#TikTokMadeMeBuyIt: How Brands Can Capitalize On TikTok
Whether you love it, hate it or feel genuinely confused about what it is, you’re probably at least vaguely aware of TikTok. But have you heard the increasingly popular phrase “TikTok made me buy it”? It’s most commonly used as a hashtag on the app, allowing users to show off the latest cool products they bought because they saw it on the platform. But it’s also a description of a broader phenomenon of people being more likely to buy things they see in action.
‘As Seen On TV’
We like to compare the “as seen on TikTok” to the “as seen on TV” phenomenon that most of us over a certain age easily remember. With the help of infomercials and extended commercials, charismatic spokespeople would show off a relatively new, ingenious product, proving that it works to solve old problems or showcasing what makes it different than the competition. Then, marketers would include the “as seen on TV” phrase on the packaging, prompting customers to remember that this is the product they saw in action.
The TikTok Generation
The concept of TikTok marketing isn’t exactly new, but “TikTok made me buy it” is a relatively recent phenomenon. As brands score more of these TikTok-influenced sales, our agency’s digital strategy teams have been tracking the app since its inception, identifying marketing strategies to boost sales for our food and beverage clients.
So, what have we found makes videos on TikTok even more likely to spur customer purchases than the TV infomercials of old?
• Short and fast: Videos on this platform are designed to cater to impatient generations of people with low attention spans. This isn’t a dig; it’s just a description of reality. As we become more voracious for information and entertainment, it’s only natural that we lose our ability to focus for long periods of time. So watching a video for even a few seconds is enough to inform and entertain us. This makes TikTok’s fast-paced advertising ideal.
• Audiovisual: TikTok is an audiovisual platform combining the best of video and audio to produce a more immersive experience. And unlike TV commercials, people producing these videos have access to a wide range of tools to enhance their videos in specific ways (like adding filters or sound clips).
• Dynamic: TikTok videos aren’t static the way old TV commercials are. Instead, they’re dynamic. Companies can release variations of the same video and utilize popular influencers to make the video even more visible.
• Targeted: It also helps that TikTok has advanced targeting features for marketers and advertisers. Instead of releasing your video to literally everyone using the platform, you can focus only on the people who are most likely to buy your product.
Tips For Marketing Your Brand
Even though my firm focuses on the food and beverage industry, brands across all consumer packaged goods (CPG) categories can take advantage of the “TikTok made me buy it” trend. So, what steps can you take to capitalize on the platform?
• Play to the strengths of TikTok. First, understand that TikTok isn’t exactly like every other social media platform. It has specific formatting requirements, a specific tone or personality and a particular user base. If you want your ads to hit people and indeed persuade them, you need to play to the strengths of this platform. Enhance your video with better audio and visual elements. Keep your video as short and punchy as possible. Use quick cuts to maintain attention while showing off different uses of your product.
• Know your audience (and target them). Taking advantage of TikTok’s built-in audience targeting controls is essential. In marketing and advertising, quality is better than quantity, so it’s usually better to reach a handful of relevant people than to reach millions of irrelevant people.
• Keep it organic. Don’t film or position a video for TikTok in the way you would a TV commercial. People watch TikTok because they want to be entertained by real people—not because they want to hear a sales pitch from a brand. To increase your effectiveness, you must keep your messaging as organic as possible. Show your product being used in the real world or hire an influencer to show it for you.
• Cross-promote. You can increase the effectiveness of your TikTok marketing strategy and the effectiveness of your other marketing strategies by cross-promoting. For example, bring more existing users onto TikTok, incentivize them to post your product videos, and use TikTok to bring people to your other channels.
However you feel about TikTok, it’s clear that this platform isn’t going anywhere. The number of users on TikTok is constantly climbing, and there are more tools than ever for marketers and advertisers. So, if you have a product worth showing in action, it’s probably worth adding TikTok to your marketing toolbox when building brand campaigns.
