Looking to Boost Your Small Business’ Awareness? Look to TikTok
Small businesses should take note that TikTok is now the second most popular platform for social media influencer marketing.
So why do small businesses need to know? They can’t afford to team up with high-budget, celebrity influencers to promote their mom-and-pop shops.
While that may be true, the larger takeaway from this news is the fact that TikTok has risen in social prominence, and that it should now be considered a major player in the marketing space. Brands – both big and small – can implement campaigns on the platform using any combination of native ads, organic content and influencer posts to increase their overall awareness and entice potential customers.
Draw Viewers In
TikTok is a video medium; it attracts viewers more deeply than a picture on Instagram or a post on Twitter or LinkedIn, which don’t establish as authentic a connection between the user and the content. TikTok isn’t like that. As a video medium, TikTok can create stronger bonds between users: they can get to know you, they can experience the inside of your business through their phone. It’s much more personal.
Some of the most exciting aspects of working with influencers involves the allure associated with working with celebrity talent. But can a small business afford to recruit Nick Jonas to promote their services? Likely not. But every locality has prominent social figures that could be willing to aid small businesses that they’re passionate about. Keep in mind that when you’re working with smaller influencers it’s important to make sure that they’re able to create high-quality content; you don’t want this to backfire and end up looking like a cheesy local commercial.
While this all may sound frivolous, it’s much more likely that a social media user’s eyes will be caught by a flashy video featuring a local celebrity or influencer within your industry niche than a block of text or a motionless picture. Videos are just more interactive. And be sure to include a call to action at the end encouraging viewers to engage by liking and commenting; the more engagement you get, the more exposure it will get.
Use TikTok to Cultivate an Aesthetic
Does your business have the perfect spot for a shareable picture? Do you have a singularly unique product that young people just have to be seen holding or using? If these products and desirable aesthetics are featured heavily in your brand’s TikTok videos, consider cross-posting them or sharing similar content to other platforms like Instagram, Facebook or even Twitter. It’s all about meeting potential customers where they are. And right now, they’re on multiple platforms each day. It’s crucial for small business owners to find ways to keep their products – and the noteworthy aspects of their businesses – in front of users in as many places as possible to drive interest and awareness.
Use that to your advantage by starting with TikTok. People are chasing social media clout more and more every day. If they catch a video of you highlighting a part of your business that might help them on social media, you can be sure that they’ll want to swing by and capture the moment for the ‘gram’, or whichever visual-heavy platform is their favorite. Once their friends see that, they too will want to get over to your business for a shot of their own.
Does your business not quite lend itself to something flashy or cool for a photo, video or Boomerang? That’s okay. There’s plenty of non-product-related ways to make your business palatable on these fast-growing visual platforms. Think outside the box (as cliché as that sounds): is there anything you can do to the entrance of your business? Is there something funny or kitschy you can put right outside that people might want to take a picture with? Perhaps you can start your TikTok video outside your business and walk in, passing by your most Instagrammable items, effectively catching peoples’ eyes. There’s always an opportunity to get noticed on social media. You just need to know where to look.
Be sure to make your social media handles known so that users can tag you, further raising your profile online.
Reaching Beyond Locals is a Good Thing
TikTok’s user base is worldwide and its algorithm makes it possible for one viral video to spread to the feeds of thousands of users. There are people in every location who might see your video. Does that mean their views are useless? No. For one thing, the more that people view your video, the more circulation it will get, making it more likely that it’ll be seen by someone who lives nearby.
But that isn’t all. Making an imprint with social media can have a profound effect on your business via tourism. The perfect TikTok video with catchy phrases or audio might sit in someone’s mind for a while and, upon visiting the area where your business is located, they’ll likely make a point to swing by your business and be a part of what they saw on social media.
There are examples of social media attention inspiring action from tourists all over: from the “I love you so much” graffiti in Austin, to the rainbow bagel craze in Brooklyn. It might seem like a silly idea that a tourist would make a point to visit a business based on a TikTok video or Instagram post they saw, but it really isn’t. Young people hate missing out. They want to make sure they were there. If you share, through TikTok and other popular platforms, the remarkable aspects of your business, people will make sure to visit.
Perhaps TikTok feels like a fad for teens and tweens but, if utilized properly and with enough self-awareness, it can be leveraged to increase visibility, sales and foot traffic for small businesses just as much as it can drive similar results for big brands.
Justin Kline is co-founder of Markerly, an influencer marketing technology partner and platform working with some of the largest consumer brands in the world.
