Establishing your small business is no easy feat in today’s marketplace. With an ecosystem of entrepreneurs and companies vying to stake their claim on limited consumer attention, it can be a challenge to set your brand apart from the competition.
One of the most fail-safe ways to approach establishing your presence is to create a space for your business in a location that your target audience resides. Namely, TikTok has become one of the fastest growing platforms for creating brand identity and fostering customer loyalty.
Throughout this article, you will discover the value of this social platform as an advertising vessel, as well as how to grow and develop your TikTok small business account to drive conversions.
The value of TikTok
With a staggering monthly usership of over 1.12 billion users, TikTok has become synonymous with social marketing. Many brands that seek to establish a presence online add TikTok to their marketing strategy.
The platform’s vast audience offers businesses a prime opportunity to differentiate themselves from competitors. It helps attract target audiences using creative, shareable video content.
TikTok helps businesses to garner heightened exposure by offering a centralized ad manager system. It also enables them to acquire new leads, retain existing customers and implement scalable brand recognition strategies.
TikTok benefits for small businesses
Here are the six top benefits of TikTok for small businesses:
- Massive organic reach: TikTok’s algorithm favors discovery, meaning even small accounts can go viral with the right content.
- High engagement rates: With users spending 24+ hours a month on the app, TikTok boasts the highest engagement rate of any social platform.
- Direct access to Gen Z & millennials: TikTok is where younger audiences hang out, making it the perfect space to build loyalty and community with future-focused consumers.
- Authentic brand personality: Short-form video gives brands a chance to show up as real, relatable, and human, which is something audiences love. Here’s what that might mean to you and your audience based on academic literature:
- Budget-friendly ads: You can launch effective campaigns without breaking the bank, starting as low as $0.02 per click.
- Versatile and re-purposable content: TikTok can easily be reused across Instagram, emails, websites, and more.
How TikTok helps businesses
The platform, hands down, is widely known for its comedic videos and viral challenges. However, it has also become a valuable source of inspiration for users in search of new businesses with a unique selling point.
81% of users admitted that TikTok inspires them to shop. This often happens regardless of whether they had any initial purchasing intention when navigating the app.
When you consider this figure in conjunction with the platform’s average daily usership of 30.8 million (only via iOS), the potential sales opportunity for your business becomes abundantly clear.
However, you may now be asking, is TikTok good for small business? Currently, the hashtag #SmallBusiness has 33 million posts, which shows the platform’s position as a viable launch pad for your brand.
These instances are also insights into how search intent, added to TikTok’s comprehensive marketing features, makes having a TikTok small business account a non-negotiable factor of your lead generation strategy.
TikTok tips for small businesses
The next question is how you can leverage your originality in order to stand out on TikTok?
Let’s take a closer look at these nine suggestions for conquering the algorithm:
1. Build a Lead Generation Strategy
Social media is great for finding interested leads. However, to do so, your advertising component requires an actionable and scalable lead generation strategy. It all comes down to how attractive your content is and whether it can transform momentary user interest into a prospect.
Some important factors that any video content for a TikTok small business account must have include:
- Encouraging viewers to further interact with your brand in some form, such as subscribing to your newsletter or signing up to the emailing list.
- Having incentives, including offers of an introductory discount or free shipping.
- Great quality, storytelling and originality even if it is following a trend.
You can simplify this process as our TikTok Lead Generation. These integrations help you serve in-platform signup forms and collect valuable customer data.
Here are some of our most popular integrations for TikTok Lead Generation:
2. Share your brand story
Despite the fast pace and revolving door of the digital age we are living in, consumers still crave meaningful connections with the brands they buy from. The value of a product is enhanced by the story that surrounds it, and a deeper insight into those who have created it.
Businesses have reported a substantial increase in conversions after implementing storytelling in their marketing. In a study, narrative segmentation for email campaigns achieved a 41% boost in click-through rates and a 23% rise in conversions.
This approach gives way to a more well-rounded view of your offering. It also develops a relationship of trust between your business and its end user. So, adopting video content that highlights your brand’s origin and value is an important factor in TikTok marketing for small businesses.
Brand storytelling can include:
- Interviews with team members about why they love the business
- Short explainer videos on how your product is made
- Videos of customers using your product or receiving your service
3. Partner with creatives and influencers
There are more than 100,000 credible influencers on TikTok, who consider this platform their primary job. These accounts have established a trusted fan base and hold demonstrated power of influence over customer decision making.
That’s why engaging in partnerships with these creators can increase your reach, strengthen brand awareness and drive conversions.
TikTok’s built-in Creator Marketplace grants access to a diverse pool of content creators and influencers that you can team-up with for specific campaigns.
When selecting which creators to connect with, it is imperative to consider the similarities between their existing audience and your targeted one.
