TikTok for business: is it right for you?

TikTok for business: who does it work for?

TikTok is often seen as an app for teenagers, but its audience has become much broader. Still, the average audience is younger than on Facebook or LinkedIn. TikTok works particularly well if:

• Your audience is young, for example for a driving school, gym, hairdresser or restaurant.
• Your work is fun to watch: cooking, renovating, cleaning, repairing, styling.
• You can share knowledge in short explanations: a mechanic giving tips, a coach with one insight per video.
• You are recruiting younger staff.
• You sell a product you can show in a few seconds.

If you sell complex services to other businesses, LinkedIn marketing for businesses usually delivers more. And if you want to compare all channels first, read social media marketing for SMEs.

How to set up a TikTok business account

• Create an account and switch it to a business account. You then get statistics and the option to add a website to your profile.
• Choose a username that matches your name on other channels, so people recognise you.
• Write a short bio: what you do and where, plus a reason to follow.
• Add a link to the page where people can book, order or get in touch.
• Spend a week watching videos in your industry first. That way you learn the style and what works.

Be careful with music: business accounts cannot just use any popular song. TikTok has a separate library of music that businesses are allowed to use. Choose from that, and you avoid your video ending up muted.

How does the TikTok algorithm work?

The algorithm is the system that decides which videos someone sees. On TikTok it mainly looks at how people react to your video, not how many followers you have. Important signals are:

• Do people watch your video to the end, or even twice?
• Do they comment, share or save it?
• Do they swipe away quickly, or stick around?

That is why the first two seconds matter so much. Start with something that sparks curiosity: a result, a question or a familiar problem. A video that does not grab people in the first seconds is seen by few.

TikTok video ideas for small businesses

You do not need a studio. A phone, good light and a quiet spot are enough. Videos that often work well for businesses:

• Before and after: a clean oven, a new haircut, a garden after a makeover.
• A day in the life: what does your working day look like?
• One tip per video: 'Do this if your washing machine will not drain.'
• Customers' frequently asked questions, answered in thirty seconds.
• Mistakes people often make, and how to do it better.
• Behind the scenes: packing orders, preparing the kitchen.
• Replies to questions in your comments, with a new video.

Be yourself. On TikTok, real and a little rough often works better than slick and polished. Always add subtitles or on-screen text, because many people watch without sound. Read more about making good business videos in video marketing for SMEs.

How often should you post, and how much time does it take?

TikTok rewards consistency. Several videos a week is normal for accounts that are growing. That sounds like a lot, but a twenty-second video does not have to take long. A handy way of working:

• Once a month, write down twenty ideas.
• Film several videos in one go, for example on a quiet afternoon.
• Edit in the app itself or with a simple editing app.
• Schedule them and reply to comments over the following days.

Use the same videos as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts too. That way you get more out of one recording.

Advertising on TikTok: when does it pay off?

With TikTok Ads you pay to show your videos to a chosen audience. You can target by age, location and interests. A handy format for small businesses is Spark Ads: you promote a video you had already posted normally and that performed well.

Advertising on TikTok works best when you already know which videos land. So start with ordinary videos, see which ones do well and put budget behind those. Send people to a page that loads fast on a phone, because everyone on TikTok is on mobile. Ad prices change regularly; start with a small budget and check the current rates in TikTok itself.

If you want to measure what visitors do after a click, you need the TikTok pixel on your website. That too may only load once the visitor gives consent in your cookie banner.

Common mistakes with TikTok for business

• Reusing your TV ad or a polished corporate film. It does not fit the style and gets swiped away fast.
• Stopping after five videos because they got few views. Most accounts need time to find out what works.
• No on-screen text, so viewers watching without sound do not get what it is about.
• No clear next step in your profile, so interested viewers do not know how to become a customer.
• Not replying to comments, even though that is often where the best questions and ideas for new videos are.

How Violexa helps with TikTok and social media

We help you judge honestly whether TikTok suits your customers, or whether your time is better spent on another channel. If it does fit, we make a plan together with video ideas, set up ads where it pays off and make sure your website catches those visitors well. That falls under our online marketing, with SEO, Google Ads and social media, from €599 excl. VAT (€725 incl. VAT) per month. No minimum term, cancel monthly with one month's notice.

Not sure whether TikTok is worth it for your business? Book a free quickscan. In 30 minutes, online or on site, we discuss your customers and channels. Afterwards you get short written advice with a price estimate, with no obligation.

Frequently asked questions