For relevant products and services, TikTok marketing is eating into the marketing budgets of social platforms Facebook and Instagram. TikTok continues to soar since 2019, with over 65 million installs by 2021 and over a billion daily video views. It has become one of the most popular apps among the new generation, mainly due to viral trends.
How did TikTok’s tailored algorithm become an engine that successfully influences users to scroll and watch hours of videos? That is a fascinating topic in itself. But there is no doubt that the addictive nature of the app can be a great way for business owners to “catch” a relevant audience interested in a service or product. Since videos are a fundamental marketing strategy across all platforms, businesses can share information about products and services through TikTok videos, and from there, the path to conversion is just a click away.
TikTok’s advantage in analyzing videos helps us as advertisers automatically populate basic information that viewers provide to the platform, which helps make the experience efficient and easy for advertisers.
So how do you turn TikTok ads into leads?
1. Generating interest among the relevant audience
TikTok videos last between 15 and 60 seconds, with every second in the video being critical to customer engagement in the marketing funnel. For viewers to keep watching, you must grab their attention right at the start. An eye-catching video will separate potential customers from casual viewers; therefore, it is crucial to quickly present the product’s benefits or the pain point the product solves, followed immediately by the solution. There are many strategies for generating interest, and the strategy varies from business to business. In the medical field, for example, where the “pain” can literally be physical pain, the approach usually tackles the problem and solution directly. In lifestyle-type businesses and the like, the approach will be slightly different.
2. Adding captions to TikTok video ads
Many viewers will watch the TikTok ad with the sound turned off. If we don’t add captions, they are likely to keep scrolling because they don’t understand what the ad is about. By captioning TikTok videos using the excellent tools offered by the platform, you can connect with more people on the platform and build a loyal brand audience. For example: adding the # symbol (hashtag) to sponsored posts to encourage engagement on posts or ads.
3. Exploring TikTok trends
A quick exploration of the latest trends on TikTok can lead to improvements in ads and lead generation: challenges, effects, soundtracks, and movement are shifting trends that can always make the difference between product X and competitors, and if the content from point 1 is relevant—you’ve made a significant step in generating audience interest. Want ideas for converting TikTok ads? Search around the platform and you’ll find dozens of trends.
4. Creating TikTok ads in vertical format
The TikTok platform is vertical. To optimize the user experience, all videos should be formatted as vertical TikTok ads in a 9:16 aspect ratio. True, you can upload and run square videos—but their potential to convert into leads will be lower.
5. Keeping videos short
We strongly recommend keeping TikTok ads under 50 seconds. In principle, the message should be conveyed within 10-25 seconds to achieve higher engagement. Sometimes a great job is done in the first few seconds, but when the goal is to keep the viewer until the end of the video, it is better not to fatigue them with watching something that adds no interest or information beyond the first part. Therefore, did you start the first 5 seconds on a “heavy” note? Shift into high gear to keep the viewer in the video and finish after 30-40 seconds. Did you start the first 5 seconds at a fast pace and accelerated content? Try to deliver the message and wrap up the video within 20-30 seconds.
6. Thinking of ads as uploading a TikTok video
Advertising and marketing on TikTok challenge us to go beyond the traditional approach and truly focus on the audience, adapting the way we tell a story. This is why you shouldn’t create standard, traditional ads, but rather start thinking about what works best for TikTok. For example: adding stickers and effects with the business logo to get people on the platform to interact with the business.
7. Investing in soundtrack and sound
TikTok is fundamentally a musical platform (formerly called Musical.ly) where all videos play with sound by default. Matching videos to the right soundtrack and sound will inevitably generate more engagement and attention. To know what sound will work well with sponsored videos, you can check trends and popular songs on the platform itself. Have friends, kids, or nieces/nephews who live on the platform? It’s best to consult them.
8. Investing in tracking and monitoring
Much like Facebook advertising, TikTok’s system allows advertisers to send users to a website or generate leads within the platform. There is no definitive recommendation one way or the other, and the decision regarding website vs. leads depends greatly on the advertiser, budget, and other factors. In any case, it is very important to implement a TikTok pixel on the website to receive data from the platform. Have you started sending people to the website to convert and are setting the CPC manually? It is important to monitor at least during the first few days to ensure the budget is fully utilized and there isn’t an overly low CPC that prevents the system from learning user behavior and generating as many leads as possible within the set budget.
9. Using advanced forms
Form creation on TikTok is very similar to Facebook with a slight difference. TikTok’s system allows you to create designed forms that do a good job promoting the product or service while gathering information on users. For example: the option to change the form color under the “Brand image & Form style” option to match the brand or product logo.
10. Using TikTok's variety of advertising options
Similar to Facebook, TikTok offers a variety of ad types to test what works for each product or service: in-feed ads, video ads, image ads, and carousels. The recommendation is to create a campaign each time with a relatively low budget and see how it performs.
11. Using marketing data accumulated from other social networks
If you are not new to digital marketing, you likely have data on conversions from audiences on Facebook or Instagram. Initially, try targeting the same audiences under the ad group: similar ages, similar geographical areas, similar interests, and similar devices, in addition to other options provided by the platform to refine the audience: video interactions (what type of videos they liked or commented on), hashtag interactions (which # search categories they viewed).
In conclusion
With the rising cost of social media advertising, TikTok Lead Generation offers a cheaper alternative for algorithm targeting and insights. TikTok’s powerful combination of relevance and engagement creates an enjoyable experience for viewers and reinforces brand-related messages and calls to action. Ads on TikTok have changed the way viewers think about advertising and challenged traditional marketing methods. They are fun, entertaining, and trendy—which is how they go viral to promote brands. The big advantage in this is that brand accounts don’t need millions of followers to get millions of views with TikTok’s unique algorithm.
About the author
Alon Yardeni, owner of the Clicking Digital Marketing Agency, specializing in Google advertising and marketing, Facebook, LinkedIn, and a variety of other well-known platforms. The agency provides end-to-end digital marketing solutions and manages clients in the fields of medicine, healthcare, courses, education, and real estate.
