Ask a Square Champion Anything: Candid Experiences on TikTok & Social Media

[Tom]

Hello Seller Community!

Looking to learn from business owners like yourself? I'm thrilled to introduce a new pilot event series: Square Champion "Ask Me Anythings (AMAs)." 

Square Champion AMAs are “Ask Me Anything” style forum discussions where you can ask real-life business owners and experts about their strategy and lived experiences. Each event will feature a different Square Square Champion  and have an accompanying theme where they're knowledgeable. On Tuesday, February 7, we focused on TikTok and social media with Sugar Lab Bake Shop.📱

Meet Ali, the biologist-turned-owner of Sugar Lab Bake Shop (@sugarlab in the Seller Community). Ali and her mother have been in business since April 2012. They've found success promoting and managing their business marketing on TikTok over the last few years — with multiple viral posts reaching millions of viewers! Learn more about how they started their business here. 🧪🍰

Ali shared her experience and shared her tips for getting started, maintaining relationships, and social media strategy.

Please note that Sugar Lab Bake Shop is not an employee or consultant of Square. The information they provide solely reflects their views and is not endorsed by Square. This Q&A is limited in scope and is only intended as a high-level overview of the topics discussed.

[sugarlab]

Hi @ATG719,

Oh film everything! Film the befores and afters of course, but also get some time lapses of work. There’s one person I see on my FYP that does painting videos; it’s soooo satisfying! I always recommend looking at similar businesses and see what they post. What attracts your eye? Don’t specifically copy them but just get an idea of the type of content you want to do.

[kateframer]

My question for Sugarlab is this... How do you feel about the concerns in the news about TikTok being a Chinese owned entity and the possibility of data collection and the banning of its use by some states and the military? While I am onboard with SM marketing and the viability of reaching a broad market, I can't help but wonder how others feel about this topic. Thanks!

[sugarlab]

Hi @kateframer,

Honestly, I don’t worry about it too much. Probably my millennial nature, but I have so much out on the internet that it doesn’t bother me. It probably should, but I have too many other things to stress over. HAHA!

[CakeBloomCville]

- How often do you recommend posting on TikTok? 

- How did you turn your views on TikTok into sales? 

- What type of content do you recommend posting to turn your views into sales? 

Thanks!

[sugarlab]

Hi @CakeBloomCville,

As often as you want. There will be some that tell you to post at least 5 times a day and that just seems stressful. I generally try to post at least once a day. Sometimes I’ll post three times a day because I have the time and the content. Sometimes I can go a week without posting. It’s just a piece of my marketing and branding strategy; sometimes I just need to focus on getting orders out. It’s a give and take for sure.

It took a little to start turning it into sales. I didn’t start out with that intention, at least not for bakery sales. I was wanting to start my online cake/cookie decorating teaching brand; which I did! But then I had enough people asking me if we shipped that I looked into it a little more. I have a few repeat customers since Thanksgiving!

I think you need to find a balance between videos. If you’re all about “sell sell sell” it most likely won’t do well. Show your product in a cool way; packaging videos, how you make it, a day in the life. Grow your following and show the human side of your business. People connect to businesses so much more these days; they want to know why you do what you do.

[anchoredtherapy]

How do I use TikTok to get momentum for my brand? Thanks!

[sugarlab]

Hey @anchoredtherapy,

Just start (if you haven’t already). Have fun on the platform as a user. Try different video types to see what you like making and what your audience likes seeing. Then sprinkle in some “here’s how to buy the product” type things. Educational content seems to do really well. I have learned so much on TikTok!

[Lovelee]

Love this and thank you @sugarlab for taking your time to help us!

I recently created a tik tok for my bakery and am having trouble figuring out what to post. What are your most popular videos? Is it a certain type of content that gets more hits?

Also do a lot of locals find you and come in due to your tik tok success? I am having issues adding my address to my location so need to figure that out, which I’m assuming will get more clientele actually coming into the shop. 

[sugarlab]

Hi @Lovelee,

My bread and butter videos are one where I’m decorating a cake or cookies and have a voice over explaining it. So it’s part educational for other decorators, but also informative for customers. The super viral ones were never planned; that top viewed video that has nearly 11 million views; it’s just me asking my staff how many chocolate chips they think were in a container. 100% did NOT expect that to take off like it did. Just start filming everything you do and then work on editing it.

In terms of the location, I usually just tag my city or our area (Ventura Harbor). I haven’t seen a specific location tag like Instagram has.

[Cloud9crepes]

Hi,

Curious how long do you think the optimal video should be? I've posted a few videos but they don't really seem to get too many views - should we just be posting a lot of short videos consistently?

[sugarlab]

Hi @Cloud9crepes,

There are so many theories! I think for the most part, shorter videos do well. That’s how TikTok got it’s start. Most of my videos are usually 60-90 seconds. TikTok is the Wild West so I feel like what works for one creator doesn’t work for another. Try a few different video lengths to see what works best for your audience!

[MrBingsoo]

As someone who has very little experience with social media and even less with making videos, how difficult is TikTok to use in general? Would it be worth it to hire social media manager? 

[Amyjt1]

How. Do you come up with ideas to keep the content fresh and engaging?

[sugarlab]

Hi @Amyjt1,

Thankfully I am always working on new cake and cookie designs as my customers order them. But also feel free to repost things, or use the same video clips with a different voice over or message. Don’t stress too much on always looking for the next trend. Stick with what works for you and then sprinkle in some fun videos.

[llij96]

I have a brick & mortar shop to service the local community. Is it worth being on TikTok if you don't have an online store?

[sugarlab]

Hey @llij96,

In the beginning of my TikTok journey, I wouldn’t have thought so. But I do get local customers coming in who say they saw me on TikTok. My reach is definitely more national than local. If it’s something you want to try - go for it. But also don’t feel pressured to do the next big thing just because it works for some businesses.

[Metal_Recycler]

Newbie here!!!  How am I able to see this? Will a link be sent?

[Laurie_]

Howdy there @Metal_Recycler,

Great question! The AMA is a forum-style discussion and not a filmed event. The way this will work is that all questions posted in this thread will be provided with an answer by Ali during the scheduled timeframe above.

If you do have specific questions you'd like to ask, make sure you comment in this thread ahead of time! 😊

[Metal_Recycler]

Thank you!!!

[BrownSuga]

What equipment do you use to shoot content? 

What tools do you use for editing your videos? 

Where would you start and how did you build tractions to your page? 

How do you stay consistent? Do you have a schedule? 

[sugarlab]

Hi @BrownSuga,

I use my iPhone 13 Pro to film. For editing, I use the app InShot. That’s where I’ll speed up clips or cut out dead time. I’ll record any voice overs directly in TikTok after uploading. I find the voice recording feature much easier on TikTok than Instagram Reels.

I know this won’t be helpful, but just start somewhere. I think what works for one creator won’t work for another creator. Spend some time on the app as a user to see what kinds of videos you like. What makes you stop to watch the video instead of scrolling. Try to look up businesses in your niche to see what they post and their general content. Don’t copy directly without crediting someone, but play around with what you like.

Consistency is something I struggle with. Sometimes I post a couple times a day and sometimes I go a week. I just try to post once a day or at least every other day. I also go Live fairly often; this week I’ll be Live almost every day as I gear up for Valentine’s Day.