With it fast-growing user base, TikTok has become a channel impossible for marketers to ignore.
But it’s not just its potential to reach wide audiences that’s attracting marketers.
The platform is increasingly revealing itself as an efficient and cost-effective way to drive audience action. And with many marketing budgets still recovering from the impact of the pandemic, it’s a powerful proposition.
The power of TikTok
When users come to TikTok, they show up with a discovery mindset. On the primary For You feed, they’re presented with a curated stream of content from people they don’t know – and that’s key. It means when they’re presented with an in-feed ad, that follows the style and trends of the platform, it doesn’t interrupt their experience. They’re less likely to skip through and more likely to watch.
The problem is, TikTok advertising is a relatively new channel and many marketers don’t know how to use it to its full potential. With so many options, (the latest one being Spark Ads) how can brands identify the best approach, create content that will engage and share it effectively?
How Adobe did it
Adobe, a brand built on the power of creativity and innovation, was well-positioned to take advantage of the opportunities on TikTok. When they wanted to amplify the reach of their #WomenCreate campaign – a celebration of female creativity that coincided with Women’s History Month – they turned to Vamp, one of TikTok’s official creative marketing partners.
Through their platform, Adobe connected with creators who were an authentic fit for the brand. They needed genuine Adobe users who could share the importance of positive self-talk, discuss the importance of empowering female creatives – and create TikTok content that engaged users instantly. Micro influencers like @kopperfinch shared their work, but also their thoughts insecurities around imposter syndrome and comparing your work to others’.
Once the creators had shared their content with their engaged TikTok followings, Vamp boosted this content, turning it into in-feed ads. This took advantage of one of the app’s newest ad options. Ads that were boosted from the creator’s profile, so appeared native, but gave users an option to tap through to Adobe’s landing page. They also gave Adobe full transparency of performance metrics.
Five ads were targeted to hit the feeds of the most relevant TikTok users. They drove over a million video views and almost 16,000 clicks at just $0.19 each and ended up in TikTok ‘Top Ads’ showcase.
@kopperfinch Trying my best to say sayonara to imposter syndrome so I made a sound #australian #digitalcreative #impostersyndrome #womencreate #iwd2021 @adobe
Why it worked so well
Adobe’s creator content was a perfect fit for the trends of the platform. The campaign’s theme resonated with the platform’s predominantly Gen Z audience, interested in social issues and equality. Plus it was centred around creativity, a huge theme on the app. But there’s plenty of similar content on TikTok that falls flat – so what made this deliver?
The secret is in the targeting. A mixture of category and behavioural targeting was used to serve content to Australian women passionate about photography, videography and tech-focused mobile applications, driving those low-cost clicks.
This strategy offers an exciting opportunity for brands seeking low-cost conversion and wide reach on TikTok. It blends authentic creator content with sophisticated targeting tools and, as Adobe found, that adds up to big results.
