Branding

The Ultimate Guide for Setting Up TikTok for Your Business Or Brand

Nicki Doffing · October 18, 2022 ·

Pick a song, do a silly dance, throw on some hashtags, and you’ve got a viral video – right? Think again. TikTok is no longer just an app “for kids.” It’s an app for business. Many of its users are not just playing around, and it’s a big player on the social media world stage that your business may no longer afford to ignore. But what do you need to know to set up TikTok for your business or brand successfully?

How does the TikTok algorithm work? Do you know what really goes into shooting great footage or hitting the right message? And we bet you didn’t know there are some serious legal implications if your business or brand’s marketing team chooses the wrong song. So yeah – it’s more than just hopping on a trending hashtag or putting some ad spend behind your best video. With details on how to target your audience for TikTok ads, how to use TikTok analytics in your favor, and all the different ways you can engage and advertise, we’re guessing you’ll need some assistance. Luckily for you, we’ve compiled the top ten need-to-know TikTok tips for businesses to not only launch your brand’s account but to launch it to success.

Are you ready? Let’s dive in.

Top 10 TikTok Tips For Your Business

Tip 1: Understand the Algorithm

You may have heard of people referencing social media algorithms. Even if you don’t know how they work or what they really do, most people have a vague understanding that they are some sort of complex, all-knowing program that predicts what you want to see on your social media feeds. Although social media channels do not like to give away all their secrets, there are some things we do know about the TikTok algorithm.

How Does the TikTok Algorithm Work?

The TikTok algorithm tracks your media consumption and behavior on the app to fill your TikTok feed, called the For You Page or FYP, with content that it thinks you will be likely to watch. But what kinds of data does it use?

Almost any interaction you have on TikTok is used to curate your FYP specifically for you. Did you like a video of a dance trend? Did you click on a funny TikTok on the Discover page? Did you comment on a video of a dog that was just so cute? TikTok monitors every click, scroll, comment, or swipe you make on the app and compiles it all to predict your preferences. All of this information is then used to show you similar content.

In addition to your behavior on the app, TikTok uses your device and account settings to generate content that may be relevant to you. Demographic information such as your gender, age, and language, as well as locational information, are all fed into the algorithm as well. Are you seeing videos about events in your local area? Does your FYP show you a lot of TikToks from people in a similar stage of life, such as high school, recently graduated college, or maybe just married? This is no coincidence. TikTok uses your data to show you videos it thinks you will relate to.

So it sounds like TikTok is very good at knowing what videos to show on your FYP. But does it also know what not to show you?

Generally, TikTok does not show you content you have already seen before. New content is constantly being uploaded to the app, so why waste time showing users the same videos again and again when it has the potential to hook people with something new? In addition to not showing previously-seen content, TikTok avoids showing spam or potentially upsetting content to users. The app is designed to keep users engaged and entertained, so by pushing content that’s enjoyable rather than content likely to make users click away, the platform is more likely to retain users.

It’s also important to note that the TikTok algorithm does not favor creators with higher follower counts or those with high-performing videos in the past. Both large and small accounts are shown on the FYP. This helps give exposure to both new accounts and veteran creators alike. In addition, it encourages users of all kinds to post content. Many creators on TikTok started as small accounts that never expected their content to gain a lot of traction, so the chance that any video could “go viral” is encouraging to many.

Tips for Making the TikTok Algorithm Work for Your Business

So, how can businesses use the TikTok algorithm to their advantage? There are a few ways:
1. Use a Pro Account
2. Create videos specifically for the TikTok platform
3. Use trending sounds and hashtags
4. Optimize your content
5. Determine your audience or niche
6. Post at the right time of day
7. Engage with other users

We’ll go into more detail about all of these below!

Tip 2: Make It Official

If you’re setting up a TikTok account for your business, make sure that the account is set up for a business, not just an individual creator.

How to Set Up a TikTok Business Account

To get set up as a business, you should have a Pro Account. You can either set it up this way from scratch or turn your personal Creator Account into a Pro Account. You may be wondering: what’s the difference between Creator Accounts and Pro Accounts? Simply said, Creator Accounts are to be used by individuals, while Pro Accounts are for brands and businesses.

To get started with setting up a Pro Account, you can visit TikTok’s business site here.

Tips for Setting Up Your Business Profile on TikTok

When setting up your account, you should fill in your basic profile details so your business can be recognized by others on the app.

You’ll want to choose a handle, or username, that is as close to your business name as possible. Some brands add their website domains onto their handles, such as .com or .org. If your business has multiple locations and this account is for a specific one, you should also include the name of your location. It’s also a good idea to keep this name short and readable, so you can shorten your name if it’s long or complex.

Your business account should also have a bio section to tell people who you are. You only have 80 characters, so keep it short and to the point by shortening words or using emojis if you can. But keep in mind that this is also a place for your brand to show its personality, so make it catchy with a good hook and give your profile viewers an incentive to watch your content.

Your profile picture will be shown on all your content and interactions, so businesses should be professional and consistent by using their logo. Ideally, because these don’t take up much screen space, they will just be an icon. Remember, this reflects the professionalism of your brand, so this image should be high-quality.

The last element on your profile is the link in your bio. This is a great way to direct viewers to your other social channels, such as your Instagram or YouTube channel. TikTok is also testing an option for some accounts to be able to link to their website. Whether your business has the ability to link to its website or a different social channel, be sure to include a link here!

Tip 3: Shoot for Success

TikTok is primarily a mobile app platform, which is something you’ll want to keep in mind when creating your content.

Shooting TikTok Videos for Your Business

Because they’re predominantly watched on mobile devices, TikTok videos should be filmed vertically, specifically in a 9:16 aspect ratio. Other ratios can be uploaded, but they will not fit the screen and could be cropped, so for the best look, it’s recommended to shoot your videos in the final 9:16 ratio. Additionally, videos in this format, on average, have a 25% higher 6-second watch rate than horizontal videos, so the ratio matters!

