Despite being one of the hottest apps on the planet, not every business has mastered the power and reach of TikTok ads for boosting engagement and sales. Making your brand accessible and known on social media is a fast, inexpensive way to grow engagement with a very large and relevant audience. But how?

First, follow some key best practices brands to boost TikTok video ad engagement:

• Go Vertical. For best results, use the vertical video format with aspect ratio of 9:16, 1:1 or 16:9. This format makes it easier for mobile users — it’s expected and has been shown to perform better.
• #Unblur Videos. TikTok has high standards for user experience. Make sure your videos are crystal clear and high quality to engage your target audience. 
• Paint Your Own Soundscape. Use sounds, music, voiceover or all of the above! The music, sounds and voices you choose for videos have a dramatic impact on your message — boosting engagement, performance and recognition. 
• Keep It Short, Sweet and to the Point. Keep users engaged with short videos (TikTok recommends between 9–15 seconds) that are relevant, high-energy and worth users’ time. TikTok’s own research indicates that 63% of videos with the highest CTR highlight the key message or product within the first three seconds.
• Be Authentic and Appealing. It’s your time to shine on social media. Captivate your audience, have an impact on viewers — and build all-important trust — with content that’s genuine, honest and infectious. Two effective ways for brands to deliver authenticity, trustworthiness and appeal are through product transparency and using real people to review their products.
• Amplify Your Message. Don’t just stick to one platform or channel. Get creative and use your TikTok content for other full-screen channels like Instagram or Facebook Reels, or as inspiration for print ads, to help increase your reach and engagement.

Recognize that the world’s fastest-growing social platform practically requires you to have good quality lifestyle videos if you hope to stand out. And once you have that starting point, growth will only happen when you are real, human and engaging. That is the key to building deeper relationships between a brand and their target audience.”

Second, stay on top what’s important to TikTok’s users. Keeping up with latest trends is important. Tap into TikTok’s fun side with new and emerging video trends driving growth in today’s global market. While the list is likely to change in the future, here are the looks and styles drawing the most attention from TikTok users right now:

• A Day in the Life of the Influencer. Incorporate a popular product into the cherished — and highly subscribed — daily routines of influencers, then sit back and watch your brand and business popularity soar.
• Unboxing Videos. Phenomenally popular by delivering vicarious thrill, unboxing videos are used to showcase most any product or service.
• Vlog-style. For example, follow me as I run errands, weekend getaway, etc.
• Product Reviews. Show the product from packaging-to-use on a narrated review or tutorial.
• TikTok Made Me Videos. #tiktokmademebuyit and #tiktokmademeeatit are popular hashtags linking to products that work and to add to shopping lists.
• Tutorial and Walkthroughs. Show and demonstrate your product in a step-by-step style.

In the spirit of trends, awareness and use of the popular hashtags within the TikTok community can help brands create better engagement with their audience. Here are some of the most popular hashtags, according to August 2022 research from TikTok Discover:

• #fyp - 25,874.9B
• #tutorial - 231.2B
• #foodtok - 23.6B
• #foodlovers - 2.3B
• #beauty -101.9B
• #selfcare - 23.8B

Third, don’t worry about being a sellout! TikTok is the one place where it’s actually ok to be a sellout. For example, the #tiktokmademebuyit trend began during the pandemic and continues to soar by gratifying consumers’ hunger for popular products and paving their path to purchase.

According to TikTok Marketing Science US,

• 47% of TikTok users have bought something seen on the platform
• 67% of TikTok users were inspired to shop when they weren’t planning to — more than any competitor platform

While specific trends may come and go, influencer marketing is more than a passing fad. In fact, consumers continue to turn to online content creators for advice on various products and services, including financial advice on investing, managing credit and creating budgets. Even if you haven’t mastered the platform quite yet, your brand can make a real splash on TikTok by earning the trust and incurring favor of the influencer crowd.