Is it time to add TikTok to your social strategy in 2022?
TikTok is on the rise, the beginning of 2020 saw the rapid rise of the app, it set the record for the most downloads in a single quarter for a social app, at 315 million installs. If you read our most recent blog post we saw that TikTok and video content, in general, is predicted to be the biggest marketing trend of 2022.
As well as TikTok; paid advertising was a big takeaway. Let’s combine the two and show you today how we can use paid advertising on TikTok. You may already be posting organically which is a great start, unlike other apps it’s definitely easier to go viral organically but why not elevate this even further with paid ads.
There are 5 different ways that we will explore in this post on how to use paid advertising on TikTok.
in-feed ads
These will be shown on your “for you” page. In-feed ads are the most common forms of ads on TikTok, they can be an image or video format. The plus point to In-feed ads is that users are already scrolling through the “for you” page and in a video watching mindset already, if you can create an engaging ad from the beginning, the viewer is most likely to watch it until the end. Users can engage on these by commenting, sharing and liking. Brands can also add a call-to-action button that links your landing page generating traffic and conversions as well as brand awareness.
Branded hashtags
These are sponsored challenges that appear on the top of the “discover page.” These are a popular choice of advertisements on TikTok. They are designed to spark on-platform engagement, offering up challenges centred around your hashtag. They are ideal for creating brand engagement and user-generated content.
Branded Hashtags definitely involve more planning. How does this create engagement?
- The user will click on the branded hashtag challenge ad.
- The user is then taken to the brand challenged page containing challenge rules, brands website and logo.
- User-generated content is created in response to your hashtag.
One of the most successful examples of this is Elf Cosmetics #eyeslipsface challenge. Users responded with videos of them showing off their natural beauty to the song titled ‘Eyes, Lips, Face’ adding the hashtag gained you entry to the competition, winning £250 worth of elf cosmetics. Over 5 million users took part in gaining Elf a huge amount of awareness.
Topview ads
These appear immediately when you open the app. Who doesn’t want their ad occupying TikTok’s prime ad real-estate? Topview ads are perfect if your aim is brand awareness, they offer maximum visibility on the app as the user has no choice but to see this ad, guaranteeing reach. Again, like In-feed ads, you can add a call-to-action button, too.
Branded effects
These act like a filter, a brand can customise and create their own filter and combine it with other forms of paid advertisement on TikTok. Branded effects are used to generate brand awareness and user-generated content specifically, most of the time TikTok advertisement is used to create awareness rather than traffic and conversions so take that in mind.
Why are branded effects beneficial to you? Users on TikTok love filters, the more time a filter is used the more awareness across the app for your brand. It’s definitely not the ad you want to spend your money on if you’re simply looking for traffic and conversions, but if you want engagement it can be a fun one to use.
Brand takeover
A brand takeover is a full-screen high impact campaign, featuring as the first thing a user sees when they open the app, The purpose of these is to create mass awareness and high reach due to the whole screen becoming clickable.
Brand takeovers are pricier than the other ad formats because users are only able to see one brand takeover a day. This premium ad space does come with this higher cost because it lends itself to bigger brands with more of a budget whose goal is maximum exposure.
In 2022 balance is key, blending paid TikTok ads with a steady stream of organic content. Keep authentic with your paid content, your ads will need something special but you can’t be creative at the expense of your brand’s identity. Fill your channel with content users come to the app to engage with, that way, your paid ads will generate plenty of interest that new audiences will want to stick around for.
