Tag: tiktok

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Social Media

Best Practices for TikTok Ads

TikTok recently released some best practices for advertisers to make the most of their TikTok Ads on the app, which is one of the fastest-growing social media apps in the world, and saw exponential growth throughout 2020.

If you haven’t invested in online video ads, TikTok might offer you some of the best bang for your buck given its wild growth – but there’s always going to be a gulf in effectiveness between ads based on quality and relevance. If you want to kickstart your Tiktok campaign, check out our guide on how to use Tiktok for your business.

A silent slideshow might not get you many impressions – but by sticking to a few simple rules based on the company’s advertising data, you can take advantage of an active userbase of over 689 million monthly users.

TikTok claims that these practices were determined based on in-house data analysis of how certain ad design choices impact impressions and performance. These include video resolution, video format, audio, captioning, and more. Let’s take a quick look at some of TikTok’s most important insights for video advertising.

Short Videos are the Best

This might come as no surprise to most people who also happen to be casual social media users, but short ads do best – for one, they’re easier to remember, secondly, they’re less intrusive (i.e. less annoying), and lastly, they allow you bring your message across immediately. It’s important to mention that shorter ads are less likely to be skipped, as well.

Long-form video ads might be more effective in traditional media and YouTube, but for TikTok, the shorter (without becoming incoherent or ineffectual), the better.  Keep your ideal length to about ten seconds.

Film Vertically

Like most major advertising platforms, TikTok has stringent ad specs. Not meeting these might lead to your ad getting rejected, or worse still, it’ll be approved but trimmed and skewed.

One of the more important ad specs to keep in mind when producing video content for TikTok is to make your ad vertical. Yes, yes, people have complained about vertical filming for years – but we’re in a day and age where more people are consuming media via mobile than any other platform, and most video-sharing apps (including TikTok and YouTube) allow users to comfortably view vertical content in full-screen.

Hire Entertaining Content Creators

Users are far more likely to skip a dry ad read. That doesn’t mean you need to dig out the cash to partner with Ryan Reynolds to get any eyeballs at all, but do consider investing in an experienced video ad director or content creator, one with a focus on fun and entertainment.

It doesn’t matter what you’re selling – the vast majority of TikTok users use the app to be entertained, and you can greatly reduce your chances of getting skipped by keeping the message light, making the visuals fun, using upbeat music, and a straightforward call to action (CTA).

You can further optimize the contents of your ad by playing to current trends, as based on TikTok’s current hashtags.

Don’t Bother with Low Quality

We aren’t talking subjectively here. Your ad should be published in no less than a 720p resolution, and ideally higher.

Keeping the resolution of your ad over 720p alone can help you improve impressions by over five percent. Not convinced? Nearly 85 percent of the top performing ads on TikTok have a minimum resolution of 720p.

First Impressions are Everything

We’ve already mentioned short content but making a visual impact in the first few seconds is just as important. Use your brand colors effectively, catch the eye and the ear, be blunt yet informative with your ad.

You’ve got a lot of tools to make it happen: visual elements, popping colors, interesting scene changes, great choice in music, a catchy logo or CTA message.

Center Everything

TikTok standardizes its content to appear on mobile devices of any kind, in every region on the planet. This means that your ad might not always appear on a user’s screen the way you might want it to, as TikTok might obscure corners and margins. In other words: center everything important, especially the CTA.

Additional tidbit: the ideal aspect ratio for TikTok ads is 9:16. This reduces the margin problem and helps improve the visual quality of your ad by eliminating any empty space around it.

Music Matters

What matters less is the kind of music used. Something fitting for the ad or brand, ideally, but just adding audio to begin with is already much more likely to get you more impressions.

Use Closed Captions

This one is very important! Not only will captions massively boost the accessibility of your ad at no cost, but they can also help you greatly expand your target audience by providing local closed captions in each targeted region’s native language, and help you get your point across before a user can decide to click skip – whether that point is the name of the brand and newly launched product, or the name of the deal or promotion you’re running.

Captions alone can increase impressions on your ads by a whopping 55 percent. And it’s just good ad UX design.

Offer a Compelling CTA (Deals Work Best)

Offers, promotions, new events, new items, seasonal discounts. Regardless of what it might be, your ad is much more likely to be a success if there’s an incentive to interact with it.

Clickable elements in your ad should lead users straight to the product or promotion in question, generate a promotional code or discount, or help provide more information about the event you’re running.

Ultimately, making the most of TikTok means creating concise, catchy ads produced vertically, with appropriate audio (music or voiceovers) and a CTA that’s beneficial to the viewer. Keep in mind that you can use TikTok’s hashtags to guide your ad’s subject matter or fuel your ideas, and that promotions and offers tend to do better than other types of ads.

