TikTok has grown exponentially over the past couple years, becoming one of the most popular video sharing platforms. It might surprise most people to hear it has overtaken many other social media platforms that started a long time before its launch.
Despite its growing popularity among consumers, the platform is new ground for brands and marketers. This, however, does not mean TikTok marketing is not effective. Its audiences are still mostly untapped, and smart marketers can do a lot with TikTok advertising.
One of the first things to know before embracing TikTok ads is the uniqueness of the platform. Its algorithm and the distribution processes for short video clips are different from other platforms.
Marketers must understand TikTok advertising, and adapt practices that will allow them to reach their target audiences with the right ads. Here are some of the best practices:
Take Campaign Management Seriously
The performance of your TikTok ad campaigns will depend on how your account is managed. From your account structure to your audience settings, it pays to be knowledgeable about every aspect of account management. These are the tenets you can follow:
- Create new ad groups when there is a need for adjustments.
- Keep the targeting broad in the early period and optimize when the campaign is live.
- Bid higher than the desired CPC/KPI for the initial set-up, and adjust gradually after the first round.
- Be careful with budgeting, but ensure you allocate enough budget for the accounts and ad groups to be effective.
Look Before You Leap
TikTok advertising might be simple, but it is a relatively new area, so approach carefully. It is recommended that businesses, marketers, and advertisers take time to understand what other users are doing on the platform. Understand the sort of videos they consume, and learn how to reach them with the right messages.
It may be more beneficial to leverage influencers and product placement early on, instead of creating your own content. When you are sure of the sort of original content you want to create, do it with the utmost discretion. Another option is to hire a TikTok ads agency to manage your TikTok ads campaigns.
Tell Stories That Connect With Your Audience
TikTok users don’t use the app to see ads. Most users are annoyed by them, and will enjoy the platform more if they see less promotional materials. You can get around this by genuinely connecting with your audience with stories.
It helps if you follow TikTok’s format for creating ads. Make them simple, funny, and concise. Using touches of humor improves the chances of connecting with the audience and building brand followers. Resist the temptation for self-promotion when you first begin TikTok advertising.
Work With Influencers
As mentioned, working with influencers may bring many more benefits than doing it yourself early on. Influencers are TikTok users who have made a name for themselves on the platform. They already have many followers, and will help promote brands that pay them.
An influencer strategy may not work in the same way for different businesses in different industries, but it is usually efficient in the first days. To make it even more efficient for your marketing goals,
Create Great In-Feed Videos
A great in-feed video will look as native as possible and fit the ad space perfectly, but it must also maximize user and brand experience. You should always have vertical videos in mind when creating for TikTok. To make the right impression and engage your target audience, ensure that you start with high-impact visuals.
Make sure there is a clear hook for the audience. You should also try to keep all in-feed videos short. A lot of positive marketing can be done in 15 seconds on TikTok. It is also recommended that you include critical information in the caption, since some users may not even watch your 10-second clips to the end.
Make It Fun
The importance of making your TikTok ads fun cannot be overemphasized. Your target audience is not on TikTok to see your ads. They want something else from the platform, which is basically fun. You have to provide fun to grab their attention and engage them. Being too serious is detrimental.
From visuals to sound, make sure you establish a fun side to all stories. Memes are particularly useful. Whatever you think people will embrace and share within the community should be included in your strategy.
Include a Strong Call-To-Action
The goal in TikTok advertising is to grab the attention of your target audience and get them to buy into the product. It is imperative to lead them there from the caption of the ad. A strong call-to-action must be clearly and directly stated. If you don’t want to include it in the caption, use the native CTA button.
Ensure That Landing Page Is Optimized
Like traditional advertising, landing pages are critical for TikTok marketing. Make sure everyone who follows any call-to-action buttons reaches a landing page that improves the conversion rate.
It is very important the landing page message correlates with the ad. If your target audience feels deceived, they are likely to abandon the landing page. All landing pages should be optimized for mobile devices and tested for fast loading times.
