Every month, 80 million individuals spend a median of 24 hours on TikTok. This new alternative has revolutionized how B2C manufacturers work together with their clients. Can TikTok for B2B advertising unlock the identical potential?

Fairly just a few manufacturers are attempting to reply that query for themselves. Not all B2B corporations might not be capable of capitalize on these on the spot #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt B2C conversions, however that doesn’t imply they received’t get any worth out of the community. In terms of consciousness, TikTok could also be simply what a B2B social media technique wants.

The trail to success for companies on TikTok isn’t completely uncharted. We spoke with three B2B entrepreneurs who’re experimenting with and discovering success on TikTok. Right here’s what we discovered from their methods.

However first, why you have to strive B2B advertising on TikTok

The impacts of TikTok will be felt throughout us, from the style tendencies we’re speaking about to the music we hearken to.

Headlines surrounding the community usually focus on the way it’s impacting client conduct from a retail perspective, however the full image is far bigger. With multiple billion energetic month-to-month customers, patrons of all types are flocking to TikTok for inspiration, leisure, training and extra.

TikTok for enterprise might help you determine deeper connections with goal audiences. When you’re nonetheless skeptical, listed below are the highest three causes your model can profit from a TikTok enterprise technique:

It’s a robust consciousness driver

Polished video manufacturing has its time and place, however analysis exhibits that buyers benefit from the fast and scrappy strategy simply as properly.

We surveyed over 1,000 US shoppers for the 2022 Sprout Social Index™ and located that greater than one-third wish to see extra genuine, much less produced movies from the manufacturers they comply with. On high of that, shoppers additionally discover short-form video 2.5x extra participating than long-form video.

Maintaining with these social tendencies isn’t only a B2C precedence. A examine from the Worldwide Information Company discovered that 75% of senior and influential B2B patrons use on-line social networks all through their buy course of.

“The factor about B2B advertising on TikTok is that you just’re at all times coping with the shopper behind the enterprise. On the finish of the day, whether or not you’re selling a advertising toolkit or promoting inkjet printers, you’re speaking to an individual.”

— Maria Kalyadina, Head of Social at Semrush

A TikTok enterprise technique might help you retain up with client preferences on social. In doing so, you’ll keep linked with potential patrons, too.

It’s the place your prospects go to debate their ache factors

When you look via the hashtag #company, you’ll discover TikTok movies poking enjoyable at all the pieces from electronic mail signature norms to video chat blunders. This light-hearted, snappy strategy to discussing the idiosyncrasies that include working a 9-to-5 is important to a rising TikTok subculture: Company TikTok.

Different company TikTok hashtags like #9to5, #WorkFromHome and #WorkLife have amassed over 20 billion views mixed. This implies your patrons are already flocking to TikTok to vent about their day-to-day work issues. That’s your cue to swoop in with an answer.

It could breathe new life into your social technique

TikTok tendencies are notoriously ingenious. There’s virtually a brand new one popping up each different day. This fixed stream of inspiration might help you have a look at your cross-network social technique with contemporary eyes.

Plus, posting a number of occasions per day is the community norm. Because of the algorithmic For You Web page, it’s not possible to overwhelm your followers with content material. This limitless playground for experimentation may very well be the place you strike gold on social.

Recommendation from 3 manufacturers getting TikTok for B2B proper

You most likely have all the pieces you have to begin making your first batch of TikTok content material. Typically, all it takes is a bit inspiration to jumpstart the method. To assist, we spoke to 3 entrepreneurs to learn the way they’re approaching TikTok for B2B and what they’ve discovered alongside the way in which.

1. Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a piece administration platform on a mission to enhance the way in which groups collaborate. It’s no surprise collaboration is what makes their TikTok presence shine.

“The social group will get concepts from our clients, colleagues and from watching—most likely an excessive amount of—TikTok,” says Brian Bosché, Director of Product Advertising and marketing at Smartsheet. “We use Smartsheet to arrange video ideas after which resolve on our favorites. From there, we’ll write out a top level view for the video and undergo revisions till it’s in place to shoot.”

Bosché is considered one of many volunteer content material creators for the Smartsheet TikTok account. The Smartsheet social group recruited expertise from throughout their enterprise in order that they at all times have somebody to name on when it’s time to hit file.

Collectively, they create TikToks that share a behind-the-scenes have a look at how individuals and organizations accomplish their work. Anchoring their model presence to a wider theme creates selection of their content material, which ranges from skits to tutorials to the most recent TikTok tendencies. It additionally provides them room to raise buyer tales and user-generated content material whereas sustaining consistency.

