All the best advertising mediums get their 15 minutes in the spotlight, and TikTok marketing just happens to be the new kid on the block.
Within the US alone, TikTok logs a total of 100 million active users every month.
It’s no longer an option; any business that isn’t advertising on TikTok is missing out on a lot of potential customers.
We compiled an actionable list of tips and practices to use in your TikTok marketing strategy:
Why Advertise on TikTok?
TikTok has a ready market, and here are more reasons why you should get on the TikTok marketing train:
Engagement
The user engagement on TikTok beats all other platforms, and it’s easy to understand why. The platform is full of information, creativity, and inspiration.
An average TikTok user will spend a total of 45 minutes every day on the app.
Your Consumers are on TikTok
A lot of businesses look at TikTok content and challenges as foolish; something reserved for young users.
This is untrue.
TikTok has a wide variety of users that span all ages and nationalities. About 38% of the users on the platform are above the age of 30.
Unfortunately, this might not be enough to convince businesses that TikTok advertising is the future – which is why a lot of brand owners avoid the platform.
There is little business competition on TikTok, but just like with any other social channel, you need a solid advertising strategy to achieve success.
Remember that you may encounter multiple setbacks along the way:
Challenges in TikTok Advertising
Data privacy has been a concerning issue for a lot of social media channels, including Facebook and TikTok.
Despite this challenge, TikTok continues to grow in popularity.
If you have been on TikTok, you know how boring it can be to scroll through multiple accounts that produce the same content.
Because there are challenges and pre-disposed voice effects available to inspire creators, there is a problem of duplicate content within TikTok.
A first-time user might find this distasteful.
Seasoned TikTokers, however, know exactly who to follow and where to go for the best content on the app.
A Young Demographic
The majority of TikTok users are aged between 16 and 24, making up 60% of the platform’s total user base. 80 percent of all users are aged between 16 and 34 years.
If your demographic is largely older than this age, you would do well to use another marketing channel.
TikTok Marketing Trends
To get a following on TikTok, you need to have great video content that captures the attention of your audience, but that is just a start.
One of the biggest hurdles on the platform is getting enough attention on your content.
Luckily, we have a few good ideas to get you started on the TikTok marketing journey:
Create a Great TikTok Profile
Another great marketing move is to make your TikTok profile appealing. Write a well-detailed bio (and include keywords) that is relevant to your brand.
You should also include a link on your bio to direct users to your website or other social media pages.
Fortunately, TikTok has a dedicated section under where you can include links so you don’t have to compromise on the word count of your bio.
Hashtag Challenges and Captions
How do you ensure that people will find your content on TikTok?
Hashtags.
You can also start hashtag challenges that encourage users to post content with your branded hashtag attached. This technique has worked for brands like Guess with their hashtag #InMyDenim and Chipotle with their #GuacDance hashtag.
Starting hashtag challenges promotes brand engagement as well as sales.
They are also a great SEO tool, and you only need about three or four relevant hashtags on your posts. Remember to include catchy captions on your videos, and where possible, use relevant keywords.
Use 2-5 hashtags for optimal results.
Using more than 6 hashtags might cause a decline in your views.
Cover Image
First impressions matter, which is why brands strive to create YouTube thumbnails and cover images that instantly capture your audience’s attention.
The cover image you use on TikTok should communicate the main idea of the video without revealing too much.
Sometimes, that’s the difference between a video that trends and one that doesn’t.
TikTok Duets and Challenges
This might just be the most impactful marketing trend on TikTok.
Why struggle to build your audience from the ground when you can expand your reach by partnering with other creators on the platform?
Find people in your niche and reach out to them.
However, you need to have good content if others are to partner with you.
It’s advisable to get some traction going on your account so other users can get an idea of the kind of videos you create.
Jump on the challenges and TikTok trends to further engage your audience. Certain hashtags and trends become popular, and participating could mean more exposure for your business.
Remember to always create unique content when you can.
