TikTok has been getting a lot of attention as a platform in 2020. Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably set up an account and observed some of the viral content that goes around on this app.
It’s getting a lot of eyeball attention and continues to do so as of writing this post (2020). The app continues to grow and is now available in forty languages in over 150 markets around the globe. What makes things even more interesting is that it currently has 800 million active users worldwide.
Impressive right?
So should you be considering TikTok as a platform for your eCom brand? Can it help you to drive attention to your brand?
If you want to engage with the consumers of tomorrow, then businesses have an opportunity to converse with new and enthusiastic audiences on TikTok.
When you can break international barriers with a fun, entertaining and easy to use communication tool, anyone could become a customer of your shopping brand.
What is TikTok Anyway?
Good question!
The mobile app originates from China and was formerly known as musical.ly. Musical.ly was created to encourage better quality social media interactions. Users could do this through short (a minute or under) videos that feature easy to add music overlays and easy to use editing capabilities.
The userbase could create better quality content quicker and with ease. What simply started as an application to share lip-syncing videos, grew into a creative space boasting a hundred million daily users.
TikTok videos usually involve music, dancing, or people acting out meme scenes from movies. Every user can record and upload one-off videos of up to 15 seconds or looping ones of 30 seconds. Like other social media platforms, such as Instagram or Snapchat, it’s the most talented and entertaining users who gain the most followers and become micro-celebrities in their own right.
TikTok analyzes the videos users watch and instantaneously suggests other clips to watch. This keeps the userbase hooked on the platform. Users can also search for specific topics by clicking on hashtags. This all sounds very familiar if we are to go by the current social media apps we work with today. Content is still king and it’s what drives your brand’s growth and engagement.
Why Is It So Popular?
TikTok is the latest in adapting live streaming to social media platforms. Sharing real-time experiences with an audience builds on user experience. Social media began with text, developed into images and then to video. With each development that came along, application developers made it easier to consume content than the previous version of social media.
The live streaming element offers users the ability to show information and communicate with viewers while the information is being relayed. The streamer appears more approachable to the audience encouraging them to interact with others viewing the live stream and potentially with the profile holder.
The content on TikToK is energetic and upbeat. As the app has grown in popularity, so has its database of celebrities. They too are partaking in content creation and building out their social profile. With quarantine alive and kicking over the COVID-19 pandemic, users are quick to log into TikTok for a seemingly never-ending stream of quick laughs and amusement. It’s an easy dopamine hit at the tap of a finger.
So How Can You Adapt TikTok To Your Shopping Brand?
TikTok can be a clever combination of fun, relatable content, as well as information in short bursts. It’s a great way of connecting with consumers through high quality, visual storytelling content.
TikTok is all about user-generated, authentic content. There is no need for flashy cameras or studio lights for your video production. Videos are more likely to go viral when filmed in a casual setting. This also creates a common ground between you, the brand and your target audience.
Like Instagram “influencers”, you can partner up with a TikTok “creator” who will help humanize your brand. With these sponsored posts, you can have millions of eyeballs watching them, ensuring your business gets some fantastic exposure.
You can also run ads on the platform to get in front of your audience. To make your ad work, you have to show your funny side. Kids using the video app are far more likely to engage with authentic content than a slick, polished ad.
How Do You Advertise on TikTok?
When it comes to advertising on TikTok, the majority of your marketing spend should be invested in creating content that connects with the values of your target consumer.
TikTok offers several options for advertisers to reach their target demographic.
They offer multiple ad formats to choose from including:
Brand Takeovers
What this does is allow you to capitalise on the space available on mobile and computer devices. Whenever your advertisement plays, it occupies all the space on the users feed so to encourage customers to click if interested and move to a linked landing page.
A great way to encourage foot traffic to your webpage. However, this kind of branding is limited to only ONE advertiser per day right now.
Branded Lenses
Just like the alternative reality (AR) filters on Instagram and Snapchat, TikTok’s branded lenses allow users to tell stories using 3D stickers and face-altering filters. AR lenses encourage huge levels of engagement, with millions tuning in to see how popular users transform their hairstyle or makeup.
Creating Branded Lenses is one of the best ways to stand out on TikTok. It can be left running for around 10 days and have the opportunity to be ranked in the ‘Hot’ or ‘Trending’ tab for the first 5 days and spots 6-10 for the next 5 days. Just like Hashtag Challenges, Branded Lenses have the opportunity to blow up!
Biddable Advertising
Adding a quick and concise advertising video is a possibility with TikTok’s biddable ads. The app allows you to slot in marketing material without disrupting a users feed while they’re scrolling through.
Biddable ads offer the ability to narrow down your audience using demographic filters such as age, gender and location.
TikTok Ads Offer Three Models
Cost Per View (CPV): Allows advertisers to pay based on the viewers looking at the advertising. Ad length must be six seconds.
Cost Per Impression (CPM): Allows advertisers to pay every time the ad is featured in a users feed.
Cost Per Click (CPC): Allows advertisers to pay any time their advertisement is clicked.
HashTag Challenges
Hashtag Challenges allow a business to engage with its audience further and attract new followers. A Hashtag Challenge offers the potential to spark a trend and drive users to create a video whilst using your hashtag. This type of advertisement is really easy to measure with clicks, views, and the number of user-generated videos etc.
Case Study –
The American home decor company Kroegers introduced the #TransformUrDorm challenge with the help of four of TikTok’s biggest stars. They encouraged users to upload before and after decor pictures of their dorm rooms using the above-mentioned hashtag. As a result, they were able to bring in 447 million views over all the different tagged user videos.
How To Make Your Promotions Work on TikTok
TikTok is a quirky, unpredictable platform. So to make your ad work you have to show your funny side. Kids using the video app are far more likely to engage with authentic content than a slick polished ad.
The last thing you want to convey on TikTok is your shy side. Stand out and be fun and entertaining. Take risks & think outside of the box!
Should You Use TikTok To Advertise Your eCom Brand?
The short answer I have for you on this is…
Only if it suits your business objectives and audience demographics.
There is no denying that TikTok is a great platform with advertising capabilities that could increase your brand awareness substantially if a trend was to occur, but if your target audience doesn’t use the platform, it might not be worth your investment.
It’s worth noting that while TikTok’s current audience is predominantly young teens and adults, social networks do tend to be adopted by younger audiences first, and then make their mark on older demographics.
So it still might be worthwhile to learn more about the platform to stay ahead of the curve, even if TikTok isn’t the right fit for your business at this point in time.
Just remember this…
Facebook was a disruptive game-changer back in the mid 2000’s and they also had a young audience to start with. We all know how that platform grew to accommodate various age groups around the world.
When it comes to e-commerce, it’s whoever adapts best to change that wins. Will that be your brand?
We at Byrne Media have experimented a little with TikTok ads in the past. We see great potential with this platform for eCom brands operation in certain markets. We want to experiment more with this platform for our clients. Perhaps we’ll write up a case study at some point to convey some of the results we got from this platform.
Till then we’ll be keeping a close eye on TikTok’s progress and update you guys when possible.