When filming, make sure you also have good lighting and sound quality so that your videos appear professional and representative of your brand. It also helps to shoot videos specifically for TikTok instead of filming them to be used on all platforms. This is because TikTok has its own trends, as well as video format options (such as stitches and duets, which we’ll dive into later), sounds, filters, and many other elements that may not translate well on other platforms. So to take full advantage of a TikTok account, you’ll want to utilize these popular elements that are only available on the app.

Does Equipment Matter When Shooting TikTok Videos For Your Business?

TikTok is a more authentic, down-to-Earth platform than other platforms, so producing videos with very high production quality is not as necessary as it is on other platforms. In fact, it’s recommended to just use a smartphone with a high-quality camera and microphone. To ensure you have proper lighting, you may also want to use a ring light. Besides these items, other production equipment is likely not necessary, especially for a new account.

Tip 4: Face the Music

Part of the popularity of TikTok comes from its ability to integrate popular music and sounds–the app did get its start known as Musical.ly, after all. However, there are limitations on what music and sounds can be used by a business account.

Music Limitations for TikTok Business Accounts

Due to copyright laws, brands on TikTok only have access to use royalty-free sounds on the platform. To use other sounds, brands must obtain licensure to use a sound for commercial use. Available commercial sounds are found in the commercial library. If your account is set up correctly as a brand, these are the songs and sound options that are shown when adding sound to a new video. Simply click the “Add Sound” button at the top of the screen when creating your video, and you’ll be able to look through the many royalty-free options.

You should be careful not to upload videos that already have sounds or songs that are not in the commercial library, as these videos can be flagged for copyright infringement. In addition to having the video removed, it could also create legal trouble for your brand, so it’s best to err on the side of caution. Unfortunately, this does limit what kind of content brands can create, especially when many trends hinge on certain copyrighted songs or sounds. So how can you find acceptable audio to use?

Tips For Finding Music for your TikTok Business Account

A way to find popular sounds that brands can use is to browse through the “TikTok Viral” playlist on the app. This playlist, as well as many others, shows many popular songs and sounds that are available for commercial use for you to choose from. You can also create videos by clicking on a sound on the FYP. However, If you start creating a video this way with a sound that is not in the commercial library, TikTok will notify you that the sound is not available for commercial use. If you choose to use it anyway, the app will ask you to confirm that you have obtained the proper usage permissions.

Here’s a pro tip on TikTok sounds: faster tracks that play at 120+ beats per minute have higher watch rates. So turn up the tunes!

Tip 5: Get With The Trends

TikTok trends are ever-evolving, but staying up to date will show that your brand is relevant!

Using Trending Sounds for Your Tik Tok Business Account

As mentioned, Pro Accounts are limited on which trending songs they can use in their videos, so your business will have to stick to trends that don’t use copyrighted music. Another option: if you do want to make a video to go along with a specific trend, you can try to find music or a sound in the commercial library that is similar to the original but that is available for your brand account. However, as a downside, the TikTok algorithm is more likely to favor videos that do use trending sounds–many of which are not royalty-free.

Hop on the Hashtags with Your Tik Tok Business Account

Especially since a brand’s ability to use trending songs is limited, using hashtags is a great way for your content to be seen! There are many ways to find popular hashtags, such as browsing the Discover page, typing keywords into the search bar and clicking the “hashtags” option, or just searching to see what hashtags are used in your industry. TikTok also has many trending hashtag challenges that are used often, or you could even use small business-related hashtags.

If you’ve scrolled through the app, you’ve probably seen videos that use For You Page hashtags such as #FYP and #ForYouPage. While it has not been confirmed that using these hashtags will cause the algorithm to be more likely to show your videos, many brands and individuals still try it out. In fact, there have even been tests and experiments to see if using these hashtags will really boost your video views. The consensus? Using ‘For You Page’ hashtags doesn’t make your videos gain views or make them more likely to end up on the FYP. For this reason, we recommend using your video description to relay your key message and use hashtags that are more likely to get your video in front of your target audience rather than using these experimental hashtags.

Tip 6: Messaging is a Must

The video quality, trendy sounds, and hashtags you use aren’t the only important aspects of making TikTok videos; the message of the video itself is key!

Tips for Your TikTok Business Account Messaging

Since you are representing your brand on a public platform, you should be thinking about your video’s message and the caption you put on it. Staying in line with your brand voice and values is important–don’t lose your credibility just to be trendy. If your brand voice is professional and informative, keep it that way in your TikToks as well. You don’t want to mix messages or confuse your audience, who may follow you in many places, and there are still ways to have fun while sticking to your brand. On the other hand, if your brand voice is consistently more casual and relatable, use TikTok as a way to show that off!

Keep in mind that people spend time on TikTok for entertainment, not to shop. Because of this, your videos should aim to entertain before they sell. Viewers are much more likely to interact with, follow, and become fans of brands that appear practical, relatable, and authentic rather than just trying to sell their products or services. One form of entertainment that does well on TikTok is storytelling, so find some creative ways to relate your message through a story.

Limitations to Consider When Drafting Messaging for Your TikTok Business Account

When coming up with your best content, there are a few things to keep in mind. TikTok videos do have character limits on posts. However, as of September 2022, the character limit was increased from only 300 characters to 2,200 characters. This allows creators to add a lot more information and hashtags to their videos, which can make them more searchable and better targeted. So, don’t be afraid to write a bit more or include a few more hashtags–it may help you out!

Also, get creative with your calls to action, or CTAs. Having a CTA in a post increases the chances of your audience engaging, clicking, or otherwise just remembering your brand or post. A simple video might spark a chuckle or keep a user watching until the end, but without a CTA, they are likely to simply scroll on. However, by adding a CTA that encourages viewers to take a specific action, you can increase the chance for more engagement, followers, or even conversions, such as sales and leads! Unfortunately, organic TikTok posts cannot have links in the captions, but that doesn’t have to stop you from using some fun CTAs! Drop your Instagram handle, ask viewers to answer a question in the comments, or encourage them to stitch your video with theirs. The options are limitless (well, almost)!