Viewers appreciate creators who go the extra mile and do something different from other brands.
Creating TikTok Content that Converts
It’s easy to see why businesses assume that TikTok is only for the young.
A lot of people get on the platform and get confused with all the filters, effects, and challenges – but you’ll be surprised at how easy it can be to use TikTok.
The videos max out at 15 seconds, and you can combine the content up to a total of 60 seconds. The short length and popping effects are among the factors that make it easy for TikTok videos to go viral.
The content is simply easy to digest.
Users scroll through their feeds and like, comment, or share the videos on other platforms. Content creators on the platform use the app’s powerful editing features to make their videos even more unique.
Voice effects, augmented reality technology – TikTok has all the tools you will need to create marketing content with the potential to go viral.
Create for Your Audience
TikTok is different from other social media platforms, and the techniques you apply on Facebook and Instagram might not cut it for TikTok users.
But the general formula remains the same – create content that matters to your target audience.
Your blog posts, for instance, might be dedicated to educating your clients about your products and brand.
Your Instagram may be about promoting your product images and company videos.
All advertising, whether it is audio or native video marketing, involves connecting with your audience. It’s all about putting out content that bridges the gap between your brand and the consumers.
So how is TikTok marketing different?
On TikTok, users want exciting content.
TikTok is fun.
This is not to say that your content should always be humorous. If your users want informational videos, give them that, but make it visually exciting.
You can use the effects available on the app to create fun and informative content for your viewers.
Also, remember to keep your content short.
In as much as you can combine videos up to 60 seconds, it’s advisable that you keep your content between 9 and 15 seconds. This will encourage viewers to complete the entire video and even re-watch it multiple times.
Influencer Marketing on TikTok
Influencer marketing has been around since before social media.
Using niche content creators and experts to market your brand can bring you a lot of traffic within a short period of time.
But how do you know which influencer is good for your business?
The role of an influencer used to be reserved for celebrities and other famous personalities. Today, brands can even hire micro-influencers with less than 2000 followers.
It all depends on your budget, but choosing an influencer on TikTok is easy thanks to…
The Creator Marketplace
There is a TikTok creator marketplace where you can find the best influencer for your brand by evaluating their performance metrics.
You can see the audience demographics reached by the influencer in terms of age and gender. This data can help you determine if a particular influencer can market your products or services.
All About TikTok Ads
Why use TikTok ads?
Because they can help you build an audience faster. You have different ad options to choose from including in-feed ads, branded hashtags, and top-view ads.
In-Feed Ads
In-feed ads are the best for small businesses as they are affordable and return great results. TikTok recommends a length of between nine and fifteen seconds for these ads.
To set up in-feed ads, you first need a TikTok ad account which can take a while to create. This is because TikTok has to review your application for an ad account.
You should receive an email to ascertain whether your account has been approved.
In-feed ads are much like Snapchat and Instagram ads which support app downloads and website links.
Branded Takeovers
Brands can take over TikTok for a day and create digital designs like GIFs and images with embedded links.
To get the best results from your ads, you should have an objective in mind. TikTok gives you two options:
Behavioral Targeting
TikTok will advertise to your audience based on their behavioral patterns recorded within the past one or two weeks.
Interest Targeting
What is your audience interested in?
Interest targeting on TikTok works in a similar way to Facebook ads.
You can also customize your audience or use ‘lookalike audience’ targeting on TikTok.
With custom targeting, you can upload a pre-existing customer email list to TikTok and target people who have already interacted with your brand.
Targeting lookalike audiences means reaching people who have similar interests or habits to your current audience.
TikTok has an inspiration page to help businesses learn which ads work well on the platform.
Need a Winning TikTok Marketing Strategy?
Now that we have explored all the trends in TikTok marketing, it’s your turn to go out and advertise. Remember to keep your content fresh and publish on a consistent basis.
And the most important part; you don’t have to do it yourself.
Bunny Studio has a diverse pool of video content creators that can take your TikTok marketing game to the next level.
