If you are one of those people who think that TikTok is only for Gen Z kids who want to create trending videos, we’ve got news for you. 

TikTok isn’t the bubble it was when it was first launched. And the proof of that is that today, a lot of folks in the sales community are using it for B2B sales and marketing. 

We recently had the pleasure of conversing with one of the first people who started using TikTok as a social selling engine – Leslie Venetz (@SalesTipsTocker), founder of Sales Team Builder LLC.

“I don't mind admitting that I did not get on TikTok because I thought it would be a good social selling engine, or I thought it would generate leads.” 

Spoiler alert – it was a good social selling engine and she was able to generate real leads. 

If you’re wondering how you can kick start your journey on TikTok, check out the top highlights from our conversation with Leslie:

How is TikTok different from other social media platforms for sales?

“The most obvious difference is that it's all video.”

Leslie thinks that for a lot of folks in the B2B marketing and sales community LinkedIn, Twitter (mostly text-based) or maybe Instagram (text and image) are the primary channels. 

So for TikTok (video-based), getting comfortable on camera is really important. 

What Leslie strongly suggests is to not put up false barriers for yourself. For example, you do not need a super expensive setup to start recording your videos. Just admit that your first videos are probably going to be pretty terrible. That's okay. You'll iterate, you'll learn what doesn't does not work for you. 

How to start with research for creating content for TikTok?

“Before you start burdening yourself with trying to create content trees and coming up with your first 50 ideas, sit with yourself and really think about the umbrella topic or the theme of your channel.” 

Leslie, for example, creates videos around inclusivity and respect in sales. So she shares B2B sales and marketing tips, and shares her own story. Sometimes she’ll do trends and try to get a laugh. 

Basically you need to think about what that topic is for you, something that you are so passionate about, that gives you so much joy and purpose that you could talk about it for ages. 

And from there, the creation of your content and your content tree becomes a lot easier, because it's something you're genuinely excited to talk about and share with others.

What does the basic tech stack for TikTok look like?

“As you get started, feel free to invest in absolutely nothing and edit directly on the app.”

Leslie thinks that this is another barrier that people put up for themselves – thinking that they need to have a really fancy setup to get started.

But TikTok doesn't want to put any barriers, they want you out there creating content and adding to their world. So Leslie’s suggestion is to start recording right on your phone. You can record right in the app, and you can edit right in the app. 

If you feel like you want to expand after that, there are certainly apps out there that can help you see what the top trending hashtags or sounds are. 

The only one that Leslie uses regularly is the captions app, because she thinks the captions are a lot cleaner than the ones that are native to TikTok. She likes to make sure she has captions on her videos for accessibility. 

For people getting started with TikTok, Leslie advises to not get caught up in a fancy tech setup. For people that are evolving, she says to first figure out what is most important to you. For example, if you want really, really clean videos, then you're going to have to invest in some editing software. 

Want some more tips on how you can get started on TikTok? Give a listen to the full podcast.