TikTok officially passed 1 billion monthly users this week – just in time for the app to host its first global experience for brands and marketers. During TikTok World 2021, the platform revealed new creative, branding and commerce solutions to help brands drive and measure impact for their business. See below for a selection of key TikTok updates from the event:
New Creative Solutions
- TikTok Creator Marketplace: The updated version of this self-serve portal provides better sorting tools to help brands find a like-minded group of creators to work with. The platform also offers real-time campaign tracking, giving brands more control and better insights in order to maximize ROI from their campaigns.
- Customized Instant Page: Brands can create landing pages that load 11x faster than standard mobile pages, allowing users to dive deeper into a brand’s message by watching videos or swiping through different content. This TikTok update facilitates engagement and allows users to connect with the brands they love without having to leave the app.
- Open Application Campaigns: For an always-on approach, brands can share their campaign briefs with a much broader segment of creators, who can then self-identify if they’re interested in participating.
- Branded Content Toggle: This tool allows creators to mark videos as being part of a branded partnership and be more transparent about ads that they make.
- Spark Ads: Brands can now boost organic content in a user’s feed with Spark Ads. According to TikTok, these ads pull in over 3x as many likes and 240% greater view-through rates.
Commerce & Community
Compared to competitors, TikTok users are 1.7x more likely to purchase products that they discovered through the app. TikTok Shopping offers an end-to-end shopping experience on the app and is currently available in the US, UK and Indonesia. In addition to the new features listed below, TikTok also announced TikTok Shopping API, which is set to launch later this year. See below for more TikTok updates:
- Product Links + LIVE Shopping: Brands can feature specific items in both in-feed ads and livestream videos, including dynamic links that drive users to instantly-loaded product detail pages.
- Collection Ads: Custom, swipeable product cards can be added to a brand’s in-feed video ads. When a user taps on an item on a card, they are brought to a gallery page to browse through different products and make a purchase. These ads can be used to drive traffic to the site, feature seasonal deals, share limited-time offers, showcase top items and promote recent launches.
- Dynamic Showcase Ads: Brands can serve users personalized, targeted ads based on the users’ interests. These ads feature thousands of products and personalized video ads, speaking to audience interests and activity like viewing products or adding to cart.
- Lead Generation: TikTok is building a new way for advertisers to grow and convert audiences through the app. TikTok’s lead generation tool will live directly within the in-feed videos to provide brands with a safe way to retrieve customer info.
Measuring & Tracking Success
- Reach & Frequency: Advertisers now have another choice on TikTok. They can choose to target a higher volume of users through extended reach or aim for more impressions by opting into higher frequency. By locking in a CPM in advance, brands get more predictable campaign results. This TikTok update also allows brands to view their ad’s performance while they’re running on TikTok.
- TikTok Brand Lift Study: In partnership with Kantar and Nielsen, TikTok’s survey-based approach measures how users feel about the ads they see on the app. TikTok sends questionnaires to people who have seen specific ads, as well as users who haven’t, to understand how content is influencing perception of the brand.
Interested in utilizing these new TikTok updates to grow your business? Reach out to our TikTok Marketing Agency and apply to attend our upcoming TikTok webinar, taking place on October 14th at 3pm EST.
