How to Use TikTok for Business: A Complete Marketing Guide

TikTok hasn’t always been the first platform businesses think of when planning their marketing. Many brands sidelined it for years, assuming that it was a great place to decompress with fast trends, Gen Z dances, and lip-syncs. Meanwhile, they focused their marketing efforts on more “serious” platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook.

However, audiences have, over the years, shown that there’s more to the platform than dance trends. Today, people scroll through TikTok not just for entertainment but also to find recommendations, discover new products, and compare brands.

If you’re not yet using TikTok for business, you’re missing out on opportunities to build brand awareness, enhance your authority, and increase conversions. That said, how you use the platform determines its value for your business — you may be on the app for years and register minimal tangible results, while another brand joins for a few months and surpasses expectations.

How do you set your business up to be in the latter group? Read on as we explore the ins and outs of using TikTok for business. We look at why the platform is an excellent addition to your social media stack, dive into how to use TikTok for business, and share key best practices for optimal results.

What Is TikTok for Business?

While it may sound like it, “TikTok for business” isn’t a separate app like WhatsApp Business. TikTok for business is still the same video-sharing social network everyone uses. It has the same For You Page, uses the same algorithm, and carries pretty much the same videos.

The difference between regular TikTok and TikTok for business isn’t the platform — it’s how you use it. If you use TikTok for business, you don’t just scroll aimlessly through the FYP for entertainment; you scroll to learn how you can position your brand to attract broader audiences, post content with the intention of achieving business goals, and use TikTok features like Live to nurture relationships with target customers.

Is TikTok for Business Really Worth It?

It’s okay to be skeptical about using TikTok for business. After all, with its casual content and entertainment focus, the video-sharing app feels more like a place to scroll than somewhere to sell your brand.

However, there’s more to TikTok than entertainment. The platform is home to over 7 million brands, many of which have achieved real results, such as increased website traffic, leads, and conversions. According to TikTok, 65% of users have followed or bought from a brand they discovered on the platform.

Overlooking TikTok as a valuable business asset is a mistake. Here’s why:

• Large audience: TikTok is the fourth-largest social media platform, with roughly 1.6 billion monthly active users. The platform inherently gives you access to a large audience.
• Diverse audience:2025 data shows that people of all ages are using the app. In fact, people aged 25 to 34 now make up the biggest group of users globally, accounting for about 35% of the entire audience. Plus, the gender split is really balanced, about 55% of users are female and 45% are male. This means TikTok is an awesome place for all kinds of businesses to find their customers, no matter who they are trying to reach.
• Creative freedom: TikTok is more “relaxed” than platforms like LinkedIn. You can create authentic content infused with your personality without worrying about sticking out.
• Level playing field: While numbers are great on TikTok, they’re not everything. The platform prioritizes engagement over follower count when recommending content to its users, giving both small and large businesses an equal opportunity to compete. With compelling content, you can reach a broader audience than accounts with large followings.

How to Use TikTok for Business

Convinced about the value of TikTok for your business. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to effectively leverage the platform:

Develop Your TikTok Strategy

First things first: create your strategy. Going into TikTok without a plan is a lot like taking a shot in the dark. While there’s a slight chance you might hit your target, the cards will be stacked against you.

Your strategy should outline various factors, including the type of content you’ll create, how often you’ll post, your visual style, and your tone. To develop your plan:

• Define your goals: Your goals will guide your content direction. Do you want to create brand awareness? Joining TikTok challenges would be a great strategy. Do you want to boost conversions? Setting up a TikTok Shop would be an excellent move. Letting your goals guide your strategy increases the likelihood of achieving the desired results.
• Understand your audience: As with goals, your audience should play a crucial role in your content direction. Take time to learn their pain points, preferred content formats, and typical engagement timeframes. Then, use this information to craft content ideas and create your posting schedule.
• Learn the TikTok algorithm: The algorithm determines whether you reach your target audience or not. So, understand how it works and tailor your content accordingly. The TikTok algorithm prioritizes engagement (video competition rates, likes, shares, reposts, and comments), video details (like hashtags and captions), and user interests when recommending content. As such, your videos should focus on driving engagement, include relevant details, and meet your target audience’s specific needs.

