I remember when Tiktok first came out. As someone who uses social media sparingly, I was skeptical of it–another Vine clone, I thought (remember Vine??), and certainly not another app I was interested in adding to my phone. 

Fast forward a couple of years later, and I’ve found myself spending more time on TikTok than almost any other app. It’s one of the first ones that I launch when I find myself with a bit of idle time, and to be honest with you, dear reader, I’m not sure how it happened, either. 

More than that, I’ve found myself sufficiently “influenced” on TikTok beyond liking the occasional useful short-form video. In addition to liking and saving videos, most of the purchases I’ve made over the past couple of months are because I saw the product on TikTok, or were bought directly from a TikTok shop. If that’s not a testament to its effectiveness as an Advertising platform, then I don’t know what is. 

But don’t just take my word for it–here are a few reasons why you should consider advertising on TikTok if you run an ecommerce business:

Surprising TikTok Statistics You Need to Know

• TikTok has been downloaded 3 billion times globally as of Q2 2021, demonstrating its immense popularity. It is now considered a global phenomenon and one of the most successful social media platforms in history. To further support this statistic, TikTok has been downloaded more than 571 million times between Q1-Q3 of 2022. 
• It counts over 1.5 billion active monthly users worldwide, as of Q3 2022.
• TikTok is also the second-highest revenue-generating non-gaming app (say that 3 times fast) globally in May 2021, with users spending over $102 million on the app. 
• It has grown and continues to grow exponentially in terms of users: as of 2022, 20.83% of all internet users in the world were on TikTok, up from 18% in 2020. 
• 90% of TikTok users access the app on a daily basis (myself included; guilty!)
• TikTok’s social media engagement rate is also exponentially higher than other platforms–higher than Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Influencers on the platform charge considerably less per post, but can achieve engagement rates of 18% or so; for perspective, YouTube’s engagement rate is 1.63% while Instagram’s is 3.86%. 
• TikTok is currently the 7th most popular social media platform in the world, ahead of Facebook Messenger, Douyin, QQ, and Sina Weibo. It is, however, expected to break into the Big Five (which includes Facebook, YouTube, Whatsapp, Instagram, and WeChat) over the next couple of years or so.  

Why TikTok Needs to Be on Your Radar as an Advertising Platform

Beyond the fact that being on TikTok means more eyes on the products that you sell and/or the services that you offer, here are a few more compelling reasons why you should consider it as an advertising platform:

It’s a great way to reach a diverse audience

One of the biggest misconceptions about TikTok as an advertising platform is that it only caters to Gen Z. 

This couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, most of the content creators on the platform are between the ages of 16 and 24, making up 41% of its users. However, that still leaves a solid 59%-sized chunk of users made up of millennials, Gen Xers, and even Baby Boomers! 

In fact, according to a 2023 report from Omnicore, the number of US adult TikTok users has grown 5.5 times over the last year and a half, having been downloaded in the first quarter of 2020 more than any other app during the same time span. 

It’s budget-friendly

Another major misconception that most businesses have with regards to using TikTok as an advertising platform is that it can be complicated–and expensive. 

In reality, though, setting up a TikTok campaign isn’t that hard at all. There are plenty of resources online that can help you get started, or you can employ the services of an agency (ahem) that can do it for you. TikTok also charges roughly the same cost per click as Facebook–about a dollar–in addition to having programs that can aid small businesses get their feet off the ground on the platform. 

It’s versatile

TikTok’s ads are its bread and butter, and when utilized correctly, the chances of users engaging with yours are rather high. You can choose from these common variants:

• Topview ads function much in the same way as Top of Page for PPC, which means that your ad will be the first video that users see when they launch Tiktok;
• Brand Takeover ads are similar to non-skippable YouTube ads and often show as soon as the user opens the app. Unlike other TikTok videos, though, these ads do not give the user the ability to like or comment. 
• In-Feed Ads allow you to tell your brand’s unique story with content that shows up on a user’s For You Page (FYP), where users spend the most of their time on the app. 
• Branded hashtag challenges encourage users to create their own content around the theme of your campaign. 

Best Practices for TikTok Advertising

Forget everything that you know about advertising on other social media platforms: successfully advertising your products and services on TikTok is a whole new ballgame. Here are a few pointers:

Adapt to TikTok’s unique style

Videos that feel raw and natural is what TikTok is known for, and it’s important to lean heavily into those elements. You’ll want to make sure that your ads are attention-grabbing while being sincere. You can also make use of TikTok-specific features such as text overlays, green screen, and voiceovers to better connect with the audience. 

Follow the trends 

Virality is a difficult thing to chase, but hopping onto the latest trends, memes, and challenges decidedly isn’t when it comes to TikTok. At any given moment, there are a number of significant and culturally relevant moments that you can use to help tell your brand’s story–and all you have to do is check the Trends page on the Creative Center of your TikTok for Business account to get to know what they are. 

Focus on structure

TikTok’s focus on telling stories is one of the biggest reasons why so many people are drawn to the platform in the first place. Knowing how to tell a good story, structurally, can help improve ad recall and pull audiences in. Make sure that every video you create has a hook, body, and a call-to-action that seals the deal at the closing. 

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Looking to get your brand noticed on TikTok but not sure where to start? Leave it to the professionals and contact us today!

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