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.

[SeniorPizza]

@sugarlab What does a typical content calendar look like for a business that is just starting on TikTok? Meaning, what do you suggest new small business owners think about when making their first posts?

[sugarlab]

Hey @SeniorPizza,

I think spending time as a user is helpful! Then rip off the bandaide and post! It can feel intimidating to post but just do it. It might not get a ton of views and that’s ok. Start building your brand and style and it’ll fall into place more naturally. Being authentic is the biggest piece of advice I can give!

[DNM1]

How did you get manufacturing 

[Dan1]

Hello-

We have two side-by-side businesses- a chocolate shop (the Chocolate Caper) and a cafe/bakery (Kickback Cafe) in Oregon, WI. The Chocolate Shop is well established, but the cafe is only a year old and we're still working on awareness and getting people in the door.  I'm happy to provide any needed background.  We use Facebook extensively, but it is our primary social media platform.  We're looking at what the best additional platforms to gain customers and build awareness are.  I apologize for any duplicate/overlapping questions.

1. First question: What is the first thing you would do on TikTok if you had just opened your business?
2. What is the first thing you would do on TikTok if you have an established business but have never used TikTok?
3. Ok, this one will show how new to TikTok I am; What kind of account do you use for your business posts?  Is it a business-specific account, or a personal account setup as a business, or...?  I.e. on Facebook you have a personal account connected to a business page that other people can be connected to.  Does TikTok do the same, or use a seperate account like Twitter, or something else...?
4. How do you convert viewers seeing TikTok posts into active customers, especially given geographical dispersity?  Or, how do you capitalize on TikTok views and videos?
5. How does Square functionality support your use of TikTok?  What Square features/tools play a role in your TikTok strategy?
6. What tools does TikTok offer that you find useful in executing your TikTok activities?
7. How does your TikTok strategy integrate with your overall social media strategy, specifically Facebook?
8. How has your social media strategy changed as a result of TikTok - what adjustments have you made, especially to how you use other platforms?
9. Are there other social media platforms that you have started using BECAUSE you use TikTok?
10. Who in your business can post a TikTok - just owners, managers, employees...?
11. All the example questions are good, especially "what's the right kind of content" and "managing client expectations".  ...And three things you wish you knew when you started :).

Dan Donoghue

The Chocolate Caper/Kickback Cafe

Oregon, WI

[Memors]

These are all my questions condensed, since I also have two businesses side by side! Thanks @Dan1 

Only other questions for everyone and @sugarlab would be:

Can I and should I post some of my previous posts from other social media on TikTok? If yes how can I do this? 

How to get E-commerce running great with shipping and local delivery? 

What shipping app do you use and packaging setup for cold products?

Is it available on square?

What should I ship and what should I just keep local? 

Should I just hire a social media manager or do it myself? What does a social media manager do? I think my general manager is my social media manager. How can I help her do better?

How to integrate my business with TikTok marketplace?

Should I integrate my business with TikTok marketplace? 

I'm guessing i should target all audiences on TikTok. What is your best content that that accomplished this?

Guillermo Rubio 

Kerrville Health Food Store/Carrot Patch Cafe

141 West Water St., Kerrville, Tx 78028

https://www.kerrvillehealthfoods.com/

https://www.carrotpatchcafe.com/

@khf_cpc

[sugarlab]

Hi @Memors,

Love all of the questions!

1. You can! Ideally it would just be the raw file, instead of the downloaded one with the platforms branding on it. TikTok and Instagram are smart and know that you’re not posting “original” content so it doesn’t push it as much. Not that it will always do poorly but just something to keep in mind. It’s better to post something than nothing.
   
   
2. I use Square Online for shipping and local pick-up/delivery. Right now we have two separate sites, our website and then our online store. We’ll be switching over to our online store as our sole website soon. That should help with visibility and make it easier for customers to check out with fewer clicks. The easier and faster it is for people to order and give you money the better. I’m still learning the E-Commerce game so I’m not a complete expert just yet.
   
   
3. I have a Shippo account set up and integrated with square orders.
   
   
4. Right now we don’t ship anything that needs insulation. What I have seen other bakeries do that need to ship something cool or frozen is insulated bags with ice packs. I feel like you can find all of that on Uline.com
   
   
5. Of course this is entirely up to you. We started shipping things we knew would do well, and still be ok if there were shipping delays. If you have something that is more perishable, you’ll likely want to ship overnight to be safe. It’s less likely to have delays and there sometimes are shipping guarantees.
   
