TikTok can be a daunting prospect for brands that have yet to incorporate it into their strategies. After all, marketing budgets are precious and it’s easy to stick to what we know.

There is no magic formula or official rulebook for scaling your brand on TikTok, but there are a few things that can set you on the path to success. Make the most out of your TikTok Business Account with these top tips.

Harness Influencers

The exponential rate at which the creator economy is growing has rippled through the marketing landscape. While all other channels diminished ineffectiveness as a result of the pandemic, influencer marketing flourished- especially on TikTok.

Teaming up with creators is a fantastic way for brands to reach their target markets. No one knows TikTok, or its many communities and subcultures, quite like them. They have nurtured trust and loyalty with their audiences through consistent, candid, and quality content, giving them unique insight on how best to communicate with these communities, and how to galvanise them into action.

With creators onside, brands can optimise their ad creative and produce campaigns that capture and retain users’ attention, boost their engagement, and strengthen their ad recall. Research suggests that branded content made in collaboration with creators and specifically for TikTok – using native formats – achieves 91% higher 6-second view rates compared to ads which aren’t TikTok-specific and don’t involve creator partnerships. This highlights both the importance of creating channel-specific content, and the extent to which creator content resonates with users on the platform. 

The strong correlation between ads with partnerships and longer watch rates also extends to engagement. TikTok-specific ads achieve a whopping 83% higher engagement if they involve creator partnerships, compared to just 12% higher rates for those without. If that isn’t convincing enough, ad recall is significantly higher for partnered, platform-specific content: 27% higher, to be exact.

In fact, TikTok users want to see brands collaborating with creators and sponsoring their content. 54% agree that it’s what they like to see from brands, while 62% believe it is the best way for brands to connect with consumers. 

So there you have it: creators are the bridge between your brand and the people you want to reach. Meet them in the middle and you’ll have more bang for your buck on TikTok.

Embrace the Algorithm

Discovery is the lifeblood of TikTok, thanks to its highly personalised algorithm which gives each user a unique and tailored experience. The feed is fuelled by the algorithm’s recommendation system, which delivers content that is likely to be of interest to each user into a curated For You Page (FYP). The beauty of TikTok is that the algorithm doesn’t favour accounts with huge follower counts or those that have had high-performing content in the past, meaning every brand has the opportunity to land on the FYP of their target users. Consider what will make your content stand out on the FYP: what sounds are trending? Which viral challenges can you put your brand’s spin on? Keep up to date with the TikTok Viral playlist, or head to the Creative Centre to check out what’s hot in your target region; this includes sounds, hashtags, and creators. You can even find inspo for your next ad through the Top Ads section.

Consistency and Frequency

Don’t be afraid to experiment, but remember to keep things consistent. Hone in on what makes your brand different and showcase these as a common thread throughout your content, so it’s recognisable and true to your brand identity. 

Consider the length of your videos too: just because they can be up to 3 minutes long, with a 10-minute limit underway, that doesn’t mean they always should be! In fact, videos under 30 seconds have a higher average watch percentage, so consider keeping your brand message concise and how best to relay it. Capture your audience’s attention with an engaging hook in the first few seconds of your video, and think of ways to drive a positive emotional response. (Hint: ads that feature comedy or show products in use have a significantly higher view rate!)

Keep content consistent and frequent, and remember that less is often more! 

Psychographics Over Demographics

Understanding your target audience is key- this goes without saying- but it’s time to go beyond general demographic data and hone in on the cognitive characteristics that drive your audience’s behaviour. Less of the ‘who is buying’ and more of the ‘why are they buying?’. Leverage the ad tools on TikTok to create a Custom Engagement Audience from users who have previously viewed of clicked your ads; this allows you to easily find the people who have shown interest in your content. From this you can build Lookalike Audiences, a tool which analyses the attributes of users within your existing Custom Audience and then searches for similar groups that may be interested in your product. These insights can help you refine your strategy to reach and engage these users, and effectively re-target your existing customers. Consider creator surveys, social listening, and brand lift studies to learn even more about what makes your audience ’tik’, and experiment with your ad creative to see what resonates.

Make Use of TikTok’s Tools

Brands can build their businesses on TikTok by leveraging the wealth of tools and features which not only facilitate entertaining and innovative content creation, but help to seamlessly move target markets through the purchase funnel. Make use of TikTok Ads Manager and choose the ad format which best suits your budget and objectives.

In-feed ads are available to all ad accounts and appear natively in the feed. If they don’t feel like an ad, then they will blend organically and seamlessly into the scrolling experience; the trick is getting users to stop scrolling. Utilise the CTA button to drive traffic to a landing page.

Brands can opt for a managed account, meaning they have a TikTok representative on-side and have access to a range of other ad formats. Here is a quick overview:

Brand Takeover Ads: These are the ads that appear when you first open the app- the ones which literally feel like your feed has been ‘taken over’. Not only is this prime real estate, but Takeover Ads can also appear in the FYP with a clickable link, making them ideal for brands wanting to boost awareness.

Top View Ads: These are similar to the takeover ads, but they appear in-feed and ever so slightly later on. Still a top spot for brands.

Branded Effects and Hashtags: Branded Effects include filters, AR lenses and stickers, which users can engage with and even incorporate into their own videos. Similarly, brands can kickstart their own TikTok challenges by sponsoring hashtags which appear on the challenge landing page. Clicking sponsored hashtags takes users to info about the brand and product, if applicable, and a description of the challenge. Encouraging users to participate in challenges or use Branded Effects is a great way to drive user-generated content, increase brand awareness and demonstrate an active presence on TikTok.

TikTok’s algorithm prioritises accounts that use all the tools, encouraging more diverse and interesting content to be pushed out to users.

Is your brand looking to ‘Talk the Tok’? Get in touch to a partake in one of our 15 minute 1:1 workshops. Register your interest here.