How to Use TikTok to Grow Your Home Services Brand

Yes, friends, we’re going there… to the land of ridiculous dances, random lip syncs, and opportunities to sing duets with Ryan Reynolds, go fishing with Luke Bryan, and make popcorn with Jason Derulo.

And why are we going there? Because TikTok is about so much more than those things. 

As the social media channel to watch, home services businesses can use the platform to get more attention—and new customers.

What exactly is TikTok, anyway?

TikTok is a video-sharing app with the mission to “inspire creativity and bring joy.” First popular with Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012), TikTok is the newest addiction for all ages—much to the kids’ irritation.

More than 800 million people use TikTok on the regular, in part because the platform provides fun and easy-to-use video editing tools. And with a constant flow of new trends and challenges, it’s not as tough as you might think to come up with content ideas. I’ll get back to that in a sec.

The Mother of All Algorithms

Just like other social media platforms, TikTok allows users to follow one another and like, comment, and share posts. 

Accounts whom you follow show up on the “Following” page of the app. And then there’s the “For You” page (FYP), which is a bit like Instagram’s “Explore” feature. 

The FYP is the holy grail of TikTok. It’s where the app shows people all the stuff it thinks they’ll be interested in. 

Often, you’ll see videos from accounts you follow. But you’ll also see videos from accounts you don’t follow, but whose posts you’ve liked, or even just watched, in the past. You’ll see posts from creators similar to others you seem to like, as well as those whom TikTok thinks you might be interested in, based on your activity on other apps. Or? It could be totally random content TikTok is testing with specific audiences.

In other words, TiKTok has a badass algorithm. 

For users, it’s delightful. (More howling huskies, please!) For creators, it’s… just as frustrating as Google’s, Facebook’s, and Instagram’s. It’s shrouded in mystery and impossible to game. As I said, the FYP is the holy grail, and TikTok isn't about to just hand over the treasure map.

How to Land on TikTok’s FYP

Given that few people are heading to TikTok to find a plumber or HVAC shop on purpose (for now, anyway), you have to find your way to people’s FYP if you want to build awareness about your shop. 

But if you’re just starting out and have no followers, how do you get popular enough to show up there?

First know this: TikTok uses geo-location to help serve users relevant content. So, if you’re a plumber in Tulsa, TikTok users in Tulsa are likely going to see your posts. But you can’t stop there. You’ve got to create really stellar content to consistently land on the FYP.

#1 Make each post count.

The TikTok algorithm seems to care way more about the traction you gain with each of your posts than it does about how much attention your account gets overall. 

In fact, when you post a new video, TikTok will serve it to a few randos’ FYPs just to see how well it’s received. If the video does well—if people watch, rewatch, like, comment, and/or share—it’ll add it to more people’s FYPs. 

That means you don't need a ton of followers to get noticed. You just need good content.

#2 Create neato videos.

TikTok has turned many an amateur filmmaker into an editing genius, all with the in-app tools. Here are our favorites, in the order you’ll find them inside the app:

• Add sound: Add a sound effect or music bed to your post with a tap of a button. 
• Flip: Use your front- or rear-facing camera.
• Speed: Slow-down or speed-up all or part of your videos.
• Filters: Elevate the look of your posts as you film or afterwards.
• Timer: Use a tripod and the timer feature to film hands-free.
• Length: TikTok allows you to film 15 second, 60 second, and 3-minute videos.
• Effects: OK, fair warning here… Effects are super fun and it’s easy to waste a lot of time playing with them. With effects, you can change your looks, your background, and lots more.

TikTok makes it easy to create great content because you can record your video in small bits, and then use the editing mode to assemble them and add voice effects, filters, and more. 

Keep in mind because “video completion rate” seems to be an algorithm ranking factor, shorter videos tend to perform better than longer ones.

#3 Be on-trend.

Remember the ice-bucket challenge on Facebook 158 years ago? TikTok-land has eleventy billion of those trends going all the time. The easiest way to create FYP-worthy content is to jump on those trends.

• Use popular sounds and music. Find them by going to Add Sound, then TikTok Viral. You can also snag a sound straight from someone’s post. On their video, click the scrolling sound info at the bottom, then “Use this sound.”
• Create good captions. Don’t go all mini-blog-post Instagram-ish caption on TikTok, please. Be short and sweet… and maybe a little click-baity. Like, “You won’t believe what we found in this guy’s water heater.” That’ll get you some views! 
• Use trending hashtags. To see what’s trending, hit Discover at the bottom of the app. But don’t go wild and use a ton of hashtags (because that’s annoying) and don’t glom onto hashtags that have nothing to do with your content (because that’s irritating). By the way, using #fyp or #ForYou will probably not help you actually get on the FYP. But you should use ‘em anyway. Just in case. 
• Use relevant hashtags. On the Discover page, type “HVAC” into the search bar at the top. Now click “hvac,” and then “Hashtags” at the top. See all those beautiful hashtags? See all those millions and billions of views? Now try “plumber” or “electrician” in that search bar. Feeling a little better about using TikTok now? Loooooooots of home services companies are killing it!
• Enable the duet feature on relevant posts. When you enable duets, people can share your video and their response to it as one post. Like this one from an electrician that’s had 1.6M views. Basically, duet mode gets your video seen by people who see their videos. 

#4 Study other popular accounts and hashtags.

Go to all your relevant hashtags and hit “Join this hashtag” so more of those posts show up on your FYP. Use them for inspiration for your own creative ideas. (And please notice I said study not copy.)

#5 Pay attention to your analytics.

With a free TikTok Pro account, you can learn about what content is getting your audience’s attention and glean insight about things like what days and times you should post to have a better chance of showing up on their FYP. You need a minimum of 100 followers for analytics to kick in… so get cracking!

#6 Cross-promote your TikTok posts.

If you already have an engaged audience on another social platform, be sure to let them know you’re on TikTok, too! And don’t just tell them; show them.

• Once you’ve published a video, open it and hit Share.
• Save the video to your camera roll.
• Upload it whatever platform you’d like—and be sure to ask people to follow you on TikTok.

TikTok Accounts to Follow for Inspiration

Here’s a quick list of 10 accounts to follow for inspiration and ideas. Notice these aren’t all home services companies. You can get inspiration from all sorts of brands!

1. Champion Plumbing
2. Electrician Joe
3. Family HVAC
4. Wendy’s
5. Cali Bombs & Burgers
6. Chipotle
7. NBA and NFL
8. San Diego Zoo
9. Crocs (I know, I know.)
10. Dr. Hunter Finn

Should your home services company join TikTok?

Yes! But only after you’ve got your customer service in order, only after your website is up to speed, and only after you’re rocking and rolling with the other social media apps for plumbing and HVAC (in this order): Google My Business, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.

The truth is, any digital marketing idea can turn into an expensive distraction if you’re not careful. The key is to have a solid, do-able, sustainable strategy. And I can help you create one. Schedule a free consultation today.