   
6. I don’t think most small businesses need a social media manager, at least not in the beginning. I might get to that point soon, but right now it’s still me. Being the face of your company helps people make a connection with you. I think some of that can get lost if you outsource your social media. With your GM as your SM manager, that’s great! I always find that my team does better with specific guidelines. What is your marketing strategy and how does SM fit into that? How often do you want her to post and what kinds of content. Working with her to create a content calendar or structure can help her. Also, ask her. She may have ideas of what she needs guidance in versus what she has free reign on.
   
   
7. I haven’t looked into the TikTok marketplace much yet. From what I understand, its a place for brands to connect with creators. My business is definitely not there yet, and I consider myself more of a creator at the moment anyways. I do have a few brand partnerships, none of which were found on the marketplace. They either reached out to me directly, or it was a brand I was already using and signed up to be an affiliate.
   
   
8. For any marketing strategy, you need to be clear who you are talking to. If you talk to everyone, you’ll end up talking to no one. Who is your ideal customer? What do they do? Where do they hang out? What problem do they have that your product(s) solve? Get super specific about that person and have conversations with them. Of course, you can have different people (like I have different people who want to take my decorating classes versus someone ordering a wedding cake), but they should all be fleshed out and as specific as you can get. Once you know more about “them” then you can figure out how to talk to them.

[sugarlab]

Hi @Dan1,

Love all of the questions! First thing I say (and have said a couple times in this AMA so I’m sorry if you’re reading this a bunch) is to use TikTok as a user. Don’t need to post anything just yet. Get a feel for how the app works and see what it’s like. I had misconceptions about TikTok before I went on it. I thought it was just a bunch of hot young adults dancing to trending songs. Which, yes there is that. But also so much more. Anything you can think of is on TikTok somewhere!

So TikTok is not like Facebook in the sense of the accounts. It’s just one account. There isn’t a need for a personal account to run a business account. There are different account types, Business and Personal/Creator. Business will give you some insights that personal won’t, but I haven’t found anything to be lacking as a creator account. That’s what I use so I can have some more fun songs. I talk more about that above if you want to read about that.

Converting viewers into customers can take time. Sometimes people will see one post and immediately buy it (I’m guilty of that) but most take some time. They want to get to know you and your company; what are your values? What do you offer that’s unique? Build that relationship first and then worry about the sales. It’s definitely a long game. Once you have that relationship, you can start to talk more about where to find your product or services; how people can reach out to you, etc.

I haven’t used Square and TikTok together (other than a post I made unboxing some of my Super Seller Swag!)

TikTok is more my own brand still, than my business. I am the only one who posts on it. Versus our Instagram and Facebook pages are more business specific and any of my staff can post there. I give them generally guidelines on what I’m looking for so they know my expectations but have some creative freedom. Those platforms have more of a local audience compared to TikTok.

Three things I Wish I knew:

1. It’s addictive! I do catch myself scrolling on the app a little more than I should.
   
   
2. It’s the Wild West! Don’t ever try to plan virality; it’s going to happen randomly and on the dumbest post.
   
   
3. There’s something for everyone there! If it exists, it exists on TikTok.

[dune1961]

How to I convert my current content YouTube content into powerful Tik Tok posts?

[sugarlab]

Hey @dune1961,

Definitely try to get short snippets of your videos that get people wanting more to send them to your YouTube! TikTok is definitely more short form than long form like YouTube. I don’t have suggestions on editing them to be portrait instead of landscape though.

[Soulpathmaker]

I am just beginning to create my Social Media presence (I create and sell Art and Malas), and I’m wondering if it’s important to show up “Live” and create videos on Social Media? Thank you!

[sugarlab]

Hi @Soulpathmaker,

Everyone loves videos! We all have this voyeuristic tendency. We like to see how other people do things. Art especially. I follow so many artists and it’s relaxing to watch them paint or draw. Once you get 1000 followers on TikTok you can go actual Live and be able to answer questions directly.

[GameDayTeamwear]

I have a small Screen Print shop and was wondering how frequently do you post? Only Tik-Tok or other forms of social media too?

[sugarlab]

Hi @GameDayTeamwear,

I try to post once a day on TikTok but I’m not always consistent with that. Same with Instagram; we try to do a feed post once a day and then as many stories as we can. With stories we focus on behind the scenes things or quick bursts of information.

