TikTok, whether you love it or hate it, you’ve heard of it by now. It’s the world’s most
downloaded social media app for short-form videos and has successfully attracted an
audience even past that of Gen Z and millennials, all while offering engaging, consumable
content. Over 500 million people actively use the app globally and as of now, the app is
available in 141 of 155 countries, which means a broad reach for brands and influencers
alike.
It’s increasingly becoming a platform to help skyrocket a brand’s social media presence,
and in turn, their profit. And it can all be done with only one viral video. So, you know you
should advertise on TikTok, but how do you succeed? Should you mass-post? What
format should you use? How long should my ad be? Is there a right song or a wrong
hashtag? In this article, we will cover the best practices to be successful, not only by the
benchmarks set by the platform but by the community itself.
So, what should I do?
In 2021, TikTok introduced some of the best creative practices and what each of their
top-performing ads has in common. The most of which is using it’s own video creation
tool. This can be used within the app itself and has a plethora of creative filters, trending
sounds, and engaging options for call to actions, all right there at the tap of a finger. The
use of the video creation tool can ease the creative process as well as help your business
look native to the platform itself. This is a key component when creating ads for TikTok.
But what are the other practices? We’re going to break down what exactly those are, what
they mean, and how you can utilize these practices to exponentially grow your business.
Here are some best practices marketers and content creators on TikTok need to follow:
- Vertical Videos are a must. TikTok is an app that prioritizes vertical 16×9 videos,
what does this mean for you? That you should do the same. When creating an ad
for the platform, think natively. This means your video should be produced
vertically while encompassing the full screen. “Video orientation matters as well.
The vast majority of TikTok videos are shot in vertical format which means TikTok
users aren’t expecting to have to rotate their screen to watch the next video on
their For You Page. Videos shot in vertical format see a 40.1% lift in impressions
compared to videos using a square or horizontal aspect ratio.” (TikTok Creative Best
Practices)
- Make the video lengths impactful, not long. Ultimately, the length of your
TikToks should make sense for the message you’re trying to get across, but overall
shorter videos perform better. It only takes a moment for a user to swipe away to
consume the next video. Because of this, it’s important to have an engaging start
to your video, while producing an effective call to action, rather quickly before your
viewer can move on to the next viral video.
- Don’t forget the music! If you’re unaware, TikTok actually originally was called
Musically, an app kids used to make dance videos (sound familiar?) to different
trending songs. While the name has changed, and there’s far more content on the
platform now, some things never change – and that’s the importance of music in
your videos. Including sound – a music track, voiceover, or just you talking to the
camera – in your TikToks is more than a best practice; it’s a must-have for this
sound-on environment. Adding audio of any kind causes a significant lift in
impressions compared to videos without audio, and more than 93% of
top-performing videos use audio.
- High res videos? Yes please. Quality matters – don’t let grainy videos prevent
your message from getting through. There are a plethora of videos that have gone
viral on TikTok solely because of the quality the video was shot in. What does that
tell you as far as ads go? Your message is more likely to be retained if the quality
of the video is the best that it can be. “The overwhelming majority of
top-performing TikToks, 83.2% to be specific, have a video resolution of 720p or
higher. These videos see an average 5.4% lift in impressions.” (Best Practices)
- What’s trending? Use it to your advantage. TikTok trends, whether it’s a
trending sound, a dance, or a video concept, have historically been the reason
businesses have gone viral using the platform. But how do you know what exactly
is trending? Use the platform! Become your audience (if possible) and engage with
the community that you’re trying to reach. Take Duolingo, for example. Their social
media presence on TikTok alone has created an environment for their ads to be
consumed in a way that never have before, all because they’ve taken to the trend
of commenting on everything.
I know what to do, but how do I do it?
Well, that’s where experts come in. It’s important to have a marketing firm that will stand
behind you, explain the trends, and create concepts that are unique to your brand and
your message. To find this, look no further than 565 Media. We help clients achieve leaner
growth, we are hands-on, agile & performance driven with a singular goal to grow
revenues cost-effectively.