The Time is Now for TikTok

Two recent reports speak to TikTok’s emergence – and the opportunity it presents for marketers.

The first, Kantar’s annual Media Reactions report, cited TikTok as the most innovative global media brand for the third straight year. That report also showed that marketers are gaining trust in the platform, which is a rarity in 2022.

The second, from eCommerce analytics tool Triple Whale, shows that eCommerce brands spent 60% more in Q2 2022 than in Q1. 

That said, overall TikTok ad spend is still a small fraction of what marketers spend on Google and Facebook, so there’s plenty of room on the bandwagon. In this post, we’ll look at which brands should get a move on, what kind of content they need, and what they can expect, maturity-wise, from the advertising platform features.

What kinds of brands should test TikTok?

Any B2C brands with a younger demographic are great candidates for TikTok. Notably, businesses in the fashion, food, and self-improvement categories have seen exponential growth on the platform. Digital-first companies are also enjoying TikTok’s boom because of their huge international footprint. (Fun fact: TikTok auto-translates captions for advertisers!)

An important note: TikTok’s audience skews heavily toward Gen Z and Millennial users. If your target audience trends older, you’ll need to adjust expectations. And videos that work on LinkedIn, Facebook, or YouTube may not appeal as strongly to TikTok users.

What kind of content should brands prioritize for TikTok?

TikTok engagement has proven incredibly high for fast-paced, entertaining, and attention-grabbing clips. Short promotional videos that spark curiosity, make the user laugh, or pose thumb-stopping questions are great to test. For example, a popular tactic in fashion is to show a quick makeup tutorial (before/after) or a person modeling outfits.

With TikTok being such a fast-paced place for content, it’s important to stand out, so don’t be afraid to try wacky ideas you haven’t seen in your feed before.

What adjustments should brands expect to make with TikTok advertising?

As a newer platform, TikTok is still testing and innovating their ad offerings. That being said, some ad types (for instance, in-feed ads) won’t be as effective or suitable as others for your bottom line. Their ‘TopView’ and ‘Branded Hash Tag Challenge' ad types are also available for larger branding campaigns but shouldn’t be prioritized for direct response goals.

Ads MUST be visually compelling, even more than on other channels. The creative strategy is quite different from other mainstream platforms; ads are heavily reliant on video to drive results. Other social networks, like Facebook, allow for more ‘written copy’ to run with videos.

As a highly innovative platform, TikTok can present an overwhelming amount of options when building a fresh campaign. Deciding which strategy is best for your company can feel daunting. If you’re working with an agency partner (like JDM!), they likely have a lot of experience testing TikTok with other accounts, so lean on your contacts to develop a roadmap before your competitors are flooding the feed.