TikTok for Business: Step by Step Guide for 2024

Discover the potential of TikTok for your business with our in-depth guide. Explore effective strategies for engagement and brand awareness on TikTok.

While TikTok has become known for emerging trends, niche communities, and hashtag challenges, it’s also evolved into a powerful tool for businesses. Brands looking to reach new customers are increasingly turning to TikTok’s unique offerings.

Discover how your brand can use TikTok to build community, drive brand awareness, and meet conversion goals using an organic content strategy and the power of video ads. 

Why use TikTok for business?

Whether you’re selling plants or pottery, TikTok can help your business find an audience.

TikTok offers plenty of bang for your buck when it comes to reaching its key demographic: Gen Z consumers. The platform is where this generation is discovering trends, brands, and new products, making it the perfect place to position your business for maximum discoverability.

Other benefits of using TikTok for business include:

• High engagement. Users spend an average of 95 minutes per day on the platform.
• Viral potential. When you engage with trending topics, you have a chance for your brand’s content to go viral. 
• Advanced targeting. The TikTok algorithm helps connect your content with niche communities and target audiences.
• Affordable ad campaign options. You can set your budget within the app on TikTok ads. 
• Partnership opportunities. With networking platforms like Shopify Collabs, you can access creators and influencers for partnerships and sponsored content.
• Ecommerce integrations. Connect directly to your online store with TikTok Shop.

How to use TikTok for business (in 9 steps)

1. Create a TikTok business account
2. Get to know your audience and the TikTok community
3. Establish your goals
4. Create a TikTok content strategy
5. Create engaging branded content
6. Consider Collabs and influencer marketing
7. Check out TikTok’s ad platform
8. Get started with the TikTok sales channel for Shopify
9. Understand TikTok Analytics

Branded TikTok content by Finn and Wholey blends seamlessly with user content in the feed.

If your business is ready to unlock brand engagement with video marketing on TikTok, you’re in the right place. Here’s how to extract the most value from TikTok’s features:

1. Create a TikTok business account

Sign up for TikTok (if you haven’t already) and switch your personal account to a business account.

To convert TikTok accounts, follow the following steps in your browser:

1. Access the “Business account” tab in your TikTok settings. Toggle the “Business account” button to On.

Navigate to the “Business account” section in your TikTok settings to start setting up your business profile.

2. Choose a category for your business and click the “Become a Business” button.

Explore the benefits of a TikTok business account, such as accessing marketing tools and exclusive features.

3. Start your 30-day business account trial. Alternatively, register your business.

Begin your registered business account trial with TikTok to access exclusive tools and features for your brand.

4. If you want to register your business immediately, agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Then, click the “Get started” button.

Submit documents to verify your business and gain access to additional tools and features on TikTok.

5. To proceed with registering your business, enter basic information about your business.

Provide details like your legal business name, address, and business license ID to complete the registration process.

6. Next, either select from public listings or verify your business qualifications to proceed with business registration.

Upload your business qualifications to verify your business on TikTok.

7. Finally, confirm your access to the business with either a voice call or SMS message.

Select a method to verify your access to the business, either by voice call or SMS.

Now you have access to advanced marketing tools, insights into your audience, and exclusive features designed to help your brand thrive and make money on TikTok.

2. Get to know your audience and the TikTok community

The #booktok community on TikTok is one of many subcultures where engaged audiences can be found.

Understand what TikTok users are looking for by spending some time on the platform. You can find popular TikTok trends on the For You page (FYP) and the Discover page. In addition to overarching trends, find the hashtags and subcultures pertinent to your specific customer profile. 

If you run an online bookstore and your target audience is book lovers, for example, check out the #booktok subculture. While trends can provide some guidelines to help you create content, make sure to focus on those specific to your target audience.

3. Establish your goals

Posting on TikTok without a plan is like planting seeds randomly in a garden—you might see some growth, but you won’t know what to expect or how to nurture it effectively. Like any marketing plan, TikTok is most effective when you set clear goals and consistently measure your progress against them.

TikTok can serve a variety of purposes for your business. Here are a few common objectives and example goals to set:

• Building community: Increase follower count by 20% in Q3 and maintain an engagement rate of 5% on your posts.
• Encouraging UGC: Receive 50 video submissions using your branded hashtag within the first month of launching a UGC campaign.
• Driving product awareness: Earn 10,000 views on product videos within their first week of posting.
• Increasing online store traffic: Generate 400 click-throughs to your website from TikTok links each month.

These goals will naturally inform the type of content you create. For instance, building a committed community might involve producing behind-the-scenes content that gives your audience a deeper look into your business operations. On the other hand, if you’re focused on driving traffic to your online store, you might consider partnering with creators for influencer marketing or TikTok affiliate marketing campaigns.

