You might not be familiar with TikTok, or maybe you are but you aren’t sure if it’s right for your business. In this blog post, we discuss what TikTok is, how it works and why it might actually be a good platform to promote your brand.

Let’s start with the basics… What Is TikTok?

Tips for Advertising On TikTok and How to use TikTok

TikTok is a social media app that lets you share short videos with others. Once you have set up your account, you can upload your own videos, or create them using the app.

You can also follow other users and interact with them by liking their videos, commenting on them, or sending them messages.

TikTok was created by the Chinese company ByteDance in 2017 and the app has been downloaded more than 1 billion times worldwide. The app has gained popularity over the past few years and has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world.

Who uses TikTok?

With over 500 million active monthly users, there’s no particular persona that predominantly uses the app, although it is especially popular among teens and young adults because it makes it easy for people to share their lives with friends in an entertaining way.

This has led to a perception among business owners that TikTok isn’t the right platform for them unless their target audience is the younger generation.

In reality, TikTok is being used more and more by older generations (from mid-twenties upward) and there is a growing number of brands that are using TikTok to increase brand awareness.

Is TikTok right for my business?

Deciding if TikTok is a good platform for you depends on your industry and what you offer - or, put another way, who your target audience is and what you sell.

As TikTok continues to grow, however, people of various ages and backgrounds will become TikTok users, making it a more attractive platform for social media marketing.

One area TikTok has been focusing on recently is eCommerce and the idea that a business can do a short video of a product and then sell it through TikTok.

As eCommerce website designers, we recommend that any UK-based eCommerce business should adopt TikTok to promote their products and services.

TikTok is building a reputation as the platform that gets the highest visibility of posts organically (compared, for example to Instagram and Facebook which require money to be spent on advertising if you want to reach any decent number of potential customers).

This, added to the latest functionality for eCommerce businesses makes TikTok a very attractive tool for promoting eCommerce websites.

Concerns using TikTok

You might have concerns about using TikTok. Let’s quickly address the three biggest concerns that we come across regularly:

I don’t like creating videos:

One great thing about TikTok is that the app has a range of editing features. You don’t need expensive recording equipment to record a TikTok video. Simply record a video using your phone and then add filters, backgrounds and other clever extras (including music), trim the video if you need to, and you are ready to post!

I need help using TikTok:

The social platform is relatively easy to use, but we understand your concern. Although we are custom website and eCommerce website designers, we also provide support for social media marketing. If you need training or hands-on support, get in touch with our website designers in Wiltshire

I’m concerned about TikToks privacy:

This should not be a concern that’s specific to TikTok. Unfortunately, there are always concerns about sharing your data with any social media platform. Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn use your data for various reasons, such as to help businesses do better marketing, and this is the same for TikTok. We understand there might be concerns with the app being from China, and that’s something to be wary about - but not something that should stop you from setting up a TikTok profile. As with most socials online, you do need to have your eyes wide open to accept that you are the product!

Ready to use TikTok for your business? 

Hopefully, you have found our blog post on how to use TikTok insightful and useful.

If you are considering TikTok for your business and have questions, do get in touch with our website designers. We would love to hear from you.