Has TikTok helped your small business reach new customers?

[danielmartinhq]

I’ve been hearing a lot about small businesses using TikTok to showcase their products and connect with new audiences. Some people say it’s been a game changer for sales and visibility, while others feel it takes too much time without much return.

Lately, there’s also been buzz around TikTok 18, an alternative version of the app that offers a more flexible environment for creators and adult-oriented content. Some small business owners experimenting with niche marketing have started exploring it to reach specific audiences that aren’t as active on the main TikTok platform. 

For those of you who’ve tried it — has TikTok made a real difference for your business? Do you focus on creating content yourself, or do you hire someone to handle it? And if you haven’t used TikTok yet, what’s holding you back?

[isabelle]

Tagging @DinaLRosenberg ! Tiktok biz queeeen! Also I've seen @sugarlab on there too! 

[danielmartinhq]

Thanks for tagging them, Isabelle! I’ll definitely check out what @DinaLRosenberg and @sugarlab have shared. It’s always helpful to hear directly from people who are actually using TikTok for business instead of just reading general advice.

[sugarlab]

@danielmartinhq Oh great question! Tiktok can feel like the Wild West but it can be a great tool for small businesses. 

I did a Q&A about this a couple years ago: https://community.squareup.com/t5/Event-Discussions/Ask-a-Square-Champion-Anything-Candid-Experience... 

Of course, things change so quickly in the social media landscape. My business has also changed. I don't have a retail shop anymore, my focus is on weddings and classes. TikTok has more of a national reach than Instagram; so I use TikTok for anything I'm wanting for national reach (like when I was shipping cake slice boxes and went beyond viral last year, or for education purposes on cake decorating, etc). And then Instagram is more for my local clients/community. 

I would say TikTok has made a real difference for my business, but not necessarily a sustained one. By my own design though because it was overwhelming. It can feel like it takes a lot of time, but you also have to remember that marketing isn't just flipping on a switch. It takes time and more importantly consistency to see results. And the results may happen months after the initial marketing push. 

I have learned about so many other small businesses because of TikTok. So I definitely think it's worth exploring!

If you have any specific question, I'm happy to help! You can check out my tiktok: tiktok.com/ali.sugarlab

[danielmartinhq]

I think a lot of us underestimate how long consistency takes to pay off. Do you think you’d still recommend TikTok for a business that’s just starting out, or is it better once you already have some momentum?

[DinaLRosenberg]

Consistency is key- but honestly- I don't think what you post has to have crazy production value. I find the TikTok's that are raw and unfiltered do the best (where I'm like OMG I can't believe I look like that). Really all it cost is your time. Even if 1 more person find out about your business, you don't know what the lifetime value of that person is. Weekly people come in saying "found you on TikTok"... so I would do it... try and post 4 times a week if you can and consume the TT's of companies like yours to see what hits.

[DinaLRosenberg]

@danielmartinhq We LOVVEEE social media at Amityville Apothecary.

We started TikTok in 2020; at the time Gary Vee (Gary Vaynerchuck) said if we produced content on TikTok we'd get more attention than we deserved because there were more consumer of content than content producers. Of course, that's since changed but we got a ton of attention in the beginning and went viral a few times with some products (before TikTok shop even existed). 

We produce different content in TT than we do on Instagram. And as Ali said TT is def more national. 

We have a TikTok shop which does great for us.. it's been a life saver on slow days. 

Re: producing your own content versus paying someone- we've tried to lighten our load and have someone else do it- and it never works for us - people crave authentic brand voice- and having someone else produce for you often misses the mark.

[Lovewell]

We do not have TikTok however we've had local peeps post about us on there which has resulted in people coming in. My mindset is let them do the work for me! 

The TikTok18 concept seems questionable at best. "Adult content" nowadays is not content I'd want to consume or possibly have children consuming because   how do you regulate it? 

Anywho- we really just don't want to add to the noise.

[Sikuoshi]

I started posting fun behind-the-scenes videos and tutorials, and once a few of them got popular, I noticed more foot traffic and messages from people saying they found me on TikTok. I also used some tools that offer free tiktok likes to give my first few posts a little boost, and I think that helped get more eyes on my content early on.

[DinaLRosenberg]

people LOVE behind the scenes content!!

[rtfulk]

We post on TikTok, We have had customers come into our booth at fairs and say they saw us on TikTok and had to come see us. We've never went viral, but get some decent views on some of our post.

[pawffeeshop]

As an elder millennial I am honestly terrible at social media. I do my best and try to get the youngins to help me when I can. We have had others post about us and 1 of them went pretty viral for our area. It brought in a lot of customers and it was a wonderful boost to business, but it wears off. I am going to work on some more raw behind the scenes content I think and see if people like that. 

I have not heard about TikTok18 so I couldn't say much about that, but I do think if it has a lot of less people on it then it's probably not worth it? Take that with a grain of salt. 

[DinaLRosenberg]

TikTok definitely wears off which is why consistency is key 🙂