But you don’t need to be a household name to use it to engage new audiences and grow. With a bit of experimentation Startups and SMEs across categories can tap into the network’s 1bn creators.

Early doors

Starting a company from scratch is hard. Founders have to be CEO, CMO, HR Director, Head of Operations and Front of House all at once. But those thinking that TikTok represents a distraction from all this should think again. In the summer, the platform’s business subsidiary TikTok for Business put together a new suite of services for small companies. Chiefly, Self-Serve Advertising Tools that provide analytics to ensure content is in front of the right audience and a free ad spend pot for entrepreneurs that had faced setbacks due to the pandemic (more specifics on these in the link in comments). With intuitive features that ensure small businesses are getting in front of the right audiences there are fewer excuses for founders hesitant to dive into the platform. TikTok is still in its period of exponential growth and the question is – do you want to be in the first five hundred entrepreneurs in your category on the platform or in the first five million? Thought so…

BTS (no BS) 

In the US, a Florida resident named Donnie Galli found himself out of a job in the run up to the holiday season in 2019. His response was to retreat to his garage to improve on his woodworking. A small line of bespoke furniture followed and then a big presence on TikTok: @designs.by.donnie has 684k followers who tune in to watch Galli saw up timber, assemble tables and display his carpentry chops (sorry). Displaying craft and skill in this way reminds viewers of the quality and dedication wrapped into your brand. Giving your audience a peek inside your practice demystifies your product too.

Authenticity wins

The struggle is real. But you wouldn’t know it to look at the social feeds of most small businesses and start-ups. Many founders fall into the trap of self-aggrandising, humblebragging and focusing only on achievements. TikTok offers the opportunity to show a more complete picture of your journey. The setbacks, mistakes and emotional trauma of launching a business into the world make for compelling content here. Providing a breath of fresh air right now is Zachary Oliver (zach_clean), an entrepreneur who succumbed to alcohol and drug addiction, lost a fortune and has now turned his life around. Oliver offers frank information about the cost of substance abuse to 70k followers.

Thanks for reading. We’re on the eve of launching the OK COOL TikTok Studio for brands. Drop Jolyon a line to find out more: jolyon@okcool.io