In under five years, TikTok has grown to become a powerful marketing tool for brands, revolutionizing the way consumers receive media. With its initial 15 seconds-video limit, to then 60-seconds, and now 3 minutes, TikTok has laid the foundation for the trend of short-form video content production. So much so, that even distinguished social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube have had to come up with their own variation of short-form video creation, such as Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, to compete directly with its pioneer – TikTok.

1. TikTok for Business: How to Use Video When Marketing
TikTok is one of the newest and trendiest apps that’s on the market today. With
more than a billion users to be found within the website and a fairly young
audience of anyone between the ages of 13 to 60, it really is a marketing
no-brainer. If your business does not have an account, you are missing out on
serious untapped potential.
Many users consider the app to be quite addicting. This is because of its algorithm.
TikTok serves up the next video in an individualized queue. The automated
selection aligns with previous activity on the app. This includes accounts followed,
videos liked, and how many times a user has watched a certain video.
Companies that use TikTok are limited to the same constraints as any other user.
Videos only have the potential to last 9-15 seconds for advertisements and 15-60
seconds for normal videos.

2. Positively, advertisers can capture the attention of a user without having to
compete with multiple other advertisements, as they do on a webpage. Further,
TikTok places the ads right between their regular viewing content. They are more
likely to not even notice what they are watching is an advertisement until it is
finished. This helps maintain their attention, leading to an effective advertisement
approach.
But with this addictive app with amazing potential to be an effective advertising
tool, there are multiple avenues for using TikTok for business as an effective
marketing tool.
Original Content
Creating an original video is a great way for a business to market through the
platform.
TikTok includes different features for using the app itself to create videos, edit
them, and add different filters or music to them to make them stand out. The app
even makes it easy to publish straight from filming onto your account’s page. It has
different avenues for which a company can get its content to the target audience.
Depending on the nature of the brand, they can simply add different original videos
throughout their homepage to draw interest.
Creative guests or genuinely funny and entertaining content can sometimes garner
enough attention to help bring about more brand recognition and in itself, in
combination with other techniques, can help bring about a successful marketing
strategy.
Utilizing Virality
Viral hashtags have a way of helping get a video to show up on the home page of
TikTok users.

3. The “For You” page uses the TikTok algorithm to match videos. These may or may
not be created by other users they follow. The intention is to help a user find a
video they will like.
Creating an original hashtag that has a business’s name in the hashtag can also
be another strategy to use this virality as a marketing tool.
Many users will create a sound and put their specific username or artist name in it.
Others can use this in their own videos as well. As a marketing tool, posting a
sound that can be used repeatedly can be an even more effective marketing tool
than a hashtag. Hashtags can sometimes be ignored when there are multiple
hashtags listed in a description.
Sharing TikToks to their other social media pages can be a way of gathering more
attention to the business, too.
Using Monetized Advertising
A business also has the option to move beyond trying to market its business for
free. They can use the monetized advertising feature of the app to get more
eyeballs on their products or services.
Every day, TikTok hosts a brand takeover. Branded ads display on a user’s “For
You” page. They see them as soon as they launch the app. Users can skip these
ads after a few seconds of playtime. However, it ensures at least a partial ad
viewing and gets to the largest audience of any other video advertisement on the
app.
The next form of video advertisement through the app is native ads. These play
between normal user content. They show up in both feeds on the “For You” page
and the feed of people they follow. Users can scroll through these ads, which only
last for 9-15 seconds.