Tip 7: Know Your Audience

TikTok videos would not be popular without the massive number of users on the platform, and knowing who you want to reach is crucial.

Finding and Growing Your Business’s Audience on TikTok

While many people think ‘going viral’ is the end goal of social media, your brand is more likely to garner real, measurable business results by targeting the right people. Your business should have a good idea of who its target audience is. Using demographic information like age and location is a good start, but you should also consider more detailed segmenting options such as interests, education level, and occupation to create a persona.

Once you have your audience defined, utilize it! Make content that is specific to your target audience. Having this niche content will allow you to find followers who are likely to relate to your brand and therefore interact, follow, and even convert. But make sure you don’t get too narrow and only target a small audience. Making more generic content as well for a broader segment can also help expand your audience and grow your platform. Try to find the right mix of specific and general content for your brand!

It’s also important to consider the user demographic of the platform itself. TikTok tends to have a younger audience user base than other channels such as Facebook or even Instagram. Generation Z is much more prevalent on the app, so it may benefit your brand to learn about this demographic to tap into TikTok’s main user base. However, being on TikTok doesn’t mean you have to target Gen Z. 24% of the app’s users in 2022 were age 35 and above, and that number has been steadily increasing.

You can also use TikTok to reach other age ranges that may be in your target audience. Use your brand’s buyer personas to understand their behaviors and interests, and you can find your niche on TikTok. Some tips for reaching older generations include making content that they can relate to, using older on-screen personalities or influencers, or creating content that is more educational.

Finding and Growing Your Business’s Audience on TikTok

Viewing your TikTok analytics will help you find information about your audience. Clicking on the Followers tab of your insights will show: gender, territories, follower activity, videos your followers watched, and sounds your followers listened to. You can use this information to see how well your target audience matches up with who is actually seeing your content or following you. If your target segment is not being reached, you may need to adjust your content strategy. On the other hand, if your brand has a large audience presence from an unexpected segment, it may be worth considering how this can be leveraged. You may want to incorporate them into your strategy as well!

Tip 8: Time It Right

One important factor you may not have considered is this: when is the best time to post your videos?

Use TikTok Analytics to Find the Best Times For Your Business to Post

Overall, TikTok users tend to be the most active from 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. However, this is a generalization across all users on the app; your account insights will show you when your specific followers are most active. Use this to your advantage by posting videos regularly when activity is consistently high! TikTok is a fast-paced app with over 1 billion video views daily. To compete in this rapid flow of content, posting at the peak times when your audience is active can lead to you receiving more views and engagement rather than your video being lost in the shuffle.

Tip: For a new account, there may not be much audience activity yet to base your posting times on. For this reason, we recommend testing a posting schedule. Vary the times you post your TikToks throughout the day to see what yields the best results!

Tips for Scheduling Your Business’s TikTok Posts Ahead of Time

The platform itself allows you to schedule videos in advance for publishing later, which is recommended if you’re sharing a lot of content. This will allow you to plan out a schedule ahead of time, create your content in advance, and then spread your posts out over a period of time. However, keep in mind that scheduled posts cannot be edited. This includes editing the scheduled date and time. To make a change, you will have to delete the post and re-upload it, so we recommend doing quality checks on both the content and the posting schedule before uploading to TikTok itself.

In addition to scheduling TikToks on the site itself, there are also third-party scheduling platforms that allow you to schedule posts for TikTok, along with other social channels. Although most of these are paid services, utilizing them allows for an easier way to schedule and manage content on many different sites or platforms. Some of our favorites that we recommend using are Hootsuite and Loomly. However, there are many more out there as well!

Tip 9: Get Engaged

After you create content you’re proud of, it’s easy to post it and then expect to sit back and let the comments and followers roll in. After all, you think your content was great! So why wouldn’t it perform well? But part of what will make your brand appealing to users on the app is interacting with others!

Tips for Engaging on Your Business’s TikTok Account

TikTok users tend to be very active, so be sure to take advantage of this by engaging with them. Responding to comments, thanking people for sharing, and even commenting on other users’ content are all great ideas! Not sure who to interact with? You can use hashtags and sounds to find accounts similar to yours and engage with them or the people liking and commenting on those posts. It’s a great way to be engaged and ultimately build your own following.

TikTok also offers many fun ways to interact besides the standard likes and comments. For example, you can reply to comments within a new video to address a whole new topic or question. Videos can also be stitched, which allows you to use clips of other videos within your content while crediting the original creator. One last fun feature is duetting a video. These are usually used for reaction-based content, where the original video is played beside your video. They are both played at once on a split screen, so you can react, respond, or jump in on a trend yourself while showing the original video.

Tip 10: Add an Ad Budget

Like any other social media platform, TikTok also lets you put some ad spending behind your content. But how does this work?

Brief Overview of Advertising for Your Business on TikTok

Before you are able to run ads on the platform, you will need to create a TikTok Ads Manager Account. This is pretty simple and must be done before you can run ads. The steps to setting up this account are broken down in this short video provided by TikTok’s Business Help Center.

There are several types of ads that can be run:
1. In-feed ads are shown within the feed or FYP among organic videos. These appear the most natural on the page.
2. Brand Takeover ads “take over” the screen and are shown when a user first opens the app.
3. TopView ads are similar, but instead of showing when the app is first opened, they are shown at the top of the FYP.
4. There are also Branded Hashtag Challenges, which take a user to a landing page when they click any video with the branded hashtag.
5. Finally, there are Branded Effects such as filters, stickers, or lenses that are sponsored by brands for creators to use in their content.

Many of the above ads can be in different formats such as images, videos, and carousels, which appear on TikTok’s News Feed Apps (BuzzVideo, TopBuzz, and Babe) or are implemented on the TikTok ad network Pangle.