Regardless of your specific objectives, reviewing your TikTok goals regularly will help you understand what’s working, what isn’t, and how to refine your strategy for better results.

4. Create a TikTok content strategy

Your TikTok strategy turns your lofty goals into steady execution. Even though TikTok is a casual platform, you should have a formal game plan. Why? TikTok moves faster than other platforms; your content can become stale quickly, which means you need to post more frequently.

When developing your TikTok content strategy, make sure to include the following:

• Timing and frequency. Determine how often you’ll post and identify the best times to post on TikTok for your audience. This will require some experimentation with and analysis of your engagement metrics.
• Content calendar. A well-structured content calendar keeps your posting consistent and allows you to prepare for important dates. Plan your content in advance, aligning it with product launches, promotions, and seasonal events. For example, if you’re a pet toy store, create specific content for International Dog Day on August 26. 
• Budget. Allocate resources for content creation, paid advertising, and any tools or software you might need (e.g. CapCut for video editing). Having a clear budget helps you manage expectations and better plan your TikTok efforts.
• Brand guidelines. Establish a consistent voice, style, and visual identity for your TikTok presence. A unique hook, familiar face, or signature editing style can help you stand out and stop thumbs from scrolling past your videos in the For You feed.
• Format. Decide on the types of content you’ll create, like product tutorials or behind-the-scenes glimpses. Also consider experimenting with various formats, including TikTok Stories, to keep your content interesting.
• Customer interactions. Think through your approach for engaging with your audience, both under your own videos and those that mention your brand. Consider your response style, engagement frequency, and strategies for addressing comments, questions, and mentions.
• Syndication and reposting. Plan how you’ll share your TikTok content on other platforms and whether you’ll repost user-generated content. For instance, reposting to platforms like Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts can help extend the reach of your TikTok efforts. 

Excellent examples of TikTok content created around dates relevant to each brand: dinner party guides brand Hauste celebrated International Waffle Day, while YETI offered ideas for Dad leading up to Father’s Day.

A strategy isn’t set in stone. It can and should evolve based on what you learn. Leave room for experimentation and be ready to iterate and double down on what works well. For example, if your ASMR packing video performs exceptionally well, consider creating more. 

5. Create engaging branded content TikTok users want

Don’t just sell products. Get creative with content that offers value to get the best audience reach.

The best way to engage users on TikTok is by getting creative with your video content. Branded content in the feed should feel authentic and blend with user content. As Gen Z consumers are looking to make more meaningful connections with brands, including real humans in your content goes a long way to building trust. 

Appeal to TikTok users by using trending sounds or jumping on viral challenges that make sense for your brand. Create content that’s funny, topical, and aligned with your audience’s values and interests.

One of the best ways to create engaging content is to get inspired by what other brands on TikTok are doing. Here are a few cool examples from ecommerce brands:

Lazy Oaf, a quirky streetwear brand, flaunts its footwear on TikTok using a trending sound from the television show Scream Queens. It’s synchronized its shoe showcase with the audio, creating a trendy video that garnered nearly 20,000 likes and more than 100 comments. 

Rothy’s, a sustainable footwear brand, uses the “of course” trend on TikTok while featuring behind-the-scenes glimpses of its office across multiple staff members. This approach humanizes the brand while giving users a look into its company culture in an entertaining way.

Olipop, a prebiotic soda brand, uses its Lemon Lime flavor to create the viral “sleepy girl mocktail” drink. Plus, its in-house TikTok content specialist, Sara Crane, is a familiar and instantly recognizable face on the feed, bringing a consistent and personable touch to their content.

All these brands take a different approach, but the common theme is they all blend in and feel natural on the platform. The paradox of successful TikTok marketing lies in creating branded content that feels unbranded, integrating with the user experience that TikTok viewers expect and enjoy. 

6. Consider Collabs and influencer marketing

Creators on TikTok are looking for brands to partner with—you just need to find the right fit. A successful partnership with a TikTok creator is one that benefits both your business and the influencer. Through networking platforms like Shopify Collabs, find a TikTok creator who resembles your ideal customer and offers sponsored content within your budget. You can also partner with compatible brands to cross-promote an event or promotion, thereby gaining access to a new audience.

For instance, Luxy Hair, a hair extensions brand, teamed up with Alix Earle, one of TikTok’s most popular creators, for a “get ready with me” video. In this collaboration, Alix installs hair extensions and chats about the product. The video was posted on her feed, taking advantage of her millions of followers, and was then repurposed on Luxy Hair’s own feed, maximizing its reach.

