Is TikTok a Good Place to Advertise?

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Photo by cottonbro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-using-a-smartphone-5082579/

We all know how big TikTok is! Over one billion people use it monthly, making it a social media juggernaut in the last three years. As a brand, it would be foolish not to consider it a key marketing platform.

When it comes to digital advertising, TikTok is the place to be, especially if you have a younger audience. With TikTok, your content gets seen by the right people because it’s affordable and accessible. The authenticity of TikTok is what makes it so popular. Unlike other platforms, YouTube videos are raw and honest.

Advertise on TikTok in different ways

  • In-feed

Ads on TikTok are similar to those on Instagram. By embedding an In-Feed Ad, you can automatically play a video ad on your target audiences For You Page (FYP). Users swipe up to view your ads in sequence like every other video in the app.

  • TopView

Upon opening the TikTok app, users are presented with the first TopView video. Brands can deliver more detailed messaging with these ads up to 60 seconds long. Through the video, your brand’s product or service can be learned about by users who follow a CTA.

  • Brand Takeovers

Users will see full-screen videos when they open the TikTok app rather than regular videos. Videos can’t be liked or commented on. Consider Brand Takeovers as YouTube’s non-skippable ads. They typically last 3 to 5 seconds. 

  • Branded effects

Users can use branded stickers, filters, and effects to personalize their video content with customized effects. You can incorporate these effects into a Branded Hashtag Challenge or as a standalone campaign. On TikTok, Veet created a branded effect for its hair-removal product.

While creating TikTok ads, keep the following in mind:

  1. Your videos should be vertical, with a 9:16 aspect ratio.
  2. Ideally, your videos should be between 10 and 15 seconds long.
  3. Keep people’s attention with something impactful.
  4. Brand name, logo, and CTA should be the key elements.
  5. Make sure there is background music playing.
  6. Captions should be short and sweet, with a call to action.

Selling vs. Building a brand on TikTok

Making sales and building brands are two different things. It’s crucial to build brand awareness as part of your TikTok strategy. At the end of the day, nothing is possible without sales. Video product placements are done primarily for awareness purposes, but they can also have a significant effect on sales.

What about TikTok if other platforms offer in-app shopping?

For the first time, Shopify and TikTok will allow consumers to shop directly from the TikTok app. As part of the newly formed partnership, TikTok posts will link to products within Shopify merchants’ profiles and have a shopping tab. The feature should be available to all brands by the end of 2022.

Is TikTok advertising expensive?

A brand must spend at least $500 on every TikTok campaign to get a $10 CPM (cost per 1000 views). A Brand Takeover costs $50,000 per day, but you get 5 million impressions. There will be a weekly cost of $150,000 for hashtag challenges.