When two China-based apps launched last decade, no one expected their merger would create a social media platform that, for better or worse, would surpass LinkedIn, Spotify, Snapchat, Pinterest, Twitter/X, and many others. With 1.84 billion monthly active users, TikTok is the fifth most popular social media platform worldwide.
A Brief History of TikTok
Chinese tech company ByteDance launched a video-sharing social app called Douyin in September 2016. Think Facebook or Insta, but legal in China. The following year, the company acquired Musical.ly, an app that allowed people to post 15-second lip-sync videos. By August 2018, TikTok emerged from these two platforms.
That merger explains TikTok dances, along with teenagers lip-synching to trending songs or voice clips on TikTok. The app can accomplish so much more than just that for businesses, though, especially those looking to capture the Gen Z, emerging Gen Y, and younger millennial markets: Roughly 70% of TikTok users fall between the ages of 18 and 35 years old.
6 Ways to Use TikTok
Depending on your business goals, you can use TikTok in many ways. Some will be direct revenue drivers, while others help with brand recognition or market research.
Brand Recognition
By posting fun and compelling videos that speak to your target market, you can influence brand recognition through TikTok. You’ll want to focus on growing your following by using trending posts and sounds, responding to comments, and potentially even working with content creators as collaborators to leverage their following as your own.
1. Customer Loyalty
The age-old marketing “Rule of 7” shares that it takes at least seven impressions before a consumer will make a buying decision. That precise number has been disproven over the years, but it’s true that the more times people see your brand, the better they will remember you. TikTok reaches your audience in a direct and personal way with videos that will help them not just remember you, but (hopefully) like you as well.
2. Lead Generation
Once you’ve built your following, you can focus on sorting the lookie-loo followers from warmer leads. Offer a free content asset (like a checklist, recipe book, or playbook) when they opt in with their email. You can also use TikTok videos to drive traffic to your website.
3. Market Research
Use TikTok for market research through polls, or just by viewing analytics to see what resonates most with your audience.
4. Sales Through TikTok Shop
If you sell products, you can advertise them on the TikTok shop. If you choose the right product mix and create the right content, your customers will soon be sharing their finds with the hashtag “#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt,” just as 150,000 people do weekly. TikTok Shop allows for direct sales, shortening the sales funnel and contributing to the growing “one-click economy,” where the buyer journey becomes: “See … Buy.”
5. Affiliate Marketing
You can share clickable affiliate links as another way to drive traffic for your affiliate marketing campaigns.
How to Set Up a TikTok Account
Sign Up
First, download the app and click “profile” or “log in.” At the bottom, you’ll see it says: “Don’t have an account? Sign up.”
Click the sign up link. You can opt to sign in with your Google account (giving you one easy login), with Facebook, or with your phone number or email address. Enter your date of birth and a unique password.
Create Your Username
Then, pick a username. This will be the name people use to find you or when you share your TikTok account. It displays as @Username.
You can also set your nickname to anything you want. This doesn’t have to be unique and you can change it weekly. However, for brand recognition and consistency, you’ll probably want to keep it the same.
How to Post on TikTok
Posting on TikTok is also easy and intuitive. You have lots of options to create content: To get started, click the plus sign at the bottom center of your screen. Then choose what you want to post or create.
Post Photos, Videos, or Text in Real Time
You can post photos and videos in real time. Click “Post” and then choose a 10-minute video, 60 seconds, 15 seconds, or a photo. You can also post stylized text, which helps drive engagement by asking your viewers a question they can answer in the comments.
Create Content to Post
You can also choose to create content in advance to post, combining photos and videos with music. Create a compelling description that supports the messaging in your video, and add relevant, trending hashtags so more people will find your content. You can also add a link, such as an affiliate link.
Choose Your Options
Before you post, you’ll see a variety of “options” to select. You can choose to allow comments or not, allow others to reuse your content in a duet or other ways, and even check music for copyright infringement before posting.
Disclosure and Ads
Businesses and content creators who have endorsement deals, activations, or sponsorships should pay attention to the “Disclosure and Ads Setting” section. You may want to disclose posts that promote a brand.
By selecting “ad authorization,” you allow the brands you promote to use your video in their own Spark Ad campaign. The brand is allowed to make changes to the creative as it appears on their feed, including switching out your affiliate links, but it remains the same on your feed.
Creators earn a commission while brands gain access to valuable, user-generated content, which has been shown to be more trustworthy than other types of content. User-generated content in ads can result in a 400% increase in click-through rates, with 41% of marketers saying that UGC is their top-performing KPI. Using TikTok wisely for marketing isn’t just about creating your own content, then — you can leverage your fan base to validate and amplify your brand.
Go Live
Users who are 18 or older and have 1,000+ followers can create live streams on TikTok. You can also add a title and special effects to attract attention.
