We’ve all heard of the latest social media platform, TikTok. When new social media platforms come out, brands see it as a marketing opportunity to reach and engage more of their audiences. So what does marketing on TikTok look like? 

TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media platforms to date, setting the record for the most downloads in a single quarter for a social app at 315 million installs. It’s not only an app used by Gen Z and Millennials to post dance challenge videos. With over 800 million users worldwide, it’s no surprise that many brands have quickly jumped onboard to capitalize on the potential that TikTok can bring to their marketing efforts and overall business goals. 

So how can you make marketing on TikTok work for you? 

TikTok is a social media app that allows users to share short-form video content. Users are encouraged to engage with other users through “response” videos or by means of “duets”, where users can duplicate videos and add themselves alongside. When you use the app, you navigate through videos by scrolling up and down, like a feed. As the platform gains more popularity, the types of video content becomes increasingly diverse. You can watch videos from stand-up comedians, skateboarders showcasing their skills to pranks, dancers and fashion buffs. 

TikTok is most popular with Gen Z, however Millennials and Baby Boomers are increasingly starting to use the platform. In the U.S., there are 30 million monthly active users where the average time spent on the app is approximately 46 minutes a day. 

Teenagers are not the only ones using the platform. TikTok is also widely popular with celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon, Snoop Dogg and Kendall Jenner. Global brands are also joining TikTok as they have recognized the opportunity to engage with their younger audiences through the social media platform. Brands like Chipotle, Gymshark, and Red Bull have seen huge success with TikTok. 

On the app, there are two pages that users can browse - ‘Following’ and ‘For You’ pages. The ‘Following’ page displays content from other users that you follow. The ‘For You’ page allows users to explore new content that TikTok’s system recommends based on your interest. Some of the factors that influence a user’s interest are:

• User interactions: such as liking, sharing and commenting on videos. 

• Video information: such as the caption, sounds and hashtags.

• Device and account settings: such as your language preference, country setting and device type. 

As you continually use the app, the system will gradually learn what you like and don’t like. As a result, each user’s ‘For You’ page is unique to that individual.

We’ll go over the four main ways to use TikTok for marketing: 

1. Create a branded channel

2. Collaborate with influencers

3. Hashtag challenges

4. Advertising 

1. Create a branded channel

Posting content on your branded channel is relatively quick and inexpensive. Most videos on TikTok can be filmed from the comfort of your home! Follow trending hashtags and get involved with the latest memes, then apply it to your brand. As a brand, you want to engage with your audience to get more views, likes, and comments on your content. Work with TikTok’s algorithm to make sure that your content lands on your audience’s ‘For You’ page. Here are some factors that can help you get more spotlight on the TikTok feed.

Hashtags and Captions

The ideal caption for TikTok should be short and catchy. TikTok is a mobile-first video platform so captions that are short tend to yield better results. Within the caption, you should include relevant hashtags on your video. As you browse through TikTok, you’ll notice the following hashtags on content such as #ForYou, #ForYouPage, and #FYP. According to a statement from TikTok, those hashtags do not guarantee that your video will land on a user's ‘For You’ page. However, Vice highlights that they do help increase the likelihood of surfacing on more ‘For You’ pages. 

Following trending hashtags is also a great way to boost your chances of landing on more ‘For You’ pages. TikTok allows users to see how many views a particular hashtag has gained. The hashtag with a large number of views are proving to be favored content. However, it is vital that you only use the hashtag if it is relevant to your content. So find relatable hashtags that will help people discover your channel and inform the TikTok algorithm about what your channel and content is about. 

Trending songs and sounds

Similar to hashtags, using trending songs and sounds can help increase visibility of your video on people’s ‘For You’ page. To see the trending TikTok sounds, you’ll have to go into TikTok’s video editor. From there, you can browse through a range of different songs and sounds that are currently popular amongst users.

2. Collaborate with influencers 

One of the most popular ways to use TikTok for marketing is through TikTok influencers. As a brand, you can partner with these influencers and leverage their audience and communities to market your product or service. When it comes to TikTok influencer marketing, there are some factors to consider to ensure success with your influencer campaign.

• Set measurable goals and results. Consider the end goal for your TikTok influencer campaign. Do you want to encourage users to buy a product or drive user generated content (UGC)? Ensure your metrics are measurable so you can continually test and optimize your TikTok influencer marketing strategy.

• Know your target audience. Firstly, only use a TikTok influencer marketing strategy if you know your target audience is on TikTok. Secondly, don’t assume that the TikTok creator with the highest amount of followers will be the most impactful. Do your research and determine which influencers will generate the most meaningful engagement. 

• Choose the right influencer for your brand. It is vital that you choose an influencer that is a good fit for your brand and your target audience. Consumers nowadays can easily recognize disingenuous advertisements, which deters them from engaging with a brand. Therefore, your chosen influencer should have interests and values that authentically match with those of your brand. In addition, make sure the influencer has a proven track record of delivering high quality content and was able to yield positive engagement. 

3. Hashtag challenges 

Hashtags are essential features of TikTok’s community, particularly hashtag challenges. TikTok estimates that over 35% of their users participate in hashtag challenges. They significantly drive up engagement as users are quick to jump onto the latest trending hashtag challenge. 

A popular hashtag challenge was Chipotle’s #guacdance challenge. On National Avocado Day, Chipotle encouraged their audience to share dance moves dedicated to guacamole, using the #guacdance. It generated over 1 billion views - safe to say that the campaign was a huge success and sales increased significantly. 

4. Advertising

Lastly, you can run ads on TikTok like any other social media platform. Here are some of the most common ways that you can advertise on TikTok.

In-feed ads

These types of video ads blend in seamlessly with TikTok’s feed as you scroll through the ‘For You’ page. The style of in-feed ads resembles TikTok videos, with the brand logo, like, comment and share icons on the side. However, there is an added CTA button at the bottom of the ad which encourages users to complete a desired action. 

Brand takeover ads 

These ads appear when a user opens the TikTok app, which allows the brands to immediately grab the user’s attention. TikTok only offers one brand to take over a certain category per day. These ads help brands deliver mass awareness and drive direct sales as you encourage users to click on a CTA to visit a landing page. 

Branded hashtag challenge ads 

Hashtag challenges play a huge part in TikTok’s culture and community. The opportunity to build awareness and recognition with hashtag challenge videos is predominantly why brands are also creating and sponsoring their own hashtag challenge. These are called Branded Hashtag Challenges. There are two main components to Branded Hashtag Challenges: a sponsored banner on TikTok’s Discover page and a sponsored challenge page.

When a user clicks on the sponsored hashtag banner, it takes them to the hashtag challenge page which has information about the challenge and a link to the brand’s website landing page. 

Branded stickers and effects

TikTok offers branded shareable stickers, filters, and lenses that users can incorporate in their videos. These branded effects last up to 10 days at a time and is a creative way for users to directly engage with your brand.

Amplify your brand awareness with TikTok marketing

Now that you have an idea of how powerful TikTok marketing can potentially be for your brand, you’re probably wondering how do I implement marketing on TikTok? At 3 tier logic, we help brands launch promotions and loyalty programs. To supplement these programs, we also provide Amplification Services, including TikTok marketing, email marketing, influencer marketing and access to targeted user communities, to help brands increase their reach and drive sales and purchases. Get access to millions of new consumers and start converting them into lifelong brand advocates. Ask our team about our Amplification Services today.