For most, it requires no introduction, but if it still sounds new to you, TikTok is a social network based on sharing short videos, up to 60 seconds.
Following the demise of Vine in 2017, TikTok has taken over as the world’s most popular humorous video platform, and it also uses elements popularized by Snapchat and Instagram, such as filters and communities around hashtags and influencers. The fact that it is a social network of Chinese origin has caused TikTok to make headlines due to political tensions, but here we will analyze its potential as an advertising tool for brands and companies.
Although it is neither easy nor cheap to promote yourself on TikTok, the network is beginning to gain enormous importance almost everywhere in the world and is already the most downloaded social media app globally. It is available in more than 155 countries and 75 languages and currently reaches 800 million monthly active users. It is also a platform of intensive use for its users, who spend an average of 52 minutes a day on the app, with an opening rate of 8 times a day.
The most popular videos on TikTok are humorous, although they are also used for socio-political criticism, and among the most typical formats are home videos, memes, lip syncs, reactions, duets, choreography challenges, tutorials, and vlogs with tips.
Marketing strategy on TikTok
There are three ways to create a brand presence and promote products on TikTok:
- Create your own channel where the brand shares its videos.
- Engage ads on the platform
- Collaborate with influencers for sponsored content on their profiles.
The two main problems with TikTok for brands are that its core audience, Generation Z, is not very ad-friendly and shies away from sponsored content and company profiles. The other obstacle is that advertising is much more expensive than on other social networks such as Facebook.
Currently, the CPM (cost per thousand impressions) on TikTok is around $10, and the minimum investment in an advertising campaign can be very high for most brands, as we will see below.
If you take the plunge and create your own brand profile, the process is free and simple, although not all users have the option to add a URL to their own website in their profile. To share your own content, it is best to go for live streams and videos that provide really useful content and tips for the potential audience, not just show products with no added value.
Steps to create an advertiser account on TikTok
The first thing is to create an account through TikTok Ads. You will need to enter your basic information and wait for a TikTok representative to contact you to confirm the account.
Once you have it up and running, you can create campaigns by checking the following elements:
- Objective: whether it is to generate traffic to a link, gain conversions or invite to install an app, and optimize your ad group by conversion, click,, or impression).
- Group: segment ads by users’ location, year, gender, language, interests, and device.
- Duration: the number of days the campaign will last.
- Payment details: set your daily and total spending limit (both should be a minimum of $500), and the rate at which you want your budget to be spent, standard or accelerated.
To create the ads, it will be necessary to include the links you want to appear in the ads, as well as texts, images, categories, and up to 20 keywords to identify your website or app.
TikTok ads can be images, GIFs, or videos in horizontal, vertical, or square format, although as most users consult the network on mobile, vertical videos are usually the best option. You can prepare them using TikTok’s Video Creation Kit, which includes templates and music.
Always make sure they are high-resolution videos with little text. If you prefer to leave it in the hands of an algorithm, the Automated Creative Optimization tool creates automated ad combinations with a maximum of 10 images, 5 videos, 5 copy, and 1 CTA. Where to buy tiktok likes? Check out their page for additional tips and information.
