How can companies expand their TikTok business from small to large?

Under the wave of global digitalization, TikTok has become a key battleground for enterprises going global. For many companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, how to achieve the greatest return at the lowest cost on this platform full of opportunities and challenges is an urgent problem to solve. Below is a practical guide.

1. Market Insight: Know Your Audience

Successful overseas expansion starts with deep insights into the target market. Companies need to invest time in data analysis and audience research to understand popular trends and user preferences, so as to accurately position content direction and avoid ineffective investment.

At the same time, companies should also segment users and create content tailored to the unique needs of different market segments, improving resource utilization efficiency.

For example, Xiaomi, as we know, drew on its experience operating on domestic social media platforms like Douyin, and after market segmentation, released creative videos on TikTok showcasing diverse product usage scenarios, successfully attracting young user groups.

2. Content is King: Keep Up with Trends and Hot Topics

Content is key to attracting users. Keeping up with popular trends and challenges on TikTok and combining products with hot topics can effectively increase content exposure and engagement.

The brand Boogie Board increased its brand exposure by releasing retro-style product videos and integrating the #ThrowbackThursday trend.

3. User Engagement: The Power of UGC

Leveraging user-generated content (UGC) can increase brand engagement at low cost. Utilizing UGC is also a high-return, low-cost strategy; by hosting challenges and setting up reward mechanisms to encourage users to create brand-related content, you can not only increase brand exposure but also enhance user engagement and loyalty.

For example, HTVRONT, a brand under Sijiu Technology, took advantage of this by bringing industrial heat presses into the home DIY category.

Through social media platforms, HTVRONT inspired user creativity, making users active participants in brand communication. Creative videos and user experiences shared on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, etc., not only brought HTVRONT a large amount of UGC content but also formed a strong word-of-mouth effect.

In addition, HTVRONT further guided users to learn about products and encouraged interaction by releasing discount promotions, product tutorials, and user case studies. This interaction not only promoted communication among users but also brought traffic to HTVRONT's independent site. In this way, HTVRONT successfully converted users into brand advocates and communicators, establishing strong brand influence in the DIY field.

4. Storytelling Marketing: Make Your Brand More Appealing

In addition to the above strategies, brands can also use storytelling marketing to make the brand or product more attractive. By building brand stories and combining them with real user experiences, you can evoke emotional resonance, increase users’ willingness to share, and expand the spread.

5. Promotion Strategies: Choose the Right Promotion Method

Organic growth and targeted advertising are two effective promotion methods.

Organic growth strategy is to continuously publish high-quality content, accumulate followers, and form stable natural traffic. Although this takes time, once a loyal audience is established, subsequent promotion costs will be greatly reduced.

Targeted advertising uses TikTok’s audience targeting features to ensure ad accuracy, improve delivery efficiency, and reduce unnecessary expenses.

Both methods can achieve good promotion results if used properly, but it is important to choose what truly suits the company and avoid seeking quick success. For example, skincare brand Innisfree achieved organic growth of followers by releasing high-quality skincare tutorial videos.

6. Data-Driven: Monitoring and Effect Evaluation

Data monitoring and effect evaluation are key to continuous optimization. Companies should set clear key performance indicators, such as views, likes, shares, conversion rates, etc., regularly analyze data, and promptly identify problems and adjust strategies.

In this regard, you can refer to the protein powder brand Protein World. This UK brand monitored TikTok video performance and adjusted content strategies in a timely manner, resulting in growth in followers and sales.

As for tools, you can refer to EchoTik and FastMoss.

7. Build a Community: Enhance Brand Loyalty

Brands should actively interact with users, reply to comments or participate in discussions. Doing so can enhance users’ sense of engagement and brand identity. Over time, when potential users have a need, they will think of the brand, thus increasing user conversion.

For example, the tool brand VEVOR built such a community through Facebook, gathering a large number of fans together while keeping the account active. These fans can not only get the latest product information through the “community,” but also participate in discussions and share usage experiences, which invisibly enhances brand interaction and user stickiness.

Moreover, VEVOR has done well in after-sales service, with more than 60 warehouses in multiple countries worldwide, ensuring logistics and after-sales delivery and replacement, which boosts customers’ purchasing confidence.

At the same time, building a community also helps VEVOR gather feedback, enabling comprehensive optimization from products to logistics and after-sales, fundamentally winning consumers’ trust in product quality and establishing a good reputation for service.

In short, achieving great results with small investments on TikTok requires companies to comprehensively use multiple strategies. From deeply understanding the target market and audience, to formulating effective content strategies, choosing suitable promotion methods, conducting data monitoring and effect evaluation, and building brand communities and loyalty, every step is crucial.

In this opportunity-filled digital era, only by continuously exploring and innovating with a user-centered approach can companies achieve key success on TikTok’s journey to going global.

It is hoped that through the discussion in this article, companies can find TikTok marketing strategies suitable for themselves and start an efficient journey of going global.