The Ultimate How-to Guide: Creative Solutions for Businesses
To win on TikTok, businesses should tailor creativity to the platform’s unique characteristics. But TikTok creative doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it can be much more simple and cost-effective than other channels. This “how-to” guide provides background, best practices, and tips and tricks to help you get the most out of TikTok’s creative solutions.
There’s a lot in here, but it’s not about doing everything, but doing the right thing. Find the most relevant solutions for your business and customize them to your needs.
Winning with a TikTok-first approach
What does it mean to think TikTok-first?
TikTok is built on a content graph, not a social graph, and as a result, content lies at the heart of the platform. TikTokers’ behaviors and their creative styles are shaped by our content preference delivery methods, keeping them inspired and energized through diverse discovery. Letting TikTok lead the way means keeping our community and the top of their creative preference of mind when developing your materials.
Authenticity is key! 🔑 Businesses succeeding on TikTok create authentic content that closely aligns with the community and the native TikTok experience. On TikTok, everyone can be a creator simply by capitalizing on trends, getting involved in conversations, and expressing themselves in a genuine way. A diverse mix of music, voiceovers, and effects drives storytelling on our platform. Brands do best when they find their niche, actively listen to their audience, and engage with the latest trends.
Big stories don’t require big budgets
Creative content on TikTok doesn’t require a big production budget. Our built-in offerings and effects, paired with authentic, sound-on, and immersive full-screen creative are more than enough to wow audiences and win their hearts.
TikTok’s video creation and optimization solutions help reinvent the flow of video productions, allowing for content to be built for TikTok from the ground up. According to our analysis in Q1 of 2021, retail companies that utilized TikTok’s creative tools delivered creative 14x more efficiently.*
Always-on & always intentional
Once your content is live, it travels freely on TikTok, reaching users based on their interests. In order to captivate new audiences, the key is to continuously share fresh and diverse content. Aim to post 1–4 times per day to test how different types of content are received. You can then add a paid boost to get the most out of your top-performing content.
To win on TikTok, these crucial points need to be addressed:
❓ How can we improve the content’s creative quality?
❓ How can we produce a continuous, high-volume supply of fresh content?
❓ How can we control production costs while scaling to boost the consumption of each piece of content?
👉 For more guidance in planning always-on content, see TikTok Marketing for Business Program
Creative on TikTok
🌊 Immersive. All ad creative on TikTok is a 9:16 full-screen video
🎧 Sound-On. TikTok is always a sound-on experience — sound is not a secondary consideration
⏰ Short and Sweet. Short-form entertainment rules on TikTok — keep videos short, focused, and engaging
Messaging on TikTok
👥 Get to know your audience. When coming up with messaging that will resonate, combine their taste with your brand values.
👷🏻♀️ Stay within the safe zone, so important information is not obscured by the buttons or caption.
💬 A punchy caption helps reinforce the message of your video and can contain hashtags.
📲 The CTA button must be tapped to click-through. Also worth keeping in mind: on TikTok, text that prompts users to “Swipe Up” will move the user to the next video, rather than triggering action for your brand. Don’t make them go away!
Do’s
✅ Do scale your ad production to ensure a constant flow of fresh creative
✅ Do bet on uniqueness and creativity. Content with its own flair makes TikTok thrive, and is key to great results.
Don’ts
🚫 Don’t expect that every piece of creativity will contribute to a result.
🚫 Don’t just replicate the same creative used on another platform.
Make the most of our creative solutions
TikTok Creative Center
Start your creative journey here. The Creative Center is a free resource that helps businesses discover top-performing ads and to spot user trends across regions and demographics.
🎥 Top Ads tool gives you a clear overview of top-performing ad creative across verticals and regions.
🔥 Popular Trends is an interactive hashtag tracker for spotting what’s hot on TikTok this week or this month.
🏆 Showcases highlight success stories from a diverse set of advertisers.
Tips
▶︎ Familiarize yourself with popular TikTok trends and video styles
▶︎ Elevate your ad creativity with data insights
▶︎ Get inspired by ads that perform well in your vertical or region
