Unless you are from Mars, you must have heard the thrills of the social media app TikTok. It’s easy to consume content watched daily, and it is simple to understand the reason for the growing buzz about TikTok ads. Let’s learn marketing on TikTok.
According to Datareportal, 2019, TikTok attracts 500 million active users worldwide, making it 9th among social network sites, ahead of well-known sites such as Snapchat, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
As it is, TikTok is positioning itself as a marketer’s dream.
If you are interested in marketing on TikTok and wonder where to start, this article covers how TikTok ads work and the possibility of small businesses advertising it.
This guide is packed with data based on research and scrolled videos and is poised to give the tools you need to grasp TikTok ads, various features, TikTok user base, and quirks.
This article will teach you how your business can participate in TikTok’s weird and wonderful world.
Table of Contents
Marketing on Tik Tok: What is the Tik Tok app?
TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to create and watch short videos set to music or custom soundtracks.
Excellent for widespread use, the app allows users to passively browse TikTok Tok, scroll, and view other users’ media without contributing. It has also made it super easy for users to create videos.
Perhaps you are curious about where TikTok came from—and with good reason. The company’s journey to worldwide popularity is an exciting one.
ByteMedia owns the app, and in 2017, ByteMedia released TikTok as Douyiin’s international counterpart.
Douyin, launched in September 2016, is a Chinese version of the TikTok app, and the two use the same software.
ByteMedia acquired the lip-syncing app Muscial.ly and combined the two apps in August 2018. Since then, TikTok has quickly gained popularity.
Such exponential growth has led to some TikTok creators becoming wildly popular, even attracting outside attention.
A talent agency signed one such user off the back of a viral post, leaving some other big brands clambering for a piece of the action.
In September 2019, the NFL partnered to share game highlights and behind-the-scenes content with TikTok users.
In the meantime, a mix of high-profile outlets, groups, and people have also emerged as popular TikTok profiles, including BTS, the Washington Post, the Korean boy band Gary Vaynerchuk, and Will Smith.
Who Uses TikTok
You wonder who is watching all of these random content creators! The content is mainly from those under 30. Specifically, those belonging to Gen Z-a massive 40% plus of TikTok users are in the bracket of (16-24).
This age range has increasing buying power, so understanding TikTok ads and advertising is even more critical.
How to Use TikTok for Marketing
So, how can stores harness the power of TikTok? You must ask. In its current form, TikTok has only been around since late 2018, and these are very early days in the TikTok advertising sphere.
Although there may be changes to come. In the future, the following are the popular ways a business can use the app for marketing:
Creating a Profile
The cheapest way to start TikTok marketing is most likely to create a profile, produce content, and build an audience.
But there is fine art in making two-pronged videos: promoting your brand and attracting viewers.
Users of the app do not use it to watch TikTok commercials. Any business that intends to get involved should understand the popular content before starting an account; there is a cheat sheet.
2.Pay-Official Tik Tok ads
Paying for ads appears obvious if TikTok ads are mentioned. However, the option is currently geographically restrictive, thus only available in some countries, and has a prohibitive price. Paid TikTok may come in various forms, including:
*Pre-roll ads: Videos start as soon as the user opens the app
*In-feed ads: Video appears as the user scrolls
*Promote hashtag challenges: Videos encourage users to submit using custom hashtags
*Branded effects: A creator’s custom effect filters for videos resemble those on Instagram and Snapchat but feature brand-specific info.
TikTok ads cost an arm and a leg. This platform is a good option if you have $150,000 for a promoted hashtag challenge or $50-$100k to $ spend on ads.
Currently, TikTok app ads appear to be the domain of brands such as Guess, McDonald’s, and Universal Pictures.
Working with Influencers
Incorporating a proven, relevant TikTok influencer to promote your product is a happy medium between trying to produce your content and spending thousands of dollars on TikTok ads.
Many businesses have started doing this, from established brands such as Petco and Elf Cosmetics to smaller brands wanting to promote a single product.
Since you can not include clickable URLs in TikTok video captions, it can be challenging to direct traffic to sites from these videos.
To bypass this hurdle, you can have influencers link to your store in their bio or video comment section, though this additional step reduces follow-through.