“TikTok provides you the power to work together along with your neighborhood in a bunch of various methods, together with dueting and stitching movies,” says Bosché. “We adore it when individuals create movies about Smartsheet and can duet and react to them fairly persistently. We commented on somebody’s video about how they use Smartsheet, and so they created one other video about what they liked about Smartsheet as a response.”

The Smartsheet social group has tried out fairly just a few video codecs and instruments since launching their TikTok presence in April of 2022. That experimentation is the foundation of Bosché’s recommendation for different B2B manufacturers trying to get began with the community.

“Strive stuff,” says Bosché. “You by no means know what’s going to work on TikTok, and issues are at all times evolving, so strive completely different codecs and subjects to see what works.”

Takeaways

• You don’t must be the one one stepping in entrance of the digital camera. Recruit video expertise from throughout your group to disperse the workload.
• Encourage engagement by amplifying user-generated content material by yourself feed.

2. Semrush

Individuals seek for the darndest issues, and nobody is aware of that higher than the group at Semrush. They’ve mastered the artwork of utilizing wacky search queries as social content material inspiration, and now they’re capturing that magic with their TikTok presence.

“Advertising and marketing will be enjoyable, and it’s even simpler to do with Semrush—that’s the message we wish to convey on our TikTok,” says Maria Kalyadina, Head of Social at Semrush. “We use humor as a means to do that as a result of it’s integral to Semrush’s tone of voice. It additionally simply so occurs to be among the best methods to attraction to audiences on TikTok, based on our examine.”

(Supply: Semrush)

The examine additionally discovered that 37% of viral TikToks deal with an individual talking and in additional than half of these movies, the particular person is talking on to the digital camera.

These findings align with the video format utilized in Semrush’s “You looked for WHAT?” content material sequence. Every video kicks off with a direct-to-camera intro on the search matter, then transitions right into a skit impressed by the question.

The completed product combines all the pieces individuals love about TikTok content material. It’s participating, it’s humorous and it’s informative. There aren’t any cues it’s coming from a B2B model and that’s the purpose.

“The factor about B2B advertising on TIkTok is that you just’re at all times coping with the shopper behind the enterprise,” says Kalyadina. “On the finish of the day, whether or not you’re selling a advertising toolkit or promoting inkjet printers, you’re speaking to an individual.”

Takeaways

• A little bit humor can go a great distance. If “humorous” is a component of your model character, check completely different video codecs and punchlines to learn the way that may give you the results you want on TikTok.
• TikTok is your alternative to attach with the tip customers of your product. Prioritize reference to that viewers to create extra inner champions throughout the gross sales course of.

3. Shopify

Shopify is crushing it on TikTok, and with good motive. They’ve been constructing their presence on the community for greater than two years.

For Saad Khan, Model Social Lead at Shopify, becoming a member of the community was a no brainer. “Social advertising has much less to do with whether or not you’re B2C or B2B as a result of in the end you’re each within the consciousness recreation. Each different model out there may be competing for actual property on individuals’s feeds.”

Since becoming a member of TikTok, the Shopify group has been testing video codecs to determine what works for his or her model. The time spent iterating on their TikTok technique has left them with dependable content material subjects that resonate with their target market

Now, entrepreneurs and enterprise house owners flip to the Shopify TikTok account for suggestions, recommendation and opinions. Whereas the video codecs might differ, the overarching theme is extremely constant.

“The most important manufacturers on TikTok have discovered this manner,” says Khan. “All of them do one very particular factor that’s uniquely theirs and so they preserve iterating and reiterating on that very same idea in several executions.”

Takeaways

• Gaining a following takes time and testing. Small tweaks could make a significant distinction in video efficiency, so deal with iterating till you discover what works.
• When you Establish a content material theme or format that resonates along with your viewers, run with it. That consistency will create extra viewers recognition over time.

It’s your time to strive TikTok for B2B

TikTok is a marketer’s playground. It’s an area to experiment and join with the individuals behind the contract. Establishing this model recognition and affinity will be the differentiator that will get you extra offers.

When you want a bit extra inspiration earlier than you get in entrance of the digital camera and hit file, try this information to TikTok advertising campaigns. In it, you’ll discover examples and insights from manufacturers which are already current on the community to tell your TikTok enterprise technique.