Going live creates authentic interactions between your brand and your followers. It’s a great way to share new product launches or big sales. If you’re hosting an event, your followers can feel as if they are there with you, even if they couldn’t make it.
Using TikTok Analytics
As with any marketing or advertising, to improve your TikTok results, you’ll want to track your analytics. To gain access to analytics, you need to have a “business” or “creator” account.
In your profile, click “TikTok Studio,” then “analytics.” Choose a time frame between seven days and one year or create a custom report.
Content
One key metric to consider is which content is performing best. View the number of likes, comments, and views. You can also click a specific video to see exactly where in the video viewers leave or when they smashed that like button.
Viewers
When you click the “viewers” tab, you’ll see the total viewers for that time frame, number of new viewers, plus gender, age, and location. These valuable insights can help you tailor your content to your audience or determine if your content is reaching the people you want it to.
You might find your core market on TikTok is different than other platforms. If those views are converting into action, you could have opened a new pipeline for sales. If they aren’t converting, maybe your content is reaching the wrong audience and you need to revisit your strategy.
You can also see the hours and days your viewers and followers are most active. Knowing when your followers are online is one key to getting more eyes on your feed.
How to Grow Your Following on TikTok
Marketing is, to some degree, a numbers game. The more people who see your content — as long as they are people in your target demographic — the more people will convert into loyal customers. So, how can you grow a TikTok following?
Grow Organically
You can grow your TikTok following organically by creating quality, compelling content consistently. The more you show up on people’s “For You Page,” the faster your follower count will grow if you’re creating content people like and want to see more of.
Creating consistent, high-quality content is a slow road to growth. You can supercharge your organic efforts in a few ways.
Leverage Trends
Stay tuned into TikTok trends, and when you see one that fits your brand, create relevant content. You can:
- Add trending sounds.
- Follow similar formats to trending videos.
- Do a TikTok challenge.
Use the search bar to see what people are posting about, whether it’s current events or Taylor Swift’s new album. Do you have a unique take? Can you relate it to your brand?
Use Hashtags
Hashtags are another way to help people find you. Type relevant hashtags and choose the ones with the most views. Add the hashtags #FYP and #ForYou; these may not land your content directly on the FYP, but because of the prevalence of these hashtags, they can help visibility.
Connect With Influencers
Influencers can expand your reach and increase your credibility through user generated content, including reviews and product round-ups.
Paid Ads
Paid ads can grow your audience and increase conversions. As with any type of advertising, it requires testing various ads and audiences and then doubling down on what works.
How to Keep Using TikTok If It Goes Offline Again
In 2024, Congress passed a bill, which then-President Joe Biden signed, giving ByteDance (the app’s owner) nine months to find a buyer approved by the U.S. ByteDance refused, and when that deadline arrived on January 18, 2025, U.S. servers pulled TikTok down.
As one of his first acts in office, President Donald Trump paused the law on January 19, 2025, extending the deadline another nine months.
As the new deadline approaches, the Trump admin has claimed to have found a buyer, which would leave ByteDance with less than 20% ownership, with majority stakes held by a group of U.S. investors, including Larry Ellison (Oracle), Rupert Murdoch (Fox Corporation), and Michael Dell (Dell Technologies).
However, neither the Chinese government nor ByteDance has confirmed the deal, and, at press time, it has not been signed. So, TikTok could go dark again, and it could happen soon.
If it does, this could take money directly out of the pockets of brands and influencers who rely on TikTok ads and activations for income. But, there is a way to access TikTok, on your web browser or through the mobile app, even if it’s banned in the U.S.
How to Use a VPN to Access TikTok
You can install a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that identifies your IP address as coming from another country, like Canada, where TikTok isn’t banned. If you want to use the mobile app on iOS, you’ll need to download a VPN on your device and then create a new App Store account for the country that matches your VPN. Note that you can still use your U.S.-based phone number for verification. If you use Google Play, you can change your region without creating a new account, but you’ll need to first cancel any active subscriptions.
Key Takeaways
TikTok can help brands build authority and increase sales at a low cost. By partnering with influencers and creators, brands can leverage user-generated content. From the TikTok Shop to direct links within your content, there are multiple ways to monetize TikTok.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I find videos on TikTok and engage with users?
You can browse your “For You Page” to find videos recommended by the TikTok algorithm. You can also use the search bar to find videos on any topic; at the bottom of the screen you’ll see trending videos “you may like.” Finally, you can search popular hashtags to find videos of any topic. When you see a video you like, you can click to watch it, add a comment, and like the video.
How do I increase my audience on TikTok?
You can increase your TikTok audience organically by consistently posting high-quality content, posting on trending topics, starting a TikTok challenge, or by partnering with influencers who can amplify your brand.
What alternatives to TikTok are there?
Marketers can use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter/X to reach audiences with photos and videos. They can also market through performance-based advertising for better results through omnichannel campaigns.
