Michal Fuchs, Director of Influencers Marketing and Creators Community at Zoomd Technologies, looks at the key considerations for brand success on TikTok.

Over the last couple of years, a new social media network has stepped onto the stage, and it looks like it’s taking over. TikTok is everywhere; from the fields of EURO 2020 to the jerseys pf leading football clubs, and all the way to what feels like the smartphones of all the younger Millennials and Gen Zs, there’s no getting away from the newest social media network on the block.    

And they’ve got the numbers to boot (source: Influencer Marketing Hub):

• 1.1 billion active users worldwide
• Most downloaded app of 2020
• Users are on the app for 850 minutes on average per month
• 90 per cent of users open the app multiple times a day
• 89m US downloads in 2020
• 1m daily page views
• TikTok’s users are aging with the app, in some regions membership among 25-34 year-olds is higher than among 16-24s.
• 3rd fastest growing brand of 2020
• And the list goes on.

But it’s not just users who are getting excited about TikTok. Advertisers all over the world are coming to realize that TikTok is the place to be, and don’t want to miss out on the action. When compared to other leading social media networks, TikTok offers a better experience to its audience, which translates into impressive results for those advertisers bold enough to seize the opportunity. Specifically, TikTok offers lower CPMs and CPIs, greater reach and, last but definitely not least, access to highly-desirable, hard-to-reach demographics that aren’t on the older networks.

Brands are intimidated by the new rules of the game
Brands are acutely aware of the potential of the platform, with some like L’Oreal, Pepsi and EA Games already reaping the benefits. However, many brands are still sitting on the fence. With so much to be gained for TikTok advertisers, the only question is why?

TikTok answered just this question in a recent blog post they released aptly titled: Don’t Make Ads, Make TikToks. Bottom line is that it mostly comes down to knowhow. Brands that approach TikTok thinking that they can use the same old ad strategy are in for a surprise. TikTok is a unique social network that caters to an audience with different tastes, desires and expectations. Advertisers must adjust their strategy – and more importantly, their creatives – to the platform, or else face dismal results.

Here are some of the main differentiators.

The “Sound”
The platform is the first social network to focus on the sound, with catchy audio tracks often going viral. Audiences join the conversation by reinterpreting trending soundtracks and sharing them with their friends. Advertisers looking to succeed on TikTok need to devote significant resources to their audio content.

Shorter Creatives.
TikTok is all about short-form video content. Content was originally limited to just 15 seconds, but was recently extended to 60 seconds. This means that short, snappy creatives with clear, convincing CTAs are the best way to drive engagement. User engagement peaks within the first six seconds of the video and drops after just 22.

The Intro.
The road to success in TikTok starts at the start of the creative. A perfectly-timed combination of the right sound and visual from the get-go produces an attention-grabbing intro that delivers better engagement and overall performance.

Native video ads.
TikTok creatives work best when they’re created specifically for TikTok. The platform’s unique take on styling and other effects has taken its users by storm and they expect to see them used in TikTok creatives. What’s more, audiences on TikTok want to see authentic people, not actors or executive-looking stand-ins.

Brands looking to succeed on TikTok need to rethink their approach. Simply taking an existing creative and adapting it won’t cut it. Like it or not, to succeed on TikTok, brands need go back to the production room and start creating new ads produced from the ground-up for TikTok.

User acquisition and organic converge
Zoomd is lucky enough to count itself among a small, elite group of certified TikTok marketing partners worldwide, enabling our teams to provide our partners and clients with the high-performing, tailor-made solutions they need to shine on TikTok. Our custom approach to TikTok advertising leverages a unique creative campaign process that blends influencer marketing with paid performance to gain from the best of both worlds.

Here’s how it works: 

1. Leveraging our unique Creator Generated Content (CGC) community, we source the perfect creator for your audience and work with them to produce an optimized-for-TikTok video creative.
2. We then share their work, uploading the videos for the brand to generate the initial wave of engagement, which often creates a ripple effect when the audiences reinterpret the original creative and shares it with their friends.
3. We then either take the video as is or repurpose it, leveraging the right hashtag and paid promotion strategies for a combined organic/paid impact that expands reach across the entire network.
4. If the brand doesn’t already have one, we work with them and our partners at TikTok to help you create an official brand channel on the platform and also link all previous and new creatives to it to start generating followers.

This method has proved successful for a variety of different brands and industries. However, we can’t stress enough the importance of using the right hashtags to expand reach and of constantly refreshing existing content and producing new creatives to reduce ad fatigue.

Partner with Zoomd to better navigate advertising on TikTok
As experts on everything advertising on TikTok, we’ve developed a robust service aimed at helping our clients make the most out of this exciting new channel. Our suite of services delivers a comprehensive solution covering everything from User Acquisition to creative production, Influencer Marketing and everything in between.

Our status as certified TikTok marketing partners makes us the ultimate go-to partner for anyone considering advertising on TikTok. Daily meetings with our TikTok reps enable us to deliver better results via access to unique insights on creative performance. What’s more, we’re the first to know about new trends, filters, hashtags, and can help with the verification process – and all that it includes – with our TikTok partners.

Here’s what we can handle:

User Acquisition: There’s no better time to start with paid advertising on TikTok than NOW! Audiences are still excited about the novel social network and most brands still haven’t jumped into the water just yet. This means that CPM prices are low, making it easier to generate impressive ROAS. 

CGC Video Content: Our unique CGC service produces high-impact native video ads that deliver impressive results. Our creative expertise on TikTok enables a streamlined content producing flow that covers:

• Talent sourcing: We find and liaison with the right talent for your budget and brand.
• Onboarding: Briefing the talent to ensure that your brand message gets across in the right way for TikTok.
• A-Z fast paced production: From talent location to creative concepts, our  laser-focused, fast-paced culture and mentality produce high-quality creatives, faster than the rest.
• Hashtag strategy: In-depth analysis of trending hashtags produces a winning hashtag strategy that extends the reach of your campaigns.
• Creative asset vetting: Creating a TikTok video that gets results is easier said than done. As mentioned earlier in the article, it takes a mix of the right sound, Creator, intro and script to get it right. We work directly with your talent to ensure that the creative they produce will get the results that you paid for.

We’d be thrilled to learn more about your advertising needs on TikTok. Contact us to learn more.

About the author
Michal Fuchs is Zoomd Director of Influencers Marketing and Creators Community. Michal arrives to Zoomd from Performance Revenues with over 10 years of experience in the online marketing arena, with wide experience in promoting mobile apps on various traffic channels.