It isn’t often that marketers get the opportunity to embrace a new social media platform for advertising

These rare events only come around once every few years or so, and history has proven that the first to engage with emerging platforms are the ones who will reap the benefits. This from digital marketing agency Distract…

It also isn’t often that a new social media platform races to over 800 million active users globally in such a short period of time, and yet TikTok has done just that. In the space of just four years, TikTok has amassed a user base that a young Mark Zuckerberg would be jealous of. The video-sharing platform that allows users to create and share short videos with their friends and the rest of the world around them.

Exponential growth

TikTok has been downloaded over 2 billion times since it was launched in 2016 and still enjoys millions of new users every month. TikTok has been growing exponentially with users creating content that is easily rivalling high-quality music videos and film clips that are going viral on other social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

For brands, there’s never been a better time to embrace a new platform and dive into advertising on TikTok. Why is now the best time to get started?

Although TikTok originally launched 4 years ago, it’s only now that the platform has really started taking off. During lockdown in the UK, monthly active users surged from 4 million to 6 million in just three months, with more people spending more time on their mobile devices while staying at home. The app has now cemented its place as a firm favourite with users spending an average of 50 minutes per day browsing content.

Thanks to the surge in new users, Cost Per Click (CPC) on TikTok came crashing down to just £0.08, compared to £0.27 on Facebook and £0.36 on Instagram. It’s unlikely that this will last, as all CPCs fluctuate over time, but it’s a strong indication that TikTok is becoming a more established platform for advertising.

How much does it cost?

TikTok Ads Manager provides you with two budgeting options: daily or lifetime. Your budget can be changed anytime throughout your campaign, and similar to advertising on Facebook or Instagram, the system will not spend more than the budget you set.

To ensure that your ads have sufficient budget, the minimum budget at the campaign level is $50 and the minimum daily budget at the ad group level is $20. Thankfully, it’s easy to schedule when you want your ads to appear and set limits too.

How do I get started?

First of all, you’re going to need a TikTok business account. It’s easy enough to start a business account from within the TikTok app, and it’s essential to have one to be able to unlock analytics and track your ads performance as they go live.

Once you’ve set up your business account, you can log in to the TikTok ads dashboard, where you can create and manage your ad campaigns, manage your spend and target different audiences.

What kind of ads can I make?

TikTok is primarily a video sharing platform, so the vast majority of advertising on TikTok takes place in the form of the same short videos that users post and share. This allows the ad to be placed seamlessly into the UX without being intrusive to the user. There are also other, more innovative advertising mediums available on TikTok, though, such as Hashtag Challenges and Branded Lenses.

Hashtag Challenges

TikTok thrives off of its ability to create trends, and Hashtag Challenges are a great way to start something big. With Hashtag Challenges, brands can create a unique banner on the TikTok discover page that drives users to a particular challenge. The app collates all of the user-generated content in one place that’s easy to find, allowing the challenge and trend to grow.

Brands can measure the success of their Hashtag Challenge in TikTok analytics by looking at the number of banner views and clicks, the number of user-generated videos uploaded during the challenge, and more.

Branded Lenses

Branded Lenses borrow the same formula that Instagram used to grow, relying on users to utilize lenses and filters to change the look of their content before they post it. TikTok allows advertisers to create their own custom lens or filter that promote their brand or product. Lenses can be live for up to 10 days at a time, encouraging brand engagement through playful interaction.

TikTok advertising is still in its relative infancy, so it’s worth remembering that there still isn’t a tried and tested recipe for success. But with that comes an opportunity to experiment a little bit to find out what’s best for your brand. As with other platforms, we’re sure to see a gradual transition from organic advertising on TikTok to more paid advertising in the near future. Now is a fantastic time to get ahead of the curve and try something new with TikTok ads.

https://distract.co.uk/