Intuition Media Group | Influencer Marketing Agency

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Should Brands Advertise on TikTok?

Yes, brands should advertise on TikTok because ads are generally better performing than alternatives.

From a fun video-sharing social media platform, TikTok continues to grow its network, building a marketing and advertising space catering to all brands and businesses worldwide. It has become a convenient channel for all users, particularly for marketers looking to expand their reach and introduce their products and services to a broader target market.

By combining commerce and entertainment into one social media network, TikTok serves as a go-between for sellers and brands to build meaningful relationships with buyers and sell out through video ads and campaigns.

TikTok's global user base is expected to soar to nearly 2 billion by the end of 2022. And its market is growing as more users turn to TikTok to use it as a search engine, sales, and communication channel–  a good reason for companies to be on TikTok to advertise brands and businesses.

Suppose you've already grown your business on other high-performing platforms like Facebook and Instagram but haven't yet on TikTok. In that case, you're missing out on a huge opportunity to leverage social media to increase your brand presence and promote your business to a larger market.

This blog post will help you discover how and why brands should advertise on TikTok.

Reasons Brands Should Advertise on TikTok

According to TikTok, 35% of its users discover products or brands from creators, and 39% consider products they see from creators’ videos. TikTok also boasts that 65% of its users enjoy it when a creator posts about brands or products– a few of all the figures vouching for why brands should advertise on TikTok.

And unlike Facebook where advertisements are quite different from the regular content that users post and see on their newsfeeds, TikTok ads are almost identical to the standard videos seen on users’ For You Pages– that you almost cannot differentiate from videos creators regularly post for entertainment.

Truth be told, people hate it when advertisements pop up and interrupt them from watching videos on Facebook, for example. They don’t like it when advertisements, particularly unskippable video ads, appear while using the platform. And no one would ever want their audience to hate their brand’s content ads.

On TikTok, 43% of users feel that the advertisements they see on the platform blend well with the content they see regularly. 56% of users also agree that they wouldn’t find branded content annoying on the platform– compared to almost half of the users’ population on other channels that report the ads they frequently see.

Additionally, TikTok users are apt to participate in posting and discussing brand content on TikTok compared to other social media platforms.

There are countless reasons why TikTok is ideal for your business. To make it as simple as possible, here are the top reasons why you should advertise your brand on TikTok:

1. Target Market

TikTok is home to a vast social network where all your target audience can be. There is a higher possibility that consumers will notice your brand and video ads on this channel as people are increasingly using TikTok as their primary shopping and entertainment platform.

The entertainment consumers get from branded posts on TikTok drives them to purchase products and become brand advocates. Similarly, 39% of these users believe that the key to making purchase decisions on this platform is "lifting spirits" from entertaining branded content. It also motivates them to follow brands and create a post and tutorials tagging these brands on TikTok over other social media platforms.

2. Organic Reach and Increased Engagement

Brands with large user bases see better post engagement when they effectively reach a wider audience through promotions and ads on TikTok. Also, brands can improve their organic reach by entertaining users with video ads that appear on their TikTok pages.

3. Your Brand is Among the In-Demands on TikTok

Companies on TikTok’s consumer top list are more likely to reach more audiences on TikTok– this includes fashion, beauty brands, environmental or eco-friendly, and gaming businesses. Marketers gain an advantage if their brand is in high demand and is among the most engaged spaces on TikTok. Nevertheless, even if your brand does not fall into one of these categories, TikTok's algorithm can help you reach more users and advertise your brand’s products and services. TikTok's algorithm will still determine the hyper-personalized content to show to which users.

Brand advertisements on TikTok can generate more traffic (and organic reach) to your website than promoting your business exclusively on other social media platforms. You are reaching more and more people to introduce your business and improve brand awareness– hence will give you faster and better results.

How To Effectively Advertise Your Brand on TikTok

If you plan to promote your brand on TikTok now, start by setting up your TikTok account. Next, note these things you need to consider to advertise your brand on TikTok effectively:

  1. Commence With Research. Always begin with research. Study your brand's target audience and potential competitors. This way, you can formulate your strategies, and you won’t be troubled by the issues you may encounter when you start. Likewise, you need to study TikTok’s advertising terms and policies to build a better strategy and goal outline.

  2. Define Goals and Create a Plan. Before investing in TikTok, determine your goals first and foremost and develop your advertising strategy. You'd want to start everything right to avoid bumpy roads on your advertising journey. It's also not a bad idea to reconsider whether TikTok is the best platform for promoting your brand—or whether TikTok can be a great advertising partner.

  3. Determine Target Audience. Know your brand’s audience, location, and demographics. There are over one billion TikTok users, and Gen Z and millennials make up most of the user population. Ask if your target market is on TikTok or not. You’d not want to invest in advertising on TikTok if your audience is not on that platform. However, you can always try doing so. Your brand may still reach your desired audience if it fits the market and interests the user base.

