How to use TikTok for brand global expansion?

Douyin is one of the most popular social media platforms, now with over one billion monthly active users worldwide. This massive user base is enough for brands to consider leveraging the platform. However, Douyin's potential as a revenue-generating platform is also noteworthy; it is estimated that users spend $110 million per month on Douyin. Therefore, it has become the most profitable non-gaming application.

If you are convinced to use Douyin as a business marketing tool, this article will help you get started on the platform. Continue reading to learn the steps to start a Douyin business.
The Ultimate Guide to Using Douyin for Business:

• Step 1: Create Your Douyin Business Account
• Step 2: Optimize Your Profile
• Step 3: Understand Your Target Audience
• Step 4: Understand How the Douyin Algorithm Works
• Step 5: Observe Competitors
• Step 6: Develop a Strong Content Strategy
• Step 7: Collaborate with Influential Users
• Step 8: Leverage Douyin Ads to Maximize Reach and Impact
• Step 9: Use Analytics to Grow and Optimize

Are you hesitant to use TikTok in your business because you think it is limited to Gen Z? While the platform does have a large number of young users, it is also popular among young adults and middle-aged users. According to statistics, 25% of TikTok users are between 10 and 19 years old, and the 20-29 age group accounts for 22.4% of the user base. In addition, users aged 30-39 make up 21.7% of the total TikTok audience, and users between 40 and 49 account for 20.3%. The remaining 11% are users over 50. Therefore, if you have been avoiding TikTok due to assumptions about its demographics, these numbers show that the platform's audience is much more diverse than you might think.
Furthermore, TikTok is not just about entertainment content, although that category is popular. The platform also features informative and educational content from many brands and influencers. This is why even the most unexpected brands have found success on the platform. For example, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), an unlikely organization, found its niche on TikTok by collaborating with influencers like @deafimmy, breaking stereotypes and reaching a younger audience.
Therefore, if you think TikTok is not suitable for your industry, you may need to reconsider. See what your competitors are doing on the platform and explore creative ways to use the platform to promote your business.

• Step 1: Create Your TikTok Business Account
  First, download the TikTok app and register using your phone number or email. If your business already has a social media account, you can also use that account to register on TikTok.
  On the “Me” page, tap the “...” button at the top of the page and select “Manage Account.” Then, choose the “Switch to Business Account” option and select the category that best fits your industry. Done! You now have a TikTok Business Account, which you can use to engage with your audience and post content about your business.

• Step 2: Optimize Your Profile
  If you want to conduct business activities on TikTok, having an account is not enough. You must optimize your profile to represent your brand in the best possible way. Updating your bio, profile picture, and URL are important steps in this process. To optimize your profile, consider the following best practices:
  1. Choose a profile picture that visually represents your brand and maintains a consistent visual identity across all social media accounts. For example, Chipotle uses the same profile picture on all social media platforms to create a consistent brand image.

2. Briefly summarize your brand in your bio, keeping it concise and to the point. Use your brand slogan, tagline, or a short bio quote that matches your brand personality. For example, BUXOM Cosmetics uses only three words in their TikTok bio: Big, Bold, Sexy, which perfectly aligns with their brand personality.

3. Strategically plan your URL by linking to your homepage, landing page, blog post, or app download page, depending on your goals. Choose a URL that is easy to recognize and clean, without confusing the audience. For example, Florence by mills places a link to their LikeShop page so that viewers can quickly purchase the products they see on TikTok. The URL clearly shows the brand name and looks clean and reliable.
By following these best practices, you can ensure that your TikTok profile accurately represents your brand and encourages viewers to engage with your content. Additionally, there are various link tools such as Koji, InstaBio, Linktree, and LinkFolio that can be used to direct people to your content or products.

• Step 3: Understand your target audience
  To effectively connect with your audience on TikTok, it's important to create content that resonates with them. Although your specific goals may be unique, the main reason for using TikTok is to engage with your audience. To do this successfully, it's important to understand who your audience is and what content they are interested in.
  As previously mentioned, TikTok has a diverse user base, with Gen-Z being the most prominent group. Identify the overlap between your target audience and TikTok's user base, and consider exploring opportunities to attract new, unexpected audiences. To develop a content strategy that resonates with your audience, you need to closely study their behaviors, preferences, and interests.
  BarkBox is a great example of understanding their target audience and the content they enjoy. By sharing funny animal videos on TikTok, they attracted pet parents and animal lovers, which helped increase engagement and build a loyal following.