TikTok ad objectives are split up into three categories: Awareness, Consideration, and Conversion. These also have sub-objectives of reach, traffic, app installs, video views, lead generation, and catalog sales. Choose whichever objective fits your desired outcome! Similar to advertising on other platforms, setting up your ads will bring you through creating a campaign, an ad group, and then the ad itself. You will also be given different options for targeting, setting a budget and schedule, and bidding and optimization.

Pros of Advertising for Your Business on TikTok

TikTok is one of the world’s fastest-growing apps and was the top app downloaded at the beginning of 2022. It is also the social platform with the highest user engagement, so utilizing the app for advertising is a great way to increase your visibility and social engagement. In addition, if you’re looking to increase traffic to your website, TikTok ads can help by including clickable links, which can generate more traffic than just organic videos alone that cannot have links.

Because of the endless scrolling layout of the FYP and the autoplay of videos, it’s often said that ads can feel seamless and less disruptive than they do on other channels. People generally don’t love being shown ads on social media, so this more subtle integration is one reason why TikTok ads can be so successful compared to other platforms. So why not give it a shot?

Challenges of Advertising for Your Business on TikTok

Even with all the benefits of running advertisements, TikTok ads don’t come without their challenges. TikTok ads have minimum budgets for their campaigns and ad groups. Daily and total budgets for campaigns must be at least $50, and ad group daily budgets must exceed $20. So investing in TikTok ad spending may be a larger decision than anticipated, especially if your company is small, if you’re just starting out, or if you have a limited budget for social ads.

TikTok also has very broad targeting options, which, depending on your brand and audience, may not allow you to reach your target segment as easily if it is relatively niche. These factors contribute to the fact that TikTok ads tend to be less lucrative and more expensive than ads on other platforms such as Facebook. However, even with these challenges and limitations, due to the great opportunity for potential with the constantly evolving app, many businesses find success!

Becoming a Pro

After reading all of this, do you feel like a TikTok master yet? Don’t worry–we know it takes time and plenty of trial and error to find social media strategies that will work for any brand. However, by employing some of these tips in your TikTok strategy, you can be one step ahead.

The best place to start is by making a plan, creating content, and seeing what works. So what are you waiting for? Grab your phone, find some fun hashtags, and get started!

For those wanting to know more about navigating the world of digital marketing and branding for your business, did you know that SN:D Agency is a full-scale digital and social media marketing agency? We have experience in marketing our clients’ brands and channels and growing their businesses using the same strategies we shared above, and we have years of expertise behind us. Don’t hesitate to contact us today!

Brands Doing Marketing Right During COVID-19

Emma Kaiser · July 22, 2020 ·

The difference between a brand’s success and failure during a recession often comes down to its marketing strategy. What are the top brands doing right in their marketing during COVID-19, and how can you follow their example?

As places of business struggle amidst stay-at-home orders and the economic hardships caused by the pandemic, your choices regarding marketing can either make or break you. Though being conservative with your spending may seem like the safest option, we’ve seen that the businesses who actually lean into their marketing, particularly on the digital front, are more likely to see success and retain their customers even during this major recession.

This post is all about showing you first-hand how to market during a time of social distancing and COVID-19 by highlighting some big brands out there who are doing it right. We’re giving you some great examples of how you can adapt your marketing strategy to benefit you and help you recover from this global pandemic. Keep reading to see how top brands’ marketing strategies have made a cultural impact and seen success in the time of COVID-19.

Marketing During COVID-19: Brands Connecting With Their Audience

The brands that have done well this year are the ones who are determined to meet customers where they’re at–and right now, that means on social media. Reminding customers that you are still here, that you still have a lot to offer, and that you can create new ways to connect goes a long way.

For example, Walgreens directly addressed their customers’ concerns, particularly around health and safety, by posting short videos of their pharmacists answering patients’ questions. In their “Ask a Pharmacist” series, they have addressed topics such as “Tips for Senior Citizens” and “Protecting Myself in Public.” This helps to address customers’ anxieties while also presenting Walgreens as a trustworthy authority and reassuring consumer’s faith in the brand.

Similarly, Netflix launched on Instagram a weekly LIVE series called, “Wanna Talk About It?” where they feature mental health experts and discussed ways to best take care of yourself during a pandemic. It showed concern for their audiences’ mental and emotional health, offered support for them in difficult times, and again, re-established that trust.

Chipotle even launched a series of Zoom lunch parties which featured Q&A with celebrity guests and free lunch give-aways. They encouraged customers to stay home, but still created a community space where customers could come together and enjoy some burritos. Marketing during COVID-19 is all about adaptation, and the successful brands are the ones helping their customers navigate a new way of living and working to meet them in their new habits and routines.

Marketing During COVID-19: Brands Being Authentic

Another huge aspect of marketing during a global pandemic is the willingness to be authentic. There is so much uncertainty and so many unknowns, so the more upfront and open you can be with your customers, the better. Showing what’s going on behind the scenes, being transparent in how you’re responding to the pandemic, and highlighting the ways you’re keeping your employees and customers safe are all ways you can emphasize authenticity in your marketing.

McDonalds did this by featuring videos that outlined new safety precautions they were taking in sanitizing their stores and preparing food, and showed how they were keeping employees and customers safe. You can follow their example by keeping your customers informed of any updated policies or precautions and assuring them you’re acting with everyone’s health in mind. The more specific and concrete actions you can highlight to your customers, the better and safer they’ll feel.

On another note, Dove, known for their body inclusivity and positivity campaigns and for promoting “real beauty,” released a video titled “Courage is Beautiful,” where they honored images of exhausted doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers with visible marks on their faces from medical masks and gear. Dove also used the video to announce it’s donation to Direct Relief, which cares for frontline workers in the U.S. Dove has seen great success in its pushes for authenticity in the past, and their emphasis on the real has continued to prove effective during COVID-19.