Shoppable Videos on TikTok
Shoppable videos have been available on the Douyin-TikTok sister app for some time now, but it is a brand new option currently being tested by a few TikTok influencers.
Like shoppable posts and “swipe” features on Instagram, shoppable videos let users attach a URL to their TikTok commercial videos, leading users to their store with a single tap.
Although TikTok has affirmed that it is trialing Shoppable videos, it has yet to confirm when or if it will launch it to a broader audience; therefore, It can not be considered a viable option.
But if the feature is released worldwide, it would open TikTok up to influencer marketing, making selling directly from your brand’s profile easier.
Regardless of whether the advertising options on TikTok appeal to you, it would help if you still had an innovative and relevant ad to make an impact.
Most TikTok users have grown up in the internet age; that is to say, they are savvy regarding advertising and do not want to view anything overtly. It’s not that they are necessarily opposed to commercials; it just needs to fit in.
So, the best way for brands to advertise on TikTok is to use user culture and the app’s unique features.
Advertising Using App’s Features
Unlike social networks, TikTok users mostly base their content on memes, and trends can change rapidly-for instance, what is popular now won’t necessarily be hot the next four 4-days. And the clue is to jump on trends as soon as they pop. Much as the original content is appreciated, reactionary content equally is highly rewarded.
The following are types of content you may want to consider for your TikTok marketing:
Hashtag Challenges
One user sets a specific task for a hashtag challenge and encourages other TikTok users to try it and post their answers using the associated hashtag. A user can try to create a hashtag, although others are joining in, and its spreading is not guaranteed.
Hashtags for brands that pay for the hashtag challenge are promoted for a few days, often accompanied by a microsite where users can buy the brand’s product on TikTok.
If the popular hashtag challenge fits your product or brand, it is an excellent opportunity to jump on the bandwagon and attempt to get some views. Ensure you browse other videos using the hashtag to get a feel for how you can get involved.
Creating & Reusing Sounds
Using “sounds” may be a relic of TikTok’s Muscial.ly, but it is a big part of TikTok’s accompanying videos. It can include TV or dialogues, speeches, random user commentary, and snippets of songs.
The brilliant part is that the sound used in a video can be saved on TikTok and reused by other creators.
There are incidences in which a sound famous on TikTok thrusts musicians to mega-stardom, and the song charts at number one on the Billboards for weeks.
A good example is Lil Nax, whose song ”Old Town” before going mainstream first hit Tik Tok, getting remixed and charting number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for weeks-19-the longest.
Mainly, sounds are used with other TikTok features like dance and hashtag challenges.
Dance Challenges
Given the popularity of music on TikTok, a dance challenge is a no-brainer. One user dances to a particular song and other creators recreate it. The dance itself could be elaborate or intricately recreated—or both.
Duets & Effects
TikTok has a pool of filters and special effects that creators can feature in videos. Duets enable one to take a video and then record a companion video to accompany it.
Often, duets are used when users try replicating what the original TikTok creator has done, like crafting or cooking. They may also be a travesty-creative or comic counterpart of the original video.
TikTok regularly updates its filters, and there are invariably new ones for creators to figure out ingenious ways to use. For instance, the 9-camera split effect became so popular when one creator used it in combination with a song-Mr Sadman-
It did not take long before other users jumped on the trend, and the pattern hit a crescendo when a cat was featured, jolting a slew of real copycat videos.
Whether or not you want to do it yourself, use influencers, or pay, all the features have tons of potential for businesses to get on board and start marketing on TikTok.
The list is in no way exhaustive—it is all new, and therefore, you should keep in mind that there is no one way to create the best TikTok ads.
Finding Your Groove With TikTok Ads
If neither of these formats and features fits your brand, hit the search button, browse TikTok, see what else is prevalent, and clamber once you spot a hashtag, composition, or sound you like.
As TikTok is a hub of creativity, the sky is the limit regarding marketing.
Since the best way to create the best TikTok commercials has yet to be clear-cut, and this is especially true for businesses with small marketing budgets, now is the opportune time to test and experiment with anything that might work.
Over and above all else, TikTok users want clever-fun videos. If your videos tick all those boxes, it is a matter of time before you grow a following.
It is sometimes complicated. In contrast, some creators can go viral just from the video; for most users, it takes a couple of attempts before it all comes together.
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