Need help on your video ad campaigns? Send us a message.

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Social Media

YouTube Introduces Shorts: A Platform to Rival TikTok

“And the cool thing about these guys is that they have really, really, really long trunks.” The first video ever uploaded to YouTube in April 2005 was a simple 18-second clip of entrepreneur Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo, filmed in front of an elephant enclosure.

Since then, short, viral clips have often defined YouTube’s success as the premiere video content platform on the Internet. But since the platform’s inception, other websites and apps have had their chunk of the video traffic pie, prioritizing short-form content over the larger and longer videos often found on YouTube – rival apps and platforms like Snapchat, Vine, and the latest competitor TikTok, have forced YouTube to redefine and reiterate.

In its attempt to outbid TikTok on short-form video content, YouTube has developed and soft-launched YouTube Shorts.

What is YouTube Shorts?

YouTube Shorts is a new function or app (titled a “video experience”) integrated into the YouTube platform. YouTube Shorts is dedicated to short-form content, designed to be created and edited entirely on mobile devices.

The company is claiming to be working on lowering the barrier of entry on creative video content, while attempting to capitalize on the difficult year its Chinese competitor has had.

Prior to its release in the US this March, YouTube Shorts exclusively launched in India, and so far, it lets creators upload short clips with musical overlays, as well as giving users tools to string clips together and create hands-free videos through a countdown timer.

Earlier last month, YouTube further expanded the Shorts toolkit by giving creators the option to sample and remix audio from other Shorts, overlay text, and more.

YouTube Shorts and YouTube Stories

The main difference between YouTube Shorts and YouTube Stories is that content uploaded to the short shelf will be permanent unless you decide to remove it. YouTube Stories, modelled after the success of Snapchat, deletes each Story after one week.

YouTube Stories may be a way to keep your audience engaged and interact with them – but YouTube Shorts may be recommended to viewers years later, much like any other video on the platform, and may gain traction long after its upload date.

The Latest, But Not the First

YouTube’s latest addition to the platform may be the first time it has stood up to TikTok specifically, but it isn’t the first time a company has tried to capitalize on TikTok’s troubles in India and the US.

Instagram launched its Reels function to very little fanfare and much criticism, and Snapchat’s Spotlight feature has gone so far as to provide would-be users with a financial incentive for uploading to the platform: $1 million a day, given to the users with the most entertaining uploads. Meanwhile, Clash has acquired Byte, and Reddit bought Dubsmash – clearly, the short-form video content market is growing.

Will YouTube’s hat in the ring pull ahead of other bite-sized social media contenders? It’s still too early to tell.

YouTube’s main advantage in the race for the top spot may be its existing user base and content creator ecosystem. The platform has over two billion monthly active users, and preliminary statistics out of India show that YouTube Shorts content accumulated 3.5 billion daily views.

If you haven’t considered investing some time and resources into video content, then Shorts may not just be an excellent potential entry point for your brand, but also marks the first time the platform has specifically empowered users without a dedicated video content creation setup, providing multiple recording and editing tools directly within the app itself.

Can You Create YouTube Shorts?

Before its global release, YouTube Shorts were exclusive to a few select creators – that’s changed recently, and anyone can start making Shorts today. Using YouTube’s Shorts camera, your content will be limited to 15 seconds.

But any vertically filmed video with up to 60 seconds can get picked up by YouTube as a Short. For these longer Shorts, the minimum criteria may be subject to change, but right now, the only requirements are that:

  • The video must be under a minute in total length.
  • The video must be vertically oriented.
  • The video must be uploaded as normal.

YouTube then automatically picks out videos that fit its YouTube Shorts format and feature them on the short shelf. Using the hashtag #shorts may make it easier for the platform to pick your video up.

Where Can You Watch YouTube Shorts?

YouTube Shorts can currently be found on the YouTube mobile app, on a section of the homepage called the short shelf. Each video is filmed in a vertical format, and YouTube is currently working on how and why each Short is displayed for any given user.

Rather than Stories, which are shown to subscribers and generally keep a viewer on the creator’s page as they flick through a few days’ worth of short content, Shorts are recommended based on viewing history much like normal video content, with users being given the option to subscribe to each new creator they come across during their bite-sized binge.

For videos longer than 35 seconds, YouTube is still giving Shorts content creators the option of adding an end screen element.

YouTube Shorts for Advertisers

Businesses looking to leverage YouTube Shorts might like to know that these videos aren’t currently heavily monetized.

You can make money off of them but given their length and the experimental nature of the new product, the majority of the profit for a channel producing YouTube Shorts would come either from the fact that new viewers might check out the other, more profitable content on the channel, or they may become potential leads as a result of the content.