You might not have the budget to hire the biggest creators on the platform. That’s okay. Fortunately, nano influencers (those with smaller, highly engaged followings) can be just as effective at driving clicks and conversions for your business. They often provide more authentic connections with their audience and better targeting for niche products.

7. Check out TikTok’s ad platform

In-feed TikTok advertising, like this example from Magic Spoon, resembles organic content but with an added “Sponsored” tag and call-to-action button.

Video ads are exploding, with 91% of business owners reporting using this ad format for their brands. While you can still gain traction on TikTok with organic content, you can maximize your reach by running a targeted ad campaign. Optimize for what matters to you with TikTok ads by setting audience demographics and campaign goals.

8. Get started with the TikTok sales channel for Shopify

Connecting your TikTok account to a sales channel is the best way to minimize friction and convert TikTok users into customers. With the TikTok and Shopify integration, you can sell directly on TikTok and sync inventory, customer, and sales data with Shopify. Manage all your sales across the internet in one place—the Shopify admin. TikTok Shopping features allow you to create shoppable content, enabling viewers to browse and purchase products without leaving the app.

9. Understand TikTok Analytics

TikTok provides analytics tools to help your business measure and optimize performance on the platform. These insights can help you refine your video content strategy and move closer to your broader marketing goals—whether that’s followers or financial return. To access TikTok Analytics, go to the Settings → Creator tools → Analytics section in the mobile app. 

Key performance indicators (KPIs) to track

TikTok’s analytics dashboard provides an overview of your account’s performance, along with detailed metrics for your content and audience. Here are the areas to focus on:

• Post views. This metric shows how many times your videos have been viewed, helping you gauge overall reach.
• Profile views. Track how often users visit your profile, indicating interest in your brand beyond individual videos.
• Likes. The number of likes your content receives reflects audience engagement and the appeal of your content.
• Comments. Comment count indicates how well your content sparks conversation and audience interaction.
• Shares. Shares demonstrate how shareable your content is, expanding your reach to new audiences.
• Traffic sources. Understand where your viewers are coming from to optimize your cross-platform strategy.
• Search queries. Discover what terms users are searching to find your content to inform your content and hashtag strategy. 

You can dive even deeper to see information about your videos in the Content tab. These metrics help you understand which content resonates most with your audience:

• Your top posts. Identify your most successful content to replicate winning formulas.
• Most views. Understand which content types are driving the most eyeballs to your account.
• Most new viewers. Determine what content is bringing fresh audiences to your profile.
• Most likes. Analyze which videos resonate most strongly with your audience.
• New followers. See the content on your account driving users to follow your account. 

Analyzing audience demographics

Understanding your audience is invaluable for creating targeted content and refining your posting schedule. TikTok provides detailed viewer and follower insights, including:

• Total viewers/followers. Track your overall follower growth to measure your account’s popularity.
• Net new viewers/ followers. Monitor how many new followers you’re gaining (or losing) over time.
• Gender distribution. Understand the gender makeup of your audience.
• Age ranges. Know which age groups your content appeals to.
• Locations. Identify where your viewers and followers are geographically located.
• Most active times for your audience. Discover when your audience is most likely to engage.
• Creators your viewers also watched. Identify potential collaborators (or competitors) based on shared audience interests.
• Posts your viewers also viewed. Gain insights into your audience’s broader interests on TikTok. 

By regularly reviewing these metrics, you can gain a deeper understanding of your TikTok performance, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to improve your TikTok marketing strategy.

TikTok ideas to grow your small business

• Use behind-the-scenes content
• Highlight your products’ benefits
• Use TikTok to launch new products
• Put your spin on popular trends

Here are a few TikTok video ideas from Erin Dubs, founder of activewear brand Azur Fit and the creator behind the company’s popular TikTok account:

Erin Dubs, founder, Azur Fit

Use behind-the-scenes content

Showing the inner workings of your business is one of the most popular types of branded video on TikTok. “People want to see proof of what you’re doing, whether you’re shipping out your very first order or you’re talking about your sales on a launch day,” says Erin.

This type of content idea satisfies customer curiosity, humanizes your brand, and can even highlight the popularity of your products. 

In this example, lifestyle brand Ban.do takes its audience on a behind-the-scenes journey through a day in the life of its merchandising director.

The “pack an order with me” trend is a popular content type on TikTok and another way to draw your audience behind the scenes with you as you pack up a customer order. Here’s a take by the acrylic nail brand KRYLX. 

Highlight your products’ benefits

Erin uses this idea by having employees, models, or partner creators wear the brand’s clothing. This often involves moving in the clothing, using transitions, styling tips, or showing off a specific feature of the garments.

This content by Girlfriend Collective shows a model being active in the brand’s athletic wear while demonstrating a unique feature of the product: pockets.

