How to advertise on Tik Tok, the social network for teenagers

The micro-vlogging application Tik Tok has gained millions of followers in a short time. It has surprised the business world that now fights to advertise on Tik Tok because it currently has millions of users hooked.

This social network is a fusion of Vine’s short video format, Snapchat’s interactive filters and Musical.ly. And at least until now, these features have helped attract hundreds of millions of active users making it the app of the moment.

After just one round of funding, Tik Tok’s holding company, Bytedance, raised $3 billion, making it the world’s most valuable startup. The Chinese startup short-format video service was the most downloaded iOS application in the first quarter of 2018, with more than 45 million global downloads in three months.

But what is Tik Tok, really?

Today’s marketing world relies heavily on Generation Z. They are creators, technology experts, and fans of self-projection on social media. Some companies nowadays treat this generation as the primary audience that shapes the sales of their business.

They are the main consumers in adopting new trends, especially in social media. That is to say, that the box-office success of social media apps is in the hands of Generation Z. And brands are filtered through the most important social media platforms, where they can find these users.

In this sense, Tik Tok has become one of the best social networking applications where brands can make an impact on this user segment. Tik Tok is the mobile app that feeds users with short music videos to share or watch. Millions of users love it and it has become today’s entertainment center.

Tik Tok has features such as video recognition, image recognition, filters, video recording and editing tools, 3D stickers, etc. In minutes, the Tik Tok creators can post 15-second videos with the help of all these features.

Tik Tok features

Tik Tok intends to serve audiences with fresh content primarily focused on creative users. The mobile video content helps to highlight their creativity.

The simultaneous use of mobile devices and the Internet aims to entertain the audience with user-generated video content. This helps build the bridge between brands and users. Tik Tok has become the viral platform for sending short video content to users, providing many opportunities for brands.

To give you an idea, Musical.ly is just like Tik Tok. It’s kind of an Instagram dedicated to small music videos. You enter the app and you have a feed that would be your homepage. This is where you go to see the popular videos or people you follow.

What can you do in Tik Tok

This social network allows you to browse the latest user news. Just like in Instagram, there is also a page to explore new content. Here, you can search for clips and users, or navigate between hashtags that may be of your interest. When you click on a video, you’ll see it in full screen. Alongisde, you can see interaction icons: follow, like, comment or share the clip.

Just like Instagram, Tik Tok allows users to privately message between each other, with the intention of being able to see who is following you, who you are following and likes and comments in general. Ultimately, you have your profile page, very similar to Instagram’s. Here, you can see your main information and a feed with all your videos.

However, the main protagonist and what stands out the most about this app is its tool for recording and editing videos. You can record your videos through takes since the app only records while you hold down the right button. Keep in mind, though, that before you start recording you will have to have chosen a song and some of their effects, and that you are also able to alternate between takes.

Influencer marketing, a way to advertise

In Tik Tok, you can create brand recognition campaigns, promote record labels, albums, artists, etc. Some brands use Tik Tok to carry out Influencer marketing campaigns.

But it can be difficult for users to organically adopt the new content, so video advertising brands are reaching to Tik Tok influencers to promote their brands.

Brands must consider beforehand what kind of content can effectively reach the audience. This is how you should advertise on Tik Tok:

1.- Visual experience of products

The products on the platform must provide a visual experience while at the same time keeping their promotional sense. The content itself has to briefly explain everything about the product. This content should have been prepared before the campaign begins.

When dealing with these users, your content has to convey a message; it has to be creative and entertaining. Don’t forget that you only have 15 seconds to advertise on Tik Tok.

2.- Interaction through advertising

Unique and innovative content that seeks maximum entertainment should also be capable of creating interactions with its viewers. Defining only the product itself should not compose all the content, and it should answer to a wider context. Self-praise will not work.

3.- Choosing the perfect content creator

Before moving forward, companies should hire content creators with outstanding talent. All users, especially Generation Z, are more likely to respond quickly through comments. At that point, influencers must interact quickly, and this type of activity also generates new users. To do this, you will need users who create content that makes a good impression.

Some ways of advertising through Tik Tok

Advertising on Tik Tok allows users to provide fresh and unique video content that can be translated into a better user experience. Opportunities and ways are being found to generate value for Tik Tok’s creators and business partners.

With CNN and Washington Post headlines promoting Tik Tok videos as viral sensations, marketers have found another goldmine with the potential of generating solid engagement. And as it’s not linked to Facebook, Google or Amazon it can be frustrating for ad tracking but at the same time, interesting for budget diversification.

Some brands have already experimented with running influential campaigns on Tik Tok. For example, the fashion brand Guess collaborated with Tik Tok and launched the campaign called “#InMyDenim”, which became viral in Tik Tok.

Another example is Universal Pictures, which used Tik Tok to promote “The House with a Clock in its Walls” by means of working with popular users such as Gabby Murray, Rebecca Zamoloy Chris Kerr and Sharla May of “Our Fire” before the movie’s September release.

For the most part, brands and influencers themselves orchestrate these partnerships. Tik Tok has been preparing to work more with companies and media agencies in the upcoming months. In 2017, Musical.ly signed content partnerships with NBCUniversal, Viacom and Hearst. Brands can explore their business by collaborating with Tik Tok or Tik Tok influencers.

The #HashtagChallenges turn users into brand content creators

Other of the most commonly used ways to advertise on Tik Tok is through the so-called hashtag challenges. This is an effective source to reach millions of consumers. #HashtagChallenge is a game style ad format where brands challenge Tik Tok users to create videos inspired by the brand’s initial video.

Videos are not polished products in any way, but that is what makes Tik Tok so attractive. There are no sponsored ads; many users organically replicate the hashtag challenges launched by the app itself or other brands. The individual or brand that launches the challenge creates a video with a specific hashtag, chooses a song to go along with it, and then challenges users to create their own version. There is a full hashtag category within the search function that you can use to inspire you.

Tik Tok plans to adopt the most advanced features to also attract more audiences and global brands. It is the best option for brands to advertise on Tik Tok at an affordable price. You can use advertising on Tik Tok almost like in any other social media.

Over time, this app will surely advance and introduce different kinds of advertising. What is clear now is that, whatever way it is, to advertise on Tik Tok is undoubtedly a way to get profitability for your campaigns.

Video advertising is a powerful way to generate an emotional connection between potential customer and brand. If you don’t know how to create the best video strategies, we are here for you. Antevenio has exploited digital video advertising for years now to reach a specific and segmented audience.