Welcome to the exciting world of TikTok, where creativity knows no bounds and trends spread like wildfire. In recent years, TikTok has become a thriving hub for brand advertising, offering a unique and dynamic way for companies to connect with their target audience. With its vast user base and unparalleled ability to captivate millions, TikTok has revolutionized the advertising landscape, opening up a whole new realm of possibilities for brands.
In this blog, we will dive into the fascinating realm of brand advertising on TikTok. We will explore how this platform has become a game-changer for marketers, enabling them to tap into a generation that craves authenticity, entertainment, and engagement. We will help you uncover the secrets behind successful TikTok campaigns, discuss the benefits and challenges of advertising on this platform, and discover how brands are harnessing the power of TikTok to reach their marketing goals.
Table of Contents
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The Rise of TikTok
TikTok’s meteoric rise to prominence has been nothing short of extraordinary. What began as a platform for short, user-generated videos quickly transformed into a global phenomenon, attracting users of all ages and backgrounds. This rapid growth caught the attention of brands, who recognized the immense potential of TikTok as an advertising channel.
What is TikTok Marketing?
TikTok marketing is the art of leveraging the vibrant and creative world of TikTok to skyrocket your reach, engagement, and brand love. It captures the attention of a diverse and enthusiastic audience, delivering your message in bite-sized, visually stunning videos. It’s all about tapping into the latest trends, mastering the viral challenges, and collaborating with the platform’s energetic influencers to create content that wows and resonates.
Below are the three main areas of TikTok Marketing:
Content Creation and Strategy
This area is all about crafting thumb-stopping videos that dazzle, entertain, and leave the TikTok community craving for more. With a pinch of strategy, a sprinkle of humor, and a dash of authenticity, you’ll captivate audiences and showcase your brand’s unique story in bite-sized bursts of joy.
Influencer Marketing
Another way to leverage TikTok is to connect with the most popular creators on the platform. By aligning with those who share your brand values and appeal to your target audience, you’ll unlock a world of potential. They can help create jaw-dropping content that showcases your brand in a way that feels genuine and relatable, generating buzz, boosting brand awareness, and driving conversions.
Advertising and Promotion
This area encompasses paid advertising and promotional activities on TikTok. Brands can leverage TikTok’s native advertising formats, such as in-feed ads, brand takeovers, sponsored hashtags, or branded effects, to reach a wider audience and increase brand visibility.
Types of TikTok Marketing
Influencer Partnerships
Collaborating with popular TikTok influencers who align with your brand’s values and target audience can amplify your reach and credibility.
Hashtag Challenges
Hashtag challenges involve creating a unique and engaging challenge around a specific hashtag related to your brand.
Branded Effects and Filters
Developing custom branded effects, filters, stickers, or lenses adds a fun and interactive element to your TikTok marketing strategy.
Native Advertising
Creating and promoting content that seamlessly integrates with the organic content users consume. It can take the form of in-feed ads, brand takeovers, or sponsored hashtags.
Cross-platform Promotion
Integrating TikTok content into your broader marketing efforts across other social media platforms can help increase visibility and drive traffic to your TikTok account.
Why is TikTok Marketing Important for Brands?
TikTok marketing is an absolute game-changer for brands. TikTok boasts an enormous and diverse user base, spanning across various demographics and global regions. TikTok is also a breeding ground for creativity and authenticity. It celebrates uniqueness and encourages brands to think outside the box. With TikTok marketing, brands can let their creativity run wild, creating captivating and memorable content that resonates with users.
But the magic doesn’t stop there! TikTok’s algorithm is a wizard behind the scenes, analyzing user preferences and serving up content tailored to their interests.
Most Successful Brands on TikTok
Chipotle
Chipotle, the popular fast-casual restaurant chain, embraced TikTok with creative and entertaining content. They launched challenges, collaborated with influencers, and showcased their menu items in fun and engaging ways. Their #GuacDance challenge, featuring a catchy song about guacamole, went viral and garnered millions of user-generated videos, resulting in significant brand exposure and increased sales.