[Arturo_DeSantia]

What do you do when your viral content starts

gathering a demographic you never expected

and you lack the cultural awareness or creative

insights to feed this new audience? 🤔

[sugarlab]

Hey @Arturo_DeSantia,

Oh this is a great question! I don’t think I’ve had that happen so I can’t answer with specific strategies. For lack of cultural awareness, I always think you should start with listening. Try to seek out more of that culture and listen to what they have to say.

Sometimes viral content may reach an audience you didn’t intend to and that can be good or bad. If it’s bad, don’t talk to them. Don’t feed the trolls. But if it’s good, welcome them! Say hey [group] welcome to my page. I didn’t expect to see you; what are you looking to get out of my content? Sometimes it can be as simple as asking people what they want and why they followed you.

You might also get viral content that doesn’t necessarily lead to more followers, and that’s ok too.

[HighMesa]

Hello from High mesa Petrographics 

let's start by saying my business is mostly word of mouth from people who know what we do here at High mesa Petrographics i want to know how to get the word out to a bigger audience to bring in more customers. We are the best geological Thin section preparation laboratory in New Mexico USA from what my customers say. I took over the business back in 2020 after working with the previous owner for 9 years. the previous owner is now 86 years old and was in business for more than 50 years before i took over. i want to push this to the next level an get the word out to carry on his legacy and make one for myself. if you have any advice, it would be greatly apricated.   

[sugarlab]

Hello @HighMesa,

Well, I’m not entirely sure what your business is or does (HA!) but that is a perfect opportunity for social media. I have learned so many things on TikTok that I never even thought of. Can you show your process or any behind the scenes? Can you be educational about what your product does or what someone that purchases from you would do with it?

[Zein]

My business has been in a small city in eastern Canada, how Social media, such as Tik Tok or Instagram could help businesses in a small town, and thousands of competitors, even the people would not try something new. what TikTok Can do in this case?

[sugarlab]

Hi @Zein,

There is competition for every product. I’ve stopped worrying about that, especially on TikTok. Customers like to feel connected to the product and the brand. For instance, there are countless sticker companies on TikTok. I have found two that I really connect with. I like their designs of course, but I like their content. I appreciate their humor or their way of approaching things. It gives me a connection to a business that is no where near me. I’ve seen plenty of small town businesses on TikTok because their content is engaging.

[crabbymourning]

What is the best way to create content that can be reused across multiple SM platforms? 

How do you know when you get an order from a new customer who found you on TikTok? Do you use any pixeling? 

Pricing for baked goods: Do you follow the 1/3 rule (1/3 cost, 1/3 time, 1/3 profit)? With ingredient costs skyrocketing, what have you found to be the best method of keeping your costs low?

What supplier do you use for packaging?

When your video goes viral, and you are just a small 2-person crew, what is your best advice for keeping up with orders? How do you manage customer expectations and online orders?

[sugarlab]

Hello @crabbymourning,

I typically will edit my videos and then post it to TikTok and Instagram separately. I’ll add any text, voiceovers or stickers after uploading to the specific app. That way it looks like I’ve created it directly in the app and it’s more favored. Versus posting on TikTok and taking that saved video and posting to Instagram. Instagram got smart and knows when you do that so it’s less likely to be pushed to your audience.

I don’t know of any pixeling with TikTok. It might exist but I don’t use it. I have a linktree in my bio so I can tell how many clicks I get there and then I can see on my website where people are coming from. I also assume the orders that are being shipped out of the area are people who found me online, mostly through TikTok right now.

For pricing, I figure out my cost of goods (ingredients, packaging, anything I use to create that product but can’t reuse), how long it takes us to make it, and overhead. Then I figure out how much profit I want to add in to come up with the price. Ideally, COGS would be 30%, Labor at 40% and overhead at 20%. Everyone will have their own percentages of course but that’s my general rule of thumb. I definitely have items that are much lower percentages with a higher price and some that just barely meet that requirement.

I have a few suppliers. For my in store packaging, I use BRP Box Shop and Papermart primarily. For packaging for shipping, I use some things from Papermart and some from ULine. If you are looking for something specific, feel free to send me a DM and I can see if I have something to recommend.

I think the biggest thing if you have something that goes viral and you get overwhelmed with orders is to tell people. Managing customer expectations will set you up so much better. That way if there is a delay, they know it and they have communication going. If you get really behind, either stop taking orders, or let people cancel orders if they don’t want to wait long. There was a big drama last year with a planner company and it got to the point that customers contacted the Attorney General in that state. It was amusing to watch from a drama perspective but cringey to watch as a fellow small business.