What is a TikTok Business Account?
A TikTok business account is a type of account specifically designed for businesses, brands, creators, and organizations. Switching to a business account unlocks additional features not available on a standard personal TikTok account.
According to TikTok’s support page, key features of a TikTok business account include:
- Analytics – View data and insights about your account’s performance.
- TikTok Business Suite – Manage your presence across TikTok and Instagram.
- Promoted posts – Advertise your content to reach new audiences.
- Ecommerce – Add shopping capabilities and product links.
Business accounts also get access to a library of licensed music, multi-user access, Instagram Cross-Posting, and Instagram Shopping. Having a business profile gives your brand a more professional presence on TikTok.
Benefits of Linking TikTok to a Business Account
There are several advantages to converting your personal TikTok account to a business account. Some of the key benefits include:
Increased analytics and insights – Business accounts on TikTok have access to more detailed analytics and insights about your content and audience. You can view data on your followers, likes, comments, shares, and more (TikTok Business vs. Personal Account | Creator Portal). Having access to this data can help you optimize your content strategy.
Promote products/services – Business accounts allow you to directly link to your website or online store in your bio, opening up promotion opportunities. This makes it easy to drive traffic and sales.
Advertising options – TikTok provides paid advertising platforms like TikTok Ads Manager that are only available to business accounts. You can create targeted ads to reach new audiences.
Credibility – Converting to a business account signals that you are managing your presence on TikTok professionally. This can build trust and credibility with your audience.
Types of TikTok Business Accounts
There are a few main types of TikTok business accounts for different users:[1]
Individual Businesses: Small businesses, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and sole proprietors can sign up for a standard TikTok business account. This allows them to promote their products/services, connect with customers, and analyze performance metrics. Key features include promotions, messaging, and analytics.
Brands/Companies: Large brands and companies can create a branded TikTok business account to build awareness and engage audiences. This functions similarly to an individual business account but with additional capabilities like multi-user access and approvals. Brand accounts can drive traffic, host branded hashtag challenges, and leverage influencer marketing.
Influencers/Creators: Social media influencers, content creators, artists, and public figures use TikTok business accounts to grow their follower base and monetize their content. Creators can connect these accounts to TikTok’s Creator Fund to earn money from videos. Key features include creator tools, promotions, and audience insights.
Converting your personal TikTok account into a business account is a straightforward process that can be done either on the TikTok website or mobile app. Here’s how to convert your TikTok account to a business profile:
How to Convert a Personal Account
On the TikTok mobile app:
- Open the TikTok app and go to your profile page
- Tap the menu icon in the top right corner
- Select “Manage account”
- Tap “Switch to Business Account”
- Follow the prompts to convert your account
On the TikTok website:
- Go to TikTok.com and log in
- Click your profile avatar in the top right and select “View profile”
- Click the settings icon and choose “Switch to Business account”
- Follow the instructions to convert your account
To be eligible for a business account, your TikTok account must be public and have at least 100 followers. Converting to a business profile will unlock additional analytics, advertising, and content tools tailored for brands and organizations.
Connecting to Other Platforms
TikTok offers several ways for business accounts to connect with and leverage other platforms. This can help expand your reach and
provide additional tools for analyzing and optimizing your TikTok strategy.
You can link your TikTok business account to your Instagram and Facebook accounts in your TikTok account settings. This allows you to
cross-post TikTok videos to Instagram and Facebook with just one click. It’s an easy way to repurpose high-performing TikTok content to
reach more of your audience on other platforms.
TikTok’s pixel can be installed on your website to track conversions and optimize your TikTok ad campaigns. The TikTok pixel works similarly to the Facebook pixel, gathering data on when website visitors take desired actions after viewing your TikTok ads. This data can be used to gauge your ads’ effectiveness and adjust targeting.
TikTok has integrations with ecommerce platforms like Shopify that enable cool features like adding Shopify product links to your TikTok videos. Users can then easily tap to browse products you showcase in your videos. There are also app integrations that help businesses manage TikTok content from Shopify and automatically pull product catalogs into TikTok.
Leveraging connections with other platforms expands the possibilities for creatively engaging audiences, driving traffic, and analyzing performance. TikTok provides powerful tools to integrate their platform into your broader social strategy.
Tips for Business Success on TikTok
TikTok can be a powerful platform for businesses, but achieving success requires strategic posting and engagement. Here are some best practices for businesses getting started on TikTok:
Focus on creating high-quality, entertaining videos that align with your brand. Videos should tell a story and feel authentic, rather than overly promotional. Use humor, emotion, or creativity to capture audience attention in the first few seconds (source).
