To use TikTok as a marketing platform, you need not only to understand the principles of setting up advertising, but also to understand the essence of the social network itself. So if you want to advance in TikTok, be patient, charge your smartphone and dive into watching tiktokers’ videos.

What is Tik Tok?

Back in 2017, TikTok was a little-known application that was popular mainly among Asians, and in 2019 TikTok outscored Instagram and took second place among the most-downloaded free applications.

In April 2020, the number of downloads reached 2 billion and the number of active users — 800 million. 

Why is the app so likable?

TikTok is built on video content. Users aka tictokers post short vertical videos lasting 15 (sometimes 60) seconds and interact with their subscribers. These are usually entertaining videos with a simple plot: covers on other users' videos, challenges, experiments, videos of creative processes, etc.

The resource is aimed at young people, as 41% of the audience are people in age 16-24 years. There are 56% of male users, and 44% of female users in Tik Tok.

The average user opens the application at least 8 times a day and uses it for 52 minutes.

Advertising in TikTok: what should you know

Despite app`s popularity, the advertising market in it still remains a complete mystery, which is very different from the structured system of other social networks.

However, such uncertainty did not prevent TikTok from becoming the advertising platform that had the fastest pace of development in 2019, according to AppsFlyer statistics.

The special feature of TikTok advertising is that it is gently integrated into the content and not imposed on consumers.

Advertising account

TikTok does not have an advertising account as other social networks do. You can only agree on launching a marketing campaign directly with the administration of the application. It is quite difficult to do. Usually, only giant brands and multimillion-dollar corporations can reach the representatives of the social network. Therefore, small and medium-sized businesses should think twice before launching advertising in this format.

Targeting

Defining the target audience in TikTok is similar to the one on Facebook. You can target by geolocation, gender, operating system type, and connection type (Wi-Fi or mobile Internet). Due to the homogeneous audience of the resource, these filtering criteria are quite sufficient. 

Analysis

The main metric when running ad campaigns is views. In addition, the main criteria include the number of videos by hashtag, conversions, comments and likes.

You can set different goals for your ad campaign: conversions, clicks, or views.

Types of paid advertising:

• Brand TakeOver - the application shows your ad immediately after logging in to TikTok. You can use still images for up to 3 seconds or short movies for up to 5 seconds.
• In-feed ads - commercials in the feed. You can add voting cards, masks, effects, badges, and more.
• The Hashtag Challenge is a banner that appears in the search section and announces recent activities. This format is often used by popular tictokers when integrating a branded hashtag or musical jingle into a video.
• Augmented reality (AR) is the ability to promote your own brand through masks, stickers, lenses and more.

And what about promoting small brands?

For small businesses, a simple and affordable format of advertising in TikTok will be free promotion of one's own content or advertising by bloggers.

Free promotion in TikTok

Using this path you will save budget, and a smart algorithm will recommend your content only to the audience that is interested in your services.

As long as commercial accounts in TikTok are banned, you should choose a special style of content. Among the main free promotion tools in TikTok are:

• Hashtags. Define the subject of the account and put only those tags that correspond to it.
• Interactive chips. Conduct live broadcasts, collect feedback, organize surveys.
• Distribute links and QR codes to your TikTok account on other social networks.
• Activity. Write comments, like, subscribe to other tickers, participate in challenges.
• Share videos with bloggers and reactions to videos from other tickers.

Advertising by TikTok bloggers

Please note that you must have your own TikTok account to run such ads, as links to external resources on the network are prohibited. Effective interaction is possible only through the marks-mentions of the account promoted in the video.

You can find the right blogger in the "Trends" section of the application. The cost of advertising varies from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars.

To find a blogger for successful cooperation:

• Analyze the number of reactions to his video and evaluate the content of the comments.
• Pay attention to profiles marked "popular author". These are bloggers who regularly publish "viral" content.
• Make sure your ad fits harmoniously with the content of a particular blogger. Improper advertising can have a negative effect.

So if you want to conduct advertising in TikTok, think about whether the format of your business matches the format of this network - easy, casual and fun. 

Advertising in TikTok should not look far-fetched, and you don't have to invent concepts on your own — contact the pros who know how to integrate advertising into any format.

The COI team will tell you how to be honest with the audience and keep the audience interested, how to use TikTok filters and other tools and look organic, how to provoke reactions and encourage the audience to comment, instead of being swiped away.

And yet — we will make your account beautiful and witty, because this is what the TikTok audience expects. We study, analyze, create and promote — you get an account that works for your business!