Sam’s Club had their own take on authenticity while recognizing what they called “retail heroes.” Their minute-long primetime ad celebrated essential workers by listing the names of their employees and other retail and essential workers on the front lines. The video featured employees stocking shelves with disinfecting wipes, sanitizing carts, and helping customers. This recognition and salute to essential workers had a big impact on their audience and helped create a feeling of support not just for the brand, but for people and workers as a whole. Use their example to uplift and recognize the work your own employees or business is doing, or to honor the work of others.

Marketing During COVID-19: Brands Giving Back

Now is the time to show that your brand still has something valuable to offer your customers, and a great way to do that is to find ways to give back. Since we’re all sacrificing and struggling in different ways, that means that there are also many different opportunities to contribute and give back to your customers and community, whether through access to products, giving donations, volunteering, or something else.

Nike, for example, eliminated subscription fees for its digital workout app so people could work out from home for free. This allowed users to stream workout videos, access training plans, and get fitness tips from experts. They then promoted the service with hashtags like #playinside and #playfortheworld. With gyms closing and other outdoor activities limited, this provided something valuable and desired during difficult circumstances and still met customer needs.

In another vein, National Geographic launched a free homeschool hub for students learning at home, proving themselves a valuable resource to parents as schools and kids struggled to adapt to at-home learning. Nat Geo’s website reads, “At home for a while with your kids? Don’t want their brains to go stale? We’ve got you covered. Here are quizzes, videos, science experiments, and even at-home classroom resources.” What information, resources, or products can you offer to your customers that also continue to meet their needs at this time?

Donations and community giving are another great way to foster brand loyalty. In the midst of the crazed rush for toilet paper, Cottonelle, the largest toilet paper brand in the country, pledged 1 million dollars and rolls of toilet paper to COVID-19 relief. They also directly addressed customer concerns and anxieties through their messaging by urging people to “stock up on generosity,” and promoting #shareasquare. This kind of marketing can help alleviate fears while also giving your customers something to hope for and support. In order to build loyalty and trust, it helps for your customers to associate your brand with generosity.

After all, while this year has thus far been one of anxiety and uncertainty, one of the most important things you should still focus on in your marketing strategy is hopefulness and positivity. Don’t deny or ignore the reality that COVID-19 has created for our businesses and our economy, but remember that it is also the perfect time to share whatever good news you might have, whether it’s money raised, people helped, masks made, acts of service, or other more obscure highlights that won’t get covered in the media and news cycle. Follow the examples of the brands above to show how your business is adapting and meeting challenges with creative solutions. By connecting with your audience, being authentic, giving back, and learning from brands that are marketing successfully, you can use your marketing to show how both your business and your customers can all get through this time together.

If rethinking your marketing strategy feels overwhelming right now, remember that SN Digital Agency is an experienced, results driven full service digital and social media marketing agency that’s here to lessen your load. We understand that many businesses need extra help during this time, and we would love to talk to you about partnering with your business. We can help leverage your social media presence for success now and in the future! Contact us today!

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Your Business Brand Colors

SN:D Agency · June 4, 2020 ·

Can you think back to a time when you had to make a decision on a brand to choose for a certain product? If you had little information on the differences between the brands, what influenced your choice?

If you’re like most people, it likely had a lot to do with the way it looked — specifically its colors. From the packaging to the logo, the colors chosen to represent a brand make a huge impact on the way an audience will perceive a brand. Think of it as a nonverbal statement on a brand’s identity, personality, and target consumer base. This is why colors should not be chosen at random when branding a product, because they actually play an integral part in shaping the brand, and directly impact sales output. As a digital agency we have experience in brand development across a variety of industries. Using this experience we have put together a basic guide to help in choosing colors to best represent your brand.

If you are in the process of choosing a design, making a logo, designing a website, or determining product packaging for your business, then this is a must-read guide to determining your business brand colors.

The Importance of Your Business Brand Colors

One reason colors are so important for your brand is because of brand recognition. It’s important your brand stands out and people recognize it immediately, and it’s ideal if consumers can identify the brand or product just by the design and/or colors, without seeing the name. Think about it: you don’t have to see the “Starbucks” symbol on a latte cup to know where it’s from; you can identify it simply by the dark green straw. If you choose a unique, identifiable color or color combination and use it consistently your consumers will be able to distinguish your brand from your competitors. When customers become aware of your brand and recognize it instantly it helps create brand loyalty. People gravitate toward things they are familiar with, so simply being a recognizable brand will form an intrinsic connection between your consumers and your product.

Color also provides a unique opportunity to subconsciously elicit different emotions and sensations in people. They have a huge impact on what consumers associate with your brand. A color sends non-verbal message, and choosing the right colors is crucial to making sure that message persuades consumers in the direction you desire. Colors can communicate who you are as a business, and determine how your audience will bond, or not bond, with your brand. In fact, studies show that colors influence 60-80% of a consumer’s purchasing decisions (Risk-Return Analysis, Markowitz). Because business brand colors play such a huge role in consumers’ buying trends, understanding what different colors represent and the emotions they provoke will help you predict how your market will respond to each one. Don’t go into choosing your business brand colors blindly. Read this guide to become a color expert, and optimize your opportunity to persuade consumers on every level that your brand is the one for them.

Color Associations in Your Business Brand Colors

Because colors have such an impact on consumer psychology, different colors work best for different industries and types of products. Below, we have outlined several different colors, the benefits and disadvantages of each, and examples of which industries we believe they work best with.

Business Brand Colors: Blue

Blue is the most popular color for companies, with 33% of brands using it in their logos. It is calm, professional and dependable. Blue elicits a serious yet confident vibe, and establishes a sense of responsibility. No wonder it’s used so frequently by IT, technology, equipment and finance brands. Use blue in your brand color if your business’s focus is connection, information or communication.

