Why does a small business need to be on TikTok?
I hated the very thought of TikTok.
I’m a millennial and TikTok always just seemed to be more appealing for the Gen Zs.
But my opinion of TikTok changed when I had to help a client of mine — a BOOMER, mind you — figure out how to promote his local business on TikTok.
Some context:
His local small business is located in Brunei.
The boomer I speak of is my dad.
Okay, fine, so I had full control of what to post, when to post, how to post. I know my dad’s business and I thought, hah, this should be a breeze.
It was not.
Not at the beginning at least.
It was daunting. I kept asking around if TikTok even worked in Brunei.
My friends and even some of the younger audience said yes.
My dad’s target has always been people above 30. People with family. Not Gen Zs who are looking for minimalistic or Instagrammable stores.
But I pointed out to my dad that one day his customers — who are from the Gen Z category — will have their own families. And we need to start reaching out to them.
Enter: TikTok.
A Quick Breakdown About Why A Small Business Needs To Be On TikTok
While people around me kept saying that TikTok is the place to be, like a good content marketer, I first did some additional snooping around.
As mentioned above, my immediate association with TikTok was that it was a platform for the young ones. Not people in their 30s like me.
Right?
Nope.
First things first. TikTok has some 600 million people on it. Now all of these people cannot be Gen Zs, right?
Right. Because according to Statista (2000), only 62% of TikTok users — in this case in the U.S. — are between the ages of 10 to 29.
So yes, the majority of TikTok users are NOT in my dad’s target group.
But that didn’t stop me.
Because the number of adults using TikTok (again, in the U.S.) has been growing year on year.
Okay, a good sign, right?
I’m sure the same can be said of Brunei.
But … still … should I?
Is the TikTok audience looking for soft furnishing or home interior videos?
Apparently, yes. It’s the fourth most sought-after category.
Plus, it’s a fast-growing brand. It is predominantly used by females (most of my dad’s target decision-makers are females). And is an extremely interactive platform that is gaining a lot of engagement.
Now with all that research done, it was clear.
We had to kickstart our brand’s TikTok account.
And we did.
If you’re on the fence about starting a TikTok account for your product- or service-based brand, ask yourself these questions:
- Are your existing customers on TikTok? (A good way to find out if your current pool of customers is even interested in TikTok content. If they all say no, then TikTok is not for you)
- Is your target audience on TikTok? (As mentioned above, TikTok is more popular with the younger crowd BUT there are also small pools of people who are actively looking for quality content regardless of demographics)
- Is there a demand for content from your niche? (Check the popular categories on TikTok but also bear in mind that just because your product/service isn’t in demand, it doesn’t mean it won’t grow — it could be your unique selling point or you may just need to put a new spin on it)
- Do you have the resources to create TikTok videos? (If you work solo or are part of a small team, please be aware that it takes time to plan and create TikTok videos. If you already have a huge following elsewhere, reassess if you even have the time or resource to be on TikTok)
Clearly, all the above checked well for me (and my dad’s business).
The first thing I did to start? Download TikTok.
My Journey on TikTok & Stuff I Learned
So here’s the deal.
I jumped on TikTok with a bit of research on whether it’ll even be worth it or not, but I had ZERO clue as to how to work the app.
Seriously, I had not even “played” with on another person’s phone or anything before this.
I spent a good hour or so tinkering around the app when I downloaded it.
I created the profile, then browsed through other accounts.
I tried to figure out how to start a video but I got so overwhelmed that I just SHUT IT OFF.
Man, this is really not for people in their 30s, is it?
Fortunately for me, I have a group of amazing ladies – my business besties. I’ve spoken about them before in the article I wrote about my LinkedIn challenge.
One of them, Renee from PeachyPixx, was already on TikTok — and she was actively trying to find ways to get others to jump on it, too. After all, she’s a videographer by profession and TikTok is all about videos.
It made sense for her.
I shared my plight with them and Renee stepped up.
She decided to run a quick challenge for us — just like how I did one for them for LinkedIn.
Gotta love business buddies, no?
5 days later, I felt like a professional TikToker.
Sure, my content wasn’t the best. Neither did it go viral. But for a small business that just started on TikTok, we were already getting 200+ videos per video.
I was over the moon.
I wrote down more content ideas, researched sound, listed down what other accounts in our niche were doing.
Then Renee approached me privately and asked if I wanted to share this cheat sheet I had created for myself (and future clients) in her TikTok course.
ERM, YES PLEASE.
How You Can Get Started On TikTok, Too
So after about a week of polishing up my cheat sheet, I passed it to Renee, and together, we launched the Kickstart Your Brand’s TikTok course.
What do you get in it?
Renee has recorded a lot of videos on how you can succeed on TikTok.
She has step-by-step instructional videos to guide you with creating different types of TikTok content. She even has a 5-day PDF (the same one I used to start) that spells out exactly what you need to do in the first 5 days of registering your brand’s TikTok account.
After that, you can download my cheat sheet which has a list of sounds and content ideas that are suitable for both product-based and service-based brands.
This means if you’re a home-based business selling cookies, stationery, apparel or food — this is for you. (Note: I started TikTok for a retail business that sells products)
Or if you’re a content creator, graphic designer, virtual assistant, social media guru, coach — this is for you, too. (Note: Renee started her TikTok for her own business — she’s a solopreneur — teaching people about videography)
Best of both worlds.
Get the Kickstart Your Brand’s TikTok course here.