Source / Cottonbro at Pexels

Smart brands have turned to TikTok for advertising and marketing, appealing to a younger audience that loves to digest video content. If your core customers are under the age of 30, this is one social platform that you don’t want to ignore.

We’re going to explore five ways to create TikTok advertisements that convert. Then, we’ll answer a couple of FAQs to help you round out your TikTok marketing strategy.

1. Understand Why Some Native Content is So Powerful

TikTok ads look and behave much like native ads, and that’s the point – they’re supposed to blend in and be just as appealing as the other content on the platform. That said, to create a successful TikTok ad that converts, you have to understand why high-performing native content does well because you’ll use the same approach to creating your ad content.

Chipotle jumped on a popular TikTok trope with this point-of-view video, and the company made sure to keep it brand-related. The Washington Post does a phenomenal job of this as well. While they report on serious news topics, their TikTok is creative and fun, perfectly aimed at the audience that’s watching.

2. Partner With a TikTok (Micro) Influencer

Source / Laura Chouette on Unsplash

TikTok influencer marketing can be a big help when it comes to getting your content seen and making it go viral. But you don’t have to only choose influencers with massive followings and the blue-and-white “verified” checkmark. For smaller brands that are just getting started and have a limited ad budget, connecting with a micro-influencer is still plenty powerful. Instead of follower numbers, pay attention to engagement. Do their posts get a lot of interaction despite the follower count being low? Quality is more important than quantity for influencers of any size.

This post from shoe brand Vessi features a popular TikTok personality who often creates funny videos where she plays multiple roles. Vessi recognized that @kallmekris’ regular content got a ton of attention and capitalized on that to promote their brand.

3. Use Social Proof

Today, few things are as powerful as user reviews. It’s one thing for a brand to tell you about itself, but it’s another for an actual customer to provide feedback. Brands that add social proof into their advertising and marketing campaigns show that there are plenty of people who think highly of the business, which is encouraging to potential users who may be on the fence.

Postmates took the opportunity to share their customer feedback this post, which shows its Don’t Cook Book along with comments from fans. 

4. Create FOMO

If you want someone to buy your product or service ASAP, give them a dose of FOMO (fear of missing out). And make sure that they need what you sell in order to participate. 

The Sabra hummus brand does this well with its food prep and cooking videos. Their recipes and suggestions revolve around their hummus flavors, so in order to DIY at home, you’ll need to run to the grocery store to pick up a container. Since this type of conversion is hard to track, it’s a great time to create a branded hashtag ad so that those who do purchase the product will be inclined to share their creations on TikTok.

5. Call Out the Call to Action

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One of the simplest ways to get users to take the action you want them to take is to tell them what to do via a call to action.

This post from Vineyard Vines does exactly that, directing users to the link in the bio if they want to shop for back-to-school looks. You can make this even more visually appealing by adding the directive into the video instead of just putting it in the caption, like Messenger does in this video.

Also, limit your CTAs to just one per video. You don’t want to ask your audience to do too much. Clicking a link or downloading an app is plenty – more than one request, and you could confuse and lose your viewers, which means they won’t take any action or all.

How Can Brands Make the Most of TikTok?

Marketing to an International Audience

TikTok has 800 million active users each month, and a majority of them are overseas. That makes TikTok a prime place to market products and services that can be shipped and/or used outside of the country. Plus, by putting out content for non-English speakers, you can reach a larger demographic and connect with customers you may not have attained otherwise.

Is TikTok Good for Advertising? Appealing to High-Earners

When it comes to advertising on TikTok, there’s a good opportunity to see a high ROI. Despite TikTok’s audience being on the younger side (most U.S. users are between 18 and 24), a majority of TikTok’s user base earns a lot. 37% of adult users (over 18 years old) earn $100,000 per year or more, and more than 23% earn between $60,000 and $100,000 per year. That means that higher-priced and luxury items have a chance of being marketed on TikTok effectively. If you’re not sure how to go about this, consider hiring a TikTok ad agency to get you on your way.

How to Use TikTok to Market Your Business: Final Thoughts

When you create ads on TikTok, the more engaging they are, the more likely it is that your audience will actually see it – that’s how the TikTok ads algorithm seems to work. Higher-quality ads get higher billing, which means you can’t simply pay your way to the top. But investing time and resources into TikTok ad creation is about more than just getting eyes on it. Having a compelling, interesting and perfect-for-TikTok ad means that users will watch it in its entirety and then take the next step to move through your digital marketing funnel. 

Want to learn more about how to create ads on TikTok? Check out our articles about growing your business with TikTok marketing and how to choose a TikTok advertising objective.