The power of TikTok and how E-commerce brands should join the wave

BBD Marketing Team

How TikTok is changing the advertisement space:

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This is a platform that has allowed the heavens gates of advertisement to open. Integrating ads within UGC content makes those annoying pop ups blend into the user's experience… This is a golden opportunity, and today we'll share with you what it takes to transition/ amplify your brand's presence.

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This platform has become integrated within our creative/marketing industries, 67% of TikTok users would prefer to see videos from brands featuring popular or trending songs. The way TikTok works is key to understanding how to use it to your advantage. Here’s a breakdown of how the app works, and how you can apply it to your own eCommerce business…

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Let's start by talking about algorithms. Algorithms are crucial to marketing as a whole. However, TikTok has a unique algorithm where it presents its users with a very personalised feed. Every user sees something different that is catered for them. The app is incredibly smart and complex, studying its user to keep them entertained through the infinity scroll invented by Aza Raskin. It’s what distinguishes itself from other well known social media apps. It does this by not taking into account a post's view count or ‘likes’ and still shows up on the feed regardless, which is why it makes it easier to make your content go viral if you keep using the app.

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This is why it helps to know your own demographic / target audience more than ever before. TikTok has created the ‘creative centre’ which is available to everyone with an account. It shows example videos that have been injected into the algorithm already and are showing you statistical real-time proof of the engagement. You can tap into your target audience now more than ever:

TikTok is a great way to reach a new and wider audience. With the app being used across the globe with its main demographic being young people, the app has and is reaching the older age groups. You too can gain a more diverse audience. Here are some pointers on how you can start right on TikTok: Read until the end to see what works best, and to help you build your knowledge of the app to get you prepared for starting your very own account.

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1: Influencer marketing profit on a global scale:

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Influencer marketing is unquestionably profitable. From $1.7 billion in 2016, the market is expected to grow to $9.7 billion by 2020. It increased to $13.8 billion in 2021, suggesting consistent growth. The sector is expected to grow to a massive $16.4 billion this year alone:

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Sourced from: (Influencermarketinghub.com)

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2: Influencers and teaming up with other brands.

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As TikTok isn’t cluttered with advertisements, it has enlivened the way we can advertise. Going back to the roots of subtle product placement and growing the influencer world. As influencers have a substantial understanding of the app, they have the potential to change an ‘in the box’ brand into an engaging fun video which will lead to boosting your brand's message.

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A staggering 93% of marketers are said to have used influencer marketing. There are so many reasons why this is the case. Influencers are said to be ordinary people, which sells. People want content by real people for real people. It appears more trustworthy and relatable, and people become more engaged. That's why it’s important not to rule out some influencers with smaller followings, as their audience may be more engaging. Teaming up with an influencer, or doing a collaboration with another brand creates more exposure for your business and allows your business to be shared with a whole new audience of potential customers.

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One great example of this is the Brand Too Faced, which has been thriving off the TikTok success since the beginning. Their lip plumping injection lip gloss got sold out, even though it has been on sale for 6 years prior - all it took was an influencer to show the before and after-effects of the product. Upon realising the power of TikTok and its influencers - Toofaced decided to then create a hashtag for the next product launch of their mascara called Damn Girl Mascara aka #TFDamnGirl. Kristen Hancher, an influencer, shared a transition video of her before and after product use which generated well over 8 million views for the hashtag.

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Nathan Apodaca, a user on TikTok, filmed himself skating to work while drinking Ocean Breezes cranberry juice and posted it with the song Dreams by Fleetwood Mac playing over the top. Such a simple and short video, 15 seconds to be precise. This boosted the company's sales overnight following the video, the song got streamed over 8 million times in the US alone shortly after the video. This again just goes to show the insane power of TikTok.

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A great place to start is the TikTok creator marketplace. It is a great place to make connections with creators and add them to your next campaign. These creators are established and have an active following base. Not only does this site connect you with creators, but it also shows you what sort of content works best with the said creators and shares lots of information you need about them so you know which one is right for you and your company.

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Just like it's important to know your target audience, it is equally as important to know what sort of content you want to produce. Whether it's going to be educational, funny, aesthetically pleasing and so on. This again will help you reach the audience you intended on reaching. The more consistent you are with the content you produce, the quality of your content, and how frequent you post, all adds up to give you better results!

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3: Paid Ads

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This feature is fairly new but very effective. Brands of all sizes are using this feature. It runs in feed advertisements, or you can create a branded hashtag or even add/create a video effect.

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One of the biggest benefits of TikTok ads is how smoothly assets are integrated. While going through the ‘For You’ page, ads show alongside native content. All of the elements of a standard post, such as the option to like, comment, and share, are still available. This is great because it causes more engagement for your ad and even has the possibility for people to share it with their friends and so on. Tiktok has made it easier for you to make these paid ads as well. They’ve broken it down into 4 steps: Choosing your goal, setting your audience, choosing your budget, and then finally designing the said advert. Even TikTok itself is advertising its paid advert marketing saying “Don’t make ads. Make TikTok videos”.

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Hello Fresh is a great example of this and has been using this feature for quite some time now promoting their at-home meal kit service. They filmed their ads as UGC (user-generated content). This makes the advert blend more naturally into the user's feed and the ad has more of a natural feel to it.

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Hashtag challenges are another popular way to advertise. Brands pay TikTok to create a branded hashtag and they have taken off dramatically. The hashtag is part of a challenge campaign, where users can get involved by doing the challenge and posting it under the hashtag. There are many examples to draw from. One notable campaign though is Samsungs #VideoSnapChallenge which generated over 27 BILLION views. Users were asked to showcase 3 different poses using the branded effect that showed off Samsung's 8K snap feature. It was one of the greatest successes of the branded hashtag campaign on TikTok so far.

