert, but I’ve managed to grow my vinyl decal school TikTok to over 24 thousand followers this year, and that was with a long hiatus in the summer when I was busy, so I do have a few tips to share and things I’ve noticed from other small businesses that seem to do well…
Although please note some of this could change, and may have already changed, as social media algorithms adjust constantly. But most of it should stay pretty relevant no matter what happens.
#1 Take clear bright photos
When you take any kind of business photo for your website, Etsy or other social media accounts… make sure you have clear and bright videos.
I’ve noticed that whenever I do a video where the beginning isn’t lit very well and can be dark or grainy, it never performs as well as others.
#2 Try out shorter videos
Shorter videos often do a lot better… probably just because more people are likely to watch them until the end, which makes TikTok think they’re more popular and then they get pushed out to more people and the cycle continues.
#3 Mix up your content
Don’t just only show a 15-second video of your product though. Mix it up with how it’s made; how it’s applied. Make a funny observation about being a small business owner; show a day in your life; make an ASMR video. Ask people if they have questions; ask people where they’re from. Give people tips that are relevant to your niche.
All of this will encourage engagement in the comments.
You want to create something that others want to share, comment on and like - very similar to other social media platforms really.
Please though, and this may just be a pet peeve of mine, but …
#4 Avoid negative videos
Don’t make videos complaining that you haven’t had any sales, or that your business isn’t doing well to try and get sympathy or think that people will buy from you because of it.
Don’t lie and say you’re getting hundreds of sales either. I personally won’t watch a video like that all the way through and I think it’s probably the same for a lot of people.
If you had one sale that week, then be grateful for that one sale. By all means, be authentic and say owning a business is hard work because it is. But you can only sell stuff if you 100% believe in it, and I just don’t think those videos are it.
#5 Follow trends
Ultimately the main way to grow on TikTok is to try out trends and use trending sounds.
There are a number of accounts that specialise in pointing out the latest trends and they post a lot of different tips, so they’re good to follow if you come across them. Wavewyld is a good one to check out and this is the one that I look at a lot.
#6 Like & follow other accounts in your niche
To get you started, make sure you’re liking and following lots of similar small business and crafting accounts, so that TikTok know what other types of videos to show you. Then you’ll soon see which trends are doing well and are being used a lot. I tend to send them to myself and keep them saved on my phone to go back to later when I’m actually ready to create videos.
But actually, the ‘Add to Favourites’ feature on TikTok makes that a lot easier, so you could do that instead.
#7 Show your face
You don’t necessarily need to show your face, but I do think it helps if you want to try different trends. I did see an expert saying that if you start with a close-up or quick pan to a face in the first few seconds you are more likely to get people to stick around to see what you have to say.
It’s definitely worth pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to give it a try, but it’s not worth forcing it if you really don’t want to do it, as people will be able to tell you’re uncomfortable too. There are tonnes of accounts doing well that don’t show their face. It’s all about finding your niche.
#8 Be consistent
Your main goal isn’t to make your videos go viral though. Sometimes the things I see with millions of likes and views are absolutely nonsensical so there’s no predicting it… make it your goal instead to educate, entertain and inform your potential customers.
Going viral would be great, but it might mean you get 1000 sales, and then nothing else after that. So I think the key, as with most things business related, is consistency, and giving your potential customers a reason to follow you and look forward to your content.
#9 Let people know where to buy from you
Once people do start following you and liking your content, they need to know where to find your products, so you want to have a dedicated TikTok account for your business, ideally.
And you also want to have your business link in your profile so people can find you.
I think it’s still the case that you can’t add it unless you have over 1000 followers, but you should still be able to add the address or your name on Etsy in there so people can find you. And you can link to your Instagram or YouTube if you have one so they can find you there too.
The alternative is that you can switch back and forth between a business and a personal or creator account.
When you have a business account you can add your links but you can’t use a lot of the trending sounds because of copyright, so it’s not advisable really, But if you make your videos whilst set to a personal or creator account, and then switch it back to business once they’re made and posted, then you can add your links. Unfortunately, that is a faff, but hopefully only in the short term until you make it to 1000 followers.
I know this sounds like a lot of work. But actually, once you get into a habit of making and posting and seeing what does well, it becomes a lot easier.
#10 Film lots of videos at once
You can make it easier on yourself as well by filming a load of drafts at a time, and post them every day. There is a TikTok scheduler now but I haven’t used it so I can’t comment on what it’s like, but it might be worth checking out if automating everything will make it easier for you…
So I hope all of those helped!
Let me know in the comments if you have any other great TikTok tips and feel free to drop your TikTok account in there too so we can all follow each other!