TikTok Marketing: A Guide for Your Brand

Dance trends, challenges, and lip-sync videos--oh my! By serving up short and sweet entertaining videos, TikTok has quickly become a phenomenon with users of all ages. The social media app has rapidly become one of the hottest platforms on the scene with reportedly over 800 million monthly active users.

TikTok was initially launched in 2016 by the Chinese company, ByteDance, and was later purchased by Music.ly. By 2020, TikTok was named the seventh largest social media network in the world. Its easy-to-use video editing tools have quickly become the hype allowing users to gain viral success. According to a study in January of 2020 by SensorTower, which provides companies with data and insights for mobile apps, TikTok was the most downloaded app in the world.

Why are brands turning to TikTok?

The vast majority of TikTok users post content that is entertaining and of a positive nature, which is very appealing to marketers who are looking for new ways to engage with consumers. The advertisements are also video-based, allowing companies to post both paid and organic content simultaneously without much disruption for the user. This, along with its rapid growth, is providing businesses with a unique opportunity to reach new and larger audiences all over the world. 

Many companies have found a way to build a unique and interactive personality on TikTok, and according to SocialBakers, the following ten brands are the ones leading the way:

• NBA - Shares motivational content of players on the court 
• The Washington Post - Produces comical videos of employees and pranks in the office 
• Gymshark - Posts funny fitness memes and challenges 
• MAC Cosmetics - Shares behind the scenes videos on the runway 
• Chipotle - Shares delicious food videos 
• Calvin Klein - Features videos of their popular models 
• BMW - Posts dance moves with their vehicles 
• Crocs - Hired famous rapper Post Malone as their ambassador for videos 
• Burberry - Launched a challenge to promote a new monogram collection 
• Mercedes-Benz - Highlights influencers in a logo challenge

Top performing content

What differentiates TikTok from other social networks is its trend culture, which embraces multiple people’s tastes by offering something for everyone. The type of content that performs the best on TikTok is usually an original video that is a spin-off of an existing trend such as a popular dance move. A perfect example is rapper Drake’s “Toosie Slide.” According to NPR, Toosie shared his dance creation, along with a strategic leak of the song snippet, on social media and fans took the moves to TikTok immediately. The song subsequently debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

While the dance trends are hot, there are plenty of other videos that are going viral that include animals, lip syncs, fitness workouts, challenges, pranks, and more. If you’re not sure where to start, TikTok features a Discovery Page where you can find trending hashtags based on your geographical location. 

The algorithm

Why has TikTok been growing so quickly? The science behind the algorithm comes down to the popular #ForYouFeed that serves up targeted videos to users based on their interests. Some of the factors that are weighed in include hashtags used, location, music choices, and previously “liked” videos. 

Since videos are targeted to specific audiences and are 60 seconds or less, users don’t get bored easily. The algorithm takes into account how much a video is watched, how many likes, comments, and shares it has and users become hooked to the viral videos. Another driving factor is trending interests because it allows you to connect with more users.

“You can never go wrong by investing in communities and the human beings within them.” – Pam Moore, CEO of Social Media Agency, Marketing Nutz

Learn more about the science behind the TikTok algorithm.  

TikTok ads

With its surge in growth and rising popularity, TikTok is most definitely prime real estate for marketers to promote their brand. A well-targeted campaign can help boost sales, drive website traffic, increase engagement, and more. TikTok actually offers an easy-to-use ad platform that is designed to help businesses and brands advertise worldwide.

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Depending on your budget, you have the opportunity to run a daily or lifetime campaign. Similar to other social networks, you can target your audience by demographics such as gender, location, age, and interests. TikTok also offers different types of ad formats based on how and where you would like your advertisements placed. For example, the ad can run in a feed, you can choose from different effects, or you can select a branded hashtag campaign. These are just a few of the many options offered, and as a marketer, you have a unique opportunity to choose what type of ad will work best for your brand. 

Learn more about how to get started creating content and advertising on TikTok.