Are You Promoting Your Business on TikTok? – Part 1
Unless you’ve been living in a cave the last two years, you have to have heard of TikTok. It’s a social media platform launched in September 2016 for creating 15-second videos for sharing with followers. When it first started, it was filled with teens and 20-years-olds lip-synching or dancing. It seemed pretty childish, but more and more businesses as starting to notice. If you are looking to target the under 25 (and the average age is quickly going up), it’s a thing to consider.
You might be thinking, “Great! All I need is another social media platform for my list of platforms I don’t know how to use.” Not to worry. I’m going to review this step by step so you have the basics and can get started right away.
Who’s Using TikTok
TikTok isn’t for everybody. If your target audience is businesspeople over 50, this isn’t the place. Stick with LinkedIn and Facebook. But here are the numbers you need to know:
- TikTok has 800 million active users worldwide
- 60% of US users are between the ages of 16 and 24
- The average user spends 500 minutes each month on the TikTok app
- Nine out of 10 TikTok users access the app more than once per day
- 23% of internet users in the US have seen at least one TikTok
- TikTok is used by twice as many women in the US as men
- Businesses have spent more than $50 million on TikTok
The numbers show that the average user age on TikTok is going up. We expect to see that trend in continue 2021 and beyond.
How to Create a TikTok Business Account
Creating a business account on TikTok is easy. Download the app to your phone or tablet and follow these steps:
- Tap “Me” on the menu bar at the bottom of the page and then tap “Sign up” to connect with your mobile number or email address.
- From the “Me” menu, click the three dots at the upper right corner of the page and then tap “Manage My Account.”
- Choose “Business Account” from the “Switch to Pro Account” menu.
- Choose the business category that best describes your company.
Choosing a business category allows TikTok to provide you with customized content via its algorithm. These four easy steps will enable you to set up your TikTok business account quickly – and you’re ready to go!
Check out Part 2 of this article for examples of how businesses have successfully used TikTok and a whole lot of ideas for marketing your business on TikTok.
