Tiktok is more than just a fad social endeavor. It's a whole new marketing funnel for your business. The creative opportunities are endless on this app and we are here to tell you why and how to get started!

Over 40% of the app's users are between the ages of 10 and 19, making it a prime target for any brands seeking the elusive attention of Gen Z.

TikTok is also attractive because it is still, for the most part, uncharted territory when it comes to marketing. The app has only just begun exploring paid advertising and offers an open arena for influencers to fight for top positions.

The TikTok algorithm

Like most social media platforms, TikTok is all about user-generated content. But unlike Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other sites, TikTok revolves less around people you follow, and more around introducing users to new content.

Fed by its algorithm, the TikTok For You feed shows users content it thinks they will like, and makes adjustments based on their behavior over time. As New York Times columnist John Herrman put it, “Imagine a version of Facebook that was able to fill your feed before you’d friended a single person. That’s TikTok.”

Age

Tik Tok is especially popular with teenagers, a demographic commonly referred to as Generation Z. According to Global Web Index, 41% of TikTok users are between 16 and 24 years old.

On Douyin, in China, 75% of users are between 18 and 35 years old. Unsurprisingly, this segment also happens to be the most active on the app.

TikTok will support four types of advertisements on the app in 2019: infeed native content, brand takeovers, hashtag challenges and branded lenses. Each one contributes to a different purpose and will have a different outcome based on the type of campaign you're running.

1. Infeed Content

• What: Autoplaying, full screen, in-feed native video ad in the “For You” feed
• Objective: Link to landing page, hashtag challenge page or app store
• Note: There seems to be different ad options within the in-feed ad type, as well as possible restrictions on the number of advertisers and ad creatives being run at one time

2. Brand Takeovers

• What: Full screen, up to 5 sec. static / animated / video ad that displays when the user opens the app
• Objective: Send users to a page within or outside of TikTok, or have them participate in a hashtag challenge
• Note: This ad type likely limits the amount of advertisers per day in each country

3. Hashtag Challenges

• What: Ad that promotes a branded hashtag that entices users to create posts around the theme
• Objective: To promote the creation of original, user-generated content
• Note: This ad type is likely a package as it can be promoted in other areas like the Brand Takeover launch screen ad and in the Discovery page banner area

4. Branded Lenses

• What: Just like Snapchat or Instagram, you can have a filter anytime and anywhere
• Objective: Incorporate the beloved aspects of other social platforms 
• Note: Creating a filter can take time and depending on the longevity of the location scop can be pricey but rewarding.

Keep scrolling for #5!

How to Use Tiktokk for Business

Make sure you clearly understand your brand culture, values, and identity so that what you create is authentic and true to your brand, and avoids typical corporate guidelines.

TikTok is relatively new, especially to the business world, and, as such, is not nearly as saturated as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. It's also much cheaper to advertise on, because there isn't a strong influencer community yet; there are far fewer users competing for sponsorship and ad placements.

Assuming you’ve already downloaded the app, the first thing you need to do is make sure that you are using the ‘pro’ version, especially if you’re using it solely as a TikTok business account. 

This will allow you to access some useful analytics – giving you an insight into your content’s performance.

Then it’s all about getting those creative juices flowing and coming up with some original ideas to promote your business. But before you start, ask yourself the following questions:

• What are you hoping to achieve? 
• Who is your target audience? 
• How can you incorporate it into your current marketing plan? 
• What exactly are you promoting?
• How will people find and view your content?

Fashion brand, Guess, partnered with TikTok in 2018. Every time users opened the app, they were directed to the #InMyDenim challenge and urged to create some fun content. 

• Guess demonstrated how a challenge on a highly-visual platform like TikTok could quickly spread product-based awareness. A challenge like this, that directly shows off clothing worn by real people, could also entice customers who might see an outfit and want to buy it for themselves. This is a strategy that could easily be used by other fashion companies or businesses that sell visually interesting products.

This built brand awareness and got users interacting with the brand on a global scale. If your business is location-specific, then make the most of local hashtags – this gives you the chance to get your content in front of people from your local area and build awareness of whatever it is you’re promoting!

#5 Tiktok brand partnerships 

These seven companies and organizations have already gone viral or achieved success on TikTok.

• Chipotle
• NBA
• United Nationa IFAD
• The Washington Post
• Guess
• The San Diego Zoo
• NBC's Stay Tuned.

Check out this case study article: Chipotle smashes TikTok records with #GuacDance challenge

Key highlights:

• Chipotle Mexican Grill reported record results for its campaign on TikTok, the fast-growing social video app, to celebrate National Avocado Day. Its #GuacDance challenge, which urged guacamole fans to show off dance moves dedicated to avocados, kicked off last week and received 250,000 video submission and 430 million video starts during a six-day run, per the information shared with Mobile Marketer.
• The campaign was TikTok's highest-performing branded challenge in the U.S. The promotion resulted in Chipotle's biggest guacamole day ever, with more than 800,000 sides of the condiment served. The quick-service chain's avocado usage jumped 68% to 18,500 cases, or more than 420,000 pounds of the fruit, for National Avocado Day on July 31.
• The #GuacDance challenge featured children's musician Dr. Jean, whose "Guacamole Song" went viral on social media. Chipotle partnered with YouTubers Brent Rivera and Loren Gray to promote the dance-off on TikTok, which has been the most downloaded app in Apple's App Store for five straight quarters, per app analytics firm Sensor Tower.

Here is an example of a submission:

@brentrivera

When guacamole is free @chipotle when you order online/in-app on July 31st😍 ##GuacDance ##ad

♬ The Guacamole Song - Dr. Jean

Upping digital is part of an overall strategy change for the company’s marketing, moving dollars from local to national, taking marketing dollars from local restaurants and putting them toward a national approach. 

You may not be as famous but you have the potential to be the next big thing and being an early adopter can do it for you! Combining the lessons you can learn from these brands with your brand’s personality, you can move mountains. 

Start with this checklist:

Quick Faqs

Is Tiktok good for business? 

• Upping digital is part of an overall strategy change for the company’s marketing, moving dollars from local to national. Adding another social platform to your approach is at most helpful and can expand your reach into many generations. The time is now to be an early adapter as many brands are taking advantage of this social shift. Build your audience and see what content they want to see from you. Engagement is key!

Are there B2B brands on TikTok?

• Although having a tangible product makes trends and videos a tad easier, it doesn't just stop there! At this point, if you are a B2B brand you are probably thinking that your buyers are not Gen Z and this is irrelevant. Check out all the examples above, especially the Washington Post to ensure that there is no cap to who is involved with Tiktok. If you bring them relevant content, the generation you want will follow. 

Is TikTok too young for my brand? 

• Tik Tok is especially popular with teenagers, a demographic commonly referred to as Generation Z. According to Global Web Index, 41% of TikTok users are between 16 and 24 years old. However, more and more content is created every day with different generations being involved. You can create your own demographic by incorporating multiple generations in a campaign. 

How professional should TikTok posts be?

• The first thing you’ll notice about TikTok is that it’s a little like being back in high school, or college, all over again. The space is full of highly creative content, and as noted, younger users generating this content. They’re true to the image they have cultivated for themselves, and love to hop on the trends, but they also don’t take the platform too seriously.

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