TikTok Marketing: Your Competitive Edge

TikTok Marketing: Your Competitive Edge to Stand Out in Business

TikTok Marketing: Your Competitive Edge to Stand Out in Business

TikTok is not all doom scrolling, but a popular social media platform that uses algorithms to find the ideal user interested in your service/product. As a rising social media platform that has impacted the digital market, it has shown us how businesses can interact with consumers at a personal level. Its unique features make it a powerful marketing tool, enabling businesses to stand out in their industries, and a chance to achieve viral success. It allows business users to gain a competitive edge over competitors while creating strong connections with audiences through brand visibility and driving sales.

Exploring TikTok’s Relevance: How Can it Benefit Your Brand

Where do you stand in the Adoption Curve

TikTok has evolved from a video-sharing platform to a tool used by brands to promote themselves, becoming a massive advertising platform. For this reason, it is important to understand how you embrace technological progress, through the Adoption Curve. By understanding where you are standing in the curve you will identify opportunities and obstacles.

Technology Adoption Curve for TikTok Marketing

  • Innovators
    • If you have been using TikTok and creating business content, for the past 6 months or more, you could consider yourself a Tech Enthusiast.
  • Early Adaptors 
    • If you have been creating content for less than 6 months, are you the Visionary in your industry?
  • Early Majority
    • Are you considering joining TikTok in the coming month? Then you could become a Pragmatist.
  • Late Majority
    • Joining in the next 6 months could label your brand as a Conservative brand, for not joining the trend on time. This might negatively impact your brand’s adaptability.
  • Laggards
    • Waiting for more than 6 months may leave your brand behind, making it Skeptical to new technologies. Possibly making you stand out less to your audiences when you could have had great opportunities.

TikTok can create many opportunities for brand engagement, growth and visibility that is why it is important to assess the right time to join the platform. Looking at the adoption curve, if you identified your brand as an innovator or early adopter then you are already ahead, exploring new ways to engage your audience. If your brand is included in the early or late majority, it is important to join now in creating a TikTok strategy and how to invest in it, before it is too late. Don’t become a laggard and lose all potential opportunities, instead understand the benefits and significance of TikTok, and how it can help shape your brand’s digital future.

Some bigger brands such as Vodafone UK, e.l.f. Cosmetics and Amazon have been innovative when joining TikTok as they saw potential within the app. If we look at Vodafone’s way of incorporating TikTok into their marketing campaigns, we see how they humanise their brand while showing their services, customer service tips and new products in engaging ways. By using entertaining and educational content they successfully connect with younger and tech-savvy audiences. Viral trends, user-generated content and humour were used in campaigns where they would share mobile plans, the importance of connectivity, network coverage, digital inclusion and more. 

E.L.F. Cosmetics has successfully increased its brand awareness on TikTok through many strategic approaches, such as engaging content, UGC, collaborations with influencers, trending sounds, challenges, etc. One of their more notable campaigns would be the #eyeslipsface challenge that went viral, with millions of users porting. They established themselves as a TikTok-savvy brand, being a top performer on the platform.

Lastly, Amazon uses similar strategies to both Vodafone and E.L.F., promoting deals (Prime Day) and products, while also focusing on influencer partnerships and product unboxing content. Some of their most popular campaigns include the “Amazon must-haves” and “TikTok made me buy it”, which still have a large control over consumers, creating a sense of urgency when these products are out of stock or sold out.

Unified Commerce effecting TikTok Marketing

Moving forward you must keep in mind the retail strategy, Unified Commerce, as it will reshape both the physical and digital markets. This strategy integrates all sales channels–online, mobile and in-store–into one system providing customers with personalised shopping experiences. Unified Commerce will allow real-time inventory visibility, customer data and transactions, quickly adapting to consumer preference, this will create a pleasant experience, creating brand loyalty. By adding TikTok as a sales channel, your brand could drive awareness, engagement and user experience, while also helping you track lead generation, provide services and optimise ad campaigns, this will help increase satisfied customer experience.

Unified Commerce and its effect on TikTok

Consumer Behaviour Insights

Challenges, influencer collaborations and trends, often push the consumers to purchase decisions making the line between commerce and entertainment blur. Different kinds of video content have major effects on consumers and how they behave, whether it is by purchasing, following or disliking. For this reason, it is important to understand what kinds of consumers there are and how we can positively engage them, to create brand loyalty as it has decreased 39%.