@chipotle TFW guac is free. Online/in-app only 7/31 #GuacDance Terms: chip.tl/avoday
♬ The Guacamole Song - Dr. Jean
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) aimed to connect with basketball fans worldwide. They shared behind-the-scenes footage, player highlights, and engaging challenges that tapped into the platform’s energetic culture. The NBA’s TikTok account quickly gained millions of followers, creating a dedicated community of basketball enthusiasts who eagerly consumed and shared NBA content.
@nba Jamal Murray cuts the lead to three and Denver goes WILD! 😲 #NBA #NBAFinals #JamalMurray #Nuggets
♬ original sound - NBA
Fenty Beauty
Fenty Beauty, a cosmetics brand founded by Rihanna, used TikTok to showcase their diverse range of products and promote inclusivity. They collaborated with beauty influencers, shared makeup tutorials, and encouraged users to create their own Fenty Beauty-inspired looks. By embracing TikTok’s creative community, Fenty Beauty successfully built brand awareness and connection with a younger audience.
@fentybeauty "If you have on a good, strong lipstick... it changes everything!" - @Rihanna 💋 #FENTYICON Lipsticks were made to be ✨SEEN✨ Muva is rocking 'The MVP' and curated every shade for the most iconic lineup of high-pigment, low-maintenance reds + neutrals 💄 Shop the 1️⃣6️⃣ ICONIC Semi-Matte Refillable Lipstick shades + 4️⃣ Cases on the #fentybeauty site, @sephora, @sephoracanada, @Kohl’s sephoraxkohls, @Ulta Beauty, & @Boots UK 💯
♬ original sound - Fenty Beauty
Gymshark
Gymshark, a fitness apparel brand, utilized TikTok to inspire and engage fitness enthusiasts. They partnered with fitness influencers, shared workout routines, and showcased their products in action. Gymshark leveraged TikTok’s fast-paced and visually appealing format to build a community of fitness enthusiasts, increasing brand visibility and driving sales.
@gymshark If I don’t do it all in one trip i’m a failure ❌ #gymmeme #gymtok #Gymshark @Lucy Davis Fit
♬ Murder - Bgnzinho
e.l.f. Cosmetics
e.l.f. Cosmetics, a popular beauty brand, created a strong presence on TikTok by collaborating with influencers, launching viral challenges, and sharing makeup tips and tricks. They encouraged users to showcase their makeup transformations using e.l.f. products, driving user-generated content, and fostering a sense of community around their brand.
@elfyeah Replying to @skinnycelery tell your makeup to e.l.f. off 🫧 #elfoffmakeupremover #makeupremoval #elfcosmetics
♬ Can't Go Back - Radiant Life Perspective (Ian Bennett)
The brands we’ve worked with
LG Life’s Good Campaign
LG, with the help of VMG Digital, created a Branded Effect and Branded Hashtag Challenge campaign to invite the world to show off their dance moves and show what Life’s Good means to them.
The Branded Effect was designed with a bespoke background filter to track body movements as the audience dances along to the track. The Hashtag Challenge #lifeisgooddance was created to further generate awareness and encourage participation.
The campaign received 7B+ views, 2M+ video creations, and 12b+ branded effect panel impressions.
@katttrod Check out the #Lifeisgooddance challenge ! Life has been real good since this song came into my life 😭💫 @lg_lifeisgood #lg #charlieputh #ad
♬ Life’s Good (feat. Stacey Ryan, Sade Whittier, Dani Kim, and Stacy Capers) - Charlie Puth X LG
“TikTok provides a unique platform for brands and it was the right space to encourage young consumers to engage with LG via our Life’s Good Music Project by creative assets specifically designed for the audience and platform, we saw an uplift in our key engagement metrics.” – Jeeyeon Park | LG Brand Manager
Vinamilk
Leveraging the start of the summer season, Vinamilk wanted to disrupt the monotony of the pandemic lockdown. To do this, Vinamilk asked VMG Digital to create a branded effect and invited the TikTok community to join in on a #DelightNgonMeSay branded hashtag challenge to encourage users to enjoy a cooling Delight ice cream during the hottest season of the year.
Vinamilk’s campaign was one of the top-performing campaigns in Vietnam at the time, reaching 69% of the country’s TikTok user base in only 6 days. The campaign also saw over 145K video creations, exceeding benchmarks.
