#30 The Clarity Sessions - Why Your Business Should Be On TikTok
TikTok is the brand new "social media kid on the block." It has been discounted by so many people saying that it's for 11-year-old girls who want to dance. But I have found over the last few months of using TikTok almost every day that it is a new opportunity that you should know about! TikTok is going to take off in the future, and your business needs to be there.
Go where your audience is so you can reach them.
The concept is to go where the people are if you want to serve and share a message that matters so you can make an impact on people's lives.
You need to find where they are hanging out and introduce yourself there. So as an example, if your ideal clients hang out at church, then go to church, build relationships, and talk to people. When you do that, you're not going to walk in and say, "Hey! It's me and I'm here." No, you're going to begin building relationships. And then, over time, people do business with people who they know, like, and trust.
The same is true of the social media platform called Tik Tok. You need to learn the platform and then engage in the platform. And I have to tell you, this was the biggest challenge for me as a 41-year-old guy looking at this new platform and saying, "I don't think this is for me." But then realizing that my ideal coaching clients, a 35-year-old mom who wants to write a book, wants to grow her online following, wants to make an income to make an impact, she hangs out on Tik Tok quite a bit. So it would be dumb for me not to be where she is.
Program Tik Tok to learn your preferences.
I need to go to where the party is, but I need to kind of learn the rules of the party. So that was my biggest challenge when it came to Tik Tok. I've recently compared this platform to logging into somebody else's Netflix account a few weeks ago. My kids, my wife, and I were traveling, and we stayed in an Airbnb. And after the kids were in bed, I turned the TV on, and I saw the previous guest was logged into their Netflix account. It was very weird to log into Netflix and not see my most recently watched shows or recommendations.
When I log into my Netflix account, it looks like me. It has a certain number of documentaries. It has old episodes of The Office and Parks and Rec. It has maybe a movie or two that I might be interested in. When I see that first home screen when I log into Netflix, it fits like a glove. The reason for it is because, over the last several years, Netflix has learned my preferences. They've used something called an algorithm, machine learning. They've learned my preferences -- what I like and don't like. And they figured out a way to recommend what I should watch next. But when you log into somebody else's Netflix account, it can feel like whiplash.
First of all, this Netflix account was in Spanish, so I didn't understand anything I was seeing on the screen. Second of all, it was all horror shows and a couple of cartoons, so it was very confusing. I'm not a horror film person. Scary movies are not for me. I was unfamiliar with all these movies recommended I'd never seen before.
That's what Tik Tok felt like the first time I logged in. I felt like I was wearing somebody else's shoes, I was driving somebody else's car, or I was logging into somebody else's Netflix account. And then what happens is just like at this Airbnb, I logged out and I logged back in as myself, and it just took a few minutes to feel like home.
And that's what Tik Tok is like when you first log in. It's going to show you a bunch of different things like pranks, fails, teachers dancing, parents giving weird, sarcastic advice, motivational clips, sad clips and more! And as you log in, it autoplays the first video, which you may not like. So you'll scroll up a few videos until you find one that you think is actually funny. If you like it, you may hit the heart button or leave an encouraging comment.
Understand the Tik Tok algorithm.
By doing that interaction, you start to show Tik Tok what content you like. And based on hashtags and other user's behavior, it now changes the next video you're going to see. As you swipe up, you will likely see something similar to what you liked or commented on before. Then you start to look forward to what the algorithm finds for you!
Here's a confession. I used to look forward to the news bloopers. There's a YouTube channel called News Be Funny, and they release these blooper videos from local news. So like the morning news where they start laughing when they say somebody's name in a funny way or the animal bites the guy in the ear or whatever. It's all live, local news. And I loved watching that every month. Now I find Tik Tok even funnier than the local news bloopers. Tik Tok is a place where it's mostly entertainment, a little bit of inspiration, and a little bit of education.
Now you might be wondering, "Brian, how does that have anything to do with my business? What's the point?" Well I've gotten to learn Tik Tok as a creator, and I know many of you are creators.
Believe that your audience is on Tik Tok.
You look at this tool and you think, "Is my audience on Tik Tok?" Well, first of all, the answer is yes. 100% yes! Everybody's on Tik Tok! And if they're not right now, then they will be in six months from now. So now it's time to figure out how to use it for business. The answer is it's top of funnel. Tik Tok is the introduction before walking into the party. It's not the deep conversation. It's not your email list. It's not buying your course now, but it's building brand awareness. It's building up a relationship with a brand new prospect.
So I've been posting on Tik Tok three times a day as much as possible, because that's what is recommended. I've seen that's what's working. The more frequently you post, the more Tik Tok says, "Oh, this person is going to stick around. And so I'm going to start recommending this person to more people." Focus on your person and create content that they love and will want to see more.
I want to help moms make money online. That's all I do. If you're a mom listening right now and you want to make money online, I can help. That's what clarity sessions is really all about. I want to help moms make money online. So all of my Tik Tok posts need to go through the filter of, "Is Brian the guy to help me as a mom make money online?"
Questions to ask before interacting with your audience on Tik Tok.
I think through questions like:
- What are the limiting beliefs that a mom has to make money online?
- Where is she getting stuck?
- What are the technological hurdles?
- What are the mindset gaps?
- Where is she overwhelmed?
- Where is she discouraged?
- What does she need to hear?
Approach Tik Tok in this same way. What questions does your ideal client have and how can you help him/her?
My ideal client is Cheryl. She is 35-years-old. Her little niece is on Tik Tok and they did a video together at Easter. So she downloaded it on her phone and she's a little bored. She's waiting for the kids in the carpool line, and she opens up Tik Tok. She's like, "I wonder what's on here today?" So she logs in, scrolls through, and she sees one of my posts.
She goes, "Oh, I think I recognize that guy!" And the video is something encouraging, something inspiring, something motivational to help her grow her impact and income online. Maybe she follows me or leaves a comment or she could click on a direct link I have in my bio and head to my website. So you seee, Tik Tok can be top of the funnel that begins conversations where we build up familiarity.
Now it's your turn to serve YOUR Cheryl. Tik Tok is a place for you as a business owner to build your know, like, and trust.
Is TikTok right for you? TikTok is the fastest growing social media platform around today. But the truth is, most brands and influencers are still learning about this opportunity. Want to learn more? I want to invite you to a free training to learn more about Tik Tok here.
Listen to full episode here.