TikTok can be a minefield for brands and creators to jump into in 2021. Its content, values, and functionalities are unlike any other social media platform. So, you need to spend time, effort, and find resources to get it exactly right. Along the way, it’s easy to run into problems and to have TikTok marketing questions without any answers. I’m betting that you even have a few floating around your head right now. They make you feel hesitant to ask.
Fortunately, we’ve listed here some answers to TikTok marketing questions we know brands are too embarrassed to ask when beginning their TikTok journey. These questions are written and answered by a team of TikTok experts from Fanbytes. They have worked with over 170 brands on TikTok campaigns. Their years of experience working with both major brands such as Sony, Burger King, and Boohoo to more unorthodox brands such as ACCA, have taught them what brands really want to know about TikTok marketing.
The Top 5 TikTok Marketing Questions For Your Brand
Do I have to create videos in-app?
The short answer to this is yes. The longer answer is no. However, if you want to be successful on TikTok, then yes. Does that make sense?
Let me break it down.
Ultimately, what works on other social media platforms doesn’t mean it’s going to be effective on TikTok. The content on TikTok needs to be authentic, creative, and quirky. So, if the content is heavily produced or too focused on the aesthetic value like the content on Instagram, it simply won’t be effective.
Users can see through overproduced and heavily branded content as it sticks out like a sore thumb while they’re scrolling through their feeds. Instead, your brand needs to mimic the organic in-feed content that you can found all over the platform. So that you can come across as a ‘user’ and less of an ‘intruder’. You can do this by creating the videos in-app and by leveraging the native tools and features that TikTok provides. Here are some ideas for an engaging TikTok video.
What’s more, repurposed content might be low-quality which the algorithm flags. What’s the point of spending time, money, and resources on content for it to just end up sitting in TikTok’s bad books?
So, you need to understand what kind of content works effectively on TikTok. Then employ it in your own strategy as this is the most effective way to build a profile on the app. An example comes from a campaign they activated with Plato, a gaming app. It’s where they ask their influencers to film a video in TikTok and create a comedy skit whilst promoting the app. This paid off as they drove an average watch time of 75% twice the amount of Tik Tok and a strong CPI.
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Can we still run ads on TikTok while banning negotiations are happening?
During this time of ambiguity and uncertainty over TikTok’s future in the US, campaigns are still going forward. Despite no final deals being made, there are rumors circulating about Microsoft, in particular, who want to buy the app and keep the immensely popular social media thriving in the US.
Wallarroo media estimates that TikTok has around 80 million active users every month in the United States. 60% of which are women and 40% are men. 60% are between the ages of 16-24 with 26% between the ages 25-44. This is a massive audience for brands to leverage. And the effects would be devastating for those companies, the millions of users on the platform, and the thousands of jobs at TikTok itself.
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TikTok’s US general manager, Vanessa Pappas, comments in a recent video that TikTok is not going anywhere. She says: “We’re here for the long run. Continue to share your creativity here and let’s stand for TikTok,” She went on to say that “Millions of Americans who use TikTok every day, bringing their creativity and joy into our daily lives. We’ve heard your outpouring of support and we want to say thank you. We’re not planning on going anywhere”.
TikTok is also being flexible in regards to TikTok ads being run during this period, with a full guarantee of a re-executing campaign under any new ownership. This will be voided and companies will see a full payment in case they cannot run. Our advice is to continue as usual, like Old Navy, Eddie Bauer, and PacSun are doing.