Read also: Everything You Need to Know About TikTok SEO

Set Up a Business Account

Once you develop your strategy, create a new business account or switch your current personal or creator profile to a business one.

A business profile is the best option for brands because it offers features that other account types don’t. For example, it provides comprehensive ad-campaign options, a link-in-bio feature (even if you don’t have many followers), a TikTok Shop integration, and an advanced analytics dashboard — which are vital if you want to effectively push your brand, drive traffic to your website, boost conversions, and monitor your campaigns’ performance.

To switch from a standard account to a TikTok business account:

1. Go to the Profile icon.
2. Click the three horizontal lines on the top right.
3. Go to Settings and privacy.
4. Tap Account and select Switch to Business Account.
5. Pick your business category and tap Next.
6. Add your business email address.

Note: Since TikTok doesn’t have a separate app for businesses, you’ll first need to create a standard account and switch to a business profile in settings when setting up your brand’s account.

Optimize Your Profile

Your profile is your digital storefront. After all, it’s where people go to learn more about you when they encounter your videos on their FYPs.

To make a good enough impression to encourage engagement and conversions, optimize your profile by doing the following:

• Use a high-quality profile photo that lets visitors know who you are: You can use your brand logo, mascot, a team photo, or a custom graphic that people associate with your business. Ideally, your profile photo should be consistent across platforms to promote immediate recognition.
• Use a recognizable username: Use your business’s name as your username to make it easier for audiences to recognize you. As with your profile photo, it’s good practice to keep the name consistent across platforms.
• Choose your link in bio wisely: include a working link that helps you achieve your goals. For example, if you want to drive more traffic to your website, add your site’s URL. Similarly, if you want to increase a specific item’s sales, add a direct link to its product page.
• Keep your bio concise and compelling: Write a short and sweet bio that introduces who you are or what you do. Also, include a call to action (CTA) that lets page visitors know how to engage with you. For example, if you add a link to your summer collection on your profile, use “Shop Summer Collection” as your CTA.

Warm Up Your Account

One of the best TikTok marketing strategies is to make the algorithm your best friend. To achieve this, warm up your account before posting.

Warm up involves gradually increasing activity on your new TikTok account. Start by scrolling for a few minutes, then move to liking other creators’ videos, following other accounts, and eventually posting your own videos over the course of a few weeks.

TikTok account warmup helps build trust with the algorithm by showing it that there’s an actual user behind your account. This could lead to more visibility on users’ FYPs once you start posting.

With GeeLark, you can automate account warmup without raising red flags. GeeLark is an antidetect solution provider that helps you not only isolate multiple TikTok accounts (to prevent platform detection) but also automate account management.

The platform’s AI-powered warmup tool mimics human-like behavior, engaging as you typically would with a new account — it browses content, likes posts, views comments, saves favorites, and follows accounts, all while pacing itself to avoid raising bot flags.

Start Creating

As mentioned earlier, engagement is one of TikTok’s major ranking signals. So, you need to create content that gets people to interact with your account to boost your discoverability and visibility.

The problem? TikTok is a fast-scroll, low-patience platform. If your content doesn’t capture people’s attention quickly and isn’t compelling enough to keep them watching, you may not achieve the level of engagement you need to succeed.

For your business to make it on TikTok, keep the following best practices in mind when creating content:

• Focus on what resonates with your audience. Does your target audience love how-to videos? Lean more into this content format.
• Invest in video and audio quality.
• Capture people’s attention within the first three seconds of your videos. You can pose questions, state your value proposition from the get-go, make bold statements, or use show-stopping visuals.
• Make sure every piece of content delivers value to your audience.
• Make your videos as short as possible (while still delivering value) to boost completion rates.
• Be original. Don’t just copy what other creators and brands are doing.
• Add captions to videos to boost accessibility and cater to sound-off viewers.

