TikTok as a platform for popularizing the small-sized businesses

Have you ever wondered how to popularize your brand in a free and organic way? Well, you should have some tactics in mind. Let’s talk about the role of videos in social media, specifically, TikTok. 

For instance, one of the first TikToks of The Silk Labs back in 2019, which included the sound “small business check” and showed their products, went viral. With over 670k likes and 3.6 million views -that single video helped them gain 20k followers and 200 orders overnight without a cost. 

With its active users expected to reach 1.5 billion by the end of 2022 and 100 million of them being in Europe, TikTok could, without a doubt, be a useful tool for small businesses to increase their exposure and maybe even go viral. The platform gives the creators the opportunity to reach a larger audience, thus kickstarting their sales in an organic way, without having to think about paid ads. The hashtag #smallbusiness alone has over 35 billion views. 

Of course, before trying to hashtag your way to success, you ought to develop some tactics and define a strategy that will work for your business. That being said, you should think about your core target group in order to kick things off. 

A certain group of people between the age of 18 and 40, who belong to a mix of early Gen Z and late Millennials, are currently considered to be in the so-called “active” phase of their lives. A big part of the measurable* TikTok users – around 865 million are exactly within this age range, and according to research, they are the effectively active buyers.

*TikTok doesn’t provide any information about users under 18

One of the best examples of a small business that grew rapidly with the help of TikTok is The Silk Labs, which offers hair accessories made from silk. The founder, Jenna Labiak, says that she is not just “selling” the product, but she is providing content with added value to the users, such as tutorials, business advice, behind-the-scenes, and aesthetically pleasing videos, too. The Silk Labs now has over 100k followers and 3,5 million likes on TikTok and ships its products to the USA, Canada, Australia, and most European and Asian countries. Other brands that use the platform to promote their services in an organic way are Emme Essentials, which has 60k followers and 1,8 million likes, and Browniegod, with over 500k followers and more than 15 million likes.

By taking advantage of the algorithm, which defines what you see on the platform, you can expand your customers in an organic way, without having to pay for any other services and ads, by simply uploading videos. Let’s dig a bit deeper and see how that works, shall we?

Video Ideas

First things first, when you’re a newbie small business or just new to this kind of platform, you should be very clear and transparent about what you do. Your future customers need an easy way to learn what it is that you offer exactly and how can they recognize the value of your brand. Think about making a video to introduce them to your brand and services. It is more likely people will react to something they can relate to. For example, Emme Essentials shared their story on TikTok, connecting people on a contextual topic – their childhood. 

It doesn’t matter if you own a bakery or a jewelry label, it is always a good idea to involve the user in the making process of your product so the potential customers can feel like being involved in the whole story. The process of making a video of Browniegod, where they show a step-by-step of the brownie-making process, has 1,3 million likes and over 10 million views. 

There’s so much you can do in a video and just here are just a few of an infinite pool of interesting ideas: you could try filming a “meet the team”, “tour around our office” or a “typical workday” kind of video as part of your introduction to the potential audience. This way, your content will be personalized and more intimate, which will make your engagement rates jump almost instantly! 

The main idea behind the organic TikTok advertisement is contextual targeting. This is what works best on the platform because people like to see real things which they can relate to.  Sure, you can also use paid advertising to increase your chances, but when the viewer sees how your products or services are being made or the way they could be used, they will be more likely to make a purchase. Numbers back this up and show that this kind of video material has influenced 74% of the TikTok users to look up a brand or product online and 66% of them say that the platform has helped them to decide what to buy.

Tips & Tricks

One of the best tips for being “TikTok-famous” and staying relevant is to keep up with trends. Using trending sounds and content ideas is one of the best ways to do just that. See how The Silk Labs did it by hopping on a trending topic about a TV series and including their products in the said video. And here’s a nifty tip for you:

If you run out of ideas, just check out your competitors on TikTok, and see what kind of content they are sharing, which sounds they are using, or just browse other viral videos and see what you can do to hop on a trend and connect it to your brand and your story. 

Another important thing to do is to make an effort to engage with your followers and audience. Answer the questions they ask under your videos (just like the Browniegod did and gained over 10 million views) or influence them to duet your videos with the product or services they have purchased from you. Another great idea would be to engage with other creators who may be complementary to your brand by commenting on their videos and even teaming up for a collab with them. If you see a video of a user describing or showing a problem your business can solve, just duet them and show them how you can help them.

Other important tips: 

• Don’t forget to use hashtags relevant to your brand, the industry you’re in, and anything that makes a real connection to what you are doing. Hashtags are truly useful because they allow the users to look up topics that are important or interesting to them. And that may be their key to stumbling upon you and making their first purchase.
  
  
• If you have an online shop, you should always link your products to your videos, making it easier for the users to directly get to them. Remember to make things easy and super user-friendly.
  
  
• And last but not least: be cautious about what you post, so you don’t get banned or “canceled” by the users. If you are not sure what not to upload you can always read the TikTok Community Guidelines and Terms of Service, which we’d highly encourage you to do, no matter how tempting it is to skip that part.
   
• Here are some of the most important pieces of advice: Don’t upload inappropriate videos, including nudity, harassment, aggression, or anything that promotes violence, illegal activities, and similar. Always be extra careful with controversial topics. Every person has their own mindset and way of seeing things. If you and your friends are on the same opinion about something, it doesn’t mean that all other people think the same way. 

Now after reading this article, we’re positive that you are ready to take over TikTok! Wait no more and in case you haven’t created an account yet, do it and popularize your brand and services for free. Do it consistently, hop on trends, and show real things – the results are guaranteed.