TikTok: what it is and how it helps businesses

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TikTok is an increasingly popular social network created in 2018 by ByteDance, a Beijing-based company. The site has already become the object of scandals: the social network was accused of secretly collecting personal data of users and discriminatory censoring of videos, not to mention the ban on the platform in India and the United States. However, for 2021, TikTok has a daily active audience of 41 million people worldwide.

The secret to TikTok’s popularity is its format. Unlike Instagram, which prioritizes photos, TikTok content consists of short viral videos up to 1-3 minutes long. Due to the peculiarities of this format, distrust of the site arises and myths are born.

Myth one: all TikTok videos are meaningless trash, consisting of mouth opening to music, strange challenges and dances. The first myth is related to TikTok algorithms: the site shows new users the most popular videos, which are most often meaningless. In order to customize your feed, filter the proposed content for several days: mark interesting videos, watch them to the end, put likes, and mark “dislike” to uninteresting videos. Then the TikTok recommended video feed minimizes the content of popular trash videos and challenges.

The second myth: TikTok users consist only of schoolchildren and adolescents According to Mediascope, more than 20 million people use the social network in Europe. Of these, the majority of those registered are between 25-34 years old (25.2%) and 35-44 years old (19.6%). Users under 18 make up 17.3% of the total. Total: about 16 million TikTok users are over 18 years old, and more than half of the social network users are over 25 years old.

If the subject of your business allows, you will find your client at TikTok. Social media marketing tools are different from Instagram or Facebook marketing tools. The main goal of an advertising campaign comes down to one thing – 10% of the technical component, 90% of creativity.

Tik Tok offers customers 5 ways to promote:

• Hashtag Challenge. These are banner ads that appear in search sections and tell potential buyers about recent activities. In 80% of cases, this type of advertising is used by Tiktokers, who have already gained popularity among users. Either musical jingles or branded hashtags are integrated into the video. Advertising on TikTok is expensive and the launch of the Hashtag Challenge is measured in dollar terms. Hashtag Challenge works like this: influencers shoot videos and post them on the profile according to the challenge. These videos get 500,000 views from other influencers and end up in the users’ feed. The latter began to participate in the competition. As a result, user-generated content covers an audience 3-4 times larger than the predicted one. Videos are tracked by hashtag. When launching such ads, choose famous influencers who gain thousands of views on a single video.
• Brand Takeover. The banner ad that appears in the user’s feed takes up the full screen. The video lasts from 3-5 seconds. This is the first thing that a user sees when entering the site. We recommend that you accompany the video with a direct link or hashtag to go to another brand page or the official website of the company.
• In-feed Native Video. Short videos up to 15 seconds long. Videos appear in the users’ feed while scrolling. The average viewing time is 10 seconds. Such videos are aimed at likes, comments, re-posts or transitions. Interactive mechanics. Also, you can use paid service and just buy followers on tiktok to promote your account instantly.
• AR or additional reality are used with the publication. Brands are promoted through stickers, masks, and other creative social media elements. You can add elements in 2D or 3D. First of all, we recommend using this type of advertising to organize brand acquaintance with potential buyers.
• Another option for promoting goods and services is to order advertising from bloggers. Helpful influencers are more likely to come to TikTok from Instagram or Facebook. For example, two years ago, the Guess brand launched an advertising campaign in which bloggers first appeared in old clothes, and a few seconds later appeared in front of the public, trying on branded items. The videos were distributed under the hashtag #inmydenim. Users liked the creative video, who then began to shoot their own videos in such formats, marking them with the appropriate hashtag.

Please note that the launch of advertising on the TikTok social network must be negotiated directly with the site administration. However, unlike other social networks, the TikTok administration is closed and only large brands can reach it the first time. Small and medium business representatives will not have enough one try to discuss the details.

Also limited targeted advertising in terms of recruiting mechanics. There is geography, type of connection and operating system, gender. However, the audience of the social network is the same, so focus on the four main metrics of an advertising campaign – likes, comments, hashtags and the number of conversions.

For entrepreneurs who are just mastering the Tik Tok platform, we recommend starting with an advertising campaign using a hashtag. You can either join an existing hashtag that’s popular but doesn’t advertise for another specific brand, or start from scratch by bringing in bloggers or other influencers. A striking example of a successful advertising campaign is the Coca Cola challenge. Social media users shoot creative videos featuring a bottle of drink, but use Tik Tok tools. The number of hashtag views is over six million.

Please note that TikTok is not suitable for complex products or services, the essence of which cannot be understood from the first seconds. The existing marketing strategy of the platform includes mass markets offering clothes, shoes or cosmetics, as well as brands like Nike, Coca Cola, Adidas. Such products are intelligently integrated into TikTok advertising formats.

Remember the limitation – an ad video should not last more than 15 seconds, given that, on average, a user watches an ad for 5-10 seconds. Do not overstretch your ad. Let the video or photo be sharpened not for sale, but for entertainment. Surprise your audience and thereby reduce the time to make a purchase decision to 5 seconds.

Create your TikTok business account. You will be able to develop your own promotion strategy in the new popular social network. Promote your TikTok account and start making money on it. Get first views and instant tiktok likes faster than competitors.