TikTok Launches TikTok Academy to Help Businesses Better Utilize the Platform

TikTok recently announced the launch of TikTok Academy, which is described as a "new virtual always-on global education platform." The offering was designed specifically to help marketers and businesses develop expertise on the platform.

"Through TikTok Academy, we aim to provide robust learning opportunities to help teams become TikTok-savvy marketers by providing not just the ‘how-to’s’ of TikTok but also the key insights that will enable media and creative excellence on the platform," TikTok said on the company blog. "We know the TikTok community loves engaging with their favorite brands, so we want to deliver the tools and expertise to maintain this unique and engaging experience."

Those who utilize TikTok Academy can take courses on TikTok marketing that use a gamified education approach, including interactive experiences, quizzes, tokens, and badges. When you complete a course successfully, you’ll be awarded a badge, which can then be shared on social media. Badges are earned by each individual who takes the course, as opposed to your entire company.

"TikTok Academy is a global education platform, intended for everyone from the most junior to the most senior experience levels, across all disciplines and job functions," TikTok says. "It’s a great start for anyone looking to learn more about the TikTok platform and how to build for it regardless of company size or specialization."

At launch, there are two curriculums: The 101 Course and the Small Business Course. The former provides an overview of product offerings, how TikTok keeps its platform safe for brands, creative best practices, and more. According to the company, this course takes two to four hours to complete, indicating that businesses can learn quite a bit right from the beginning.

The Small Business Course curriculum includes four,15-minute lessons, designed for small and midsize businesses. With these lessons, you’ll learn how to create a business account, produce engaging videos, connect with your audience, and drive sales utilizing various TikTok tools, features, and advertising products.

While no additional courses were announced, it stands to reason that the Academy offerings will be bolstered, as the company continues to add additional features and tools for businesses on a regular basis.

In addition to launching the Academy, TikTok introduced new Video Insights and several new tools for promotion. Video Insights is available in the Reporting toolbar of the TikTok Ads Manager. It shows you performance trends in your video library and lets you compare them with industry benchmarks. You can also use the feature to look at specific video elements that are making your ads perform.

New tools added to TikTok’s Promote feature will allow businesses to drive more visits to their TikTok page, get more messages from potential customers, boost content from other creators, and target audience by location.

According to SproutSocial, the U.S. has the largest TikTok audience of any country, and it has even more GenZ users than Instagram. If you’re not utilizing TikTok to market your business, you’re potentially missing out on a major audience.