Brands are continually trying to tailor their campaigns so that the target segment can relate. The aim is to grab attention and then keep up the engagement with positive brand growth.
With the emergence of TikTok, brands have started to use the video-sharing app for all their “relatability efforts”. So naturally, the pandemic played a significant role in exacerbating the success of the famous app.
Why Can Marketers Not Afford to Ignore Tiktok?
TikTok has gained mass popularity. It is easy to say there is a new shift in the social media success framework. Here are a few statistics enough to give one a snapshot of how massive this platform has become for the future of brands:
- TikTok has about 1 billion monthly active users
- It was ranked 7th social media app in 2021
- In terms of monthly active users, TikTok has surpassed Twitter, Telegram, Reddit, Pinterest, and Snapchat.
- The average length of a single session is 10.85 minutes
- Over 68 billion hours were spent on TikTok in 2019
- The average time spent by an adult who is a US resident is 33 minutes per day. Compared with Facebook, with an average time of 35 minutes, the app is ranked 2nd.
- TikTok has a 5.30% engagement rate compared to Instagram, 1.10%, and Twitter, 0.30%. It is a winning platform for advertisers!
Sources: Backlinko, CNBC 1, CNBC 2, Statista, WorldoMeters, SmartInsights
What is TikTok marketing?
Before we jump into the topic, let’s clear up a misconception that most brands might have. First, it may be understood that TikTok is for the younger generation. However, this is incorrect as almost 38% of its users in the US are above 30.
So why is a video-sharing app becoming a core component centered in the middle, and marketers are building strategies around it?
TikTok marketing is now heavily used. Brands have moved to “videos” instead of long textual posts. There are numerous elements that marketers use to mold the user’s perception. Words are two-dimensional. However, there is music, moving scenes, dialogue, language, tone, and the entire setting when it comes to video.
It is your field, and it is up to you to play it. You can use many tactics such as influencer marketing, creating viral content, and running ads.
Directing marketing efforts on TikTok can help a business in:
- Increasing its brand awareness
- Building communities that are well-engaged
- Selling its services and products
- Getting feedback from customers and audiences
- Providing exceptional customer service
- Advertising products and services
TikTok Ads
TikTok is similar to Facebook and Instagram in terms of ads. It follows a similar bidding model. It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that running ads on TikTok is a surefire way to increase views and engagement.
Advertising on TikTok comes with several options such as:
- Brand Takeover: These are similar to Youtube’s ads that cannot be skipped. These can be a 3-second image or a 3-5 second video. These are the first posts that users see on TikTok.
- Branded Effects: Brands offer shareable stickers, filters, and effects that the users can include in their content.
- Branded Hashtags: These help increase brand engagement and tap right into users’ passion for creating videos.
- In-feed Ads: This option follows a standard ad format and allows the users to interact.
Top View Ads: You can create a 60-second long video that will appear at the top of the “For You Page”.
Most marketers find the “in-feed” ads the most productive ones. That’s because you can tell your brand story like a pro. So if you have an effective campaign running or want to direct people to your website, this is the way to go.
You get features like CTA buttons linked with your landing page or other external links. To make sure that users watch your ad and take the intended action, keep your videos 15 seconds long.
An Option to Engage in “Marketing That Doesn’t Look Like Marketing.”
Your target segment gets thousands of marketing messages daily. The social media platforms have little real estate, and your competitors are up to speed. The target segment is aware that whatever content is coming their way is intended to provoke an act they should take.
“The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing.”
– Tom Fishburne
Most of the time, it’s challenging to engage and convert visitors or users into customers when they are dodging your marketing efforts.
What can be done in this situation?
You can use creative content that is relatable and not aggressive. TikTok is the perfect medium to produce and spread it!
The key is “Virality”. Your starting point should be to understand what works on TikTok. Then, check out the most viral TikTok content of 2021 to gather some ideas. Next, check out the existing trends and see how you can leverage those. Finally, try to slip in hints of your brand message in the short, engaging videos so that you build a strong following, engage people, and reach your marketing agenda.
We explored how TikTok can be included in your digital marketing strategy in this post. However, since this video-sharing app is different from other go-to platforms, it will take you a while to have a firm grip.
With that being said, once you are well-aware of all of the features that this app offers, you can use it as a core marketing medium to increase engagement and ultimately realize the monetary goals that are embedded in your marketing strategy.
Contact Be Eminent Marketing Today!
Since digital marketing has a lot to cover, it can often become very exhausting to catch up with all the arenas. While you are learning to conquer TikTok, you can trust us with your content and other social platforms.
The team at Be Eminent will take it from there and make sure that your marketing objectives are being reached on time. Because If You Snooze You Lose!