How to Engage Customers through TikTok Marketing: Different types of Customers

  • New Customers: Customers that try the product or service for t that they can be easily influenced by marketing and recommendations even if not familiar with a brand.
    • It’s important to keep these customers engaged with consistent content, trends, and interactions through comments and duets. Create authentic and relatable content, use viral trends, collaborate with influencers, offer content with educational and entertaining purposes, UGC, utilise TikTok’s advertising options, create contests and giveaways, and do Live TikTok’s.
  • Impulsive Customers: Customers who make spontaneous purchases and are often influenced by time-limited offers, compelling deals, new experiences or emotional advice. 
    • To keep these customers engaged, focus on creating content that is exciting, urgent and emotionally rewarding. Make them feel a need to participate, making their attention become engaged and even purchase. Visually captivating content will draw them in, influence through FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) which can be done through time-limited offers or scarcity advertisements, join trends, collaborate with influencers, TikTok ads with impulsive messages, social proof, emotional storytelling, gamification and make the buying process simple
  • Discount Customers: Customers who are motivated by sales and reduced prices.
    • Highly motivated through deals, promotions and money value. Use a strategy that concentrates on affordability, exclusive offers and content creation with the idea of how to save. Promote discounts that are eye-catching, time-limited offers create a sense of urgency, collaborate with influencers to announce deals, value-driven content, exclusive TikTok discounts, contests and giveaways, customer discount stories and TikTok ads promoting your discounts
  • Need-Based Customers: Customers that buy products or services based on specific requirements or needs. They normally make decisions based on research to find the best solution.
    • Focus on showing the products or services that deliver value, solve inconveniences and how useful they are. Problem-solving content, educational content to build trust, use hashtags influenced by search-based specifics, include UGC content such as testimonials, target specific opportunities, focus on value and quality, and build series-based content
  • Convenience-Seeking Customers: Customers that prioritise use and convenience when purchasing. These kinds of customers tend to have experiences when purchasing the product and may choose to purchase online.
    • Convenience-seeking customers prioritise efficiency and accessibility, making them search for products that save time, simplify activities and reduce inconveniences. Concentrate on content that highlights time-saving benefits, keep the content straightforward and short as they want to save time, step-by-step demonstrations, concentrate on accessibility and availability, partner with influencers that will recommend your brand quickly, highlight how the brand gets rid of problems, gamification for convenience, reviews and testimonials and TikTok exclusivity.
  • Savvy or Research-Oriented Customers: Customers who do a large amount of research before making a purchase. They like to be knowledgeable about the products or services’ prices, details and alternatives before making a choice. They are often careful when choosing between on-brand products.
    • You have to use a different approach for these customers, as they tend to be more analytical, value-driven and discerning. Focus more on providing value, building credibility and delivering insights. Some strategies that could help attract these types of customers would be creating educational content, storytelling with data facts, data-driven content, interactive and engaging content, expert insights, UGC and transparency
  • Transactional Customers: Customers who are not interested in building a long-term relationship with the brand. They purchase goods based on convenience or price, only maintaining a transactional interaction with the brand.
    • Promotions, value-driven offers and immediate needs are what often drive transactional customers. They typically look for incentives, benefits or deals, so content should be based on ways to get their attention quickly and how the brand meets their needs in efficient ways. Content could look like promotions and discounts, customer testimonials and social proof, creating urgency and scarcity, showing the brand’s value and benefits, making their shopping experience simple, challenges and hashtags, rewarding clients for referrals, giving them teasers and using call-to-action remarks
  • Loyal Customers: Customers that frequently purchase from the same brand and have loyalty to it. They are likely to recommend the brand to others.
    • Deepening relationships and making loyal customers feel valued is extremely important as the key is to keep them engaged and invested in the brand, turning them into brand advocates. Exclusive content and behind-the-scenes, loyalty programs, UGC and community engagement, interactive content, reward and incentivise engagement, celebrate milestones and anniversaries, loyalty stories & testimonials, exclusive giveaways or contests for long-term customers, and be personal and authentic.
  • Wandering Customers: Customers that do not have the intention of buying, but still enjoy exploring future purchases. They might purchase something, although not for certain.
    • To engage these customers you have to capture their attention quickly, spark their curiosity and attract them with something unique and valuable. They are normally browsing for entertainment, inspiration or discoveries, so content should be designed to surprise, entertain and slowly introduce them to the brand. Content should be catchy, attention-grabbing, entertaining & creative, incorporate challenge and trend participation, make it visually striking and shareable content, teasing and Intriguing, use humour and relatability, collaborate with influencers & micro-influencers, show product in fun and unexpected ways, use time-limited offers to create urgency, community engagement & interaction and create a viral content
  • Corporate or Business Customers: Companies or businesses that purchase products or services for organisations instead of individual use. 
    • This customer tends to focus more on ROI, professionalism, and industry-specific content, however, TikTok is an amazing platform to reach businesses and companies, helping appeal to others that your brand is a valuable resource and can provide useful insights. Create thought leadership content, show B2B solutions, educational content for business growth, use TikTok’s business features, corporate culture & brand values, networking & industry events, customer testimonials & client spotlights, problem-solving & business challenges, engage in business-specific conversations, corporate training & development, call-to-action for B2B engagement and use business partnerships & collaborations.

The Marketing Funnel: How TikTok shifts into continuous cycle of repeat purchases

The marketing funnel is a traditional model that outlines the steps customers take when purchasing a product or service. TikTok can help grasp attention through engaging and educational content that can stimulate customer interest. However, this traditional approach is shifting into a continuous cycle of repeat purchases, loyalty, referrals, and advocacy, driven by TikTok’s ability to deepen customer engagement. 