4. On the “Discover” page, users can find different hashtags and other users. Some
of the hashtags they come across are another form of sponsored content.
Businesses and brands can pay to sponsor a hashtag challenge and even a
banner on the “Discover” page.
Hashtag challenges often go viral. Users click on them and receive details of the
challenge. However, due to the virality of these hashtag challenges, content users
will include the sponsored hashtags in videos that are completely outside the
realm of the challenge as well to take advantage of the TikTok algorithm and land
a spot on other “For You” pages. This can be an effective tool as well for
businesses because there are that many more users publicizing your brand.
Influencers
Businesses can also hire different famous TikTok influencers to have a working
relationship with the brand.
That might be brand incorporation as deemed by the company or by the
influencer’s choice. This may be through adding a link in their bio to the company.
They might talk about a product or service. Perhaps they offer a discount on one of
their videos or post about a sponsored video in the description.
Influencers often price based on their following. However, using an influencer can
also help you target a specific demographic. You can do this by utilizing the
demographic data of the influencer’s followers.
TikTok for business is not the only social media app where influencers can be a
key marketing strategy. However, it could be the more effective influencer option,
depending on the focus your business has.
02
10 TikTok Marketing Tips & Best Practices

5. TikTok has exploded onto the marketing scene as a way to reach millions of
people through creative video content.
Leading brands are finding all kinds of ways to take advantage of the marketing
possibilities available to them.
How can you emulate their successes?
Get familiar with the best practices and attributes that make TikTok content
appealing and engaging so you can grow your presence.
Read on for tips and tricks that will help you create a successful TikTok marketing
campaign.
1. Take Advantage Of Existing Trends
TikTok’s algorithm prioritizes content based on popularity and the number of views.
Therefore, marketing teams should utilize trending hashtags and memes to create
relevant content appealing to their target audience.
Unlike advertising set up on other social media platforms, TikTok requires your
team to be engaged to keep up with the latest trends.
Users on this platform will seek out content under trending hashtags that can help
introduce your brand to a new audience.
Leveraging existing trends can expand your creativity and tap into content that you
already know successfully draws in viewers.
Kraft took advantage of the popular Duet challenge on TikTok and the use of the
hashtag #KraftMacMeSkip to engage with their audience, attracting over 6 million
views.
2. Find A Balance Between Entertainment And Promotion
While TikTok offers an opportunity to inform and entertain your target audience,
there is also the necessity to promote your brand.

6. If a video appears to be too much of an advertisement, viewers will skip over it.
It is important to inform and entertain first, bringing in an audience to engage with
your videos when just starting.
After you have a following, bring in more promotional posts, including tutorials with
your product, people interacting with merchandise, or exclusive offers.
By balancing entertainment and advertising, you can foster a connection with
potential buyers.
3. Use Partnerships To Boost Brand Awareness
As with any new marketing venture, there is a learning curve when conquering the
TikTok realm.
So don’t be afraid to use the expertise of others to help make the most of your
advertising strategy.
TikTok has a Creator Marketplace that can help businesses find personalities that
are experts at creating meaningful content online.
With people from different backgrounds, a brand can find someone with the
expertise they need to help produce relevant videos, entertain audiences, and
offer a unique point of view.
Using experienced content creators can help your team take your brand to the
next level.
Along with creators, the use of influencers can also help set your products apart by
getting real people with a built-in following to advertise your brand.
Influencers can offer authentic content that is relatable to their specific audience.
Creating a partnership with an influencer can help boost brand awareness and
visibility.

7. Influencers can help connect your products with the consumer by demonstrating
products, offering promotions, and providing links to merchandise from their posts.
Relying on the experience of others can help launch your brand and give your
team valuable content to guide future advertising decisions.
For example, Famous Footwear partnered with fashion blogger Makenna Willhite
(@makennachristinexo) to showcase products authentically with a relaxed and
relatable setting.
4. Give TikTokers Full-Screen Focus
TikTok users prefer to view content in portrait mode.
Your marketing team should consider a 9:16 video format to ensure the most
appealing video for your audience.
This format ensures that you are taking up the entire screen with your message
and implementing best practices for displaying your brand on this platform.
It is important to consider this preferred layout when developing content that best
showcases your product.
5. Variety Is Key For Product Placement
TikTok’s top-performing ads use a variety of backdrops and settings to keep the
viewer engaged with the product.
Instead of a stagnant background, try changing scenery, viewpoints, and camera
angles to create a more diverse and appealing advertisement.
Creating various scenes helps draw in the viewer and creates a memorable
message.
The visual appeal of your ad can set it apart from other videos and help your
product stand out.
6. Connect Through Call To Action Opportunities

