“Social media is all about entertainment.” While this seems like an overly simplistic blanket statement that lacks substantial proof, the whopping 535 billion views on the entertainment video category of TikTok so far seem to indirectly validate this claim. To put the figure into perspective, if each of TikTok’s 1.5 billion active users watched these entertainment videos, each of them would have viewed those videos approximately 357 times!
Yet, if TikTok were merely all about entertainment, the fact that the Oxford Economics Impact Report has revealed time and again how small and medium businesses active in paid advertising and marketing on TikTok helped contribute between $1.6 billion to $24.2 billion to the UK and US GDP in 2022 and 2023 respectively, seems to undermine this simplistic view. Instead, these figures highlight the confidence and success experiences of businesses leveraging TikTok. To gain a basic understanding of what TikTok for Business is, and how to access its features and benefits, continue reading to explore this powerful solution.
Table of Contents
1. TikTok for Business: A quick overview
2. TikTok for Business: Account creation
3. TikTok for Business: Main features and benefits
4. A next-level advertising solution
TikTok for Business: A quick overview
The term TikTok for Business here does not refer to the generic use of TikTok for business purposes or in-app marketing functions for small and medium businesses, such as TikTok Promote. Instead, this is a proper noun that refers to a holistic, integrated, and advanced marketing solution provided by TikTok.
In a nutshell, it encompasses the four main types of marketing solutions that TikTok envisioned to enhance and optimize on its platform: advertising solutions, creative content, and ad creation tools, video shopping commerce solutions such as TikTok Shop as well as its Measurement solutions, which combine data from both views and clicks to provide a full evaluation of the effectiveness of ads.
TikTok for Business: Account creation
To access and fully utilize TikTok for Business functions, users must register the relevant accounts. TikTok Business Account, TikTok Ads Manager, and TikTok Business Center are the three main types of accounts under TikTok for Business.
A TikTok Business Account can be easily registered or converted from an existing TikTok personal account through a few simple steps. Alternatively, TikTok users can also proceed to get a TikTok for Business account first and upgrade from a personal account to a TikTok Business Account later.
Users can simply log in to a TikTok for Business account with an existing TikTok personal account or business account (as shown in the picture below). However, the personal account will need to be converted to a Business Account to access more business features. Since the TikTok for Business account is essentially a combination of the TikTok Ads Manager and TikTok Business Center accounts, it is linked to the creation of both of these accounts. In fact, the signup page for TikTok for Business directs users to create a TikTok Ads Manager account.
Whether signing up for a new TikTok for Business account or logging in directly with an existing TikTok account, a form specifying the business details must be filled out, including a legal business name that matches the tax-registered entity or individual name for account approval purposes. Refer to the screenshot below for some ideas.
Only once the Ads account creation is approved can the TikTok Business Center account be created within the TikTok for Business platform. Users can then gain access to all the relevant features of both TikTok Business Center and TikTok Ads Manager accounts. The business details verification process may be optional once the Ads account is approved or it may be requested prior to approval. In either case, the creation or conversion to a TikTok Business Account requires a similar verification process.
TikTok for Business: Main features and benefits
It’s worth noting that while TikTok Business Account is related to TikTok for Business, its features and functions can be accessed via the app directly and therefore serve more as an in-app tool compared to TikTok For Business, which is accessible and controlled from the desktop version. Here, let’s focus on the 3 main solutions of TikTok for Business, which are accessible to all approved account holders:
TikTok Ads Manager
TikTok Ads Manager is the all-in-one ad platform that TikTok created with users in mind to provide a straightforward setup for easy ad campaign designs and management. It offers tools for testing, adjusting, and optimizing the ad campaigns. At the same time, it supports diverse ad objectives, covering everything from boosting conversions and increasing video views to promoting community interactions and apps. Each of these objectives is supported by advanced targeting options based on a variety of parameters, including demographics, behavior, devices, spending power, and languages of the target audience.
TikTok Ads Manager also supports a comprehensive and intuitive dashboard that allows users to effectively utilize its robust ad creation tools, for example, the vast selection of video templates and the Smart Creative Ads feature are designed to enhance ad creation. It also supports optional third-party tracking to monitor ad visibility and record ad click performance, which aids in its insightful and customizable analytic functions to monitor and analyze ad performance with detailed ad reports.
TikTok Creative Center
The TikTok Creative Center is accessible from the TikTok Business Center and apart from its many creative tools and resources, its standout feature is perhaps the Top Ads function. This allows users to search from a simple, intuitive dashboard to learn from high-performing ads for creation inspiration. On top of that, its Top Products section serves as another intelligence center to uncover best-selling products specific to a region and industry, all aimed at providing much-needed insights to business users.
Meanwhile, this is also the place to learn and stay updated on trending hashtags and songs to ensure one creates only the most relevant and up-to-date video content. From multi-storytelling to interactive add-ons and an AI-assisted Video Editor tool, it offers creative tools with guidance to improve the quality and impact of TikTok content.
TikTok Business Center
Finally, the TikTok Business Center covers all the essential tools to link and manage both TikTok Ads Manager and TikTok accounts, as well as good for adding in team members for centralized management and collaboration. From here, one can also sign up or add existing TikTok Shop accounts, which are currently available in limited countries but are quickly expanding.
Since TikTok Business Center is the centralized place to access all other TikTok for Business solutions, it is essentially where users can have a comprehensive overview of their business performance, including Ads Manager data, overall ad expenditure, and related financial information.
A next-level advertising solution
On the whole, TikTok for Business builds a cohesive ecosystem for advertising creation and management. It is accessible and available to all legal business users and open to registration for any existing TikTok account holders. The TikTok Ads Manager, Creative Center, and Business Center form the three major components of TikTok for Business solutions and together, they offer an integrated suite of tools that cover the entire spectrum of business needs on TikTok, supporting business management and growth on the platform.
For more insights on how to leverage TikTok and other social media for business success, check out Alibaba.com Reads regularly to stay informed.
