18 Approachable TikTok Ideas for Small Businesses

Did you know TikTok users of the app are 1.4 times more likely to buy products from the companies they find on the platform than with any other app? TikTok will give you the creative freedom to promote your business in new and fun ways, and it’s where we think you’re most likely to experience growth right now. 

Putting a face to your brand name encourages deeper connections with your viewers, and brings a new layer of trust and personality to your brand. Many businesses have already taken a liking to TikTok, but with only 37% using the platform, there’s plenty of room for others to join and have the space to grow.  

In this post, we’re going to walk you through 18 TikTok ideas for small businesses. So whether you’re looking for inspiration for your first post, or you’re a seasoned TikTok pro in need of fresh ideas, keep this post handy. 

On this page

1. Share tips on how to grow a small business
2. Use hashtags and join challenges
3. Humanize your brand
4. Try dueting or stitching videos
5. Show your products in action
6. Share your purpose
7. Partnering with influencers
8. Install TikTok shopping
9. Show off your products with images
10. Show the behind the scenes of your business
11. Film a day in the life
12. Share what makes your business unique
13. Ask for feedback from others
14. Start small and build trust
15. Engage your audience through entertainment
16. Try collaborating with another small business
17. Show the tools needed for a successful small business
18. Give photography recommendations

1. Share tips on how to grow a small business

Sharing tips you’ve learned from growing your own small business helps people understand how you’ve gotten to this point in your career, and how they can do the same. This advice could be valuable for people interested in starting a side job. 46% of people in the UK have side hustles, and this number is only set to rise.

2. Use hashtags and join challenges

Get the most out of each video by using hashtags to help new people find your account. The more hashtags your video has, the more likely it will appear on viewers’ “for you” pages. Using hashtags correctly will promote your videos to more users, increasing your audience engagement. You can also follow a hashtag challenge or come up with your own. A hashtag challenge is when you come up with a catchy hashtag that communicates the action and challenges others to copy your video using the same hashtag. If the hashtag goes viral, this can be a real boost to your brand.

3. Humanize your brand

Show that small businesses care about their customers and put a lot of effort into making their products. There are a lot of personal touches small business owners put into their work that larger brands don’t always think about doing for their customers, and TikTok gives you a place to showcase these. 

4. Try dueting or stitching videos

Dueting or stitching a video gives small business owners a chance to answer questions customers have asked on TikTok. They can react to another business’s video stating how they are similar or different, and what their products would offer customers.

5. Show your products in action

Bring your products to life by showing them in action! Zara shows off its products on models to give viewers a taste of what their clothes look like on.

6. Share your purpose

It’s important for any brand to have a larger purpose. Patagonia’s purpose is to protect the environment through their sustainable goods, and they show their values through the care they take to make their products.This TikTok video shows the beauty of the natural world they want to protect through their various adventures in the outdoors. 

7. Partnering with influencers

Fenty Beauty partners with Madison Beer to grow their audience. She’s an influencer, a singer, and is popular among the younger generations. Collaborating with a user who has some popularity on the app will interest viewers and attract a larger following.

8. Install TikTok shopping

When creating a TikTok account you have the option to pick a business account. You can promote your business using paid ads and follow your progress by spotting trends in your account. 

Steps for installing a business account:

1. Download TikTok from the App Store.
2. Log in or create an account.
3. Select the me tab at the bottom.
4. Go to … > Manage account > Choose business account.
5. Under the business option, select next.

Then TikTok will ask you some questions about your business to get to know your goals. By creating a business account users are easily able to make a purchase from your business through the app if they have Shopify, allowing for a seamless shopping experience. 

9. Show off your products with images

If you aren’t in a position to film much, you can still show off your products by collating images into a video. This idea may seem less intimidating if you’re just starting out on TikTok, and is a great way to get the most out of your favourite product images.

10. Show the behind the scenes of your business

Giving an insight into how you market or make your products will help people wanting to get into the field, and increase your follower engagement. It also helps people remember there’s a real person behind your business.

11. Film a day in the life

People are nosey! Showing a day in the life of your small business will help customers feel invested in your business, and be more likely to buy your products. Try including hashtags such as #supportsmallbusinesses or #let’sgetto1000views to get the most out of them.

12. Share what makes your business unique

What are your USPs? Try bringing some of them together in a video, like the one below. Social media can be a busy space, and this helps your business stand out from the rest, as well as strengthening your relationship with your customers. Say why you are unique, and why people should buy your products.

13. Ask for feedback from others

Feedback is a gift! Asking for feedback can greatly benefit your small businesses because other accounts on TikTok can give you advice about how to improve your platform. It’s also a great place to connect with your customers, and ask them for feedback on your products, or what they’d like to see next.

14. Start small and build trust

Building user trust allows you to create a narrative surrounding your business. You can do this by showing the process of , commenting on other peoples videos, adding your advice or dueting a person’s video so other people can get some new information on a topic. Also being vulnerable by adding your personal struggles with starting your own business can be helpful for others.

15. Engage your audience through entertainment, information or q&a

Create fun videos that engage your audience. Princess Polly is a great example of a smaller brand that grew their presence on TikTok by mixing up their content and keeping it fresh and original. This video shows two people dancing while wearing Princess Polly’s clothes to show people can be comfortable in their clothing and still move around and have fun. An easy way you can build audience engagement early on is posting a poll of choices and asking people’s opinions of a topic. 

16. Try collaborating with another small business

Collaborating with another small business can help you both get more recognition. TikTok also doesn’t have a lot of this type of content, so this could be something new and original to try.

17. Show the tools needed for a successful small business

Every small business owner runs their operation differently, and each owner has their own tools and processes to keep things running smoothly and successfully. Sharing what you use for your business can help others who are just starting out.

18. Give photography recommendations

Is there a special way you take your photos, or any trick you’ve learned over the years to promote your products? Lots of people wanting to start their own businesses someday or who are currently struggling in that area would benefit from that advice.

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