How to Make TikTok Ads Stand Out

How to Make TikTok Ads Stand Out

TikTok is a fun platform for creating a brand personality and presence. Companies whose customers are mainly Gen-Z may find they can connect with them best on platforms such as this one. However, there are many videos on TikTok, including kids and moms dancing, challenges and other chatter. How can one make their ads stand out amid all the noise?

TikTok may not be the first social media site one thinks of when planning a marketing strategy, but it is a popular location for people, and they tend to visit it daily. Followers engage when they discover a brand and may do so for days, months and even years later.

Recommended: 10 Steps for Leveraging TikTok Marketing for Your Business

How Successful Are TikTok Ads?

Digiday recently reported that TikTok ads are stickier than average. The social media site boasts around 1 billion users, even though it's a newcomer to the industry. That may be a bit less than Twitter or Facebook, but they seem to be highly engaged and revisit videos.

There are a few things brands can do to make their TikTok ads stand out.

1. Know What’s Trending

It’s vital to know what is current to stand out on TikTok. Pop culture, songs, movies and other topics come and go in popularity. Spend time on the platform and see what video challenges appear repeatedly.

Look at which hashtags keep appearing. Is there anything related to the topic that has to do with the business? How can a brand embrace the trend without pandering to it?

For example, if the company sells clothes and a popular song keeps popping up, the marketing department might pull out a key phrase and tie it to the clothing line. Promoters have to be highly creative on TikTok, so be open to outside-the-box thinking.

2. Allocate Resources Wisely

The top-performing media firms allocate their resources to customer needs in pre-sales and beyond. For example, they spend 28% on pre-sales while lagging performers allocate only 13%.

Take a look at how effective the brand’s current allocation is. Would it be better to spend more on pre-sales and connecting with followers than on active sales campaigns? Play around with the percentages until hitting the perfect mix.

3. Start a Challenge

What challenges do competitors throw out on TikTok? Create contests and encourage user-generated content (UGS). Creating a challenge gets people engaged with the brand.

Don’t overlook the power of participating in other people’s challenges, though. Doing so requires less effort and can be a lot of fun for employees and customers. For example, if there is a dance challenge, can some employees come up with a unique take?

4. Team up With Celebrities

Teaming up with a celebrity helps expand a brand's reach. If small businesses can't afford a well-known star, they can always tap into local names, such as a radio announcer or local fair queen.

One example of a company that used this approach is e.l.f. Cosmetics. Lil Wayne created an original soundtrack just for the brand, and it went viral on TikTok. It used #eyeslipsface as the hashtag and had more than 6 billion views.

Try to do something a bit unusual so the content stands out from other creators on the channel.

5. Create a Team

Get videos to gain the most traction by enlisting the help of the brand’s raving fans. Ask them to like, share and comment on TikToks. Search Engine Journal reports that TikTok’s algorithms favor popular posts, so more interactions generate a bigger bump.

Think of fans as an online street team. Reward them with bonus content, thank yous and special rewards when they help brand content rise to the top of the algorithm.

Tell the team exactly what helps spread the word. Email them and let them know someone just posted, and it would help if they liked, commented and shared.

6. Entertain Before Promoting

It might be tempting to create videos and challenges all about the brand and products, but people tend not to like a ton of self-promotion on the platform. Instead, companies can develop things only to entertain followers.

Try to tie it into what the brand does. For example, a shoe company might create content based on what to do to refresh a stinky pair of shoes.

Finding a balance between promotion and entertainment shows people the company isn't just there to toot its own horn. It also cares about building the platform and reaching people on a personal level.

7. Partner With Influencers

Spending on influencer marketing continues to grow, hitting $15 billion by the end of 2022, up about 42% already this year. Teaming up with influencers expands brand reach. It allows businesses to tap into their target audience already wooed by another account instead of spending money and time building a following.

Pay attention to which influencers competitors use. Seek those with similar audiences but don’t work with brands in the same industry. A smart alliance with the right online personalities does wonders for brand recognition.

8. Consider Photo Quality

One thing people notice on sites such as Instagram and TikTok is the quality of the content. Throwing up an amateur video may be fun for an individual, but businesses tend to take things up a notch or two. The visuals are a representation of the brand and should reflect the quality of products and services.

Hire a professional photographer or learn to take better brand photos. Keep in mind that people don’t know the company, and their first impression may be what they see on TikTok. Is it the impression the business wants to make?

9. Be Relevant

Don’t just spout a bunch of information without a purpose. What hasn’t been covered already on the topic? How can the brand add to the conversation and show authority?

Take the time to do plenty of research about what’s trending, what’s already out there, and how brand posts might enhance various campaigns and hashtag topics.

10. Add Calls to Action (CTAs)

Just because the post is on a social media platform known for entertainment doesn’t mean it shouldn’t include CTAs. A CTA tells people what to do after viewing or interacting with a post.

For example, a brand might jump into a travel challenge and show the different places a particular product went over the summer. At the end of each post, they might suggest buying it and going on an adventure.

CTAs on TikTok should be about more than just saying “buy this now.” People want to feel inspired and part of something bigger. Brands have an opportunity to sell their products while also improving the world. The last thing they want is to seem like they are being shallow and just trying to sell a product.

Source

Show Personality

Making a connection on TikTok is about understanding the platform and showing off brand personality. Consider user expectations for the company and try to meet or even exceed them. Don’t be afraid to try new things and be a little weird. Uniqueness works on TikTok, whereas it might not work on a platform such as LinkedIn.

Post consistently, track results and keep throwing up new content until the company finds its people. Over time, the brand will have a nice following and people who respond by sharing, commenting and buying new products. Build raving fans on the platform and then expand from there.

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