BCU
20th February 2023
Using social media for business can open up a whole new audience and build your client base…so what are you scared of?
Oli Hills, CEO of award-winning social media agency Nonsensical and a specialist in the globally popular TikTok platform, is on hand to help.
Firstly, a bit about myself. It all started when I launched my own business, an app for crowdsourced photography at endurance sport events. This led me to analysing data stored within photos, uncovering trends and helping with marketing.
It was on this journey that I was then approached to take over as CEO of a social media community called Birmingham Updates, which now boasts over 700,000 followers.
This is where my introduction to the power of social media, as well as social media for business, really began.
Nonsensical started during lockdown, around the same time that social media app TikTok really started to gain traction.
This piqued our interest, particularly how we could utilise TikTok for business use. The app has really turned marketing on its head, with raw and authentic content that is far removed from what brands are used to creating.
I knew that Nonsensical had to become a specialist in this area. We began focusing on producing raw, authentic and meaningful content, getting major impact for brands on the platform.
Since then, Nonsensical has focused on becoming a specialised TikTok agency, achieving some amazing things.
If I had £1 for every time someone said “TikTok is an app for kids dancing”, I’d be on a yacht in Barbados. The understanding of TikTok and the value it can provide to businesses is scarily low.
Let’s break down some of the stats to convince you further:
Entrepreneurs and professionals don’t utilise TikTok for business purposes because, to be blunt, they find it scary.
The content is raw and the production quality is low. This goes against everything a business is used to when it comes to creating content.
You also need to dive in with both feet. If you half-heartedly repurpose content from YouTube and Facebook, it won’t work.
Believe me when I say that there is a niche on TikTok for businesses and for individuals…you just need to find it.
TikTok, as we’ve just discussed, is about finding that niche and building content around that. However, it’s so easy to become disillusioned with social media and give up too early.
Why does this happen?
Namely, because businesses do not have a social media strategy. It’s an absolutely fundamental part of building your brand.
You can’t decide what social media platform to use or the type of content you’re going to create without a strategy. You will then need to commit to your strategy and test new themes, topics and styles until you find some traction.
When it comes to social media for business, you really have to nail exactly who your audience is and where they spend their time.
Remember that, often, they really don’t care about you or your brand. However, they do care about causes, hobbies and interests that make their life more fulfilled.
Once you know your customer and target community, focus on creating content that provides them with absolute value.
Every time they see a post from your company, you want them to feel something – whether that be knowledge, emotion or inspiration.
Whether you’re looking to embrace TikTok for business or any other social media platform, 2023 is going to be even more fast-paced than usual.
There are some major challenges at the moment:
The one thing that will always stay consistent is that good content works and gets genuine impact.
If your engagement rates are low, it’s because your content just isn’t resonating or speaking to the community you’ve built or are looking to build.
Test new content ideas and don’t stop until you find that thing that your audience really starts to engage with!