6 Secrets to Building Your Beauty Business on Tiktok

TikTok has become a mecca for beauty brand marketing due to viral trends and products. Here's how to make the clock work for you and draw in the next generation of customers.

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms ever.

TikTok has changed the game in terms of digital marketing, brand awareness, and consumer reach. The social platform has over 1 billion users, most of which were gained in the past two years, making it one of the most quickly growing social media platforms to date.

The app is split into two tabs for users to view videos: the “Following” tab, which features content of accounts that users follow, and the “For You Page”, which uses a personalized algorithm to present other videos to users. It’s similar to the “Discovery” page on Instagram. TikTok is unique because, unlike other social media platforms that prioritize showing users the content of those they follow, the “For You Page” is actually the feature that users most often view. This feature is particularly advantageous because it gives brands more exposure (and ultimately brings you more customers)!

TikTok is particularly popular with younger audiences, making it a powerful tool for brands to use to draw in the next generation of customers. The short-form video app is able to reach and engage with a brand’s target audience in ways that prior social media apps have not. And in the digital marketing sphere, audience engagement is everything. 

While not all brands are a good fit for TikTok, beauty brands thrive on this platform and there are specific marketing tactics that brands can implement to grow. Beauty is a visual industry, and beauty brands are able to market products directly to consumers. Creating a community and leveraging the app’s algorithm are some of the key ways to grow your sales like never before. 

Are you a beauty brand looking to take your TikTok digital marketing game to the next level? Keep reading to learn more about key TikTok digital marketing tips to make the app work in your favor.

Every growing brand needs a digital marketing strategy.

1. Work With the Algorithm 

A major TikTok digital marketing strategy is to maximize your content so that it works best with TikTok’s algorithm. For beauty brands, the TikTok algorithm can be a way to make sure your products get in front of your target audience. The frequented For You Page shows users videos based on what the TikTok algorithm believes the user would be interested in. Videos that the user has previously liked, creators that the user follows, hashtags, and sounds all play an important role in curating a user’s For You Page formula. Using relevant and specific hashtags and sounds that directly relate to your brand can increase the chance that your target audience sees your videos. 

As a beauty brand, think about your ideal customer. Use relevant beauty-related hashtags like #myskincareroutine, #cleanbeauty #makeuptutorial to get your content in front of your potential customers. Make videos with trending sounds and include information about your products. There is a good chance that your specific content will end up on your target market’s phone screen. 

2. Stick To Your Niche 

When creating content on TikTok, it is important to highlight your beauty brand by leaning into the beauty niche. While niching down may seem counterintuitive to virality, it’s actually one of the most helpful strategies to perform well on the app. 

For beauty brands in particular, you want to be consistent with your content. Even if you participate in a trend, make sure it relates to beauty or your products in some way. Your target audience will most likely be those who have previously searched for beauty products in their search bar, left a comment on a beauty influencer’s video, or liked other TikToks relating to the beauty niche. 

When you consistently narrow down your content, it is more likely to be amplified to the right group of people. The algorithm ensures that your videos stay on the screens of those who are most likely to relate to the content in some way. 

 3. Market Your Brand

TikTok is a visual platform, which is key to the beauty industry. Beauty brands can market their products directly to consumers and showcase aspects of their brand that go beyond just the products.  

• Does this eyeliner look good with brown eyes?

• What does the behind-the-scenes of a beauty brand campaign look like?

• Is this the right shade of blush for my skin tone? 

• Is this serum good for sensitive skin?

• What is a day in the life of a beauty brand CEO like?

Don’t just tell your audience how your product works or how your brand is run — show them! Not only can these questions (and others) be answered by watching a short video, beauty brands can reach the consumer exactly in the way that they want to. As a visual platform, consumers see a first-hand impression of their favorite products and are able to discover new ones. TikTok also provides brands the opportunity to show more of the behind-the-scenes of their company.  

With a younger demographic using the app, TikTok is also an excellent platform to feature new product launches. Video interaction can be used to get a sense of popularity for the brand and the product. Analyzing products or content that performs well provides valuable insights for perspective into drawing in the next generation of consumers.

4. Be Authentic

Consumers always value brand authenticity. Increasingly, customers are straying away from ultra-curated content, such as perfectly aesthetic Instagram feeds, and leaning towards content that produces a meaningful, honest message. Successful TikTok digital marketing is all about being genuine and organic, both to your audience and your own brand.

To connect further with your consumers, produce content that provides value — educates, entertains, or inspires — your viewers in some way. Skip the over-editing; sometimes the best content is the simplest. Be clear with your beauty brand messaging on TikTok. Showcase how your products can provide solutions to consumer problems from an honest standpoint. Connect with TikTok influencers who genuinely align with your brand messaging and further create that sense of community. Influencers are also a great way for your brand to get more exposure.

5. Build Your Community 

TikTok lets you connect with your audience more directly than you have before! Leveraging the app’s growing user base, beauty brands can produce content that creates a community. TikTok takes digital marketing to the next level with brand-to-user connection. 

Replying with comments on videos is a great way to foster a sense of community with your audience. TikTok’s feature of replying to comments with videos is especially helpful for brands to build credibility and demonstrate how they pay attention to consumers. 

Having a strong community is essential, particularly for smaller beauty brands. While smaller brands may not out-compete the bigger brands in terms of financial resources, they can definitely be on par with repeat customers and a loyal community. A consistent fan base that watches, comments on, and shares your TikTok videos fosters a sense of community that can eventually help you go viral on the app and also drive more traffic to your website.

6. Repurpose Your Content 

Your TikTok video content can make your digital media strategy go farther than it has before, filling up your content calendar and providing you with fresh content across various mediums. You can repurpose your content from a TikTok video onto other mediums by repurposing the same content in different forms. This means less time spent on coming up with new ideas, but over twice the amount of content. 

You can repurpose the content of your TikTok video to:

• Convert the TikTok video into an Instagram Reel.

• Write a blog post on the same content.

• Share the content in a condensed form in an Instagram caption.

• Talk about the same content on your Instagram story.

• Share the content in a LinkedIn post.

• Share the video to your brand’s Facebook group.

Work smarter, not harder!

With content across multiple platforms, consumers are exposed to your beauty brand in several ways. Beyond your TikTok community, every time the content is shared on a different platform, you have the opportunity for your beauty products to reach different groups of people. This exposure increases the chances of purchasing a beauty product.

Anyone Can Go Viral

No, really. Anyone.

Social platforms have transformed into something much greater than sharing personal pictures with an intimate group of people. Now, the digital space is somewhere where individuals and companies can expand their brands. In an era where digital content is so accessible and free, businesses should take advantage of TikTok’s reach. 

More than ever before, beauty brands can reach a wider audience, promote their products, and test the popularity of their brand. 

As with most digital marketing strategies, consistency is key. Following these TikTok digital marketing recommendations is a great place to start expanding your beauty brand’s online presence.