The complete guide to TikTok marketing: Tips, examples & tools – Hootsuite Blog

Considering TikTok marketing for your business? You’ve come to the right place. Learn how to make the most of this engaging social network.
Ready to go all in on TikTok? With over 1.5 billion active users, TikTok marketing offers brands a big opportunity to boost visibility and sales. 
This guide covers everything you need to know — from building a TikTok strategy to real-world examples and must-have tools.
Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.
TikTok marketing is the practice of using TikTok to promote a brand, product, or service. 
TikTok marketing includes different tactics, such as:
Using these tactics, TikTok marketing can help businesses:
TikTok influencer marketing involves businesses partnering with creators to promote their brand. 
Typically, brands and influencers agree on a partnership where payment (or free products or perks) is exchanged for TikTok content. For example, a kitchen brand might pay a foodie influencer to post a TikTok promoting their blender.
Sometimes influencer marketing can be subtle, blending seamlessly into a creator’s video through casual product placement — like in the example below:
Source: @spencer.barbosa
Influencer marketing is everywhere on TikTok — from Bretman Rock promoting hair products to Emily Mariko selling her own tote bags. But don’t let its popularity fool you: finding the right creator for your brand takes careful research, strategy, and a solid understanding of your audience.

TikTok affiliate marketing lets creators promote your products and earn a commission on every sale they make.
While the influencer marketing world can be a bit like the wild west (there are no real rules beyond tagging sponsored content), affiliate marketing is an official, platform-approved marketing strategy — and it’s completely trackable.
You’ve probably seen affiliate marketing in action: whenever an influencer says something like, “Use my code [X] to get 20% off,” that’s a telltale sign. Brands can then track performance by monitoring how often those links or codes are used. 
TikTok makes the process even easier by connecting you with creators, tracking sales, and paying creators directly on your behalf.
TikTok offers two different affiliate marketing options:
The best part? You don’t have to pick just one. A single product can live in both Open and Targeted collaborations at the same time.
To get started with TikTok marketing, you need a TikTok Business account
TikTok business accounts unlock features like TikTok Analytics, access to the business creative hub and commercial music library, options to add calls to action, auto-replies for DMs, and more.
If you already have a personal TikTok account, it’s easy (and free) to switch it to a business account. Here’s how:
Step 1: Go to your profile and tap the menu button — that’s the three horizontal lines in the top right corner.
Step 2: Hit Settings and privacy.
Step 3: Select Account.
Step 4: Switch to Business Account.
There you have it: a new TikTok business account. When you first switch, the social media platform will take you through some of the features of a business account to help get you started.
Let’s walk through the core steps to building a TikTok strategy that supports real business outcomes:
Take some time to get to know the platform (beginners, start here). Explore the different features available on the TikTok app, and note what challenges, editing styles, and sounds are trending.
Read up on the TikTok algorithm, too. Understanding how TikTok ranks and displays videos in the For You tab can inform your content, hashtag, and engagement strategy.
You can also brush up on all things TikTok by taking courses in the TikTok Business Learning Center.
It’s important to research your target audience to make sure that TikTok is right for you. Before you start creating content, learn about TikTok demographics and identify any overlap in your user base.
TikTok has a reputation for being popular with teens, but the platform’s user stats may surprise you: the average age of TikTok users in 2025 was between 23 and 34 years old. This means TikTok is also reaching Millennials.
However, it is true that TikTok’s Gen Z users are loyalists — nearly a third of its audience are between 18 and 24 years old. 
Once you’ve zeroed in on a potential audience, research what types of content they like and engage with. Then start to brainstorm content ideas for your brand.
Are your competitors on TikTok? If they are, you could be missing out on the action. If they aren’t, TikTok may be a way to gain a competitive advantage.
Whether or not your competitors are on the platform, find at least three to five similar brands or organizations and see what they’re up to. If it’s helpful, use the S.W.O.T. framework to identify each competitor’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Because TikTok is a creator-led platform, don’t rule out influencers in this exercise. Find personalities that specialize in your area of expertise.
Learn more in our complete guide to running a competitive analysis on social media (free template included).
You can use TikTok to experiment, but it’s better to have goals in mind that tie directly to your business objectives.
Whether you plan to reach a new audience, improve brand image, build partnerships with influencers, promote awareness for a product, or develop a stronger community, it’s important to back your efforts with concrete goals.
Consider using the S.M.A.R.T. goal framework to set goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely.
The best way for brands to stay visible on TikTok is to post consistently, because the algorithm favors fresh content. In fact, TikTok recommends posting one to four times per day. 
Hootsuite research agrees, finding that posting 3-5 posts per week is the sweet spot for strong performance on TikTok.
We can hear your sigh of defeat from here, but don’t stress. For most social media teams, TikTok’s recommendation just isn’t reasonable, so start with a handful of videos per week.
Making a content calendar — and sticking to it — is key to a successful social media strategy. There’s no shortage of tools out there to get you started (we’ve created a free social media calendar template).
TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes newer content, so it’s always best to post your TikToks when the majority of your audience is using the app. 
Based on Hootsuite’s experiments, the best overall time to post is Thursday morning (6 – 9 am) and Saturday midday (10 am – 6 pm).