  4. Make Necessary Preparations. Try to build your buyer or customer persona and include budget planning and ad-launching techniques in your preparations. Determine what TikTok ad types and pricing are appropriate for your businesses and what to use for your promotion.

  5. Create Engaging Content. The success of your advertising strategies relies on the content you will create and post. You must create impactful and entertaining ad content that will leave an impression and connect deeply with your target audience. Compelling content will attract and drive users to buy your product or service while increasing your brand's unique engagement on TikTok.

Best Practices For Advertising on TikTok

Aside from launching paid advertisements on TikTok, one of the best ways to successfully promote your brand or business is to partner with or sponsor TikTok influencers with good profiles and following.

Creators and influencers do a lot to grow the number of users on TikTok. They are the primary reason many TikTok users enjoy using TikTok for shopping and entertainment. And the impact these creators and influencers have on their followers comes from the fact that they produce video content that their fans eagerly anticipate. That is why many brands are looking to partner with many TikTok influencers to drive sales and expand their business.

Followers also keep up with the influencers they support and are most likely to trust their insights and opinions about the products they promote or advertise. To leverage TikTok in advertising your brand to your target market, partner with influencers and give them and your audience the best reason to support and purchase your brand.

Also, don't just focus on generating sales and revenue for your business through TikTok ads. Stay connected with your audience and provide them with an approach to help them relate, feel, and remember your brand. And the most effective way to do so is by creating compelling content on TikTok.

Use the power of sound. 68% of TikTok users remember brands better through videos that feature popular songs and sounds– this sparks their curiosity and attracts them to learn more about the brand.

Notice the comment sections on every social media platform you use every day. When users post a video with unique music audio, most people will comment to ask what the title of that music is. Unrecognizable music and songs used in videos will pique their interest and prompt them to inquire.

TikTok Ads and Pricing

TikTok Ads is currently the market’s “most powerful” platform, according to Cision. And depending on the ad type, the cost can range from $50 (at a campaign level) and reach a hundred to a thousand dollars for marketers to start advertising their brands on TikTok.

TikTok allows marketers to choose their preferred ad types to promote their brand:

  • TopView Ads (~$65,000)

TopView Ads welcome TikTok users and show up on their For You feed when they open the application.

  • In-feed (Video) Ads ($50 minimum per ad campaign)

TikTok’s embedded and standard ad video format automatically plays on users’ For You Page. This ad format allows users to like, follow, comment, and share the video. Its features include a clickable call-to-action button for driving traffic to external pages, landing pages, or e-commerce sites.

  • Branded Hashtag Challenge (~$150,000 - $200,000)

Brands that actively participate in branded hashtag challenges are most likely to go viral and reach more users. Branded hashtag challenges include #IBoughtItSoYouDontHaveTo and #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, which are proven effective in influencing users to purchase products from brands.

The minimum requirement to spend on TikTok Ads is $500, and it can cost you more depending on the ad type you choose. If you’re looking to advertise your brand on TikTok at a lower cost, you can check for more advertising options via Tiktok’s 

Promote. Or, if you want to try to advertise on TikTok for free, you can always do this by creating worth watching videos, joining trends and challenges, and interacting with your followers to keep up with TikTok’s algorithm.

Advertise Your Brand on TikTok Now

TikTok reports that 44% of users discover products through videos posted by brands on the platform. And this discovery will lead more users to consider purchasing more and more products. As more consumers buy and share their product reviews on TikTok, more users will be encouraged to buy from brands that advertise on TikTok. Likewise, it will rev brand recognition along the process.

Manage your content on TikTok for effective brand advertising with the help of these tips:

  • Come up with a brand name and logo to help you stand out and be remarkable to TikTok users.

  • Boost impressions by leveraging TikTok’s features: discover unique music and add trending effects and edits to your video. Take advantage of TikTok’s features and incorporate them into your content to attract more audience to watch your videos and buy your products.

  • Make fun and viral videos and add relevant captions and trending hashtags to your post.

  • Timing is the key! Create content and take advantage of the occasions and holiday seasons when product purchases are higher.

75% of users on TikTok feel that the platform played a role in their purchases during the holiday season. Users believe TikTok ads and influencer content inspire and deliver new ideas to purchase and use products they see on TikTok.

Users can’t and won’t skip videos on TikTok so long as these interest them, especially when they see posts from their favorite influencers or creators. So, be sure to enhance your content to match TikTok’s algorithm.

Testimonials are essential and helpful in increasing engagement and impressions. So, make them spread the word for your brand! TikTok users who are satisfied with their purchases from marketers on TikTok have a higher possibility of promoting brands to their family and friends. Be sure to offer them something new and add a suspense effect to your video ads that will make your viewers look forward to what happens next.

Ultimately, ensure stability and document your campaign– this will help you study which part you should improve on and guarantee that you’re achieving your desired results from your brand advertisement on TikTok.

“Ready to get started and advertise your brand on TikTok?” Contact Us!