I joined TikTok! This video is about why I joined TikTok and how I'm using it for my creative business and online shop.

As someone who loves instagram (I have multiple videos about it!), I'm really excited about TikTok and I want to get you stoked on it, too. (If you're not already!)

1. I wanted to promote my business.

I mean, duh. 😜 That's not rocket science.

I've been on Instagram for a long time, and it's my main source of social marketing for my business. Everyone talks about the algorithm and it changes constantly, but I love it, I will always love it, and I will always use it!

Instagram does require you to do a lot of things within the app, and something about it was starting to feel like a chore -- especially right now. We're a year into the pandemic, everything is hard, everything is heavy, and the idea of constant churning with the purpose of selling weighed on me a lot. (Can you relate?)

There was something about TikTok. When I joined, I wasn't really posting, but I hung out on the platform to see what people were doing. I was really intrigued by what the algorithm chose to show me.

I saw a lot of other business owners promoting their work in such a fun, light-hearted way, that I was really drawn to it. I learned so much about those creators in such a short amount of time. The platform is so personal with video, I wanted to promote my stuff on there!

2. I can create video content to repurpose.

I make my videos (using my phone's camera app), and edit them in an app called InShot. That way, I can have the video standalone, and put it into TikTok to add any extra, fun special features they have!

I love the text duration, the text-to-speech voice, and of course using the music they provide. All those features combine to create content that TikTok wants to show people.

But then I can also use that video on Instagram Reels without having the TikTok logo, because Instagram has said they're not going to promote videos that you download from TikTok.

I can also use that video in my shop listings! If you have Shopify or Etsy, they allow you to add short clips to your listings. So if you have a video showing off a product, or stick it in your listing! If you're using your product being used a certain way, stick it in multiple listings so people can see it.

Adding video is a great way to increase your shop's conversion rate because people love seeing things context and seeing your products being used.

I just love having one piece of content that I can repurpose in different places.

3. I wanted to have fun!

Like I said before, Instagram was starting to feel like a chore. I'm starting up my weekly emails again, after not having time for a while during the pandemic.

The constant churning and creating content can get heavy. So there's something about TikTok just hanging out on the app, and people don't care what's in the background or what you look like.

There are always trolls in any comment section, but the people I've come across on TikTok have been so kind, and so supportive. 

I had one video about seconds, what they are, and showing examples, and if you go look at the comments on that, they're like "I couldn't see anything wrong," and "I love flawed pins, they have more character!"

They were just so kind and so uplifting, and it reminds me of the Instagram pin community, where everyone is so sweet, so supportive, understanding, and excited to support small business owners. 🤗 

It's a great place to create, experiment, have fun, and not care too much about the numbers, just care about the content I'm putting out. I'm on there to have fun, promote my business, get to know people, and the culture on TikTok.

I haven't tried any of the trends yet. (I'm like, I'm 37 years old, these are all teenagers, what am I doing on here?) But it's been really fun. Nobody cares, I follow people older than me - so don't let that hold you back! Age doesn't matter, it just matters that you engage with the people there.

I'm really excited to be on TikTok, so come say hi! I'd love to connect with you over there.

If you have any questions, I follow a couple of people who have been really helpful, so I can point you in their direction to give you ideas of what to post and how to post it.

It's a little technical but it's really not that bad. It takes a little longer than taking photos, but it's super fun and totally worth it! I highly recommend it.

I know I'm late to the game, but I hope this encourages you to start your own TikTok and start promoting your business on there, too!

And if you're really ready to get started growing your business with enamel pins, enroll in Enamel Pins: 101 today!   It has *everything* you need to know to start your pin business.  From launches to site set-up, I've got you covered!