On the downside, blue is relaxing and serious, so avoid using too much of it if you want your brand to bring out an exciting and fun mood, such as fashion, food, music or event planning brands.

Business Brand Colors: Red

Red is a close second to blue in brand color popularity. It is associated with strength, excitement and passion. The color evokes strong emotions in people and encourages them to take action, which can often trigger impulsive shopping. It is bold and attention-grabbing, which is why it’s often used by brands in the marketing and entertainment industries, such as Netflix and YouTube. It’s also great for fast food and energy drinks, as it encourages immediate activity.

Be careful, however, as this heart-rate increasing color can backfire if used incorrectly. In the wrong contexts, red can trigger aggression and stress, and cause visual fatigue due to its intensity. Avoid this color with brands like beauty products, home decor, boutiques, or anything sleep or relaxation-related.

Business Brand Colors: Grey

Another common color group used in brand design and logos is neutral and gray tones. Gray, like blue, is professional, serious and credible. However, it is more conservative, and can come across as dignified and timeless if used correctly. This is why it’s perfect for classic, industry-leading brands like Apple, Adidas and Calvin Klein. It also works well for information-related companies like Wikipedia, as it evokes a sense of reliability and trust.

Gray and neutral colors are great for information, technology, and equipment brands. Again, avoid these if your company is in the entertainment, beauty, or food industries, as gray would be too dull for these more flamboyant markets.

Business Brand Colors: Black and White

Don’t forget that another viable choice for brand color is, well, no color! Similar to gray, black and white logos make a product look classy, but they add an extra level of elegance and sophistication. They are also great for portraying luxury and prestige, as seen in the MAC and Dolce & Gabbana logos. We recommend black and white for brands wishing to portray simplicity and power. It is great for luxury, fashion and accessory brands, and can also work for IT and equipment companies.

The downside of black and white brand colors is that they have the potential to be too intense and serious, and can even come across as depressing and unwelcoming if used in the wrong industry. We suggest avoiding this combo if your brand is in the industry of family products, nature, children or animals, as well as retail or fast food.

Business Brand Colors: Yellow

Are you looking for a color that invokes feelings of warmth, lightheartedness and optimism? We’ve got just the color for you! Yellow is attention-grabbing yet comforting. Fun, vibrant, inclusive and inviting, yellow is a great choice for brands like Snapchat, Post-it and McDonalds.

The disadvantage of yellow is that it can make luxury, finance, and information-related brands look like they are not serious enough. It doesn’t bode well for elegance or prestige. However, yellow is great for family and children related brands, entertainment, and social communication (when used moderately as we see in the Sprint logo).

Business Brand Colors: Gold

Yellow’s more mature counterpart, gold has a similar vibrance and warmth, but incorporates an element of prestige. Consumers view gold in brand colors as superior and expensive. It’s great for luxury brands like Gucci and Versace, and works for leading entertainment companies like Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox.

Be careful though–too much gold can come across as pretentious depending on your market, as it may be associated with greed and elitism. We suggest avoiding gold with any social communication, healthcare or family brands.

Business Brand Colors: Green

Considering green for your brand color? Great! Green is the color that is easiest on the human eye, and it has two main associations: nature and money. Green is great for brands like Land Rover, John Deere and BP, who are environment-related. Since green is associated with peace and relaxation, it’s also great for music brands like Spotify.

The downside? It can be a little too peaceful. Since it is such a safe and relaxing color, it can often be too dull for marketing, as it doesn’t encourage people to take action or act impulsively as other colors do.

On the other hand, since green is associated with cash in America, it can work very effectively for money-related brands like Cash App), and can evoke a desire for wealth in consumers, which is great for investment brands.

We suggest using green in industries related to agriculture, nature, outdoors, leisure activities and finance. Avoid using it with luxury products, as well as IT, fashion and travel brands.

Business Brand Colors: Orange

Similar to yellow, orange evokes a sense of energy, fun and enthusiasm, but with more sensuality and comfort. Orange is a call-to-action color. It’s great for entertainment and youthful brands like Nickelodeon, Reddit, Soundcloud, and Fanta. It also works with energy products and family brands.

However, because of its intensity, it is the kind of color that is often better in combination with another more neutral color (notice how Amazon only uses a hint of it?). This is because too much orange can be perceived as juvenile by older audiences. We’d suggest avoiding too much orange with technology, finance, or transportation brands.

Business Brand Colors: Purple

Purple elicits a sense of high quality. Especially when used in combination with gold, it can be associated with royalty, sophistication and extravagance, as we see in the Hallmark logo. At the same time, it can also come across as youthful and creative. It offers a balance between fun and sophistication. Purple is great for communication, entertainment, home decor, jewelry, and fashion brands. Avoid using purple with fast food, family, and equipment brands.

Business Brand Colors: Pink

Pink is often associated with femininity, as we see in the PINK and Cosmopolitan logos. It is nurturing, youthful and romantic. However, it is also used in many non-female exclusive brands, like Lyft, T-Mobile, and LG. This is because pink is calming, reassuring, and family-oriented.

Be careful when using pink, as it can also be seen as naive, immature and juvenile when used in the wrong context. Pink is often used in very small amounts to offset these potential downfalls, and it is great in combination with other colors, as seen in the Instagram logo.

Pink goes best with fashion, beauty, family, children’s, leisure, and social communication brands. We suggest avoiding it with finance, agriculture, or IT brands.

Color Combinations in Your Business Brand Colors

Now that you know the psychological associations behind each color, you can begin to mix and match.

However, if you thought picking the color with the right connotation was hard, it gets even more complicated when combining colors, as each color combo has its own associations as well. There are an infinite number of ways you can combine colors, including variating the tones, shades and tints. That’s why at SN Digital Agency, we have a team of experts who specialize in branding and conduct in-depth market research for our businesses to determine the best visual strategy. But for the sake of brevity, we are going to keep it simple and just outline some of the basic color schemes.