8. Displaying a Call to Action (CTA) within the ad creates a connection with the
viewer and gives them a clear next step after watching your video.
TikTok’s Ad Manager offers features for clickable CTAs.
Depending on your brand’s goal, customers can click to shop deals, view offers,
learn more, find a location, and more.
Clickable buttons can create more traffic on your website and seamlessly connect
your product with the audience.
Furthermore, this creates a more interactive experience for the viewer as they can
go beyond the content of a short video to learn more about what your brand has to
offer.
Providing a call to action can increase conversions and is a staple of
high-performing advertisements.
For example, the Starbucks New Year’s campaign for #GoodVibeMessenger
clearly communicated the next course of action for the viewer.
By connecting through this marketing strategy, the brand will be able to send future
promotional content to the consumer who engages with this offer.
7. Maximize Impact With Effective Timing
For videos to be effective on TikTok, timing is everything.
Too short, and the message can be vague and unclear; too long, the viewer loses
interest and may check out or move on before the essential information is
displayed.
According to TikTok metrics, videos that fall between 21 and 34 seconds are ideal
for video ads to be effective.
Therefore, maximizing your message for this time frame gives you the best
opportunity to create an ad that will connect with your audience and drive
conversions.

9. 8. Post Often With Authentic Content
A key to success when marketing in TikTok is making sure you post regularly with
original content.
If your goal is to increase brand visibility, it’s crucial to stay relevant.
By posting often, you can also see what is working and what isn’t.
In addition, the platform algorithm can help you adjust your posts based on the
impressions that it generates.
When brands are first starting out, posting often can help them try out various
content types.
Creating different videos to showcase your brand is part of figuring out what
appeals to your target audience.
By posting every day, you can collect feedback on what is effective.
It gives your team insight when creating relevant content.
If you find a design that works, follow that formula for continued marketing
success.
9. Have A Sense Of Humor
The best way to engage with TikTok users is to have fun and connect through
humor.
Users on this platform are looking to be entertained.
It takes time to figure out your niche and how to create content that highlights your
brand.
Creating playful videos and fun can make your product memorable.
Instead of focusing on views, have fun creating content, and the audience will
follow.

10. Do your research by looking at how other marketing campaigns stand out.
People want to see content that is light-hearted and fun.
As you peruse TikTok, what ads stand out to you?
Is there a way to highlight your brand by creating content that resonates with a fun
and playful audience?
10. Use Closed Captioning
The use of captions throughout your video can help amplify the message while
making the content accessible to more of your audience.
The use of text for CTAs, along with captioning content, can make your ad stand
out and more memorable.
It also allows users who are scrolling without sound to access your message,
creating an impression and preventing them from skipping the video.
Final Thoughts
When deciding how to advertise on TikTok, consider the trends that are making
waves.
Continue to immerse yourself in the culture of TikTok and learn to insert your brand
in areas that will lead to more impressions.
Be sure to utilize the metrics offered through TikTok to analyze how your content is
being received and be flexible to adapt to changing trends.
Your brand can experience increased visibility and growth through creative
marketing and responsive strategies.
More resources:
Featured Image: Kaspars Grinvalds/Shutterstock

11. 03
TikTok Marketing Tips: Let’s Get Started!
Are you interested in starting a TikTok campaign? If you are, these five TikTok
marketing tips will help you get started on the right foot.
TikTok isn’t just a passing trend. In fact, in 2020, TikTok was the largest
downloaded non-gaming app. It had over 100 million monthly users in the United
States alone. TikTok’s format of short videos mixed with music clips has proven to
be extremely popular. It has clips of comedy, stunts, dancing, and other activities
going viral all over the world. If you are just starting out and are not sure where to
begin, these TikTok marketing tips can be a big help.
Needless to say, for video marketers, this popular app has been a benefit – at
least for those who know how to use it.
There are many avenues for TikTok marketing. There are countless ways to target
a young, highly engaged audience. These include hashtag challenges, in-feed
videos, and more.
Therefore, don’t be afraid to dip your toes into the murky seas of TikTok marketing.
It just might be easier than you think.
Tip No. 1: Be quick to spot trends in order to make the most of your TikTok
marketing.
Trends on TikTok can spike in popularity and then go away in a single day.
Because trends come and go so quickly, you’ll need to be quick to put up material
and submit it the same day.
The good news is that TikTok uses its app to aggressively organize and promote
hashtags. They are great at emphasizing popular and trending hashtags for easier

