How To Use TikTok For Your Creative Business

Last Updated on October 13, 2022 by Hollie Giglietti

Most of you in this challenge found me on TikTok!

And I wanted to share a few things I’ve learned along the way that can help you grow YOUR TikTok on DAY 14, of our Reignite your Creative Life & Business Challenge.

If you haven’t signed up for the challenge yet, click the image below to sign up and start at day 1. You’ll receive an email and link to a corresponding blog post each day for 15 days – just one small challenge a day to reignite your creative life and business!

I started watching TikTok’s back in the spring of 2020 (like a lot of other people!)

It QUICKLY became one of my most favorite things.

I loved seeing so many different stories, interesting ideas and conversations. And the community! (That algorithm is insane, right!?!)

It felt SO good to connect with like-minded people across the world.

In the Spring of 2022, just 6 months before I’m writing this blog post, I started making videos. I had wanted to make my own videos, build my confidence and build a community for TWO YEARS but I had been too terrified.

I couldn’t even just turn the camera on and practice! My voice was trembling…

Seriously….

Click here to see one of my very first videos! That was at the beginning of April 2022 and it’s now the middle of September 2022. You can see a drastic difference in that video and the video’s I’m putting out now.

It’s amazing to see the growth!

But it was REALLY terrifying for me in the beginning. But I also knew I wanted to grow a community on TikTok and finally start my creative business.

Six months later and I have an AMAZING creative community of over 12,500 followers at the time I’m writing this post. In just six months! I probably could have grown quicker but I haven’t posted as much as I could have (and that’s OK! especially in our anti-hustle club)

I have learned SO much in these past six months that I know would be valuable for you, as you grow your community.

So below you’ll find some tips on how to grow your TikTok!

Here are 5 lessons on how to grow your tiktok community

1. You need to know that Tik Tok has grown in popularity in part because it’s different from other apps.

TikTok’s algorithm is like nothing we’ve seen before. You know how you’ve tried to share your business on Facebook or Instagram, where your real-life friends and family are, and you just get crickets – no one…. and I mean no one that actually knows you is supporting you there.

Instead of connecting you with friends and family, TikTok’s algorithm connects you to people that are JUST LIKE you! So, it’s a great place to build a very large community, very quickly with people that are like-minded and interested in the same things as you.

2. Start building your community (No, you don’t have to have a “Niche”)

If you’ve ever tried selling anything or building a community, you’ve probably heard that you need a Niche.

Having a Niche is very important because if you’re trying to be everything to everyone, you’ll reach no one, however, if you can’t figure out your one thing yet – start your messaging/marketing with reaching people that have similar identities, interests and/or values as you.

Create a community that rallies around you. You can start sharing your story or what you stand for or even a bit of both. If you stay somewhat consistent in the number of videos you’re creating, maybe at least 3-4 a week, you’ll see your account grow quickly!

3. You have to be brave

There are definitely some accounts that have grown quickly without anyone speaking in front of the camera, however, if you’re trying to share your specific message or cause (as mentioned above) you’ll need to start speaking in front of the camera.

And believe me, I KNOW how scary that is! But TikTok is POWERFUL and if you want to access its power, you’ll need to get a little brave and start filming yourself. It gets SO much easier the more you record. You even start hating the sound of your voice less!

4. Optimize your account and videos for the best reach

There are a few things you can do for your TikTok page and each video to ensure your videos and account does well.

Below you’ll find a checklist for each.

Your BIO

• You have two names on your account: your “Name” and your “User Name”. You’ll find them both by clicking on “Edit Profile”. You’ll probably want to keep your user name but make sure to optimize your “Name”. If you’re using a business name in your “user name” (like mine is Bohemian_Embers) put your actual name in the “Name” section and maybe a little bit of what your account is about. Mine is currently “Hollie✨Rise Above✨”, although I may optimize this further in the future. For another example, if you were a Watercolor Artist and your name was Liz you could maybe use “Liz🖌️Watercolor Wiz” or something like that.
• If you have less than 1,000 followers, you may not be able to add a link in your bio. If you can’t add a link, that’s OK, set up your Instagram or use your existing Instagram and MAKE SURE you have that linked on your profile. Since you can add links in your Instagram bio, you can point people to go there to access your links. You can update that info in the “Edit Profile” section as well. You can also add a YouTube channel if you have one!
• In your actual bio make sure you add specifics of what your niche, message or cause is, so your community knows when they come to your page what you’re all about. It also helps if you write it in a way that’s about them and not just you. What’s in it for them, if they follow your account?

Your Videos:

• Have a content planner of some kind, use 3-4 main ideas for your page and make videos around them. This helps your audience know what to expect.
• Do series of videos, people love those! Do a Day 1, 2, 3, etc… or Part 1, 2, 3,etc…
• Have high energy! If you’re speaking very quiet or without much energy people will scroll. Talk with feeling and passion behind what you’re standing for.
• For each individual video, while recording your talking video – be sure to edit out any dead space, “ums” or pauses. Everyone’s attention spaces are incredibly short these days and they will scroll past you if you’re not entertaining them.
• This leads me to the next point which is to say what your video is about in the first five seconds! If someone sees your video and doesn’t know what it’s about within the first five seconds, they will likely scroll to the next video.
• Get good at explaining things and storytelling. Watch other creators you admire to get tips on this.
• Before you post each video make sure you’re using keywords (whatever words you’re using for your niche, cause or identity) and make sure these words are in your text in your videos, your captions and your descriptions. This will help those that are searching for videos on your topic, find you.
• After you post your video, make sure to like your own video, leave a question to your audience in the comments and pin it to the top of the comments. You can also hit the three dots and click “copy link”, I’ve found doing this pushes the video out a bit faster. Worth a try anyways! 🙂

5. Drive your traffic back to something you OWN.

This is your friendly reminder that you don’t own TikTok 🙂

You can use TikTok to reach a new audience/new community but then be sure to drive them over to your website, blog and/or email list.

The reason this is CRUCIAL is again, because we don’t own TikTok. It could go away at any moment.

I’ve also seen so many people have their account’s shut down without notice! Having an email list will ensure you can stay in touch with your community.

Are you going to use tikTok?

TikTok has become a go-to social media app for creative people, and for good reason.

This app is all about creativity, meaning it’s a great place for creative people to share their work and connect with others who appreciate their art.

You can use TikTok to build a following and drive traffic back to your website, blog, or email, making it a great way for creative businesses to grow their following.

TikTok also lets users link their accounts with other social media platforms. This means you can use TikTok to repost content from your other accounts and vice versa, making it an excellent tool for cross-promotion between multiple social media accounts. If you’re eager to start leveraging TikTok for your creative business, make sure you make use of these tips.

Tell me in the comments! Will you be using TikTok in your Creative Business?