Additionally, not all influencers need to boast a following of millions in order to be effective in generating campaign results. Micro-influencers can be extremely beneficial to your lead generation. They typically have a niche following of loyal users who genuinely value their opinion.
4. Use TikTok ads
TikTok offers its own ad creation tool much like every other popular social media channel. These ads can help to expand your reach and target your ideal audience in a relatively inexpensive manner.
You can use specific targeting filters, including age, gender, location and interests. Precise segmentation allows you to hit advertising targets by presenting your content to the right audience.
Depending on your specific campaign goals, available ad types include:
- In-feed ads
- TopView
- Branded Mission
- Spark Ads
- Promote
LeadsBridge offers TikTok integrations that let you connect the tools you use everyday with this platform. Creating a data bridge between TikTok and your CRM allows you to organize your incoming leads and make the best use of opportunities.
For example, TikTok Custom Audiences integrations furnish the platform with data that help reach users who have previously engaged with your brand elsewhere.
5. Start a hashtag challenge
Branded hashtag challenges are one of the most popular features of TikTok marketing for small businesses. This tactic makes it simple for your business to integrate itself into the platform’s culture whilst simultaneously amplifying interaction.
This creation of user-generated content affords your business the opportunity to connect with your audience. This is while collecting content that can be leveraged across multiple other platforms and campaigns.
6. How-to videos
Educating followers is a clever way to showcase your expertise and boost brand authority within your industry.
Creating simple how-to videos is the most simple, yet effective, way to go about it. And you can make the most out of these videos by sticking to the best time to post on TikTok!
Start by selecting a pain point your audience may have to address and demonstrate how they can remedy this in a short series of steps. The more creative these videos are, the more their shareability will increase.
7. Share case studies and testimonials
Customer testimonials are a powerful marketing tactic. In SaaS, 63% of buyers say reviews influence their decisions while 95% of ecommerce leads state the same.
Create video content of customers discussing their experience with your company. Reviewing your products or services can boost engagement on your TikTok small business account and drive conversions.
This can increase your brand’s social proof and reinforce trust in your business. Content like this can really encourage those leads who are interested but have not committed to a decision to move forward with a purchase.
8. Show before and after shots
Before and after transition videos are particularly popular on TikTok. These are short-form video formats that showcase quick positives that prospective customers can achieve for themselves.
This type of content piques interest and people feel compelled to remain for the short period of time remaining in order to witness the end result. The #beforeandafter hashtag currently has a solid standing on the TikTok.
9. Go behind-the-scenes
Customers relish the opportunity to secure an exclusive look into the inner workings of a business. That’s why behind-the-scenes content rarely fails to capture attention.
Users will appreciate your willingness to show the more “unpolished” version of your brand, fostering a perception of authenticity.
To create this content, you may consider:
- How you overcame this or insight into the production of your product.
- Sharing footage from the office
- Stories of when your business experienced failure
Tips to leverage TikTok ads for small businesses
Now, let’s go through a few practical tips to help small businesses get the most out of TikTok Ads:
Start with a strong hook (first 3 seconds)
Let’s just say TikTok’s scroll behavior lacks patience. Your ad needs to earn attention immediately. Best practices include leading with a visual trigger, an unexpected question, or a bold statement.
For instance, B2C brands often see success opening with a close-up of the product in use or a problem scenario (“Tired of wasting hours on meal prep?”). Keep it tight, snappy, and benefit-driven.
Use native, lo-fi style content
Ads that look like organic content shot vertically, on a phone, with casual editing. These content forms tend to outperform high-production spots.
Many small brands find success simply repurposing creator UGC or filming product demos in real-life settings. A good rule of thumb is less “ad creative” and more “storytime from a friend.”
Tap into trends and sounds
Strategic use of trending sounds or formats can extend reach and relevance. Use TikTok trends that focus on those that align with your audience and message.
For example, pairing a trending audio loop with a quick “before and after” transformation (cleaning, beauty, DIY) is a proven formula across industries.
Target smart, not broad
TikTok’s ad manager allows for precise targeting so use these tools to refine your audiences. Layering in custom audiences or lookalikes from CRM data is a great practice.
For instance, a niche ecommerce brand might target “sustainability” and “home decor” interests combined with past website visitors.
Test Spark Ads to amplify your organic wins
Spark Ads let you boost existing organic posts (yours or a creator’s) with full ad capabilities. This means comments, likes, and shares stay visible, building credibility.
A good approach here is to identify high-performing UGC or educational content, then Spark it with a strong CTA and conversion tracking.
Use direct CTAs
TikTok users need clarity. Use on-screen text and voice overs to guide action. Your target conversion may be “Tap to shop,” “Download the guide,” or “Get your free trial.”
