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TikTok is acclaimed to be the marketing tool of the future. With more than 2.6 billion downloads and 1 billion active monthly users, TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform. If you haven’t used TikTok to market your brand, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity for growth. If that isn’t reason enough to start using the app as a marketing tool, something tells me you’ll be running to make a TikTok account after reading this blog.
What is TikTok?
TikTok is a short-form video-sharing app that allows users to create videos ranging from 15-seconds to 3 minutes long. Video topics vary from dancing to singing videos, tutorials, community outreach, and, you guessed it, advertisements. However, the way brands market on TikTok is more unconventional than your typical marketing strategies.
How so? While platforms like Instagram and Facebook have grown to have more selling-based content, TikTok users value genuine content from creators. Duolingo, a language learning platform, is one company that has maximized its presence on the app.
Zaria Parvez is the one responsible for the account’s viral success, which has generated more than 4.5 million followers and 85.3 million likes over the last year. Her strategy? Creating a link between what the “trends” are and fusing it with Duolingo’s company values to produce entertaining content and grow their brand personality.
"A big part of Duolingo is that we make language learning fun, and I think that quality specifically was such an awesome opportunity to link to TikTok because TikTok is meant for entertainment, it's meant for people to have fun, brands are there to entertain, they're not just there to sell—brands that try selling things don't really tend to resonate, but if they entertain, people love it," Parvez said.
Now you may be wondering, can my company have the same success? The answer is yes. And lucky for you, I’m about to give you the rundown of how TikTok is set up to help you do just that.
TikTok for Business
Various Ad Types
Whether you are a small business with a limited budget or looking to run a 14-day campaign, TikTok’s advertising platform has various unique features that can help all businesses excel.
There are 6 steps to producing and publishing your ad on TikTok:
- Choose Your Goal: Select the campaign objective you want to achieve with your ads and TikTok will optimize your ad campaign for you.
- Select Your Audience: Create “Lookalike Audiences” to reach people similar to your current customers. Create “Custom Audiences” by selecting the gender, location, age, and interests of your target audience to reach a new, or more specific, audience.
- Set Your Budget: Enter your daily or lifetime budget. You can adjust this budget or pause your ad spend at any time. Ad costs start at $10 per CPM (Clicks Per Mille), with a minimum ad group budget of $50. TikTok ad campaign costs can range from $50,000 to $120,000, depending on the ad format and its duration.
- Design Your Ad: You can upload your videos, or create one on the app using their intuitive creation tool. There are 5 types of TikTok ads: TopView, In-Feed Ads, Brand Takeover, Branded Hashtag Challenge, and Branded Effects.
- Go Live: Publish your ad. TikTok Ads Manager’s smart auction system ensures that your ad will be shown to the right audience at the perfect time.
- Measure and Manage Your Ad: Test, learn, and optimize your campaign using TikTok analytics.
Pretty simple right?
Reach the Audience That Matters
If you’re looking to reach a younger target audience, TikTok is definitely the place to do it. Gen Zers dominate this platform. According to Statista, the majority of the users on the app fall between ages 18 and 34—a demographic that has more than $360 billion in buying power, and man do they LOVE this app.
“Globally, the average time spent on TikTok per day is 52 minutes, with 90% of users accessing it on a daily basis. Its average session time of 10.85 minutes makes it the most engaging social media app available today. In the US, on average, TikTok users spend 33 minutes per day using the app.” (Source: Backlinko)
With this rate of engagement on the app, you are practically guaranteed to bring in a new audience.
Catch Trends Early
TikTok trends don’t tend to last very long, they usually last around 10 days. Luckily, it is easy to catch trends early! Check your ‘For You Page’ (FYP) for curated content based on your activity and preferences. Here, you will find a plethora of new video trends. You will also see a ton of trending hashtags as you scroll through your FYP. We also recommend following @wavewyld, aka the “Queen of Trend Alerts,” some of the top influencers on the app, and influencers that fall into your niche.
Higher Chance of Going Viral
Anyone with a TikTok account that creates and posts content can go viral whether they have zero followers or 2 million. TikTok provides marketers with a level playing field when it comes to reach and engagement, all thanks to the viral nature of the algorithm. This means you don’t have to spend as much money boosting posts. Although boosting content makes a big difference, it’s not always necessary. Let the algorithm do the work for you.
Some of our staff members have posted some silly TikToks with the thought that maybe some friends would come across them and have a good laugh, only to wake up to see thousands of views. To make a long story short, the algorithm will make sure your content is seen.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer Marketing is currently the most effective form of marketing on TikTok. Users often don’t even realize they are watching an ad in their feed and you don’t have to worry about building the right audience for the content, as you would if you were publishing something on your company page. All you have to do is work with the influencer to come up with a creative strategy that intrigues their audience while drawing attention to your brand or product.
Compare Influencer Marketing Platforms
Services Offered
Influencer Search & Discovery, Campaign Management, Influencer Marketplace, Third Party Analytics
Campaign Management, Influencer Marketplace, Third Party Analytics, Influencer Analysis
CHANNELS
Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook
Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Tiktok
rating
Services Offered
Search/ Discovery, Campaign Management, Reports, Payments, Collaboration Tools
Creator Search tool Self-Serve Campaigns Serviced Campaigns Bespoke Services
CHANNELS
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogs
Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube, Shopify, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook – Paid and Gifted
rating
Compare Influencer Marketing Platforms
Services Offered
Influencer Search & Discovery, Campaign Management, Influencer Marketplace, Third Party Analytics
CHANNELS
Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook
rating
Services Offered
Campaign Management, Influencer Marketplace, Third Party Analytics, Influencer Analysis
CHANNELS
Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Tiktok
rating
Services Offered
Search/ Discovery, Campaign Management, Reports, Payments, Collaboration Tools
CHANNELS
Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Blogs
rating
Services Offered
Creator Search tool Self-Serve Campaigns Serviced Campaigns Bespoke Services
CHANNELS
Instagram, Tiktok, YouTube, Shopify, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook – Paid and Gifted
rating
(Source: Influencer Marketing Hub)
Tip: Choose to work with an influencer based on the compatibility between them and your brand. Not based on how large their following is.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, after reading this blog, you’re at least considering adding TikTok to your marketing toolbox.
Still not sure where to start or whether you can manage the upkeep that comes with marketing on TikTok? Reach out today to see how we can help.
