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Since its first release in 2016, the Chinese social app TikTok has grown to become one of the most profitable and downloaded apps in the world. With over 500 million users per month (source: Wikipedia), the app has successfully outperformed other popular social media apps.

What is TikTok?

TikTok is an iOS and Android media app that can be used to create and share short videos.

The app has become a sensation among the population around the world. It is not surprising that many celebrities use the app. We bet that most of your favorite stars like Ariana Grande, Shahid Kapoor and Ed Sheeran are represented on the platform and the list never ends.

Fun fact: In November 2019, TikTok exceeded 1.5 billion downloads and almost 500 million come only from India! (Source: The Next Web)

In addition to the app's clear appeal to a young audience, it also offers a growing selection of ad options. As the app grew, brands began to incorporate TikTok into their marketing strategy. TikTok has become one of the most powerful marketing platforms.

Well-known brands are also seen as campaigns on TikTok. For example, Pepsi With #SwagStepChallenge In 2019, records were broken with over 5.4 billion views of over 1 million user-created videos. This also led to an increase in sales for the brand. In December 2019, the brand continued the initiative and worked with Salman Khan on Dabangg 3. The hashtag currently has over 37 billion views in the app.

@ Pepsiindia

## SwagStepChallenge

♬ PepsiKaSwag – Dabangg Ki Pepsi

How can your brand use TikTok as a platform for their marketing strategy?

Here we give you important tips to realize your TikTok marketing efforts!

Influencer marketing is valuable

Influencers have taken over the online marketing game like nobody else! Brands turn to influencers to reach a more specific and broader audience. And just like Instagram, these influential groups of people have taken over TikTok. These influencers have an audience that wants to buy your products. It is also believed that consumers trust what an influencer has to say more than what a brand says, as such activity adds value to the brand.

Therefore, influencer marketing can be one of the most effective options, taking into account the brand history and the brand concept. Not all brands can accommodate this activity, but don't worry, we've got you covered. Continue reading.

#UniqueHashtags for winning

TikTok users are always ready for a challenge! As you read this, there is probably a trend right now. All you have to do is set a specific challenge with an interesting hashtag (#). This could lead other TikTok users to get inspired and do so. This will reach more users.

Nowadays, Bollywood marketers and promoters have started promoting their films in the form of challenges. For example, Akshay Kumar promoted their song with Housefull 4 by asking users to participate #BalaBalaChallenge. The hashtag has gone viral with over 500 million app views.

Create content like no other

TikTok is based on virality, or should we say that trend content comes from TikTok? That is the same! Is it an easy task to create viral content? The answer is no.

You no longer need high-quality or highly polished content. Originality is what counts. Creating original and relevant content on TikTok may not look hard enough, but it takes a lot of creativity, resources and energy to stand out.

The app generates over a million videos a day, but not all of them go viral. So you need to make sure that your content is original and up to date so that the audience can see it.

But what can make your content viral?

TikTok has a very specific population group. According to Wikipedia, 41% of users are between 16 and 24 years old. This means that the majority of the audience is young. Easily create content and think about what your audience can attract, how a food brand can create recipe videos. A fashion brand can also create styling videos.

Advertising is crucial

You can advertise on TikTok yourself just like on any other social media platform. There are two ways to do this, one is In-feed advertising and the other, Banner advertising.

In-feed advertising lets your ad appear in the feed itself with a direct link to your website. On the other hand, banner ads will appear as soon as you open the app. The user can simply click on the ad and reach you.

These are skippable ads that have several other options for designing the ad. Ad usage can be tracked based on clickthrough rates, overall views, impressions, engagements, and time for the video ad.

Brands like SHEIN, BUMBLE and many more use this function.

Activate user participation

The most effective way to advertise on TikTok is through user interaction. User-generated content is used to promote the brand with tools and features that make it easy. This is useful because users create content themselves.

For example a Chinese restaurant Haidilao decided to add a DIY option to their menu, where people can choose the way their food is made according to their selection of ingredients.
This caught the audience's attention due to its exclusivity.

Thousands of users have filmed their experiences and posted them on the app, which has made them a great success.

Live with the audience

Another feature that most of you may not be familiar with is TikTok live. It not only helps with brand advertising, but also connects you with the audience. Although TikTok, unlike any other social media platform, has its own rules for commissioning. According to The Daily Dot, you need at least 1000 followers to unlock the live feature in the app. According to some other reports, it is currently being tested and is only available to limited accounts. Give it a try, your account could be one of them!

Create your own brand lens

TikTok's lens feature lets you create videos with effects, including various face filters and more. These lenses are fun and many users seem to be attracted to them.
As a brand, you can create your own lens on TikTok and use it to advertise your products. This allows users to interact with and play with your brand through the lens.

TikTok is definitely rewriting the world right now.

If your brand wants to draw attention, TikTok is the platform you need to be on! The app had a large share in brand marketing last year. Who knows, it could get bigger this year!