Including incentives (“Free shipping today only”) or time sensitivity drives urgency. Clear CTA framing boosts click-throughs, especially when repeated at the end of the video.
Keep it short and focused
TikTok allows videos up to 10 minutes, but your content should ideally stay under 30 seconds. The highest-performing videos often make their pitch in under 15. Focus on one key message per ad like showcasing a feature, solving a pain point, or highlighting a deal.
Staying up-to-date with TikTok and its ecosystem
No matter if you’re running high-volume campaigns or testing new ground on TikTok, you need to know how the market is reacting within and outside of the platform. Staying connected and streamlined matters more than ever, especially with all the recent buzz around potential bans.
As an official TikTok Partner, LeadsBridge is here to keep your lead flow steady and your data where it belongs and get the latest news to you.
So, is TikTok banned in the US? Get the latest updates here.
How to target the right audience for your TikTok small business account
Quality content is an integral part of any successful lead generation campaign. However, your content is only truly valuable when it is being presented to the correct audience. This is why it is imperative to ensure your targeting strategies are actionable, well thought-out and insightful.
You want to make sure your targeting strategies are actionable, well thought-out and insightful. Who is my target audience and what factors define them? The answer should include their needs, interests or pain points.
Once you have established these characteristics, you can begin to use your content to connect with specific user groups and subcultures. It’s about connecting to users who have values and ideas that are aligned with that of your brand.
This approach enables you to develop relationships that go beyond the demographics of location, age group, etc.
Let’s explore three of the following targeting options available within the ads manager of your TikTok small business account:
1. Demographics
Demographic targeting is about focusing your advertising on the right users based on specific characteristics ( age, gender, location, language, etc). You can do this in the TikTok ads manager.
2. Interests and behaviors
Content can be geared toward target audiences based on their behavior on TikTok. Ask yourself:
- What type of videos do they typically consume?
- Which profiles do they visit most frequently?
- What sort of content prompts them to leave comments?
Narrowing these actions down will allow your business to determine which audiences have an increased likelihood of completing a purchase. The aim here is to deliver content to users who are consistently in search of and engaged by those types of videos.
3. Device
TikTok ads manager allows you to target leads based upon their device specifications. This feature helps you further define your ideal audience.
Device targeting options include device model, carrier, operating system and the system version. This particular targeting option is especially useful for businesses operating within the electronics and gaming industry.
What are TikTok Custom Audiences?
Aside from the aforementioned options, there is one prominent targeting strategy that you can use to define the ideal audience for your TikTok small business content.
This is TikTok Custom Audiences.
TikTok Custom Audiences is a targeting option that lets you reach users that have previously interacted with your content, or have a prior knowledge of your business outside of the TikTok platform.
This tool essentially allows you to upload your own customer list and begin retargeting those leads.
Let’s say a user visited a product page on your website, but abandoned the decision midway. You can now upload that user’s information to TikTok and display relevant product ads that encourage them to re-engage.
This strategy helps to decrease the loss of leads, increase brand awareness and transfer app engagement across various other platforms.
It’s important to note that in order to take advantage of Custom Audiences, you are required to have a minimum audience of 1,000 people. So, make sure that your contact list has sufficient user details before you can begin to re-target.
How LeadsBridge can help your TikTok small business account
As an official TikTok partner, LeadsBridge offers tons of TikTok integrations. Starting with automating the top of your sales funnel, TikTok Lead Generation integrations allows you to segment leads, send them welcome emails or nurture them.
The upcoming TikTok Custom Audiences integration will enable your business to connect your lead data from other tools (like a CRM) to TikTok and target them there.
There are a range of marketing and sales platforms that you can make this connection with, including:
- Email marketing tools to target customers signed up to your email list.
- Alternative social media platforms to target users who have engaged with them, such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
- Customer relationship management systems to reach your most loyal customers
- Spreadsheets and CSV files, including Google Sheets, to help you target prospects who exist on lists that you have manually created.
This integration, facilitated by LeadsBridge, will simplify the creation of custom audiences and streamline your business’s ability to increase brand awareness and expand reach.
Additionally, LeadsBridge’s TikTok Lead Generation integration lets you convert the interested TikTok users into leads within the sales funnel.
This is carried out by creating an instant form that is sent to users once they have clicked on your TikTok ad. This form collects their details, and provides insightful information that you can then use to create nurturing campaigns that encourage conversion.
Key takeaways
TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms today, having become the go-to application for most mobile device users. This means that businesses now have an opportunity to target their audience in a location where they already exist.
By leveling-up your marketing efforts on your TikTok small business account and leveraging lead generation to acquire qualified prospects, you can watch your brand awareness and engagement skyrocket.
Discover the full range of LeadsBridge TikTok integrations here.