Analogous Color Schemes for Business Brand Colors

Analog colors are those that are side by side on the color wheel. In terms of branding, they are safe, as close colors go well together inherently. Analogous colors create a welcoming, harmonious feeling for your consumers. They are best used if you want your brand to elicit feelings of trust, security, and connection. Some great industries for these include finance, environment, or family brands. See how it is used in the below examples:

Monochromatic Color Schemes for Business Brand Colors

Monochromatic colors are different shades, tints and tones of the same hue. This is great for showing that your brand is unique, sophisticated and modern. It works well for brands in the communication, technology, and, like analogous colors, the family and environment industries, as we see in the logos below:

Complementary Color Schemes for Business Brand Colors

Complimentary colors are those that are opposite from each other on the color wheel. Together, they elicit a dramatic, attention-grabbing and energetic feeling for your brand with their clashing hues. They are great for brands in the entertainment, transportation and food industries.

Additional Tips on Choosing Your Business Brand Colors

Overall, when choosing the color for your brand, simple is often better. We recommend that brands avoid overdoing it, especially if they aren’t working with a digital marketing agency who can help guide your strategy. Once you’ve decided upon your brand colors, remember to stay consistent. This means using the same color scheme across all of your logos, website(s), social media pages, packaging, etc. In our experience, this is the key to cultivating brand awareness. Keep in mind only 50% of brands even use text in their logo; color is the key to brand recognition.

Understanding the psychology of colors in marketing provides tremendous insight into how your audience will react to your product. Whether they are shopping the aisles of a store or browsing your website online, your consumers will unknowingly use the color and design of your brand to determine whether they will make the purchase. Make that decision as easy as possible for them by knowing which colors work best for your brand.

For those wanting to know more about navigating the world of digital marketing and branding for your business, did you know that SN Digital Agency is a full-scale digital and social media marketing agency? We have experience in marketing our clients’ brands and channels, and growing their businesses using the same strategies we shared above, and we have years of expertise behind us. Don’t hesitate to contact us today!

How to Build An Instagram Following For Brands and Businesses

Abby Sorensen · August 15, 2018 ·

Don’t miss any of our Instagram for Business blog series (new posts each week this month). Sign up today to receive email updates for the SocialNicole blog.

You’ve taken the plunge – spent the time and energy to set up an Instagram account for your business. But maybe your business’s Instagram page is staying more quiet than you’d like. Every Instagram account has been there at some point – and there’s no need to lose hope! If you’re frustrated with a low follower count, or just looking for ways to grow your Instagram following, we’ve got some tips for you! There are many simple and practical steps you can take to grow your Instagram following organically, starting with creating the most quality Instagram content possible for your business. By using hashtags and locations tags, engaging with your existing followers and soon-to-be followers in your niche, and collaborating with other Instagram accounts, you’ll help to put your brand name on more screens, resulting in a growing audience. You can also use your business’s accounts on other social media platforms to promote your Instagram account. Growing your business’s Instagram following doesn’t have to be a chore, and can in fact be fun! We’ve listed ways to overcome the obstacle of increasing your following on Instagram below… keep reading and watch that follower count go up!

Ways to Grow Your Brand’s Following On Instagram

1. Setup A Quality Instagram Account Page To Entice People to Follow

When a potential follower finds your account on Instagram, the first thing they will notice is the way your page looks. This includes everything from the photos you’ve shared to your bio and the clarity and simplicity of your Instagram handle. Everything on your instagram page should tell potential followers about you in a straightforward and concise way. For example your account handle should be simple and searchable. Your Instagram account page should have the name and location of your business clearly listed, along with a bio that states what your business is about. People will be much more likely to follow an account that states what they are about.

In addition, posting quality content on your business’s Instagram account is crucial to growing your following. This may seem like a no-brainer, but we cannot stress this one enough. People want to follow accounts that post nice, clear images that are not blurry, and are eye-catching and visually appealing. It is helpful to have a theme, even if it’s only a color scheme that makes your feed look cohesive. Your instagram should be an extension of your brand, so you want to keep this in mind when you are posting to your account.

Posting quality content goes beyond just the images and videos you choose to share. It extends to your captions as well. Make sure the captions on your posts are spelled correctly and use proper grammar and punctuation. The captions also need to make sense and be relevant to the photo being shared. We also recommend you vary the length of your captions from post to post and include calls-to-action with your captions. Call to actions will give your followers a reason to engage with you beyond just liking your post. Your call to action can direct people to the link in your bio (generally to your website, or a page on your website).

2. Interact and Engage on Instagram To Increase Following

We talk a lot about engagement on social media platforms, and that is because it is so important that we stress it almost every time we talk about social media marketing. Your followers make up your brand’s community. By inviting them to like your account and asking them to engage with you, you are entering into a relationship with each of them as individuals. These relationships are important to you as a business and need to be taken seriously. A good way to prove to potential followers that your brand has a flourishing community is to stay on top of interacting with the followers you already do have and replying to their comments, answering their questions, and showing them you care.

When trying to grow your Instagram audience, it is essential that you go a step beyond engaging within your Instagram community (people following and engaging with you) and take steps to engage with other accounts, too. One helpful tip is to engage with accounts and posts that are within your niche. The individuals who follow accounts that are like yours are most likely going to be interested in the kind of content you’re sharing, too. If they see you commenting on a post, it may entice them to click on your Instagram account handle, which will lead them to your page and then your star-quality Instagram page may just convince them to follow you!

Grow your community by interacting with potential community members – don’t always wait for them to come to you. Show people that you are interested in them, and that you think your business has something they may be interested in. Social media is a two way street, and you don’t have anything to lose by putting yourself out there and engaging with people that don’t yet follow your account or know your brand. You can find users who will be interested in the kind of content your business shares by searching hashtags within your niche. You can simply search relevant hashtags, and then like and comment on the posts you find. This will help get your name on the screens of people who will likely be interested in your business. You can also follow people that use these hashtags, and they may be likely to follow you back! Liking, commenting, and following – engaging with people within your niche – can help build your community.

