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Leveraging TikTok For Brand Marketing

There is no doubt that 2020 had some seriously chaotic energy. TikTok managed to leverage that chaos and had one of its best years-to-date. 

As one of the quickest-growing social media apps, TikTok is a notable platform for brand advertising. However, at the start of 2020, brands were hesitant on how the app could actually serve them, when the vast majority of users on the app belonged to Gen Z. 

If you’re not already familiar with TikTok, imagine Vine and Musical.ly combined. Not only can you film short videos, but you can also add in effects and music overlays seamlessly within one app. Part of the reason TikTok took off like wildfire with Gen Z was because it resonated with their previous experience with Vine — it was something that was widely loved, and it primarily took on an authentic, humorous approach. 

Ultimately, TikTok has turned into a massive marketing pool with an endless amount of opportunity for brand marketing. When you think about the popularity and hype that followed Snapchat and Instagram on their initial launches, it was all about joining the trend before you fell behind it.

The same opportunity presents itself with TikTok. Well-known brands such as Walmart, Guess, and E.L.F Cosmetics were quick to realize that this platform could not be ignored.

Gen Z remains to be a relatively untapped market, however TikTok presents brands with an opportunity to boost their cultural relevance and reach an audience that is known for being less receptive to traditional advertising methods. 

Brand Marketing on TikTok

So, how can you leverage your brand on TikTok? Let’s take a look. TikTok offers six different opportunities for brands to boost their reach – the first option outlined below is free, while the others will require a sizable investment.

  1. Viral Content Creation — We all know that the viral TikTok influencers didn’t take off with their first post. However, with all the creative aspects wrapped into one app, there are endless opportunities and trends one can use to create unique content that can resonate with different audiences and leave them wanting more. 
  2. Hashtag Challenge — Sponsored hashtag challenges have shown a huge success with brands. Specifically, you can refer to the E.L.F Cosmetics case study that resulted in nearly five million user-generated videos (talk about blowing it out of the park).  
  3. Brand Takeover Ads — This feature will cost you a pretty penny, but you can ensure your brand will get the visibility it’s looking for. TikTok will serve their users with their homepage content when the app first opens, but with a brand takeover, they’re showing branded content that mimics that feed. Chipotle has had great results with their ads since they started, generating over 20.7 million likes across the brand’s videos.  
  4. In-Feed Videos — TikTok now allows brands to pay for in-feed video ads based on an action model that consists of CPC (cost per click), CPM (cost per thousand impression), and CPV (cost per view of 6 seconds). This option allows brands a more specific targeting model that considers age, gender, and geo-targeting.  
  5. Influencers — With most platforms, influencers have been a large attribute for brand marketing collaboration. Just like YouTube or Instagram, partnering with TikTok stars can boost a brand’s presence by leveraging the influencer’s creativity. Although not the most common practice with TikTok, this goes together with the hashtag challenge, giving you a two-in-one ad that can be picked up organically after the ad stops running.  
  6. Branded Lenses — Similar to Snapchat, TikTok offers the same AR lenses that can be purchased to encourage users to engage in brand content with a fun, organic approach. 

If trends are an indicator of the new world of digitalization, we can guarantee that TikTok isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. That’s why leveraging the platform and its unique capabilities before your competitors, is fundamental for your brand’s success. 

Get ahead of the trend before it gets ahead of you! Contact us to learn more.

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