TikTok Unveils Integrated Platform For Marketers
TikTok, the Chinese short-form video-sharing platform, has launched a new portal that brings together its marketing solutions for brands under one roof.
Called TikTok For Business, the new portal aims to “give brands and marketers the tools to be creative storytellers and meaningfully engage with the TikTok community”.
TikTok, which has gained a huge following among younger users, provided details in a statement last week, which emphasised that the most successful brands on TikTok are not those with the biggest names in their campaigns or the “glossiest ad”, but those who creatively engage with users “through feelings, actions and sounds”.
“With TikTok For Business, our goal is to give marketers the tools to be discovered and connect with the broader communities around them,” the statement read.
The suite of tools that marketers can now access through the new integrated portal include TopView, Brand Takeover, In-Feed Videos, Hashtag Challenges and Branded Effects.
As explained by TechCrunch, TopView is the ad that appears when users first launch the TikTok app, while Brand Takeovers resemble TopView ads except they tend to play for just three to five seconds as either a video or image.
In-Feed Videos are full-screen ads with automatic sound that can last up to 60 seconds in length and viewers are able to share or comment on them like a usual TikTok post.
Meanwhile, Hashtag Challenges allow brands to promote a product, issue or topic by inviting users to create content around a hashtag of their choice. When a user searches for a given hashtag, they will see all the videos that have been tagged to it.
And Branded Effects allow a brand or product to be added to a video in a 2D, 3D or AR format in either the foreground or background of the video. These also can be combined with Hashtag Challenges to boost engagement.
In addition, TikTok is launching a new e-learning centre to help marketers with additional resources, such as product guides and best practice for creative.
“Brands have taken notice that being yourself is good for business, and we aim to continue providing a platform so they can build a meaningful presence,” the TikTok statement concluded. “We champion authenticity, creativity and expressiveness because it’s who our users are and how they stand out.”
Credit: WARC