TikTok For Business: What It Is, How To Use It

Most TikTok users can find enough great content to keep them busy and entertained on the social media platform without ever wondering about the “other side” of TikTok.

What is the “other side?” It’s an enormous infrastructure that’s been created for businesses that place TikTok ads.

It contains far more TikTok analytics data than what’s available to content creators. It allows companies to open TikTok Shops. It provides detailed tracking of trending posts, sounds, and hashtags. It has a robust interface for the production and placement of ads. It offers tools that let users find collaborations and improve conversions. There’s much more, too.

This “other side” is called TikTok for Business — and any company (or solo entrepreneur thinking of advertising on the app) should seriously consider checking it out.

Here’s how to get started.

How to Use TikTok for Business: Introduction

We’re not going to spend time in this article detailing why TikTok is an outstanding social app for marketing and branding. TikTok’s 2+ billion user base, largely composed of highly engaged consumers ages 45 and below, speaks for itself.

We also won’t be getting into the nuts and bolts of marketing your products or services on TikTok. There are lots of resources, including many on the iDigic Blog, that explain how to establish online advertising goals, develop TikTok marketing and content strategies, and the types of advertising opportunities available on the platform.

Instead, we’ll be focusing on the indispensable tools available to advertisers in the TikTok for Business interface. And before you can access those tools, you need a TikTok for Business account.

How to Use TikTok for Business: Getting Started

First things first: not everyone is allowed to enter the TikTok for Business (TTFB) playground. You must either have a TikTok business account or set up a new TikTok for Business login. Both let you sign into the bare-bones TTFB section of the app, as well as the comprehensive TikTok for Business website.

The website is located at ads.tiktok.com/business, and it’s best navigated from a browser rather than a phone or tablet.

Newcomers will find it easier to start by simply switching their existing TikTok account (which is a personal account by default) to a business one. It’s not difficult.

1. Visit your TikTok profile by tapping the “Profile” icon at the bottom right of your home screen.
2. Open the profile menu by clicking on the icon with three horizontal lines, found at the top right of the page.
3. Choose “Settings and privacy” from the popup menu.
4. Click the “Account” link on the screen that opens.
5. Select “Switch to Business Account” in the middle of the next screen.

From there, just follow the prompts. You’ll be asked to choose between a 30-day trial or a regular TTFB account (both are free); if you opt to sign up for a full TikTok for Business account, you’ll have to register and verify your business with TikTok before receiving login credentials.

How to Use TikTok for Business: Exploring

The entire suite of TikTok for Business features can be accessed from your home page once you’ve logged in via a browser. You’ll have only limited functionality on the app, so this tour will focus on TTFB’s web-based features.

One of the first things to do is set up your business profile, which, unlike a personal profile, can show your business contact information and website link. Craft the profile carefully (and choose a profile picture that’s appropriate for a professional business) to maximize visitor interest in your services or products.

Once that’s done, here are the major TTFB functions you can use to build your company’s TikTok presence, audience, and revenue.

• TikTok Ad Manager: This is at the heart of the TikTok for Business experience, and it’s where you can manage multiple ad campaigns. The system lets you set budgets, choose different types of advertising options, optimize your posts according to your campaign goals, and track your results.
• TikTok Analytics: Here you have access to detailed metrics on your campaigns and their performance, your audience demographics, your traffic sources, and the best times for posting your content and ads. You can also track everything from engagement rates and watch time to the performance of your Live streams.
• Creative Center: This area contains souped-up Creator tools similar to those available to personal TikTok account owners. It’s also where you can find voluminous data on trends across the platform, samples of top-performing TikTok ads and other insights about successful campaigns in your niche, and many other features that will get your creative juices flowing.
• Creator Marketplace: Here, TikTok provides businesses with a centralized location for finding content creators interested in partnerships or collaborations. There are multiple ways to search for creators, including by niche, account size, location, audience demographics, and account engagement.
• TikTok Shops (accessible from the “Account” section): You’re able to set up and manage all of your TikTok Shops from this part of the TikTok for Business website. This is also where you can establish and manage affiliate programs for your Shops.

You’ll find much more available in the TikTok for Business interface as well, including the ability to utilize third-party tools to allow or enhance post scheduling, content creation, and integration of e-commerce platforms and CRM software.

Remember, most of the functions we’ve spotlighted can only be accessed and utilized on the TikTok for Business website. Even if you’ve come to rely so heavily on your phone that you’ve stored your laptop or desktop computer at the back of a closet, you’d be smart to pull it out and get started with these robust tools and features. It’s a journey well worth taking for any business.