Post consistently, at least once per day if possible. Use trending audios, effects, and hashtags to increase discoverability. Consider using TikTok analytics to determine the best posting times for your audience demographics (source).
Use a mix of relevant hashtags and find your niche. Include broader hashtags like #fyp and more specific ones related to your industry, products or services. Check which hashtags your competitors are using that resonate with your target users (source).
Engage with your audience by responding to comments, doing collab videos, and hosting giveaways or contests. Ask followers questions to spark conversation. Building relationships leads to more engagement over time.
Analyze your performance data regularly to determine what types of content work best. Adjust your strategy based on insights into top videos, times, hashtags and more.
Driving Traffic to Your Website
One of the best ways to drive traffic from TikTok to your website is by using a Linktree or TikTok’s link in bio feature. This allows you to showcase multiple links in your profile, directing users to specific landing pages or products. According to one source, “Linktree is one of the best tools for driving TikTok traffic to your site. It allows you to turn your profile into a menu of links” (Source).
When promoting landing pages, focus on creating TikTok content that engages viewers and inspires them to click through. You can showcase behind-the-scenes footage, product demos, user-generated content, and more. According to experts, “Creating TikTok ads that drive traffic to landing pages with special offers or content upgrades is a great way to boost website visits” (Source).
Driving sales with ads is another effective tactic. TikTok’s advertising platform allows you to direct traffic straight to your online store or product pages. Consider launching collection ads, product releases, limited-time offers, and other promotions tailored to the TikTok audience and aligned with trends and viral content.
Analyzing Performance Data
TikTok provides creators with robust analytics tools to track the performance of videos and accounts. Within the TikTok app, creators can access metrics like views, likes, comments, shares, and more for each post under the “Analytics” section, available through the three-dot menu on profiles.
Key metrics in TikTok Analytics include:
- Impressions: The number of times your content was displayed to users
- Reach: Total number of unique accounts that have viewed your content
- Engagement rate: The percentage of impressions that resulted in engagement (likes, comments, shares, etc.)
- Traffic sources: Where views are coming from (Hashtag challenge, FYP, Profile, etc.)
Monitoring these metrics over time is crucial for tracking growth and engagement. Sudden spikes or drops can reveal which types of content resonate most with your audience. TikTok Analytics provides time filters (last 7 days, last 28 days, etc.) to analyze trends.
For ecommerce brands, TikTok Pixel can track conversions from TikTok to your website. This helps monitor ROI from TikTok marketing efforts by seeing which videos drive traffic and lead to sales. Metrics like return on ad spend (ROAS) can be calculated.
Third-party analytics platforms like Sprout Social also connect TikTok data to provide deeper analysis. With robust analytics, creators can develop data-driven strategies to maximize impact on TikTok.
Advertising Options for Businesses
TikTok provides robust advertising options for businesses looking to reach new audiences and drive results on the platform. The main advertising tool is the TikTok Ads Manager, which allows you to create and manage ad campaigns directly in the TikTok app.
There are a variety of ad formats available, including In-Feed Video Ads that play directly in users’ feeds, TopView Ads that appear when users first launch the app, and Brand Takeovers that display branded content and images. You can showcase your products, run video ads, drive traffic to your website, boost followers, and more.
Powerful targeting capabilities allow you to zero in on your ideal audience based on location, demographics, device, interests and behaviors. You can also target custom audiences by uploading your own first-party data. Detailed analytics provide insight into campaign performance and engagement.
Overall, TikTok’s self-serve ad platform provides a unique opportunity for businesses to connect with the platform’s massive, young user base in a native, entertaining way. Investing in TikTok ads can help fuel brand awareness and sales for organizations of all sizes.
Further Resources for TikTok Businesses
TikTok provides a variety of resources to help businesses and creators maximize their presence on the platform:
- The TikTok for Business Hub offers guides on getting started, content strategy, analytics, advertising, and more.
- TikTok’s Creator Portal provides tips on growing your account, promoting your brand, and connecting with your audience.
- The TikTok blog regularly publishes articles with the latest product updates, case studies, and best practices.
There are also many third-party resources available:
- Influencer marketing platforms like Hootsuite, Later, and others offer guides on developing a TikTok strategy.
- Social media and digital marketing blogs like Sprout Social, HubSpot, and Search Engine Journal frequently cover TikTok.
- Online publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Adweek publish the latest TikTok news and advice.
Common TikTok business FAQs cover topics like:
- How to set up a business profile
- What types of content perform best
- How to buy TikTok ads
- Tips for going viral and gaining followers
- How to integrate TikTok with other marketing
- Measuring success and analytics
With the wide range of official guidance, third-party tips, and frequently asked questions addressed across the web, businesses have many resources to help optimize their presence on TikTok.