That doesn’t mean Shorts you produce today may not end up being vastly more profitable in the future, once YouTube figures out how it’s going to monetize its new video format. Until then, perhaps the greatest value in the new format is its potential for brand exposure, as YouTube is and will continue to heavily push Shorts in the coming weeks.

YouTube Shorts are currently being found by viewers either through the short shelf, a channel’s page, in the user’s subscription feed, and through YouTube search.

Categories
Social Media

Up and Coming Social Platforms to Keep an Eye On

There are several up and coming social platforms worth monitoring including TikTok for its rapidly growing user base and creative content, Clubhouse for its unique audio-based networking, and Caffeine for live broadcasting. Platforms like Discord and Twitch, though originally gaming-focused, are expanding into wider community and content sharing spaces, offering new opportunities for engagement and marketing.

Smart marketers have been relying on the major social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to promote their products and services, share content, and ultimately grow their businesses. However, rival platforms are being developed all the time and while many of them don’t achieve the same levels of success, (remember Ello? It’s still around but has pivoted), a handful of them could give the major players a run for their money. If you are an early adopter of these up and coming social platforms, your company could get the most benefit.

If you want to remain ahead of the curve, these are six social media platforms to watch.

TikTok

I recently wrote a piece about why you need to pay attention to this one – it’s already proving beneficial for many companies who have taken the chance on using it. TikTok is a huge social media platform with a younger demographic. Research shows TikTok was the fourth most downloaded app in 2018. It’s all about creating short form videos that loop similar to the now dead platform Vine. Users can create and share video content but the competitive edge comes in because it is incredibly simple to add music overlays, AR filters, and other fun effects.

Though the platform has gotten a bit of a bad reputation as being nothing more than a silly lip-syncing platform for children, if your target audience is anywhere between the ages of 16 and 24, it’s a wonderful place to promote your business. It is particularly effective for e-commerce and fashion brands who are looking to work with influencers.

Related: How to Use Tiktok for Your Business

Vero

If you’re struggling to gain ground on Instagram, Vero is an alternative that prides itself on the lack of algorithms, data mining, and ads. Vero users can share content such as TV shows, music, photos, links, books, movies and more. Users can decide who can see each post by choosing between four categories including close friends,  friends, acquaintances, or followers.

Despite the fact that there are no ads on Vero, your brand can still work with influencers on the platform and pay to add a “Buy Now” button to posts.

Because it doesn’t use algorithms or ads, Vero is promoted as a more authentic social media platform. It’s a great option for companies that want to build more meaningful and stronger relationships with their audience. Plus, because users are able to share such a wide variety of content, it helps you learn more about your target audience.

Steemit

Steemit is a blockchain-based blogging and social media website that rewards users with the STEEM, cryptocurrency for curating and creating content. When users create content that gets upvoted, they’re paid. When users vote for the content of others, they get paid too. Users can then take their digital STEEM tokens and exchange them for real money.

Though it may seem like this Reddit alternative is all about technology and cryptocurrency topics, it’s not. Users are able to create content on a variety of subjects such as sports, photography, music, and travel.

Though the user base is relatively small right now, marketers can use the platform as an additional channel to share their content and grow their audience while getting paid for it at the same time.

Narrative

Narrative is a direct competitor of Steemit. It too is a blockchain-based blogging platform and social media website that rewards users with NRVE (nerve), cryptocurrency for creating and curating content. Users can suggest niches and bid on them. Niche owners get a certain amount of currency every time someone publishes content to their channel. You also earn cryptocurrency for your social activities such as upvoting content and commenting on it.

Like Steemit, though the platform is relatively small and still in its beta phase, you can use it to expand your reach and earn money in the process. You can publish content that has been previously published on other platforms, as long as you link to the original post to indicate that it was also published elsewhere. In a recent policy change, canonical linked posts don’t qualify for Content Creator rewards – in an effort to reward original content while helping to increase exposure of previously published work.

Caffeine

Caffeine is a social broadcasting platform similar to Twitch. A team of ex-Apple designers created the platform. However, while Twitch focuses mainly on gaming, Caffeine also focuses on the creative arts and entertainment. Users create live broadcasts for friends and followers and viewers are able to interact with people in real-time with emoji reactions and comments.

Research shows 80% of customers would rather watch live videos from a brand than read a blog (thanks for reading this one!), so live broadcasting on a platform like this one could create a lot of attention interaction for you. And, it’s not just limited to gamers. You could host a live Q&A, give a behind-the-scenes tour of your company, livestream product demonstrations and more.

