Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat have all established themselves as essential tools for connecting with and selling to an audience. However, TikTok has come in and very quickly taken over the reins, becoming the talk of the digital advertising world. TikTok has statistically reached new heights never seen before in the social media stratosphere. This blog post discusses how TikTok ads stand out from their other social counterparts and shares some business advertisement opportunities.
The Social Media landscape is constantly changing; maybe it’s because there are several options available to use, or it could be because more and more business minds are discovering the exponential value in these online tools.
The Power of TikTok
Does anyone remember the video of Nathan Apodaca or commonly referred to as ‘420doggface208,’ chugging a bottle of Ocean Spray juice while listening to Fleetwood Mac as he approaches a freeway on his skateboard? Unless you were living under a rock in 2020, you must have seen this clip.
Apodaca’s video quickly blew up on TikTok. Some were even saying that this was the bright spot from what a very dark and dismal 2020. Shortly after posting, the video garnered plenty of attention, and he was the main reason Ocean Spray was selling its juice products at an incredibly high rate. Additionally, he also helped popularize a Fleetwood Mac hit song from the 1970s. People loved the video so much they began donating Apodaca money, and it didn’t stop there as Ocean Spray gifted Apodaca a brand new truck stocked with Ocean Spray juice. This story is evidence that anyone can go viral on TikTok. It is safe to say that if something happens, it happens on TikTok.
Audience Demographics: Who’s on TikTok?
While most TikTok users are Millennials and Gen Z, Gen X has a considerable uptick in TikTok activity.
Data coming straight from TikTok suggests that its U.S. audience is estimated at around 80 million monthly active users. 60% are females while 40% are male. With regards to age demographics, 60% of users are between the ages of 16-24. 26% are between the ages 25-44, and 80% are between the ages 16-34.
PERCENTAGE OF US-BASED TIKTOK USERS BY AGE (SEPT, 2021)
Why Advertisers Should Use TikTok
It’s no secret that social media is effective and easily accessible. In our current world dominated by a global pandemic, social media has become an outlet for more than ever before. The opportunities social platforms like TikTok provides for businesses are difficult not to notice.
Sprout social reports that ‘55% of consumers learn about new brands on social media.’ In addition to this, when you consider how crucial video is as a marketing tool, you appreciate platforms like TikTok who give even more reach to your video content and brand message.
Recently, many companies have started advertising via TikTok, and while TikTok ads are a relatively new practice, the results in the short term for many businesses look encouraging. The opportunity that reach and connectedness on TikTok alone can provide is truly unique, and it allows the app to stand out compared to other platforms.
As we dive into Q4, with the holidays right around the corner, social media holds the keys to how successful company ‘X’ or ‘Y’ can be. TikTok ads provide exceptional capabilities for companies to invest in when deciding how best to promote their brand. Especially those companies looking to target diverse audiences.
Additionally, businesses can use popular trends on TikTok to get exposure for their newly released products. For example, take the TikTok ‘Vogue Challenge‘, where individuals can edit their best photos, so much so that it appears that they are on a Vogue cover. In this situation, a clothing brand could use this ‘Vogue Challenge’ to promote a newly released clothing item while still participating in the trend.
Best Practice Tip:
Invideo, an online video editing tool that allows businesses to create video content across all industries, suggests, “Once a trend or hashtag hits the discover page, you have a maximum of 3-5 days to create content on it because it is already saturated.” Furthermore, “If the video has grown anywhere between 30-50% more overnight or is seeing a gradual growth over two days, it has the potential of blowing up. Now is the right time to jump on this trend.”
The first hashtag on the list is typically a sponsored trend, so it’s a good idea to leverage it. There is a high chance it is being boosted by TikTok or the brand responsible for it.
On the platform, there are a few niches that do particularly well with regards to garnering publicity. For example, cooking, real estate, and fitness have significant attractions on the app.
How Businesses Can Get Started On TikTok
TikTok has three avenues businesses can navigate:
Looking back at these three options, there is a mix of TikTok ads and organic options and they all carry many opportunities for a brand, but that is not to say that you must pick one of these three avenues and be stuck with it.
If company ‘X’ were to make a post and company ‘X’ doesn’t have a large following on TikTok, but they executed a very authentic and catchy placement. Company ‘X’ has the potential of catching the attention of 250,000 people on TikTok. Company ‘X’ will now be T.O.M. with this audience and potentially enjoy additional exposure to an even larger audience. This example is what happened to Apodaca’s fantastic video.
Some businesses use digital agencies to help them leverage the power of TikTok for their business. We’ve created an exhaustive guide to help you choose the right partner for you.
If you are looking to get started with influencer marketing on TikTok, look at the recently published TikTok creator list of 2021.
Measuring on TikTok
TikTok has an engagement hierarchy of sorts that prioritizes different Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Watch time is the KPI that TikTok values the most than other metrics such as shares and comments. Watch time is TikTok’s top priority engagement metric, which means that the platform is very organic, and companies need to take advantage of this when advertising. On many other social media platforms, users can buy likes or followers, which gives a misleading view of engagement metrics. On the contrary, with TikTok, individuals have to spend their own time watching your videos to receive publicity successfully.
As we begin Q4, and with 2022 on the horizon, you are probably considering different ways to put your company ahead of its competition. TikTok ads may not be for all businesses, but regardless, it is more than worth some thought considering what they can potentially bring to the table.
If you want to leverage the power of TikTok for your business, you’ve come to the right people. Let’s chat!