Black Friday is right around the corner and TikTok has been one of the platforms leading the change in this post-pandemic e-commerce landscape. For brands hoping to take part in Black Friday on TikTok, here are a few trends to capture the best results.
With digital video consumption increasing rapidly, video ads are becoming an essential part of marketing strategy- particularly on TikTok. For a campaign to succeed, marketers must understand where their consumers are, how video fits into dynamic environments and trends and how they can get their hands on the right resources.
1. Black Friday on TikTok
A third of TikTok users say they use TikTok to stay up to date with the latest products and trends, and nearly half are on TikTok to discover new products, making TikTok a great platform for brands and small businesses to market their products and services to a wide community through Black Friday sales.
Another reason TikTok is a great platform for Black Friday is the majority of the demographic are Gen Z. With Gen Z being the most tech savvy and interested in discovering new products and services, they have a deeper passion for hunting for deals. 61% of Gen Z say coupons and discounts can inspire them to try a new brand, making it the perfect opportunity for brands to capture new customers during the Black Friday sales.
2. TikTok eCommerce
How is TikTok driving stoppable entertainment?
TikTok is becoming the forefront of ecommerce offering various ecommerce options, including TikTok shopping ads, a three-in-one option with formats to meet shoppers wherever they are in the purchase journey through:
- Video shopping ads
- Catalogue listing ads
- LIVE shopping ads
TikTok shop allows advertisers to set up online shops directly through their TikTok accounts. When combined, TikTok Shop and TikTok shopping ads work hand-in-hand to drive sales on the platform.
Shoppers are turning to online shopping for its simplicity and immediate gratification. TikTok’s three-in-one solution allows users to discover new products and brands within the natural flow of the in-app experience but also inspire users to make joyful purchases directly through TikTok Shop.
Research among TikTok users has found:
- 61% have engaged in ecommerce behaviours
- 56% say that ads lead them to discover new products and brands
- 48% are interested in purchasing on or from TikTok in the next three months
E-commerce brands that capitalize on this opportunity can build large and engaged followings, and ultimately create a community around their products.
TikTok Shop supports small and medium business this Black Friday
This Black Friday period, TikTok Shop is supporting small and medium businesses by spotlighting them and their products in a special Black Friday event running from the 21st to the 28th of November.
Small businesses will be promoted by TikTok using LIVE and video shopping ads throughout the week to help them get discovered by the community.
Data shows consumers are 80% more likely to purchase a product if they’ve watched a live stream, showing that live streams play a key role in driving engagement with products.
3. TikTok as a search engine
Is TikTok the new Google?
While TikTok may be known primarily as a social media platform for sharing short videos, it is also becoming a powerful search engine in its own right. TikTok SEO is the practice of optimizing content so that it’s easily found by TikTok users when they’re using the search feature on the platform.
Operating similarly to traditional SEO, Tik Tok SEO involves using relevant and trending keywords that users are likely to search. TikTok’s success as a search engine is a result of its unique algorithm, which provides personalized results based on a user’s interests and is likely to be searched by target audiences.
Google has confirmed that TikTok is eating into their search business, particularly amongst younger audiences that value authenticity and community-validated content. According to Google, nearly 40% of users prefer to use TikTok over Google search when looking for a place to eat lunch.
Four Tactics to optimise TikTok content
Understanding how to optimize TikTok content could be a big opportunity for early movers to dominate TikTok SEO for their niches.
Four tactics to optimize TikTok content include:
1) Incorporate keywords into captions and videos – There is no one-size-fits-all keyword strategy. As a general rule, selecting a keyword should have high search volume where people are actually searching those keywords, high relevance where the keyword relates directly to the content and low keyword difficulty where the keyword is not already over saturated with relevant content.
2) Include up to five relevant hashtags – TikTok strongly recommends hashtags. Using the most relevant hashtags increase the chances of visibility.
3) Use trending TikTok audio – 88% of TikTok users say audio is ‘essential’ to their overall experience on the app and understanding how to find and use trending sounds on TikTok.
4) Be consistent – understanding the audience and how a brand fits into consumers lives is a crucial stage in understanding audiences search intent.
How to optimise SEO with Black Friday on TikTok Shop
Hashtags such as #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, #BlackFriday and keywords such as ‘Black Friday Sale’ and ‘TikTok Shop Sale’ have accumulated over 6 billion views across TikTok. Using trending hashtags and keywords can quickly optimise content to attract key target audience.