TikTok Marketing

Why TikTok for Marketing?

Founded in 2016, TikTok had approximately 1 billion daily users as of early 2022, so it has grown dramatically in a short time. TikTok users spend about 45 minutes a day on the app, absorbing videos from 15 seconds to 10 minutes long, providing excellent marketing potential. Users are primarily between 18 and 24 years old, with 43 percent of the user base in that demographic.

Consumer and ecommerce brands see the value in TikTok’s algorithm for serving videos organically as well as through paid advertising. Shopify is partnered with TikTok, as well, contributing to the “TikTok made me buy it” trend. The app makes it easy to create videos on the spot, upload videos, or livestream.

The app is all about showing people something new and relevant to current trends. It prioritizes videos from creators you haven’t seen before, making it possible for any video to have a chance to go viral. Unlike other social platforms, your potential influence is not based on the number of followers you have. Your captions, hashtags, sounds, and genre factor into how your video is distributed, as well as your interactions and engagements with other videos and accounts.

TikTok Ads 101

TikTok has data about its users that enables it to approach advertising targeting by interests and behaviors. Plus, many TikTok users do their searching on TikTok before they use Google.

See how the TikTok search engine stacks up against Google search.

TikTok ads can enhance your lead generation by identifying a whole new audience of potential customers. Its partnerships with Shopify, WooCommerce, Salesforce and other ecommerce tools help you gather marketing data and leads.

The ads cost more than other social media advertising, starting with a $50 minimum for ad campaigns. There are five types of ads on TikTok, which you can use to promote your brand or specific offers.

1. In-Feed Ads — Videos up to 60 seconds long that show in users’ feeds. These short, promoted videos are good for beginners and can fit in naturally with organic content.
2. Brand Takeovers — full-screen ads shown upon opening the app. Users see only 1 Branded Takeover per day. Expensive, but good for grabbing attention.
3. TopViews — TopViews ads are 60-second videos that show full screen with audio upon opening the app, making them another good option for raising your brand profile.
4. Branded Hashtag Challenges — These ads appear at the top of TikTok’s Discover page and link to challenge descriptions, rules, and brand assets.
5. Branded Effects — Filters, stickers and special effects are used to promote a brand, similar to the options available in Snapchat and Instagram.

To optimize your brand advertising, make your TikTok campaigns light, funny and hashtag ready. Hashtags help guide users to your content, and fun, memorable and engaging activities with music and sounds enhance views and likes. If you can jump on a current—and relevant—trend and hashtag, that increases your chances of getting views. We can envision almost any product or service creating how-to videos or uploading testimonials from customers, but there are many creative approaches that could be successful, depending on your goals.

If you’re looking to grow brand awareness among Millennials or Gen Z, get to know the TikTok app and see how other brands in your category are using it. You might be inspired to get in on the “TikTok made me buy it” trend that is taking ecommerce and consumer marketing in new directions. Interested in learning more? Let Metro Studios know!