Why Agencies Should Join TikTok

TikTok has shaken up the social media game with its addictive videos and ultra-casual vibes. Because it’s so popular with kids and young adults, many businesses assume TikTok is irrelevant to their marketing strategy. After all, it’s just for silly dances and funny animal videos, right?

Not at all. TikTok is projected to reach more than 1.8 billion monthly users worldwide in 2022, which is remarkable since its launch just 6 years ago. Contrary to public belief, those users aren’t only from younger generations. As TikTok has evolved into a highly community-driven video platform, it’s become a source for entertainment and education.

Therefore, it’s is a great marketing channel for almost any business, no matter their industry. Whether you’re creating content on behalf of your clients or want to freshen up your brand, TikTok is worth your consideration. The reason TikTok has exploded in growth is that it includes much more than crazy cats and virtual dance-offs! It’s a versatile, dynamic platform that makes it easy to provide value to your target audience.

Who Can Businesses Reach On TikTok?

TikTok may skew younger, but older generations have eagerly joined the platform. While 63% of TikTok users are under the age of 29, more than 34% are millennials or Gen X. TikTok often appeals to older digital natives who now find typical social networks boring, as well as those who prefer highly visual content.

Most of TikTok’s users are women (or nonbinary) and POC, which sets it apart from the other top social platforms that skew male and/or white. Indeed, TikTok appeals to women and POC: about one-quarter of U.S. women and one-third of Black or Hispanic adults use TikTok, compared to just 17% of men and 18% of white Americans.

So, TikTok is an excellent opportunity to diversify your or your clients’ following. Plus, you can build a strong community, especially if your target personas comprise women and/or POC. This social channel is a bit of an equalizer. Content is truly king, as anything that doesn’t resonate with your ideal audience on TikTok quickly fades into the feed.

Don’t be alarmed, though. While other agencies rely on traditional social channels and their oft-artificial posts, TikTok lets you take a more authentic, meaningful approach.

How Can Agencies Reach Their Ideal Audience on TikTok

Even with a potentially broad user base, marketers should work within TikTok’s quirky, fast-paced tone. While people may be serious about their interests and pain points, they hop on TikTok when they want to learn or laugh. Even brands’ most earnest social media posts may not fly if they don’t keep it light.

That doesn’t mean your business must sell Halloween costumes or soy sauce to do well on TikTok. The key is to prioritize your brand’s community rather than your offerings.

Consider the experiences that your target audience has — or would like to have! What do they want to learn? What makes them laugh? How can you translate your (or your client’s) key differentiators into unique, engaging social content?

Agencies are quintessentially B2B, which means a lot of typical “social experience” content falls short. It’s all about making your audience feel like VIPs. So, strive to cultivate an “insider” community with your TikTok. Each post should make your target clients think, “Wow, that is so me.”

How to Develop Your TikTok Marketing Strategy

TikTok’s organic nature and rapid pace can make it challenging to plan a marketing strategy. You likely won’t realize which content will perform well until you spend some time engaging with your brand’s community. Thus, the best way to get started is simply to start.

TikToks are entirely distinct from Facebook posts, tweets, LinkedIn updates, and other social content. The closest social post format would be Instagram’s Reels. However, TikToks demonstrate a sort of quirky roughness that flies in the face of content marketing convention.

Highly stylized or heavily branded messaging is easily overlooked on TikTok. Users want to see clever, creative, and interactive content.

With all that in mind, follow these steps to build a winning TikTok strategy for your agency.

1. Decide Which Type of Account You Need

On most social networks, you can have either a personal or business profile. TikTok is similar, although it calls the former “Creator accounts.” Here’s the catch, though: many companies prefer to keep their Creator accounts rather than switch to Business.

On Instagram, Pinterest, etc., Business accounts typically offer more analytics and advertising features. Facebook expressly forbids businesses from using individual accounts. TikTok, however, offers helpful marketing features for both account types.

