With nearly a billion users and counting, TikTok is taking the internet by storm. So it’s no secret that developing your own presence on this short-form video app and organically interacting with potential attendees is a strategic marketing move you should be taking advantage of! Beyond that, if you have the budget, you should consider the paid marketing methods that could take your TikTok event promotion to the next level. TikTok’s massive and highly engaged user base makes advertising on this platform a great way to reach more expansive audiences than ever before.
Not sure where to begin? Read on, and let’s get started!
Register Your TikTok Ads Manager Account
Before you can begin advertising your event on TikTok, you need to register your account as a business. On the TikTok for Business page, you can easily sign up for an account with just a phone number or email address. Once you’re logged in, you’ll be asked to submit information about your company, which will then be sent to TikTok for approval. The approval process should take about 24 hours, and then you’re free to begin publishing ads!
Pick Your Ad Product
Before you begin your promotion, you’ll need to determine the best TikTok advertising product to reach your event’s target audience. As you develop your promotional strategy based on your unique campaign goals and budget, TikTok offers a few different options for you to choose from:
- TopView
- A full-screen video display option of up to 60 seconds with auto-play and sound for an engaging and distraction-free ad experience
- Brand Takeover
- A full-screen option of a 3-5 second static or dynamic display, with video or image files supported
- Branded Hashtag Challenges
- A compilation page of user-generated content based around your campaign’s hashtag
- Branded Effects
- Stickers, filters, and special effects designed around your brand that users can creatively incorporate into their own content
- In-Feed Ads
- Promoted videos in users’ “For You Page” to tell your story in the format of a TikTok creator, included in the feed with other native content
Of these five highlighted ad formats, most event advertisers tend to use TopView. Research shows that 72% of users prefer interacting with ads presented in this format, and TopView ads on average have the lowest skip rate, highest user attention level, and highest call-to-action click-through rate. As a more budget-friendly (but still effective) option for small businesses, we recommend opting for In-Feed Ads.
Create Engaging Content
Once you’ve selected your ad’s format and registered your account, it’s time to focus on content! Due to the nature of TikTok, it’s important to approach creating these ads differently than ads on other social platforms. As their team puts it, “Don’t make ads. Make TikToks.” Because of the short-form video content the platform is known for, event marketers must quickly capture their audience’s attention in a genuine way. That said, when creating an engaging ad for your event, be sure to highlight your key message in the first three seconds. According to TikTok’s research, over 63% of videos with the highest click-through rate featured their core message or product within this time frame.
TikTok viewers also highly value genuine and authentic content. According to a guide published by TikTok for Business, effective ads on their platform focus on “keeping it real and relatable” and often include “an undertone of lightheartedness and positivity.” So make sure to highlight all the best parts of your event, featuring unique previews from celebrity guests, clips from your slated performers, or even videos of real attendees having a blast! Keep in mind that the highest performing TikTok ads appeal to viewers’ emotions in a real, intentional way, so spend some time figuring out what’s important to your audience, and build a campaign around their interests and values.
Of course, the primary goal of your TikTok ads should be promoting ticket sales, especially since running paid campaigns simply to gain followers tends to be less effective to your bottom line. With this in mind, make sure your ads contain clear calls to action, encouraging viewers to buy their tickets without delay! You might even want to sweeten the deal by offering discount codes or other event incentives (like a free T-shirt or a chance to win VIP tickets) to users who engage with your ad and follow through with a ticket purchase.
Take Advantage of TikTok Creator Marketplace
One of TikTok’s newest resources, Creator Marketplace, connects businesses with influencers who could promote the company’s brand to their already established audiences. Once you register (for free!), you’ll have access to an extensive database of influencers, making it easy to find the perfect fit for partnering with your event.
In the Creator Marketplace, you can search based on demographics, account reach, and content category to better hone in on influencers who appeal to your event’s niche audience. If your event is a comic con, for example, you might consider finding a popular TikTok cosplayer to partner with. Or if you’re promoting a gaming expo, you’d likely be looking to collaborate with a popular streamer who has a devoted gamer following.
Once you determine the prospective influencers you’d like to work with, TikTok makes it simple to send them a custom message about your proposed collaboration. From there, you can strike a deal to help increase awareness of your event to their followers in an engaging, authentic way!
Have Fun With It
When promoting your event on TikTok, whether with organic or paid methods, creating authentic content is key. That said, our final tip is to have fun! Your audience will be drawn to the passion and excitement you have for your event, which will make them excited about it, too.