Thanks to scheduling platforms like Hootsuite, you don’t actually have to be online in order to post a TikTok. Here’s a guide on how to schedule TikToks for later.
The best way to measure TikTok marketing performance is to track engagement, traffic, and conversions using TikTok Analytics, then adjust your strategy accordingly.
To access your TikTok analytics, go to your profile and select the menu button (the three horizontal lines in the top right).
Then, select Creator Tools.
A snapshot of your analytics will open automatically. This includes video views, net followers, and likes. To see a more in-depth review of your metrics, select View all.
Unsure how to interpret the numbers? Read our complete guide to TikTok Analytics.
There’s no formula for going viral on TikTok (but you can follow our tried tips to increase your odds).
Leave space to be creative and experiment. For example, try out a live stream or leverage a trending sound. 
If something flops, learn from it and move on to the next experiment. If your brand ends up accidentally trending like Josh wine, make the most of it and keep “letting the memes flow.”
Be in on the joke. Don’t plan to be taken too seriously on TikTok.
The most effective TikTok marketing examples use strong hooks, authentic storytelling, and formats that drive engagement.
Let’s dive into a few real-world examples:
A social media hook grabs a viewer’s attention and convinces them that the content is worth experiencing. When that hook comes from a source that the audience trusts, even better.
Source: @kevikodra
In this TikTok, a makeup brand partnered with a makeup influencer to show off a product. It starts with a unique and intriguing hook (“This is the biggest rule I love to break. What if I told you regardless if you have dry skin or oily skin, I’m prepping everyone the exact same way?”), followed by a clip of the cleanser in action.
Why this works
The more engagement a TikTok receives, the better it will fare when it comes to the algorithm’s ranking. Metrics like comments, likes, and saves will determine how good TikTok thinks your short-form videos are, so the more you can encourage them, the better.
Source: @smarties
Videos like this one from Smarties are an awesome example of this — the business teases the viewer to comment by asking a question, and also gives them the freedom to answer however they wish (“Wrong answers only” indicates a no-judgment zone).
Why this works
Because the TikTok algorithm is so difficult to master, sometimes anyone seeing your videos can feel like a miracle. Why not lean into that?
Source: @makeupmaddie
This creator-made video is awesome marketing for Pandora. The text “This is your sign to go to Pandora” makes the video feel like a lucky find, as if it showed up at just the right moment. The very appropriate (and very popular) Taylor Swift song also helps make this video feel authentic and personal.
Why this works
Comments play a major role in TikTok’s algorithm — the more comments a post gets, the higher that video will rank. And TikTok makes it easy to show commenters that you’re listening: just reply to a comment with a video.
Source: @truvellebridal
This TikTok from Truevelle Bridal was made in response to a comment asking to see a wedding dress from the front. The brand obliged, responding to the comment with another video (and another opportunity to show off the pretty dress).
Why this works
TikTok audiences love authentic content. The more honest your marketing feels, the more likely viewers will be to trust you.
Showing behind-the-scenes content is a fantastic way to humanize your brand and make your followers feel like they are taking a journey along with you.
Source: @kovessentials
This TikTok doesn’t just show off the product (a claw clip with a bow attached), it explains part of the process of manufacturing. It opens the door to a not-often-shared part of the retail process, and all the imperfections and trial-and-error that goes along with it.
Why this works
Not every marketing TikTok has to look like an ad — in fact, just-for-fun posts often perform better than strictly business content. 
So don’t count out those cute, funny, or outside-the-box ideas. Creating engaging content that users will want to share with their friends or family is half the battle.
Source: @peli.roja.pets
This TikTok doesn’t promote specific services or offerings from the business — a pet daycare company — but it does succeed in being adorable and highly sharable. 
Why this works
The best TikTok marketing tools help you plan content, publish in advance, track performance, and manage engagement all in one place.
Here are our top picks:
Hootsuite is a social media management platform that lets you fill up your TikTok content calendar and schedule them in advance.
Using Hootsuite, you can:
Canva is a graphic design platform that allows you to edit photos, videos, marketing assets and more. It’s very user-friendly and comes with templates and millions of images and graphics built-in.
Psst: Hootsuite has a Canva integration, making designing even easier. For more TikTok design templates, mosey on over to this blog post… or, you can use Instagram Reels templates in a pinch.
As TikTok grows, there are more ways than ever to make money directly on the platform. Still, one tactic continues to work well: using TikTok to drive traffic and sales off the app.
Think of TikTok as a bright arrow pointing people toward your brand. To turn views into action, you need one simple thing: a link in bio.

A link tree, like Hootbio, makes that possible. It lets you send people to your YouTube channel, online store, blog, or any other site you want. It’s an easy way to turn one link into many opportunities.
Looking for a TikTok scheduling tool? Grow your TikTok presence alongside your other social media platforms using Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts for the best times, engage your audience, and measure performance — all from an all-in-one dashboard. Try it free today.
Grow on TikTok faster with Hootsuite
Schedule posts, learn from analytics, and respond to comments all in one place.
Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.
Alyssa is a freelance writer, editor and illustrator based in Vancouver, BC. Her portfolio ranges from lifestyle articles to travel journalism to restaurant reviews to technical writing to editing annual reports for non-profits—she wears a lot of hats (metaphorically… in real life, she rarely wears hats).
Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.
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