3. Collaborate with other Instagram Accounts

Talking about interacting on Instagram leads us to our next point – collaboration, which is another type of interaction, after all. Collaborating with other businesses and/or influencers (people who are niched and have large followings) on Instagram can be huge in helping to grow your audience and following, especially if you can get a collaboration with a bigger account than your own. However, collaboration with any account can be helpful in getting your brand name on the screen of more people who may have never had the chance to find you if you hadn’t collaborated with a brand they follow.

Collaborations can be fun, and there are multiple ways you can do so. Hosting an Instagram contest with another brand is one way to do it. For example, both your business and your collaborator will post the contest, and one of the ways to enter can be to follow the other account. You can also give a shout-out to another business’s account in a post or on your Instagram story, and have them do the same for you. If both businesses are in the same area, you can even meet up face-to-face and then create a fun post together. Get creative in your collaborations, and you can make friends not only with the brand you’re collaborating with, but with their community as well!

4. Hashtags and Tagging To Help Grow Your Following On Instagram

Hashtags are wildly popular on Instagram, and when used effectively they can be one of the best ways to grow your instagram following. Unlike Twitter, the Instagram hashtag etiquette rule of thumb is the more the merrier! There is nothing wrong with bulking up your posts with a big block of hashtags (up to the 30 hashtag limit) at the bottom (after all the text and the call-to-action), and let them work their magic. You can also post your hashtags in a separate comment after the caption, if you don’t want to lengthen your captions with multiple hashtags. It is important to note that you want to make sure your hashtags are relevant to the post, so users searching hashtags will find the kind of content they were looking for when they come across your post. This will make them more likely to be interested in following your account. We also recommend creating your own hashtags for your business. This can be a fun and effective way to spread the word about your brand. Invite your audience to use the hashtag in their own posts, which will make it easy for anyone to find all the posts on Instagram mentioning your businesses.

Hashtags are not the only important tags on instagram. You can tag the location of your posts and add your location to Instagram stories. When you tag a location on your post, your post will show up when users search that location. When you tag a location in your story, that story then shows up on the tagged location’s story, and you can get extra views that way as well. You should also tag other accounts in your posts and stories – whether it is to identify a person or product in the post, or simply to give a shout-out.

5. Link to your Instagram on other platforms

Our last tip for building your Instagram audience is to use the audience you already have on other platforms. If you have a few thousand followers on Facebook but only 200 on Instagram, you should promote your Instagram on your Facebook page to direct those followers to follow you on Instagram as well! They are already a part of your brand’s community – why not have them be a part of your community on every channel? You can create Facebook posts that say something like “Are you on Instagram? So are we!” and add a call to action with a link and a photo from your Instagram account to lead your Facebook followers to your Instagram account.

We hope these tips are helpful to your business as you grow your Instagram audience. Having a clear, quality Instagram profile and feed, engaging with your audience, collaborating with accounts in your niche, using hashtags and location tags, and promoting your own Instagram page on your other social media channels are all ways to jump-start your journey in growing your Instagram following. It can be a long process, but it is exciting to watch your number of followers go up and to watch your brand’s Instagram community grow and thrive.

If you need any Instagram help or have any other social media questions, sign up for our free updates and feel free to contact us with questions so we can help you!

Should your brand use Instagram? Here’s a checklist to find out.

Nicole Harrison · May 13, 2015 ·

I love social media strategy. If you email me and ask me about working on a project, I will inevitably have a whole strategy sorted out in my mind before we ever even sign a contract. My brain is constantly figuring out how to do things to build brands, audiences and businesses. As much as I love social media and love building strategy, a part of the social media game I do not like is saying “no” to people: “No, you should not set up a Pinterest,” or “No, you don’t have a budget for 10 channels,” or “No, Instagram is not the right choice.” Okay, it’s not that I would say “no” to you about Instagram right away. I would like to say “yes,” because Instagram is my new favorite social media channel. I love it because it is visual, it is easy to interact with audiences and grow followings (depending on what you are about) and it is so much fun! Nonetheless, it is still another channel to manage. You still need strategy, even minimal strategy. You need to be a visual brand or company. Oh, and by the way, you need to like taking photos and posting them and talking about them. Yeah, that’s a lot to need to do to use Instagram effectively. But it doesn’t end there. You also need to determine if your audience is on Instagram, and if they want to hear from you. You need to decide how it is that you will actually market your service or product on Instagram. There are limitations, one being that you cannot link from photos unless you pay for a carousel advertisement.

Any time you consider a new channel, you need to look at it and honestly assess the complexities before making a plunge. Just because a channel is the latest and greatest or the buzz is that this is the way to get your product or service out there, it does not mean it is right for you and your brand. Most businesses small or large are still grappling with the basics. Most don’t have a budget that is even allowing for a great Facebook or Twitter presence. Most have not even committed fully that social media is a revolutionary communication tool and needs to be leveraged just like the phone or email has been. Social media is more complex than any other communication tool we have had in the past. Social media is not one tool, and there is not one right way to use it. It’s evolving before our eyes. And with that, we need to be nimble and smart.

Should you use Instagram? Here is a checklist to help you decide:

Do you have a visual story to tell?
Do you like taking photos or does your staff?
Do you have additional time or resources to devote to keeping your Instagram updated?
Are you willing to invest in some basic strategy to integrate Instagram into your current social media mix?
Is your audience using Instagram? Do they want to hear from you on instagram?

If you answered “yes” to the questions above, then I say “yes,” run to Instagram! If you said “no” to most of these questions, it’s okay! It doesn’t mean there aren’t great, popular channels for your brand. Feel free to ask me questions, get more Instagram help or share your successes and failures. I love hearing people’s stories almost as much as I love building brands. — Photo Credit