For instance, exclusive offers or rewards for returning customers, such as loyalty programs, can enhance brand relationships. Encouraging customers to share content or recommend brand products (referral) could increase brand exposure, increasing customer interest. Lastly, motivating customers to create content and share their experiences, can help advocate lasting relationships by keeping customers in a cycle of interaction with the brand.

Using TikTok Marketing Effectively Brings Opportunities

Using TikTok efficiently can bring a vast amount of opportunities for a brand, especially when connecting with new audiences in creative and engaging ways. The algorithms that TikTok uses promote visibility, which allows businesses to reach larger amounts of users by utilising viral challenges, hashtags and trends. 

Building connections can be done through short, entertaining or informative content, by driving awareness and engagement, helping build trust. TikTok offers the chance to humanise brands by creating content showing behind-the-scenes or real customer stories, promoting trust and loyalty. 

One key opportunity of using TikTok is the ability to connect to other marketing channels, which helps expand the brand’s reach through multiple channels. TikTok’s sharing features allow users to spread content through other platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, creating organic exposure and driving traffic to the brand. By linking TikTok content to other platforms brands can build multi-channel ecosystems which maximise visibility, attracting new followers and potential customers.

Additionally, features such as e-commerce, seen in the TikTok Shop, help businesses offer accessibility, creating an effortless shopping experience. This offers brands the opportunity to drive traffic, increase conversions, build long-lasting relationships with larger audiences and stay relevant and innovative.

Consumer Repeat Purchases Stats for TikTok Marketing

If a customer has a positive experience with a brand it is 75% more likely to repeat a purchase, as consumers will feel more connected and loyal to the brand. Additionally, creative and inspiring content can contribute to a 15% increase in average order value (AOV), as customers are more likely to make larger purchases when they feel engaged and confident. Optimising customer experience boosts retention by 10%, securing customer loyalty over time, additionally optimising TikTok and Shopify’s dynamic can create a smooth customer journey that reduces order fulfillment costs by 10%. Shopify’s streamlined order management system allows customers to access products more easily. By using these data points, brands can make consumers feel valued, helping them create more frequent purchases, stronger brand loyalty and higher spending through TikTok’s dynamic platform.

The Impact of Customer Experience

Providing insightful, entertaining and valuable content, based on what consumers want, shows customers that the brand cares about their interests and needs, improving brand perception. The most crucial part when shaping how a brand is perceived is the experience a customer has and how they connect with consumers. A platform as interactive as TikTok, where content is consumed on a daily basis and users engaged with brands at a more personal level, allows brands to build stronger relationships, increase loyal followers and foster trust. This can only be done if the brand focuses on creating positive customer experiences. The key to improving customer experience is through the interactions between a brand and its customers. This can be done through comments, engaging with UGC or creating personalised content. The perfect experience is showcased through seamless transitions from video content to product pages or exclusive TikTok offers, both of which play a key role in driving purchase decisions.

Furthermore, through TikTok’s creative and personalised format, brands can tailor content based on their customer’s preferences, making users feel more seen and valued. These positive experiences can increase engagement, customer advocacy, and word-of-mouth marketing, increasing brand success. Strong, authentic customer experiences can drive brand loyalty, business growth and customer retention, regardless of the platform, although TikTok has a straightforward approach.

How TikTok Analyses Data and Why it Matters for Marketing

TikTok analyses data by combining sophisticated algorithms and user interactions. This helps personalise content and optimise the platform, for both content creators and brands. Data, such as consumer behaviour, is collected through likes, shares, comments, watching time, interactions with content or hashtags and video completion rates. These algorithms use the data collected to tailor the content that will most likely resonate with each user, based on preferences and past engagement patterns; this can be seen in the “For You Page”. 

Tiktok Statistics

The data-driven approach is important to brands as it allows them to reach targeted audiences with content that will create interest and needs. The app’s ability to analyse large amounts of data in real-time, allows brands to identify emerging trends, polish their brand message for maximum impact and optimise their content strategies is incredibly helpful for brands. The data collected also allows brands to identify the audience demographics, behaviours and engagement patterns, which helps them create specific marketing strategies and content, which then increases engagement rates.

It is important to use this digital media platform as it helps lead data-driven strategies into more effective and efficient ones. By using TikTok’s analytics it has become easier to adjust campaigns that relate more to audiences while measuring its success. In the end, the data collected helps brands improve customer targeting, boosts their engagement and boosts their campaign performance, which leads to higher ROI.

Choose DNRG Over Competitors

DNRG stands out from its competitors due to holistic, multi-channel approaches to digital marketing. Unlike TikTok agencies, DNRG uses TikTok strategies with broader marketing across various channels, creating a unified commerce. Our team of 30 professionals bring extensive expertise in paid media, creative departments and campaign management, tailoring your needs and ensuring your business goals are met. 

As TikTok partners, DNRG has direct access to the platform’s strategy team, which allows us to stay ahead in platform updates, industry shifts and new products. This access allows DNRG to offer early adaptation to TikTok’s latest features and innovative strategies, which will give your brand a competitive edge. Our mix of creative marketing and insights from multiple channels, helps us drive impactful campaigns that will elevate your brand’s presence while delivering results.

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