TikTok Advertising
By Jaci Schreckengost
As TikTok continues to gain popularity as a new social media platform, many businesses and agencies are learning how to maneuver it.
What is TikTok?
For those unfamiliar with the platform, TikTok is a video-sharing platform where users can post dances, lip syncs, speeches, jokes, their plant inventories, rants, their pets, and just about anything else you can think of — and even more that people haven’t thought of yet.
One popular way brands are engaging with their audiences is through hashtag challenges. In these, the brands provide a hashtag, and usually an example, and then the audience can create their own videos in response to the hashtag.
According to AppTrace, TikTok is the 12th most popular app globally, putting it in the top one percent of apps in the world. As it increases in popularity, of course, people are curious about advertising opportunities.
Can I advertise on TikTok?
As of June 19, 2020, individuals and businesses in the United States are not eligible to create self-service ads yet. If your business is located elsewhere, you can find out if TikTok ads are available in your country by choosing it from the drop down menu on the TikTok Ads website.
If ads are not yet available in your area, you have the option to enter your contact information to receive updates when more information is available.
Read also: Who Needs Social Media Agencies? Every Business Does.
How to advertise on TikTok
On TikTok, ads are placed throughout content and in the Discover tab. Currently, there is a scrolling bar at the top of the Discover tab with various advertisements, including hashtags, brands, live events, and more. When creating an ad, the advertiser has a say in where the ad is placed.
Many of the current campaigns on TikTok seem to include a hashtag for users to interact with. For example, Universal used #FindYourMagic to gain views. Users were able to show how they interpreted the hashtag, which resulted in the brand’s hashtag trending on the platform.
Many are also using influencers to advertise on TikTok. While this may not be directly through the platform, influencers, of course, are incredibly important to advertising.
Check out 270M’s influencer marketing services.
Success stories
TikTok sites Universal Studios as one of its advertising success stories so far. TikTok reported that Universal gained over 11,000 followers in just six days on the platform.
So far, there are few companies advertising on TikTok. Those that are advertising, however, are large businesses, such as Guess, Colgate, and Kia.
Clearly, there is an opportunity for advertising success on this platform.