Listen, we all know TikTok, right? That hyper-addictive, mind-numbing app where you spend countless hours watching cats play the piano, people make questionable food choices, or teens dance to songs you’ve never heard of. Well, what if I told you, you could transform that time-suck into a potent weapon in your marketing arsenal? Welcome to the hilariously chaotic world of TikTok advertising.
Let’s kick off with a creative strategy. Now, you may be thinking, “What? I just slap a funny video of my product and call it a day?” And to that, I say, “Hell no!” Well, maybe a little, but it’s more than that.
Imagine your ad as that one friend who shows up to the party wearing a chicken suit. It’s weird, it’s unexpected, but damn, it’s memorable. That’s what your creative strategy should be – a chicken suit at a black-tie event. Be the one everyone remembers. But remember to be relevant to your brand too. No use being a chicken if you’re selling tuxedos.
Now that you’ve got your chicken suit on, it’s time to find the people who appreciate it. It is where audience targeting comes in.
TikTok provides a nifty feature that lets you target your audience based on demographics, interests, and behaviours. It’s like being a stand-up comedian who knows exactly who’s in the audience and what makes them laugh. But remember, not everyone will appreciate your humour. So, narrow down your target, and focus on those who do.
Now, we need to put that chicken suit in motion. Video production is where the magic happens.
TikTok thrives on organic, authentic content. So, ditch the overproduced videos and aim for something that feels real. Think shaky camera work, weird angles, and off-beat humour. Your audience wants to feel like they stumbled upon a hilarious gem, not an infomercial.
You’ve got your chicken suit, know who’ll love it, and filmed it in action. Now you need to make sure they find it. Enter the cryptic language of TikTok: hashtags.
Hashtag research is like decoding a secret language. You need to find the hashtags that your audience uses and loves. So, put on your detective hat, dive into TikTok, and start decoding.
Influencer marketing on TikTok is like getting the popular kid in school to wear your chicken suit. Suddenly, everyone wants one.
Influencers come with built-in audiences that trust and value their opinions. By leveraging this, you can get your brand in front of a larger audience. Just make sure the influencer aligns with your brand values and their audience matches your target audience.
Now, where do you show off your chicken suit? That’s where ad placement comes in.
TikTok offers several ad placement options: In-feed videos, TopView, branded effects, and more. It’s like choosing the perfect stage for your performance. Choose wisely, and your chicken suit will shine.
Ad scheduling is all about timing. You wouldn’t wear your chicken suit to a funeral (well unless it was a bizarrely themed funeral). Similarly, you need to time your ads to when your audience will most likely be online and receptive. Because what good is a hilarious chicken suit if no one is around to see it?
Alright, so you have two chicken suits and can’t decide which one to wear. What do you do? You try them both, of course! It is what A/B testing is all about.
Create two versions of your ad, each with a slight variation, and see which one performs better. It’s like an epic battle of chicken suits, where the winner gets the glory of being your chosen ad.
Now, let’s talk about money. Budget management is all about understanding how much you’re willing to spend on your TikTok advertising. Yes, I know, it’s not as fun as chicken suits, but it’s equally important.
Think of it as shopping for your chicken suit. You wouldn’t blow all your money on the first one you see, right? Similarly, you must allocate your budget wisely to get the most bang for your buck.
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Performance tracking gauges whether your chicken suit is a hit or a flop.
TikTok provides a wealth of analytics for you to deep-dive into. From views and shares to profile visits and follower count, it’s all there for you to measure your success. So, take advantage of it and use the data to fine-tune your strategy.
While performance tracking tells you if people love your chicken suit, conversion tracking tells you if they bought it.
TikTok’s Pixel feature allows you to track actions taken on your website after someone views your ad. So, if you want to sell chicken suits, you can see exactly how many people bought one after seeing your ad. It’s like having a crystal ball into your customers’ actions.
Retargeting is for those who loved your chicken suit, tried it on, but didn’t buy it. Maybe they got distracted. Maybe they needed a little more convincing. That’s where retargeting comes in.
You can use TikTok’s Custom Audiences feature to target people who have interacted with your ads before. It’s like following them around with your chicken suit until they can’t resist buying it.
In the world of chicken suits, you’re not alone. There are other brands out there trying to sell their versions. It is where competitor analysis comes in.
You can learn from their successes and failures by keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing. So, put on your spy glasses and start snooping.
Finally, we come to reporting and analytics. Your report card tells you how well your chicken suit performed.
TikTok’s analytics dashboard provides a detailed view of your ad performance. It’s like getting a play-by-play commentary on your chicken suit’s journey. Use this data to tweak and improve your future campaigns.
Absolutely, but like with any advertising platform, your success depends on your strategy, creative approach, and understanding of the platform’s unique audience.
Consider your target audience. It could be a great fit if they align with the predominantly young, trend-forward audience of TikTok. Also, if your brand can authentically embody a fun and creative approach, TikTok might be the place for you.
It can vary depending on factors like ad format, duration, and targeting. TikTok’s self-service ad platform has a minimum daily budget requirement of $50 for campaigns and $20 for ad groups.
You can definitely create a TikTok ad yourself. The platform is all about authentic, user-generated content. That being said, if you’re unfamiliar with video production or the platform, it could be beneficial to work with a professional.
TikTok provides robust analytics for your ads, including views, click-through rates, engagement rates, conversions, and more. Regularly reviewing these metrics will help you understand how well your ads are performing and where there’s room for improvement.
You might think that TikTok advertising is a lot to handle. And you’re not wrong. But remember, every great journey starts with a single step. Or, in this case, a single chicken suit.
So, dive in, have fun, and let your brand shine in the chaotic, hilarious world of TikTok advertising.
Welcome to the party, my friend. Your chicken suit awaits.
Up until working with Casey, we had only had poor to mediocre experiences outsourcing work to agencies. Casey & the team at CJ&CO are the exception to the rule.
Communication was beyond great, his understanding of our vision was phenomenal, and instead of needing babysitting like the other agencies we worked with, he was not only completely dependable but also gave us sound suggestions on how to get better results, at the risk of us not needing him for the initial job we requested (absolute gem).
This has truly been the first time we worked with someone outside of our business that quickly grasped our vision, and that I could completely forget about and would still deliver above expectations.
I honestly can’t wait to work in many more projects together!
Disclaimer
*The information this blog provides is for general informational purposes only and is not intended as financial or professional advice. The information may not reflect current developments and may be changed or updated without notice. Any opinions expressed on this blog are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s employer or any other organization. You should not act or rely on any information contained in this blog without first seeking the advice of a professional. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this blog. The author and affiliated parties assume no liability for any errors or omissions.