How Viral TikToks Are Helping Main Street Businesses Take Off

Once hailed as just an app for Gen-Zers, TikTok has become a crucial social media tool for companies looking to attract customers of all ages. And while that might seem like an obvious strategy for an e-commerce brand that does all of its sales online, increasingly the short-form video app also is helping brick-and-mortar businesses take off. Below, several business owners explain how they found success on the app and the strategies they’re using to keep the momentum going.

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Wake-n-Bakery, in Lakeview in Chicago, sells food and drinks featuring a form of cannabis known as Delta 9. Owners Brianna Banks and M. Lotfy say the company started posting TikToks in October with the goal of educating people about Delta 9.

Wake-n-Bakery’s first brush with virality on the platform was when an employee toured the space and showed off its cannabis-infused treats. The video generated thousands of views and lines around the block to the store.

Now Banks says monthly in-store sales are up 80 percent from pre-TikTok days. She attributes that to the brand’s strategy of consistently posting videos–mostly made by employees–which range from funny clips to in-depth explainers. The bakery hosts “TikTok Tuesdays” every week inviting influencers to the shop, who get free products as long as they make TikToks or post on Instagram about the store. Wake-n-Bakery also drives in-person traffic by announcing giveaways on TikTok featuring products made in partnership with local businesses, such as pizza restaurants.

Banks and Lotfy say focusing on Delta 9 products and using TikTok to market them has helped shift their growth plans into overdrive. They redesigned their website, hired 25 more employees to what is now a 28-person staff, and plan to open two locations in 2021. For months, they have been working straight from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. to keep up with the increased demand. “Be careful what you wish for,” Lotfy jokes.

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Excerpt from: Inc. – How Viral TikToks Are Helping Main Street Businesses Take Off