Digital marketing tips for marketing on TikTok

The newest uncharted landscape for social media marketing is TikTok.

TikTok, the app used to make 15-second videos, is becoming the next target for the marketing world.

Here’s how you can be a part of it.

Why TikTok?

Unlike other social media sites, like Twitter and Snapchat, TikTok has yet to be overrun by ads and is a prime spot to get more attention with less competition. Because of the format of the platform, TikTok offers creative ways to engage with customers.

On TikTok, you can take advantage of the audio and video features the site has to offer to create eye-catching ads that make its users want to know more about your product.

The app has been used by big names like Grubhub, Apple, Fenty Beauty, and Nike, who have recognized the potential that TikTok marketing has.

With the network’s notoriously young user base, this is a great way to appeal to people younger than 30. Even if your target demographic isn’t teenagers and young adults, it can still be a good investment to learn about TikTok. Social media apps tend to start off with a large majority of younger users and then expand to older demographics.

Things to Consider

Because there’s a limited number of advertisers on the app, it can be a bit pricey to publish ads. You can spend anywhere from $500 to $300,000. But even with a limited budget, you can still make the most of the platform.

Another consideration would be the standing executive order that will effectively ban TikTok in the US if it is not bought out by a US company. However, if US operations of the app are taken over by Microsoft, the current front runner to broker a deal, it can expand the size of the marketing pool significantly.

How to Start

To begin, you need to make a TikTok Ad account. This process may be longer than you’d expect. Because this feature is in beta mode, you must enter your information online and wait for someone from TikTok’s management team to set up your account.

This can take up to 48 hours to complete. Once it’s set up, you will be contacted, and you’re ready to begin your campaign.

Next, you specify your goals. Do you want to increase traffic, conversions, or app installations?

What’s your budget? You can choose between a total or daily budget, but both have to be at least $500.

Next, you pick who you’d like to see your ads by choosing the different target demographics. It even gives you the option to market on related video apps, like BuzzVideo.

The account will let you set up the time of day your ads will be displayed, how you want to spread out your budget, and the way you want to optimize your campaign. You get three options for optimization goals.

The first goal you can choose is optimizing for the greatest conversion. This means your product will be shown to people who are most likely to buy it, thus increasing your conversion rate. You can even use a smart optimization feature that changes your bid throughout the day to get the highest conversion rate.

The second optimization goal for the greatest amount of clicks. With this, you will pay every time someone clicks on your ad or the cost per click (CPC).

The third goal is optimizing for the greatest impression. This one requires you to pay for every thousandth impression, or cost per mile (CPM).

Then, there are the ad campaign types. One option is the brand takeover. TikTok will choose one brand a day to promote, and your ad will pop up as soon as the user opens the app.

Another is in-feed advertising. These are ads that are seen in the user's video feed with regular content creators.

Last is the hashtag challenge. These are a fun ways to get users to interact with your brand. For about 6 days, you can sponsor a hashtag and TikTok users can create videos based on it.

Do’s and Don’ts

When it comes to video creation, TikTok has you covered. The network gives you access to easy-to-use templates and more than 300 royalty-free background tracks.

For choosing images, keep in mind it will be enlarged on a viewer’s device, so make sure it’s clear.

Don’t ask too much. Your call to action should be direct and straightforward.

Put essential information in center view and not down in the ad description. And be mindful that the ad description only allows for 80 characters.

Most importantly, experiment with your approach and pay attention to what works.

If you follow these tips, you’ll be on your way to having a successful ad campaign.