Today's marketers in Aotearoa face the challenge of creating content across numerous channels on limited budgets and resources, all while striving to engage an audience with authentic, engaging content that builds genuine connections.

TikTok is no different with creative accounting for 75% of campaign success. The need to be able to create content that resonates with the target audience is greater than ever before.

The great debate: Paid vs Organic

Possibly one of the most commonly asked questions we have at TikTok, is how many videos should I be creating? It has a relatively simple answer: Quality over Quantity. Emphasise creating quality content that resonates with your audience, rather than simply feeling like you have to churn out content for the sake of keeping up with the beast. In the long-term, investing in quality content tends to drive better engagement and results.

Make sure you have a strategy for Paid & Organic - the content doesn't have to be the same across both. Instead, use Organic to leverage relevant trends for your business, while adapting the tone & style to suit TikTok. Organic is great for focusing on building a strong brand presence, and community engagement, and when complimented with paid spend, you can strategically amplify reach and action. When you strike the right balance between both, you can use organic efforts for long term growth and paid campaigns for more immediate impact. TikTok users appreciate a seamless blend of paid and organic content. When viewers encounter a brand's organic video on their For You Page (FYP), it signals that the brand is part of the TikTok community, enhancing the impact of subsequent paid ads. In fact, 48% of users said an ad was not intrusive after seeing an organic post.

Best formats:

Another commonly asked question is how long should my video content be? Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer here! Optimal video length varies for TikTok, and ultimately it comes down to objective, and again the quality vs quantity debate. As long as you can convey the message you need to get across in an effective way that resonates with the audience, to drive intent and engagement.

At TikTok, we are big believers in testing is best! We encourage users to test different types of content, ad placements and audiences. Test variables such as headlines, visuals, calls-to-action, native app add-on's, or video lengths to optimise engagement. For paid activity, having multiple iterations of creative generally drives significantly higher engagement and results, especially when combined with regular optimisation and testing.

Creating multiple variations of creative can be a challenge, but that's where TikTok's Creative Assistant tools and Symphony Assistant can help. Think of it as your own personal guide through the TikTok creative landscape, helping you to brainstorm ideas, implement best practices, identify trends, and find inspiration. Drawing information from a wealth of TikTok-focused creative knowledge, Symphony Assistant delivers applicable recommendations to elevate both your organic and paid content.

Cross-Platform Content Strategies:

Reusing other platform assets across TikTok can be a strategic approach to maintain brand consistency and leverage existing assets and resource. However, the success of this strategy hinges on understanding the platform's unique audience behavior and optimizing content accordingly.

Using consistent assets (such as visuals, messaging, and themes) across platforms reinforces brand identity and builds recognition among audiences. This consistency can enhance brand recall and trust, especially when users encounter similar content across multiple channels.

TikTok has its own user demographics, preferences, and content consumption patterns. Understanding these nuances is crucial for tailoring content that resonates with the platform's audience. It also offers unique features and functionalities that can support specific marketing objectives.

TikTok developed a framework called Recut, Remix & Reimagine - designed to help advertisers execute a well integrated campaign across TikTok, but also further leverage existing assets from other platforms - to give them new life. Check out this webinar for more info on the Recut, Remix, Reimagine framework.

Sources: Kantar, TikTok Marketing Science Global Organic + Paid Study 2021 conducted by Neurons.

Source: Rachel Crockett, 23 July 2024