Use TikTok to launch new products

Create hype around the launch of a product both before and during the launch. Teasing new products builds excitement and creates reasons for users to follow and come back to your content for updates. 

Erin uses her popular personal brand account to promote the brand’s products and launches. In this example, she’s modeling pieces from Azur’s new Comfort Zone collection to demonstrate the different sizes. 

Put your spin on popular trends

TikTok is never short on trending sounds, stickers, memes, or challenges.

“If I’m gonna have some downtime on my own, I’ll just scroll TikTok for an hour,” Erin says. “I’ll just listen to the sounds and think, How can I apply this to my office? How can we put together a skit or apply it to something funny that happened the other day, even if it’s not necessarily business-related?”

When the Wes Anderson trend emerged in the spring of 2023, some brands jumped on the concept to produce their own takes. The Musee D’Orsay in Paris found a perfect fit for its brand, showcasing the museum’s ornate interiors through the lens of the director’s style.

Get inspired: TikTok success stories

Many brands have successfully used the platform for business to launch products, find audiences, and go viral on TikTok. Below, three founders share their winning strategies for growing on TikTok:

Sana and Will Saleh, Lala Hijabs

Sana and Will Saleh started Lala Hijabs after losing their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple designed tie-dyed hijabs “just for fun,” sharing their creations with TikTok users.

“When people began asking where we got [the hijabs] from, we decided to hype up the business before we even began forming it—and people loved it and anticipated the huge launch,” says Sana.

After one of the couple’s videos went viral, the account gained more than 50,000 followers. This was the push they needed to officially launch Lala Hijabs—and use TikTok as their main marketing channel. The family-owned business posts behind-the-scenes content, hijab tutorials, and product launches. It’s an approach that’s proving effective, as 60% of the brand’s sales are attributed to the platform. 

Chioma Ngwudo, CeeCee’s Closet NYC

Chioma Ngwudo is on a mission to inspire and celebrate Black women and African culture through her brand, CeeCee’s Closet NYC. Together with her sister and creative director, Uchenna, Chioma partners with artisan creators in Nigeria to produce everything from head wraps to body care products.

Chioma uses her TikTok account to educate her audience on products not widely available in the United States, including skin care products created specifically for Black skin. The brand’s approach to customer education has helped its account grow to over 260,000 engaged followers.

Jamal Hejazi, Candy Funhouse

Jamal Hejazi took his brick-and-mortar candy store online in December 2020. Candy Funhouse used TikTok to reach a global audience. One of the brand’s first viral videos used the “pack an order with me” trend and resulted in 30,000 new followers. 

The key to the brand’s growth on the platform, however, has been a focus on community. “We participate in active social listening from our audience and create content that we, as candy lovers, would enjoy watching ourselves,” says Jamal.

The brand’s three-million-strong following sticks around for the engaging content that feels authentic and not salesy. “TikTok is a great platform for building a brand if you can capture the spirit of TikTok and steer away from the traditional forms of advertisement,” Jamal says.

Get started with the TikTok sales channel for Shopify

Ready to take your Shopify store to the next level with TikTok? Install the TikTok sales channel for Shopify and unlock a world of social commerce possibilities. With the integration, you can manage your TikTok shop, sync TikTok products, and handle orders all from your familiar Shopify admin interface. Connect with millions of potential customers, feature your products in engaging video content, and turn viral moments into sales opportunities.

TikTok for business FAQ

Can TikTok be used for business?

Yes, you can use TikTok for business. Simply log in to your personal account, go to your settings, and toggle your account from personal to business.

Is TikTok for business free?

Yes, a TikTok business account is free to create. Note, however, that some features like the TikTok ads manager do have costs associated with running ads.

Is TikTok good for business?

Depending on your business, TikTok can be a worthwhile platform to invest in as part of your overall marketing strategy. Creating TikTok videos and staying engaged on the platform can be time-consuming, but the results can pay off for businesses that find the right content and audience mix.

How do I set up a TikTok account for my business?

There are a few quick steps to getting started on TikTok for business:

1. Create a personal profile and switch your account to a business account.
2. Establish a goal for your TikTok efforts such as building brand awareness or boosting sales.
3. Create videos and promote your content using ads and popular hashtags.
4. Analyze your results using TikTok’s built-in analytics tools.
5. Connect your account to your Shopify store to streamline selling on TikTok.

What are the disadvantages of using TikTok for business?

TikTok’s fast-paced nature can make it difficult to maintain consistent engagement, and its younger user base may not align with all brand demographics. Creating compelling video content regularly also requires time and creative resources, which can be demanding for smaller businesses with minimal marketing headcount.