Create an appealing business profile

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Make sure your brand utilizes the opportunities provided by your TikTok profile:

• Profile photo or video: Whether it’s your company logo or a relevant image or video, make sure it’s representative of your brand.
• Short bio: You’ve got 80 characters to present your business in your bio. What is your shortest pitch that addresses the TikTok audience? Make sure that you present your business offer with the right tone of voice to better connect with users.
• Links: The link in your bio is your main ticket to new leads. It allows them to get to know your brand and products or services by leading them to your website. Make sure you use this smartly around campaigns as well.

Make use of all available call-to-actions

Once you know your buyer persona’s behavior, use all available possibilities on TikTok when it comes to CTAs. These are the two main ones your brand should not miss on:

• Bio link: When someone finds your brand interesting one of the first places they’ll go is your profile. You have one shot at leading them into the next step of their customer journey with your brand. The bio link is the main CTA where your leads can learn more about what you offer. Don't miss out on showing off a specific campaign or getting them onto a key page of your website.
• Content that directs to your bio link: You can always consider directing viewers to your bio link in your TikTok videos. In this way, you can also give them context about giveaways, freebies, or any other useful information to get them to click on your bio link. Ensure that the landing page you send your TikTok leads to is also optimized for conversions. Keep track of behavior on it and make adjustments if needed. 

Tools like LinkStream can help you share multiple links on social media especially when you are limited to just one on your Instagram and TikTok bios. Consider such options when you have multiple campaigns running at the same time.

Use targeted hashtags

Hashtags are one of the main ways leads can discover your brand on TikTok. Since TikTok is relatively new, the right hashtags can get you more visibility than when used on social networks like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. They can be the starting point for your brand’s potential customers, so it’s important to get this right.

Here are the main questions you need to answer to build a stellar hashtag strategy:

• What is your buyer persona?
• What do you want them to do once they find your brand? (Follow you, share the video, make a purchase, visit your website?)
• Do you want to reach a wider audience or a niche targeted audience?

Once you have answered those questions, it’s time to walk the talk. Here are the next steps you should consider:

1. Research relevant hashtags

Do your homework and do thorough research in TikTok on what hashtags are popular among your industry competitors and creators. There are also hashtag generators like tiktokhashtags.com that can direct you to similar hashtags.

2. Follow trends

Stay on top of the curve by regularly checking trending hashtags and how they are used on TikTok. Things move quickly on TikTok, so don’t get left behind.

3. Utilize hashtag challenges

Tap into the trending hashtag challenges or create your own. Those work like magic on TikTok and can generate a lot of engagement.

4. Create your own branded hashtag

Using a branded hashtag on TikTok will increase your brand awareness. Keep it short and sweet so it can be memorable. You can use your brand name as Red Bull did by utilizing #redbull in their TikTok posts.

5. Mix trendy hashtags with niche ones

Consider testing a mix of more generic but popular hashtags with niche ones. The first ones will give you a wider exposure, but the competition for people’s attention might be fierce. With the niche hashtags you will be targeting a narrower audience, but it'll be a more relevant one. Combining both types of hashtags will get you the best results to generate leads on TikTok.

6. Help TikTok understand your content better

By using relevant hashtags, TikTok’s algorithm will start identifying what kind of account you have. This will help the platform associate you with relevant topics and serve the right content to the right audience.

Create content that converts

Creative and authentic content is what drives TikTok’s audience. You don’t need to invest in pricey video productions to attract the right leads. On TikTok, your content can go viral with few resources, a good understanding of your audience, and a creative approach.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when creating your TikTok content strategy to generate leads:

1. Consider the lead’s stage in your sales funnel

TikTok is a social network where leads discover your brand or enjoy coming back for more entertainment or education on your channel.

When creating a piece of content for TikTok, always keep in mind who you want to reach out to and where in your sales funnel they are. Is it a lead that finds out about your brand for the first time, or is it one that you can target with soft-selling content?

2. Tailor your content strategy to TikTok’s algorithms

When building a content strategy for any social network, always consider that you have to address the needs and requirements of two groups: your target audience and the social network itself.

Each social network has its own algorithm, with specific opportunities and challenges. But it can boost your business results when tackled in the right way, meaning you must understand how TikTok works to shape your content strategy accordingly.

If you are just getting started, here is our beginners’s guide to TikTok to help you.

3. Offer gated content

To convert your TikTok audience into leads, use gated content. This can be a freebie, blog post, webinar, eBook, etc. The idea is to bring your lead to a specific landing page where they could convert. You can use the link in your profile and point to it from your video.

4. Build a CTA-oriented video storyline

Create your content with a specific CTA in mind and point to it in the video. Here is an idea on how you can blend storytelling with lead generation and create an entertaining or educational TikTok video:

• Start with something that will capture the audience’s attention. 
• Then focus on the tip or dance that is the video's main story.
• Finish with a relevant offer.

Partner with TikTok influencers

The TikTok space is bubbling with creative influencers. Whether they became popular on TikTok or are famous movie stars, they grab the audience’s attention.

Finding a relevant influencer can boost your lead generation strategy. You just need to identify the ones that resonate with both your brand and target audience.

You can pick from macro and micro-influencers. The first group will have a larger and broader audience, while the second’s will be more targeted and niche. 

Macro influencers are great for generating brand awareness. But with micro-influencers' smaller audiences, the trade-off is a far more engaged and relevant group. This can make them much better for generating leads.

You can create a special discount code for each influencer you work with. It will offer an incentive for their audience to consider your products or services and thus convert them into leads. On the other hand, the influencer would get a commission for any sale. It’s a win-win situation and a great one to build a relationship with the influencer.  

You can also match your brand with a relevant influencer through TikTok’s Creator Marketplace. It is a platform to discover and connect with TikTok creators and thus boost your brand’s presence on the social network.

Enable the power of TikTok ads

TikTok Ad Manager offers a very appealing opportunity to generate quality leads. With such ads, you get to know your customers better, collect information about them, and direct them to a landing page of your choice.

This is how it works:

• You create a branded video with a CTA according to your goals.
• The CTA directs the prospect to a short form, which TikTok automatically populates with basic information about the viewer.
• After filling in the info, the user can be directed to your website or a specific landing page.
• You can download the collected lead data from TikTok Ad Manager or integrate it with your business CRM.

Stay engaged and show excellent customer service

Staying engaged with your TikTok audience is as important for generating leads as being creative to attract their attention in the first place. 

Therefore, make sure that you answer any potential customer’s post comments or direct messages on time. This will build trust in your brand and be the beginning of a relationship with your lead.

Also make the effort to engage with other TikTokers, by commenting on their videos when it’s relevant. Their followers may see your comments, especially if you have a blue tick, and then click through to your profile. It’s a great, low-cost way to attract some attention.