Lasso

Lasso is essentially Facebook’s version of Tik Tok. There wasn’t a lot of fuss about it and it was released in late 2018. Users can create and share short videos with effects and fun filters. They can log in with their Facebook or Instagram accounts to cross-post the videos to their Facebook Stories. The ability to add Lasso videos to Instagram stories is said to be coming soon.

Though Lasso isn’t as popular as TikTok right now, it could become a rival to the top competitors soon. If your target audience is already using TikTok, Lasso is definitely a platform you’ll want to watch.

Though jumping right into all of these platforms at once probably isn’t a good idea, especially if you’re crunched for time or have a limited budget, it is worth taking some time to look at each one of these platforms a little closer. This allows you to determine which ones are best for your business and get in on them while it’s still early. Doing so can give you an edge against the competition.

Categories
Social Media

Why You Need to Pay Attention to TikTok

When it comes to social media, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are probably the biggest platforms you consider. However new social media applications aren’t far behind. Younger internet users tend to shy away from traditional social media channels and look for the next big thing. TikTok is a potentially explosive social media platform that allows for short video clips to be shared and watched by people with similar interests.

Agencies are already beta testing ad tools built around leveraging the user base from this app. To offer additional insight into what makes TikTok popular, here’s what you should be most excited about.

First a Quick TikTok Primer

TikTok is a Chinese-owned video sharing social network available as an IOS and Android social media app. It is designed to create and share sort lip-sync, talent, and comedy videos. It was launched in 2017 for markets outside of China.

Videos can be anywhere from 3 to 15 seconds long and looping videos can be made anywhere from 3 to 60 seconds long.  it started getting popular with the United States in October 2018. The most recent data indicates that it has been downloaded at least 80 million times in the United States and 800 million times worldwide. Celebrities Tony Hawk and Jimmy Fallon are jumping on the bandwagon.

In September 2019, the NFL and TikTok announced a multi-year partnership including the launch of an NFL account that will bring NFL content to fans across the globe.

TikTok is more popular on Android than iOS devices. Though the user base is largely based in India accounting for 43% of all users, 66% of the network’s users are younger than 30 years old. Users typically spend around 52 minutes per day on the app and in-app purchases have increased 275% year-over-year. 26.5  million monthly active users on Tik Tok are based in the United States.

Built-In Creative Tools

TikTok is incredibly powerful for content marketing and storytelling. There are a number of creativity tools built into the platform to choose from. It can be challenging to advertise on TikTok because it requires highly detailed keywords and serious consideration of where and when you don’t want your ad to appear.

Massive Organic Reach

TikTok offers a similar feed to what we’re familiar with in Instagram Stories. The intimacy of the platform is highly appealing for many Brands. And as the platform continues to grow rapidly, the organic reach is huge for now. There is a lot of potential to go viral like on Instagram back in the early days. It will be interesting to see how this social media platform ages overtime and the users who will adopt it as a marketing channel.

Bringing the Fun Back to Social Media

We all remember the early days of each of the most popular social media platforms. Back before they became so mainstream, people found joy in sharing content and creating connections with their friends and family. Tik Tok is user-friendly and fun. It goes back to what we used to love about social media. Instagram has grown into a well-established platform, but TikTok’s young demographic doesn’t care about getting the perfect shot. Tik-Tok aims to make social media fun again and it is a place where you can really enjoy each other’s company online.

Real-Time Content

Constantly investing in new platforms is a good idea because consumer preferences are always changing. TikTok is built on trends and if a certain song is popular there, it’s possible to focus brands around that content to get the brands into the minds of younger audiences. Agencies can capitalize on real-time content in a way that shows brands actually understand their customers.

Forming Real Connections with Your Audience

Think of TikTok the same way you did with Snapchat when it first became popular a few years ago. It’s a newer platform that engages different audiences but provides brands with the chance to get creative and strategic to form real connections with the audience. The rise of TikTok also goes to show that social media professionals are more important than ever for agencies and investments in those skills should remain a priority.

Quick Results

The content on TikTok is incredibly fast which means there is more of an opportunity to make an impression on the audience. You’ll be able to make more of an impression faster which means you’ll have a greater chance of making money. If the younger generation is part of the target demographic you were trying to reach, skipping out on TikTok could be damaging to your bottom line.

More Powerful Influencer Marketing

Some agencies are using TikTok to power influencer campaigns. Results showed that the campaigns were able to exceed YouTube and Instagram benchmarks because organic reach is rewarded. The ability to connect content together with a soundtrack creates virality in a more powerful way than a hashtag because of the emotional impact of sound.

Do you use TikTok? Are you exploring ways to reach your customers with it? Why or why not? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

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