@jintru0808 #DelightNgonMeSay KHÔNG PHẢI QUẢNG CÁO đâu,Ước gì Kiều Jin thắng để mình được nhận quà sinh nhật là máy tính hi hi @cuongjin08 #cuongjin
♬ Delight Ngon Me Say - Ngo Lan Huong
Berocca
Berocca®, a popular effervescent tablet brand of Bayer, sought to refresh its brand image with consumers in the Vietnam market by emphasizing the energy-boosting benefits of Berocca® Performance Mango. To generate sizeable awareness that would kickstart this goal, the team asked VMG Digital to create branded effects and chose TikTok as a platform, and launched its first-ever #BeroccaMango2PM Hashtag Challenge.
In the end, the campaign saw 248M Video views, 14M engagements, and 70K videos participated.
@lebong95 Cover ngay Vũ Điệu 2h Chiều để nhận quà siêu đỉnh nhé! 🔋@beroccavn #BeroccaMango2PM
♬ 2 giờ chiều (2PM) - Isaac ft. Lou Hoàng
10 Vital TikTok Marketing Tips in 2023
Embrace Trends
Keep a pulse on the latest TikTok trends and challenges. Incorporate them into your content to stay relevant and engage with the TikTok community.
Be Authentic
TikTok users appreciate genuine and relatable content. Show your brand’s personality and connect with your audience on a personal level.
Utilize Hashtags
Hashtags are powerful tools on TikTok. Use popular and relevant hashtags to increase your discoverability and join conversations within your niche.
Collaborate with Influencers
Partner with TikTok influencers. Collaboration can help amplify your message, extend your reach, and build trust with your followers.
Leverage User-Generated Content
Encourage users to create content featuring your brand or products. User-generated content not only provides social proof but also helps spread brand awareness and foster a sense of community.
Optimize Video Length
TikTok thrives on short-form content. Keep your videos concise and attention-grabbing within the typical TikTok video length of 15 to 60 seconds.
Experiment with Effects and Filters
Take advantage of TikTok’s innovative features, such as effects, filters, and stickers. They can enhance the visual appeal of your content and make it stand out.
Engage with the Community
Interact with other TikTok users by responding to comments, engaging in duets, and participating in challenges. Building genuine connections and fostering community can help grow your TikTok presence.
Track Performance
Monitor the performance of your TikTok campaigns using the platform’s analytics tools. Understand which content resonates best with your audience, and refine your strategy accordingly.
Stay Consistent
Consistency is vital to TikTok. Regularly post new content to maintain engagement and keep your brand top of mind for TikTok users.
How can we help brands create thumb-stopping TikTok ads?
VMG Digital is an exclusive marketing partner of TikTok, giving us special access to different TikTok trends, best practices, case studies, insights, exposures, and more. We have produced 1000+ TikTok projects to date all with an overall 96% customer satisfaction rate.
We’ve been recently recognized by Sprout Social to be one of the best TikTok Creative Agencies in 2023. Read more about our recent campaign here (spoiler alert: 1B+ views in the first two weeks)
Our talented pool of editors, designers, and animators will also make sure that we deliver high-quality & world-class output with a fast turnaround time. Through the help of our dedicated client services managers and our Create Technology (one-stop collaboration platform), we will guarantee a seamless collaboration experience.
Frequently Asked Questions About TikTok For Business
What is TikTok marketing?
TikTok in marketing refers to the strategic use of the popular social media platform TikTok to promote products, services, or brands. It involves leveraging TikTok’s features, such as short videos, influencer collaborations, hashtag challenges, targeted advertising, and e-commerce integration, to engage with the platform’s vast user base and drive brand awareness, engagement, and conversions.
How to market on TikTok?
To successfully market on TikTok, businesses can start by identifying their target audience and understanding their preferences. Collaborating with TikTok influencers can amplify brand reach and engagement. Creating compelling and authentic content that aligns with TikTok’s trends and creative features is crucial. Engaging in hashtag challenges and user-generated content can foster community participation and brand loyalty.
How to advertise on TikTok?
Advertising on TikTok involves a strategic approach to maximize brand exposure and engage with the platform’s diverse user base. To advertise on TikTok, businesses can start by identifying their target audience and defining their advertising objectives. Utilizing TikTok’s advertising options, such as in-feed ads, brand takeovers, and branded lenses, allows for creative and impactful brand promotion.
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