TikTok has developed into an important marketing platform for businesses that want to reach new audiences, build brand awareness and create more engaging social media content.
It is no longer a platform used only for dance trends, viral challenges and entertainment. People now use TikTok to discover products, research businesses, find answers and learn more about the brands they may eventually buy from.
However, creating an account and occasionally uploading a video will not automatically deliver results.
Businesses need a clear TikTok strategy that combines research, creativity, consistent content and ongoing performance analysis. Your videos must feel natural to the platform while still supporting your wider marketing goals.
Here are five ways you can start building a stronger brand presence on TikTok.
How Can You Find the Right TikTok Trends?
Trends sit at the centre of TikTok, but that does not mean your business needs to participate in every viral sound or challenge.
The most effective approach involves finding trends that suit your brand, audience and services.
TikTok provides its own Creative Center, where businesses can explore popular hashtags, songs, creators and videos. You can filter this information by location and industry, helping you understand what people are currently watching and discussing.
You can also review TikTok’s Top Ads section to see which advertising formats and creative styles perform well across different sectors and campaign objectives.
Use this research to identify relevant opportunities rather than forcing your business into conversations that do not feel natural.
For example, a restaurant could use a popular video format to showcase a signature dish, while a trades business could adapt the same format to share a quick before-and-after transformation.
The trend attracts attention, but your knowledge, products and personality give people a reason to remember you.
What Types of TikTok Content Should Your Business Create?
Successful TikTok content usually follows recognisable themes and formats.
Instead of trying to think of a completely new idea every time you post, create several repeatable content categories that support your business goals.
These could include:
- Helpful tips and advice
- Behind-the-scenes videos
- Product demonstrations
- Customer questions
- Before-and-after results
- Team introductions
- Industry myths
- Responses to comments
Repeatable formats make content planning easier and help your audience understand what they can expect from your account.
A business offering professional services could create a regular series answering common customer questions. A retailer could demonstrate how different products work, while a hospitality business could introduce its team or show how popular dishes get prepared.
Your videos do not always need expensive equipment or complicated production. Clear, useful and authentic content often feels more appropriate for TikTok than highly polished advertising.
The goal is to provide something that makes people stop scrolling, whether that involves useful information, entertainment, inspiration or a strong visual result.
How Can TikTok Creators Help Your Brand?
Creators understand how people communicate and interact on TikTok.
Even when your business does not plan to run an influencer marketing campaign, studying relevant creators can improve your own content.
Look at the creators producing popular videos within your industry. Pay attention to the subjects they cover, how quickly they introduce each video and how they encourage viewers to comment or continue watching.
The purpose is not to copy their content. It is to understand the language, pace and style that your target audience responds to.
Working with an appropriate creator can also help your business reach an established community and present your products or services in a more natural way.
Large follower numbers do not always provide the best results. Smaller creators with an engaged and relevant audience can sometimes offer greater value because their recommendations feel personal and trusted.
Any creator partnership should still support a clear objective, such as improving awareness, promoting a product, generating website visits or reaching a new customer group.
Why Does Your Business Need a TikTok Strategy?
TikTok moves quickly, but your approach should not become completely reactive.
Before publishing content, decide what you want the platform to achieve for your business.
Your goals could include:
- Increasing brand awareness
- Reaching a younger audience
- Driving website traffic
- Generating enquiries
- Supporting a product launch
- Building trust
- Growing an engaged community
Your strategy should then explain the content you will create, how often you will post and which results you will measure.
You also need to give your strategy enough time to produce useful information.
Not every video will perform well, and one successful video does not necessarily mean every similar post will achieve the same result. Consistency helps you understand which subjects, formats and messages connect with your audience.
Your TikTok activity should also work alongside your wider digital marketing strategy. Videos can support your website content, answer questions raised by your SEO research and provide creative material for other social media platforms.
A joined-up strategy gives each piece of content a clearer purpose.
Which TikTok Results Should You Measure?
Views can tell you how many times people watched a video, but they do not show the complete picture.
TikTok analytics can help you understand how people interact with your content and whether your videos support your business objectives.
Depending on your campaign, you may need to monitor:
- Average watch time
- Video completion rate
- Comments and shares
- Profile visits
- Follower growth
- Website clicks
- Enquiries or sales
- Performance across different content themes
Watch time and completion rates can show whether your videos hold people’s attention. Comments can reveal the questions your audience wants you to answer, while profile visits and website clicks can indicate stronger interest in your business.
Use this information to improve future content.
Continue developing the formats that produce meaningful engagement and adjust the videos that repeatedly lose viewers. TikTok success often comes from testing ideas, learning from the results and gradually improving your approach.
Why Should Businesses Avoid Overly Promotional TikTok Content?
People generally open TikTok to find useful, interesting or entertaining content, not to watch traditional sales adverts.
Videos that immediately push a product or service without offering anything valuable may struggle to hold attention.
Instead of only telling people what you sell, show them why it matters.
Answer a common question, demonstrate a result or share an insight that helps the viewer. You can then introduce your business as part of that content.
For example, rather than posting a video that simply promotes a landscaping service, a company could explain three signs that a garden needs better drainage. The video provides useful information while still showing the company’s experience.
This approach builds familiarity and trust before asking the viewer to take action.
Could Outrank Help You Grow Your Business on TikTok?
Outrank has now launched TikTok social media services to help businesses build a more confident and consistent presence on the platform.
Our social media team can support you with TikTok strategy, content planning, creative ideas, filming, editing, account management and performance reporting.
We take the time to understand your business, audience and goals before creating content. This helps us produce videos that feel appropriate for TikTok while remaining relevant to your brand.
We also review the metrics that matter, from reach and engagement to website traffic and enquiries, so your strategy can continue to develop over time.
TikTok can provide valuable opportunities, but businesses need more than occasional videos to make the most of the platform.
With the right planning, content and support, your business can use TikTok to reach new audiences, strengthen its online presence and turn attention into meaningful results.
Contact Outrank today to learn more about our TikTok social media services and discover how we can help your business create content that gets seen.