The social media landscape has changed drastically for businesses. Previously, businesses only leveraged social media platforms as a central place to casually engage customers, post about staff members and promote themselves. Now, social media is not just a casual engagement platform. Now, businesses need to be strategic in how they approach platforms and, in some cases, even spend money to earn more visibility.
Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have the most difficult task on social media platforms: to be more visible than larger corporations. This is especially difficult on the social media platform TikTok.
What is TikTok and TikTok for Business?
TikTok is a globally popular social media platform used for creating, sharing, and discovering short-form videos. Owned by the Beijing-based tech company ByteDance, the app allows users to post content ranging from comedy, dance, and lip-syncs to educational vlogs and shopping.
TikTok for Business is the platform’s dedicated marketing and advertising suite that empowers brands of all sizes to launch campaigns, sell products, and engage with over a billion active users. It provides tools for organic growth, paid advertising, and direct social commerce.
Unlike in the past, TikTok engagement is more than just asking for likes and shares. An SME ends every video with “like and follow for more” – then wonders why their reach keeps shrinking because of a lack of proper engagement.
According to the Metricool 2026 TikTok Study (which is based on the analysis of 2,314,756 posts from more than 92,000 accounts from around the world, covering January and February of both 2025 and 2026), TikTok is more saturated than ever, with video post volume growing 72% and image/carousel volume growing 140%, while almost every performance metric dropped. This explains why old tactics no longer work.
Why TikTok Feels Harder Than It Used To
SMEs might believe that cracking TikTok is only harder for them because they don’t have as much visibility and budget as bigger organisations. However, that is not true. The entire platform has become saturated and competitive.
The problem most people experience on TikTok is fixable, but only if you know what the algorithm is looking for in 2026. Posting more no longer guarantees better results in this saturated landscape. The report suggests that because the “For You” tab drives 7 out of every 10 views on a post, it’s the only traffic source that has remained stable year over year. This means that TikTok is a recommendation-driven platform where the algorithm has the most power. Users are more likely to trust the feed and consume content from accounts they’ve never seen before.
For SMEs, this means you are not only competing locally, but against a global flood of content on the FYP.
The Likes Trap — What You’ve Been Told That’s Wrong
The term engagement on social media has completely changed. Older platforms like Facebook and Instagram prioritised “like and follow” call-to-action (CTAs) because chronological feeds made chronological visibility the norm. On TikTok, this approach does not translate.
Metricool’s TikTok study shows posts with the “like” CTA saw a 60% drop in engagement. One possible reason is that users prefer to feel like they’re part of the experience and engage more when they know they’ll be heard. Comments open the door to debate and create space for conversation, making people feel like they’re part of the interaction. Likes, on the other hand, are a one-way form of engagement.
“Asking for a like” puts the audience to work for you; it’s a one-way favour with no real payoff. While asking for a comment is an invitation to share an opinion, start a debate, and feel heard. One builds a community, the other just builds your metrics,” states the report.
Basically, a “like” is similar to a customer nodding as they walk past your stall; a comment is like them stopping to ask a question. The algorithm notices the difference.
What to Do Instead – The Power of the Question
To solve the engagement issue for your small business, you need to lean on questions as your CTA. As we said previously, users are more likely to engage with content that makes them feel part of the process and content that is authentic. The report says that posts that leverage questions saw a 26% increase in engagements.
Examples of question-based CTA are:
- “Cape Town or Joburg – where do you think we should open next?”
- “What’s the one thing you wish local businesses did differently?”
- “Drop a (insert relevant emoji) if this is your situation too”
- “What would you add to this list?”
You can also leverage current events to centre your question CTAs in a more local context.
The Algorithm Is Watching More Than You Think
Although question-based CTAs are a great way to increase engagement, they are not the entirety of your engagement strategy. A broader strategy should also include other elements such as replying to comments, asking follow-ups, and building a series of content.
Think of it this way. A Joburg florist who always ends with “what flower do you associate with this occasion?” builds a comment habit that compounds over time. This helps you understand your content and what you do much faster, leading to you having a clear, defined niche and content category.
This means you don’t need a large team or a big budget to make TikTok work for your SME. Small brands that win stay focused on niche communities, own a specific problem, and build content around a repeatable format instead of chasing trends.
Leverage the following tips to better your engagement on TikTok:
- Pick one repeatable format and stick to it: You need a repeatable format to really carve out your niche on TikTok. This could be anything from a recurring hook, a signature style, or a series. Consistency builds recognition faster than volume.
- Use hashtags for better targeting: Leveraging niche community tags is critical. Niche community tags from small accounts consistently outperform broad trending ones.
- Own a specific problem: Pick one question your audience is already asking and make it the backbone of your content. Every post that answers it is both a brand promise and a search magnet.
Don’t Overlook Hashtags – They’re Back
Hashtags have been around since the beginning of social media. They are an effective way to ensure your targeted customer base can quickly and easily see your content. In the modern age, hashtags play a critical role – alongside question CTAs – to create relevance for users. According to the report, hashtag traffic grew by 114% year-on-year, with posts using hashtags earning 5% more views and nearly 10% more interactions.
Most people don’t see the value in hashtags because they either stuff them or abandon them entirely, with neither approach providing any value. Being strategic with your hashtag is key to ensuring they work. Use SA-relevant hashtag examples such as #SouthAfricanSmallBusiness, #MadeInSA, or niche-specific tags relevant to your audience.
Timing Still Matters
Another element SMEs should also consider is timing. The report suggests that the time slot that gets the most views is between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., with 8 p.m. standing out as the peak hour. South Africa falls within the global average, so when you post would not be much different.
Scheduling your posts during peak hours gives your content the best chance of being seen when your audience is most active.
TikTok in 2026 rewards conversation, not applause. Every part of your posting needs to be strategic and well-thought-out. This means replacing like CTAs with more question-based ones, leveraging up to five niche hashtags, and posting between 6 to 9 PM.
“The algorithm doesn’t care how big your budget is, only how relevant your content is,” concludes the report.