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Successful #VideoSnapChallenge trend example and comparing the supporting trends (at the time) by Samsung:

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Sourced from: (Mediakix.com)

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These aren't the only ways to advertise on TikTok. At the moment there are 6 different types of ad offerings on TikTok paid ads. These are:

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1) In-feed video ads

2) Brand takeover

3) Hashtag challenges

4) Branded lens

5) Top views

6) Custom influencer

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4: Use trending hashtags and music

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One of the great features of Tiktok is the ability to use copyrighted music in the app. Before TikTok, there was Musically. Musically was a music social media app popular amongst the younger generation. Posting videos of themselves lip-syncing to a song. The app then merged with Tiktok helping it shape into what it is today.

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Music and ‘sound’ trends are key to your video, this is what makes a trend ‘blow up the majority of the time. If you use a trending sound in your video, it is more likely to go viral. Even if you don’t use the sound for the trend and turn the volume of the actual sound down in the video, it will still be shown on the page for that specific sound. This means you can use your sound (for example), do a voice-over, and still gain the views from that upcoming trend. There's also an app for this called ‘TrendTok”. This app tells you what trends are trending in different areas/countries. It's a great tool for keeping track of sounds and staying up to date with the trends.

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This leads us to talk about trends. The biggest trends on TikTok usually involve a song and a witty caption, or a song and a dance. One famous dance trend is K Camp's “Lottery” song which is better known for the infamous dance ‘renegade’. The dance trend allowed loads of people to join in and learn, posting it and being part of the fun which is one of the main things TikTok thrives off of. Other examples of these dance challenges like Say So by Doja Cat, who even included the dance in her actual music video - or has helped artists grow their fanbases, such as Dreya Mac, who released her song on TikTok with a dance that became a trend and now has a big fan following.

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Constantly lurking on your competitors' content. This tip applies to marketing across the entire web, but especially TikTok due to its fast-paced trends. Knowing what your competitors are posting will help you keep on top of the trends and seeing them do it can inspire you to do the trend even better.

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5: Rules to live by:

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• Use hashtags. Be specific with your hashtags, Niche sells.

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(You can always re-upload with more relevant hashtags/ trending sounds but be careful, as it could mess up how the video is engaging with your audiences algorithm)

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• Posting 1-3 times a day is best for algorithms, repeat and you’ll see what’s working for you. If this is too much, just post as frequently as you can. Consistency is key, but what’s even more vital is quantity.

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• Sharing your post on other social media is imperative, especially when you can edit snippets to direct your views to the platform you decide.

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• Always follow a theme, and once you’ve found what content works for you and the algorithm. The views soon follow.

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6: TikTok’s growth…

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Over one billion people across the globe have TikTok downloaded, with it overtaking facebook back in 2020. A fresh new audience is ready for new marketing approaches.

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Unlike other social media apps like Instagram and Twitter, you don’t need a huge following to go viral or spark a few views on TikTok.

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(Sourced from: https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/)

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(Sourced from: https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-statistics/)

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7: What brands use TikTok well

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One of the special things about TikTok is that authenticity always goes down well in the app. People love to see the ordinary, and love being included in something. They want to see the human, the face behind the brand. For years in the digital age, people have been shown time and time again polished product images and brand advertising in every corner of the Earth. People are tired of trying to be sold something, this is why it is time to take an alternative approach and TikTok offers this new start. People are ready for a refresh. This is why the personality of the brand must have a face. This allows people to connect with your brand on a more personal level. And what follows is personal? Loyal customers.

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A brand that has understood this and the way TikTok works is Duolingo. They could’ve easily posted educational content, teaching people other languages. However, they took their logo and turned it into a real-life mascot - the owl. Creating a persona, entertaining their audience and getting a lot of views and followers for doing so. The more views the more engagement the more sales.

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Ryanair also did this by poking fun at themselves, posting a day in the life on board crew videos and making their planes into an animated face jumping on trending sounds.

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Of course, not all businesses may not be able to take this kind of approach and that's okay. You can still utilise TikTok and maintain your brand's identity. Humour, although it goes down well on the app, fear not, it’s not the only way to capture the attention spans of your audience. You can create content in a variety of ways. Behind the scenes (BTS) videos, offer the viewer a sense of realness behind the brand that sells on the app. Filming your day to day routines, offering your audience the chance to be ‘part of’ your day. You can even offer educational content. There's a whole hashtag for these kinds of videos as well, under #learntok.

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Whatever way you decide to make your content, it's key to make it as engaging as possible. Using hooks to engage your audience is one way. Doing your hook in the first 3 seconds has the best results. Make sure to not have a long waffly introduction as you will lose viewers. There are different types of hooks for different videos, again, it's best to work out what content you’re creating first to know which one to use. The hooks are; the curiosity hook, the How-to hook, The list, The direct hook and the reason why hook. Some great starter hooks, give an example, “ 5 Things I wish I knew earlier” or “ Nobody is talking about (insert niche). These are hooks that can work and also can be interchangeable for a business.

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The reason hooks are so important is because they are what engages the user right from the start of the video to continue watching. As TikTok advertisement videos reach 15-60 seconds max, the videos and offers need to be immediate and clear with the info they’re trying to put out, whilst also being equally as engaging. People's attention spans aren’t as long as they used to be, and we need to keep this in mind when becoming this new kind of content creator.

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Now that we have covered the basics, hop on the trend train! Get ready to see your brand blow up and reach new heights. Remember to be consistent, engaging, and have fun! There are a lot of reasons why this app has already helped so many brands launch them to new feets. Using the examples provided in this blog, you too can now be one of those brands.

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If you feel as if this is for you, make sure to contact us! We have the most responsive group of professionals ready to help you with this transition and journey.