Here’s a quick rundown of the differences:

TikTok Creator Accounts:

• access to full music and sound library, including copyrighted songs
• Duets: record side-by-side videos with other users
• Stitch: add your videos and sounds onto existing TikToks
• Promote: push posts out to a wider audience
• DMs with friends only (which limits your ability to do outreach)
• Q&A: aggregate text comments and response videos for questions you’ve asked and answered
• 1k followers required to get a website link

TikTok Business Accounts:

• access to commercial sounds and royalty-free music
• Duets and Stitch (but only with other videos using RF sounds)
• Promote
• DMs with all users, plus automated responses
• TikTok Shop
• website link with new accounts upon registering your business with TikTok

As you see, there are clear pros and cons for each account type. If you’re planning to use TikTok to chat with prospects or receive inquiries, choose a Business account. If you’d like greater freedom in curating, remixing, and responding to content, stick with the Creator account.

2. Determine Your Core Topics

As with any sort of content marketing, identify your core topics that will attract and nurture leads. Typically, you’d work backward from your target personas. For TikTok, though, you’ll need to focus on their interests instead of creating content to push them along a buying journey. In other words, speak to their motivators rather than hitting their pain points.

Depending on your persona model, you may have listed:

• Their favorite hobbies
• Their worldview and philosophy
• Most pressing desires and goals
• What makes them happy
• Who they want to spend time with
• Public figures and celebrities they admire

Consider which topics would affirm those interests. Explore TikTok hashtags with similar content. Then, start brainstorming how to translate your agency’s value into engaging videos — whether educational, entertaining, or both!

For example, your agency’s ideal client avatar may be a millennial purpose-driven entrepreneur who founded an online eco-friendly business. They take a sustainable approach to their business and need help optimizing their ROI on paid media campaigns. When they hop on TikTok, they’re not always searching for “PPC tips.”

Overall, they’d like to see:

• inspirational stories about young entrepreneurs
• marketing wins and fails for eco-eCommerce businesses
• funny #EntrepreneurLife moments
• videos about greenwashing and its harmful effects
• hustle culture tips (or caveats)

By creating content around these topics, you can start building a meaningful relationship with your target audience. And even if not all your TikTok followers are qualified leads, remember that “a rising tide floats all boats.” The better your profile performs, the more likely you are to reach your ideal prospects.

3. Plan Out Your Content

TikTok is a rapid-paced platform, but you don’t need to post every day. Plan to engage first, publish second. Map out the topics you’ll address in each piece of content.

Unfortunately, TikTok does not offer a way to add links to posts. Keep your user journey in mind and remember that most people won’t want to leave TikTok. If you’re asking users to visit your site, direct them to your bio link.

You can also go live, as on other social platforms. Going live creates a sense of urgency about your brand. You’re sharing something exclusive and valuable, so users get excited.

4. Create a Networking Plan

As with any form of B2B marketing, networking is critical to your success. You must engage with prospective clients (and potential collaborators!) on every channel. TikTok is no exception!

Believe it or not, this social platform is an excellent place to expand your professional network. People log on to learn as well as laugh, which means you can have some great conversations.

Start by identifying popular hashtags among your target audience. These show you relevant posts and accounts.

Next, invite other TikTok users to ask you questions. If your agency is using a Creator account, the platform detects questions in comments. Once you respond, the comment thread appears under Q&A in your profile. This handy feature lets you quickly and easily demonstrate your expertise.

5. Curate and Remix Relevant Posts

One of TikTok’s biggest features is the ability to “stitch” other content into yours. Essentially, you can repurpose videos and sounds into your own TikToks. This shows that your agency is a conscientious participant in your industry. Curating content also helps forge new connections and prove your expertise. (Plus, it’s perfect if someone is already talking about your brand on TikTok!)

You can also make your “Liked” videos public (they’re private by default) and other users can see those videos on your profile. This is a good way to curate relevant content, similar to how you’d share links on Facebook or LinkedIn or retweet on Twitter. (Just be sure to only like videos you want to appear on your profile!)

6. Publish and Organize Your Content

No one likes an endless feed! Show your users exactly what you have to offer by organizing your TikToks.

First, pin the most relevant posts to the top of your feed. These should be videos that best express your brand and/or drive users to take action.

You can add published TikToks to a playlist that appears on your profile. Give each list a short and catchy name such as “Marketing Tips” or “Agency Life.” People who visit your page can easily see what your agency is all about.

Wrapping Up: Your Key to TikTok Success

TikTok has a lot of potential for businesses, especially B2B enterprises that need to forge strong relationships. Focus on what would most excite and entertain your target audience. Don’t be afraid to loosen your necktie and have a bit of fun! TikTok is all about authenticity, which builds trust … and thus, brand loyalty.