Get Verified

A verification checkmark on TikTok is no longer just a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have for businesses. It shows that TikTok has confirmed the authenticity of your account, which can help you build trust with new audiences. What’s more, verification protects your target audience from fake accounts that may try to impersonate your brand.

The process of requesting verification from TikTok is pretty straightforward. Simply:

1. Log in to your account.
2. Tap Profile, then the Menu icon.
3. Click on Settings and privacy.
4. Tap Account.
5. Tap Verification, and follow the provided steps.

However, getting verified isn’t quite as simple as completing the provided steps. TikTok requires you to fulfill various criteria to approve your request, including:

• Your account must represent an actual business.
• You must have an active presence on TikTok at the time of the request.
• You must complete your profile — you must fill out your username and bio and include a profile photo. Your account must also be public and have at least one posted video.
• Your business must be notable. According to TikTok, notability is evidenced by coverage in reputable news outlets. Note: The platform doesn’t consider paid placements or press releases to be evidence of notability.
• You must take security measures to protect your account. TikTok requires you to confirm your email address (and phone number) and enable two-factor verification.

Automate Content Publishing

Maintaining consistency on TikTok, especially when you also have an active presence on other social media platforms, is incredibly challenging. However, consistency is a non-negotiable if you want to grow on the platform.

How do you post regularly without running yourself to the ground? By leveraging solutions like GeeLark. Beyond providing antidetect and account warmup solutions, GeeLark also offers automation templates that take the hassle out of content publishing.

All you need to do is set up a cloud phone profile for your business account, choose a TikTok video auto-posting template, upload your content, and pick your preferred publishing date. Once you confirm your automation, GeeLark will handle the posting for you, ensuring posts go up whether you’re online or offline.

TikTok for Business Best Practices

Now that you know how to set up your TikTok business profile, how do you optimize it for growth, engagement, and conversions? Here are our top best practice recommendations:

• Engage your audience: Interact regularly by liking their comments, answering questions, and engaging with their own content (liking, commenting, or reposting). Such interactions encourage further engagement with your content, potentially boosting your reach.
• Collaborate with other creators: Tap into their audiences by partnering up. You can create content together, duet or stitch each other’s videos, or simply reshare each other’s content.
• Post at optimal times: Use TikTok’s Analytics to see when your audience is active, and schedule your content to go live then. Optimizing post timing increases your likelihood of registering immediate engagement, a positive signal that could prompt the algorithm to show more of your content to new audiences.
• Leverage TikTok SEO: Optimize your content for search by using relevant keywords in your profile, post captions, and hashtags. The higher you rank in search results, the more likely people are to engage with your content (and account).
• Take advantage of TikTok’s numerous features: Don’t focus solely on posting to the feed. Use other features, such as Stories to share casual updates, TikTok Live to interact with your audience in real time, TikTok Shop to make it easier for users to buy products, and Analytics to gauge your content and account performance.
• Use TikTok ads: If your budget allows, run ads to supplement organic growth efforts. Ads put your content in front of targeted audiences who may not discover your account organically, potentially driving more growth.

Read also: The Key to Success in TikTok E-Commerce

Use TikTok to Grow Your Business

While TikTok may have started as a dance app, it has evolved into much more. It’s home to millions of businesses, many of which have not only increased brand awareness but also generated sales through the platform.

To leverage TikTok for business, start by setting up a business account. Then, optimize your profile, warm up your account, and start creating. Remember to get verified and maintain a consistent posting schedule to enhance your credibility and engagement.

GeeLark can streamline business account management by automating warmup and content publishing. To automate these processes, set up a cloud phone profile for your TikTok account, download the TikTok app, and log in like you typically do on your mobile device. Then, find GeeLark’s automation templates (in the GeeLark Marketplace), provide the required information (your warmup parameters and TikTok content), and confirm your publication. GeeLark will take it from there.

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