• Step 4: Understand how the TikTok algorithm works
  If you want to use TikTok for your business, it's very important to understand how the platform's algorithm works. Familiarizing yourself with the factors that influence the TikTok algorithm will allow you to leverage them to your advantage and increase your visibility on the platform.
  This includes creating relevant captions and using trending hashtags to increase the visibility of your content to the right audience. In addition to information on the video (such as captions and hashtags), user engagement is very important in influencing the algorithm.
  Therefore, it's very important to create content that people want to watch and engage with. The goal is to increase engagement among your target audience so that more people can discover your content on their 'For You' page.
  Additionally, using popular TikTok sounds is another effective way to improve visibility in the TikTok algorithm. Look for opportunities to incorporate them into your videos so that people searching for sounds can easily find your content.

• Step 5: Research competitors
  Are your competitors on TikTok? If so, what content are they creating and how active are their followers? Analyzing your main competitors and their success/failure on the platform is a great way to develop your TikTok strategy. They have already tested the platform, which can provide valuable insights for your business. Be sure to closely monitor the types of content that generate the most engagement and explore any creative strategies that can be replicated or used for inspiration.
• Step 6: Develop a strong content strategy

After conducting research, you can start developing a TikTok content strategy that defines the type of content you will create and the frequency of posting new content. While dance and entertainment content are common on the platform, educational and practical content are equally popular. This means that tutorial videos, DIY, life hacks, tips, and advice can all be included in your content strategy to attract your audience. It's crucial to strike a balance between different types of content to diversify your feed and appeal to different audiences.

For example, while funny videos like those made by BarkBox are effective for general engagement, providing instructional videos on how to use your product can inform and educate your audience. This is a great way to generate interest in brand content and ensure they keep coming back for more. For instance, Le Creuset often shares cooking videos to highlight the quality of their cookware products. Some of these videos demonstrate the product in use, while others are purely for aesthetic enjoyment.

Additionally, it's very important to develop a content calendar suited to the platform. As with other social networking sites, consistency is key to maintaining strong visibility on TikTok. Therefore, establishing and sticking to a content calendar can help you maintain momentum and keep an appropriate posting frequency.

• Step 7: Collaborate with influential users
  Influential TikTokers have the ability to go viral overnight, reaching millions of users at once. Having the right influencers promote your brand to their followers is an effective way to instantly boost your visibility on the platform.
  Your TikTok influencer marketing strategy can include having influencers briefly mention your brand, or more ideally, showcase your product or service in a way that resonates with their followers. You can also collaborate with influential creators for duets, encourage them to use your branded hashtag, or have them promote your brand challenge to boost engagement.
  For example, when mattress brand Simmons wanted to connect with young consumers on TikTok, they partnered with a diverse group of influencers. These creators helped increase visibility for the brand's #Snoozzzapalooza hashtag challenge, encouraging over 2 million video submissions and achieving 6 billion video views.

• Step 8: Leverage TikTok ads to maximize reach and impact

To immediately boost your TikTok business, you can consider investing in TikTok ads. However, to achieve a good return on investment (ROI), you need to think strategically. First, define and set a clear and realistic goal, and identify your target audience. This information will guide the creation of your TikTok ad to ensure it effectively reaches the right people and leaves a lasting impression. Develop a strong TikTok ad strategy that aligns with your goals and audience to maximize ad effectiveness.

• Step 9: Use data analysis for growth and optimization

To succeed on TikTok, it's very important to continuously optimize your strategy. Using TikTok's analytics tools can help you track your performance on the platform and find areas for improvement. These tools allow you to measure content engagement metrics, monitor hashtag reach, and determine the best posting times. Additionally, some tools can help you identify potential influencers and predict emerging trends.

By leveraging these insights, you can plan ahead and optimize your content strategy to improve performance. For example, posting content at times when you receive high engagement can enhance your content visibility.

Now, you have all the necessary steps to make TikTok work for your business, it's time to put them into action. Start by creating a strong profile, identifying your target audience, and developing a powerful content strategy to launch your journey on the platform and increase the likelihood of success.