TikTok went global in 2018 when they acquired Musical.ly. For me, it was literally a week nobody was talking about it and the next week everyone was hooked. The website now has more than one billion monthly active users, and the craziest thing is how much time people spend there—more than 90 minutes per day scrolling on their For You Page for new content, brands, and trends. Even though the target audience is still Gen Z, I’ve noticed increasingly more and more millennials (such as myself) and Gen Xers completing the site over the years. They’re all drawn to short, snappy clips that are purportedly spontaneous and even a little rough around the edges.

Why Companies Should Care

Compared to previous platforms that may be too polished or too staged, TikTok’s algorithm brings creative content to the forefront regardless of whether you have five or five thousand followers.

I’ve seen tiny online stores blow up overnight, and I’ve had students that I’ve guided go from zero to tens of thousands of followers in a matter of following the right trend at the right time. For me, when I shared a quick, behind-the-scenes video of myself shipping orders for my tiny side business, it received much more engagement than some of my “perfect” Instagram posts.

Everyone wants to see the real you.

Getting Your Business Account Ready

It’s easy to get started. Download the TikTok app and install it, create an account, then go to Settings and Privacy and switch to a Business Account. You’ll then be able to see analytics, Ads Manager, and a section where you can add a clickable link in your bio (so convenient for sending people to your website or store). I usually suggest friends who are complete newbies on TikTok:

Choose a username that is representative of your brand but not a mile long.
Use a high-quality profile picture that tells about what you do or what you are offering.
Create a brief biography that lets people know what you do and why it is interesting.
And don’t forget to include your site URL—there aren’t too many click-through spaces on TikTok, so take advantage.

Content Strategy That Clicks

TikTok is trend-driven. You need to be current on what’s trending—a trending sound bite, meme, or challenge—and then add your own twist to it.

I remember helping a tiny candle company make a spur-of-the-moment video of themselves making candles to the beat of a popular song playing in the background. They accidentally left some of the clinking of the glass on there, and everyone just loved it so much. They ended up getting over 500K views, and their sales through the roof for weeks straight.

According to what I have experienced, the best content to use:

Captures the attention of the viewer within the first few seconds (sometimes I literally say, “Wait for it!” and it keeps them watching).
Encourages authenticity. Flaws are adorable as long as you don’t overanalyze them.
It balances learning, fun, and product demonstrations.
Uses text overlays, captions, and tags as required.
Tries new things regularly—TikTok enjoys consistency along with creativity.

Running Ads on TikTok

Once you’ve finished with your Business Account, you can test various campaigns for conversion, traffic, or awareness. Ad formats to test:

In-Feed Ads that appear as regular TikTok videos.
TopView, a simple full-screen ad shown when the application is started.
Branded Hashtag Challenges, where the users are encouraged to create their own videos based on your idea.
Branded Effects such as personalized stickers or filters that people can play with.

I’ve learned you can get quite far with a small budget if you’re targeting correctly and you’re attempting to make your ads not appear to be ads—nobody wants some obnoxious advertisement breaking up their stream. You want to be able to be one of the normal pieces of content.

Collaboration with TikTok Creators

Collaborating with influencers (or creators, however you guys want to say it) is completely a game-changer. It’s more about getting to the person who shares the same vibe as your brand. I had a micro-influencer work with me once who had less than 50K followers, and she was actually into skincare. The genuineness that she could bring to the equation generated so much more buzz about my friend’s product than some cheap, high-end commercial would have.

A couple of tips:

Define your requirements, but let them keep their unique identity.
Ensure your product or service organically aligns with their existing content (forcing it would look artificial).
Monitor for results with one-time promo codes or trackable links.

You may increase your followers if you are researching collaboration platforms and tools that match brands with creators.

Creating a Real Community

TikTok is not a post-and-hope-for-the-best sort of affair. You must participate—respond to comments, stitch videos that mention you, duet videos that speak to you. If a brand is being shouted out in a video, reply, even if it’s just “Thanks for the shout-out!” The more two-way, the more trust you can build.

One evening, there was this anonymous TikTok user who posted this video on this silly experience they had with my product.

I sang it just so I could laugh with it, and that little moment ended up getting me a huge amount of new fans because people want to see that humanity.

And it doesn’t harm to have a contest or sweepstakes that your followers can participate in. Just remember that humans scroll very rapidly, so you have to get them with actual content.

Keeping Track of Performance

Once you’ve been posting consistently, feel free to go to your TikTok analytics. Look:

Video views and watch time.
Level of engagement (comments, shares, likes).
Gaining followers.
Site clicks if you are directing individuals to a link.

But don’t sweat the views or likes too much. A lower-viewed video will generally get you more actual sales or leads. I like to use the example of one such video which received only about 2,000 views but generated five new orders—a whole lot more than that 10K-view video that generated no real sales.

Real Campaign Wins (and Fails)

The most effective campaigns I’ve ever seen—and collaborated on—were never cool or perfected. A small coffee shop I was working with shot a simple, slightly shaky video of their new fall latte beverage. They didn’t even try to edit it pretty, and they gained more than a thousand new followers in one day and lines around the block the following week.

Conversely, I’ve watched brands attempt to re-share heavily edited Instagram Reels with absolutely nothing touched, and they don’t work.

The TikTok audience can see a stiff, overly produced commercial in like two seconds.

FAQs

Is TikTok also suitable for B2B?

Yes. Just stay on instructional approaches and anecdotes and avoid straight product promotion.

How often should I post?

I usually suggest 3 to 5 times a week to start, but don’t be too harsh on yourself if there are weeks when you can only do twice. Consistency is wonderful, but integrity is more important.

Can I post my TikTok videos elsewhere?

No need, just remove the watermark first if you’re posting them on Reels or YouTube Shorts. It feels weird when folks spot the TikTok logo somewhere else.