New TikTok hub aims to support SMEs in Ireland

The video-sharing company is giving Irish SMEs access to its ad manager and its Shopify partnership.

A new TikTok hub aims to help support SMEs in Ireland with access to a range of products, guidance and tools.

The video-sharing platform has today (20 May) launched its SMB Hub to help businesses discover and reach new audiences online.

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, TD, welcomed the initiative.

“Irish businesses have faced unprecedented challenges during the pandemic and anything that adds to the help that is available from Government is most welcome,” he said.

“New technology is transforming all of our lives and I hope SMEs find the information and advice on this hub useful as they respond to new ways of doing business and interacting with their customers.”

The hub contains products, guidance and tools designed to help SME owners use TikTok to help their business.

‘The goal is for businesses to make it easier for buyers to discover their brands’
– SHIMONA MEHTA, SHOPIFY

SMEs in Ireland will have access to TikTok’s ad manager, a self-service platform that helps entrepreneurs create and manage their own campaigns for the video-sharing app.

Business owners will also be able to tap into TikTok’s partnership with Shopify, which allows businesses to create in-feed shoppable video ads directly within Shopify.

Lisa Friedrich, head of SME at TikTok Europe, said the company is committed to helping small business owners to grow and thrive. “We’ve seen such resilience from small business owners, who have brought energy, creativity and new ideas,” she said.

“The launch of TikTok ads manager, the SMB Hub and our Shopify partnership in Ireland will help local business owners to quickly, effectively and accurately reach target audiences online, and then convert that into sales.”

Shimona Mehta, managing director of Shopify EMEA, said the past year has “permanently altered” the way that entrepreneurs start, run and grow businesses.

“Brands are also having to compete like never before to get the attention of buyers. The goal is for businesses to make it easier for buyers to discover their brands. With this new TikTok partnership, Shopify merchants in Ireland can connect and build relationships with customers in a way that can help drive long-term sales growth.”

TikTok has more than 100m active users across Europe every month. The social media company, owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance, has been steadily growing its Irish operations in the last year, having recently selected The Sorting Office in Dublin for its new office base.

The video-sharing platform is also creating a new European Transparency and Accountability Centre in Ireland and is building its first European data centre in the country, which is expected to be operational by early 2022.

Reporting: Silicone Republic