12. content navigation. In addition, on your For You page, TikTok also showcases
popular music.
To put it another way, the social media site is providing you with a playbook of
what’s now trendy. Therefore, you can decide which ones to join.
Tip No. 2: Pay attention to your following.
Of course, one of the advantages of adopting TikTok is that it allows video
marketers to create viral content of their own. This is especially true of hashtag
challenges. These encourage audiences to create original content using the
marketer’s hashtag.
In one case study, ZALORA, a Singaporean fashion business, generated over
1,100 user-made films. They had approximately 1 million total views. In addition, it
raised its conversion rate by 2.5 times when compared to other creative materials.
So, how can you replicate these outcomes in your own campaigns? Follow top
influencers in your niche.
In addition, follow individuals of your target audience. This gets you immersed in
the app. In addition, it helps to observe the types of material people create and
interact with. This will tell you which kind of branded content appeals to them the
most.
You won’t have many hours to add lighting filters or other high-tech editing
solutions. TikTok video is frequently filmed, edited, and released in a single day.
As a result, videos appear less polished. This is actually a positive thing because it
lends them authenticity. Despite this, TikTok video marketing requires a quick
turnaround.
This necessitates the use of production tools like Boosted. Boosted provides a
number of customizable templates. They make creating a video for any social
media site simple. Users can edit typefaces, color palettes, logos, and other

13. elements with an easy-to-use toolset. This lets them better match their brand and
platform.
The use of such technologies also aids in maintaining uniformity in your video
output. Therefore, viewers will easily link your brand with each video if it has a
consistent look, filter, or font.
Tip No. 4: Tell a story on TikTok.
TikTok may appear to be simply a platform. It may seem like a place for just
keeping up with the current dancing craze.
However, there is still plenty of room for storytelling. This is actually an important
component of any video marketing strategy.
Many influencers use TikTok’s style to deliver a series of short, connected clips.
These clips help users in solving an issue. It’s usually done by combining video
and text overlays with a popular music clip.
Here is an example of building a series.
First, use the language to build a problem or catch attention. Start by addressing
people’s anxieties and concerns.
After that, address the problem one step at a time.
In addition, imagine your ideal viewer is watching your video with the sound turned
off.
What text can you include?
What tale can you tell to persuade them to turn it on?
Tip No. 5: Don’t be afraid to try new things.
TikTok can be finicky at times. That’s because people upload so much content on
a regular basis.

14. This is especially true if you don’t have the cash to spend on an advertising
campaign. As you use these TikTok marketing tips, you should find the road a little
easier.
The rapid-fire consumption that TikTok encourages, on the other hand, can be
used to your advantage.
You’ll be able to figure out what works (and what doesn’t) faster and at a cheaper
cost by testing with different sorts of content on a regular basis. This is more
effective than working with a big-budget campaign on another site.
Yes, you want to maintain your brand identity. However, don’t hesitate to
experiment with posting time, sound, and video style. Keep trying until you find a
combination that resonates with your target audience.
Now is the time to master TikTok.
These TikTok marketing tips will help you get started. Therefore, start today to
establish a notable presence on TikTok. It won’t be as difficult as you would think
provided you have the tools and the right mindset.
Of course, not everything you post on TikTok is going to go viral right away. That’s
OK. This is a new medium.
Therefore, you may need to explore for a time before your creations become
popular. In the meantime, have fun with writing material. You’ll eventually figure out
what your target audience responds to.
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