TikTok Ads for Companies

E-commerce brands utilize digital marketing platforms in addition to traditional methods to reach their target audience, increase brand awareness, and boost sales. Social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok are among the most preferred marketing tools for brands. In this article, we will discuss the “TikTok Ads,” which has gained significant attention in digital marketing trends in recent years despite being a relatively new phenomenon.

TikTok is a social media platform developed by Zhang Yiming in China in September 2016, allowing users to create fun video content on both iOS and Android devices. Despite its launch in 2016, when compared to established social networks such as Facebook (2001) and Instagram (2010), TikTok has become one of the most popular applications in recent times. According to the research conducted by “We are Social” between 2021 and 2022 on “favorite social media platforms of users worldwide,” TikTok ranks 6th.

As can be understood from the table, TikTok has managed to become one of the favorite apps used globally both in a corporate and individual context. With such a large user base, TikTok’s usage has evolved beyond individuals creating entertaining video content, and it has become a new marketing tool for brands. With its extensive reach to a wide audience, TikTok facilitates brands in reaching a larger audience, making it valuable for brands to adopt marketing strategies on this platform. Let’s explore the benefits of a brand engaging in advertising activities on TikTok and why it is essential for a business to be present on the TikTok network:

Increasing Brand Awareness:

TikTok has over 1 billion users and ranks as the 6th most popular app globally in terms of active users. It is used in more than 160 countries, and in 2019, it was the most downloaded app in countries like Japan, Korea, the US, and India. Considering these figures, TikTok undoubtedly becomes an essential marketing destination for brands to increase their brand awareness and sales. Advertising on TikTok, creating TikTok videos for brand products and services, and collaborating with influencers can help businesses reach a broader audience.

The Growing Importance of Video Ads:

Deloitte’s “Successes in E-commerce 2022” study highlights that online videos and music streaming services are much more preferred by users compared to photo and written content in this era. This underscores the critical role of advertising on TikTok, a platform specifically designed for video content. Statistics show that video content marketing has seen around an 83% increase in importance due to evolving digital marketing trends. Businesses should take advantage of this trend and focus on creating compelling video content to engage with users effectively.

Cost Advantage:

Though the rate of advertising on TikTok has been increasing recently, there is still relatively less competition on the platform, making it advantageous for brands. The lower competition means that brands can plan campaigns with more budget flexibility. Brands that have been experiencing low returns on investment from other advertising platforms due to high costs are increasingly shifting their focus to TikTok.

TikTok and Influencer Marketing:

Influencer marketing has become one of the significant digital marketing strategies, especially for e-commerce brands. It helps brands reduce their marketing costs significantly. A study conducted in 2016 found that influencer marketing provided an 11-fold higher return on investment compared to traditional marketing methods. Initially popularized on Instagram, influencer marketing has also gained importance on TikTok, as brands recognize the potential of collaborating with influencers on this rising platform. Partnering with influencers allows brands to tap into the influencers’ follower base, increasing brand visibility and accelerating product or service sales. You can find more about influencer marketing in our blog post titled “2022 E-Commerce Trends”: [insert link]

TikTok Advertising Models:

1. Top View Ads: These are the first ads users see when they enter the TikTok app. They offer more captivating and attention-grabbing content, providing significant results, as mentioned in a study by Kantar.
2. In-Feed Ads: In-feed ads allow brands to achieve their full-funnel marketing objectives in a flexible and native manner. These ads appear in the user’s feed, enabling brands to attract attention and drive performance.
3. Branded Hashtag Challenges: This ad format enables TikTok users to participate in a challenge initiated by a brand using a specific hashtag. Users create creative content with the brand’s hashtag, increasing brand engagement. This ad type is especially prevalent on the “Discover” page, where users frequently encounter these challenges, along with clear instructions on how to participate.
4. Branded Effects: Users can use brand-customized effects such as filters, stickers, and interactive games. These effects empower users to unleash their creative potential effortlessly, allowing campaigns to spread rapidly on the internet. High-quality organic content created using branded effects can have an impact beyond the brand’s target audience.

In conclusion, in this article, we’ve discussed TikTok, one of the social media platforms that has become increasingly valuable for brands in digital marketing. Investing in this newly emerging and rapidly developing social platform is of great importance for the future of your brand. Additionally, TikTok offers many opportunities for marketing, as it is a social network that continues to grow exponentially. Trending content such as duets, fun videos, reaction videos, creative content, or humorous montages are part of TikTok’s success, making it easier to use these trends to promote your brand or product. Considering that competition for brands is lower on TikTok compared to other social platforms, it is possible to generate high returns with lower investments.