Relationship-Based Digital Marketing Agency

IMPRINT DIGITAL

tiktok marketing

Times are changing. One of my good childhood friends, Bob Dylan, put it this way&#8230;



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
Come gather &#8217;round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You&#8217;ll be drenched to the bone If your time to you is worth savin&#8217; And you better start swimmin&#8217; Or you&#8217;ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin&#8217;
<cite>The Times They Are A-Changin&#8217; Song by Bob Dylan 1964</cite></blockquote>



The time to start swimming is now. 



There is a common thought that cutting the marketing budget during an economic downturn is a way to save and cut costs to make it through a recession. History proves this is a horrible idea.



But today I bring you a contrarian thought!



You may need to cut your budget in certain areas. You may not be able to afford your full-time marketing person anymore. Your paid budget may be bloated and you need to creatively approach your social media, reviews, and content strategy. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Social strategy = Best Kept Secret</h2>



Social media is an incredible tool for storytelling. Social is where people spend most of their time. Social is like a movie, a feed of information to escape and to engage with funny, interesting, and engaging content. 



The best thing your brand can do is to tell your brand&#8217;s story through social with comical, encouraging, informative, and helpful content. 



&#8220;Going viral&#8221; used to be a rare and coveted thing to happen. With how social channels and organic algorithms are working, one small piece of content can rocket an individual or brand into visibility and awareness that used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How humans have failed at communication</h2>



Remember the saying &#8220;you have 2 ears and 1 mouth.&#8221;



^ This saying is WILDLY relevant to social media. 



So many brands create content to simply create. They don&#8217;t pay attention to current events, popular sounds, songs, or ideas. They just create for their own benefit and visibility. People see through the self-serving intention!



Let me say that again&#8230; People see through the self-serving intention!!!



Most brands &#8220;sink like a stone&#8221; as our pal Bob Dylan said above&#8230; They create content that doesn&#8217;t mean users are where they are. Content should be made for users based on where they are, how they are engaging with the internet, and in a fun and approachable and memorable way. We are all human after all!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cutting to the chase</h2>



Your old ways of marketing won&#8217;t cut it. Your old approaches won&#8217;t work. Lazy marketing deserves to be cut. What has worked over the last 13 years in creating your growth won&#8217;t be the same playbook you used over the next decade. 



The sooner you are intentional to connect with your audience and the internet at large, the more success you will find. Don&#8217;t get me wrong, target markets still matter, but we are talking &#8220;word of mouth&#8221; here. 



Create fun, engaging, trust-building, and valuable content that relates to your audience. You will generate engagement, engagement leads to visibility, visibility to lead flow, and lead flow means &#8220;it is time to close some sales&#8221;.



We are here to help. Give us a shout below and we will help craft a strategy that won&#8217;t leave you sinking like a stone. Because the times are changing&#8230;

Social is the secret to word-of-mouth marketing in a recession

Some wild stats you prob didn&#8217;t know. Over the last year, Tik Tok has had more engagement than Facebook and Instagram combined. People watch more minutes on average on Tik Tok than on Netflix.



Do I have your attention 🙂 



If I don&#8217;t have your attention, Tik Tok has everyone else attention!



While older networks have attempted to replicate TikTok&#8217;s appeal, neither Insta&#8217;s &#8216;Reels&#8217; nor YouTube&#8217;s &#8216;Shorts&#8217; have made a significant improvement to catching up with TikTok&#8217;s viewership.



TikTok appeals to people of all ages; it&#8217;s not just to teenagers (although 62 percent of users are under 30, 11 percent are over 50). It&#8217;s a creative environment with a large community of dedicated influencers and innovators. It&#8217;s also known for being (mainly) a more positive environment than other social media networks.



Pair that with the strongest algorithm in all of social media and you can see how this can supercharge your brand. What makes Tik Tok so unique is that its &#8220;For You Page&#8221; #FYP aggregates accounts you are not following and shows you their content. This creates incredible reach!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tik Tok is where brands get creative</h2>



This is THE platform to push the limits of your brand&#8217;s creativity. Have fun, be playful and let a different side of your brand show. With how boring and stuffy some brands can be, it gives them a safe space to get experimental and creative. 



The more creative you get, the more engagement your brand receives. What is fascinating too is that great Tik Tok content often leaks into other social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and more. 



While Tik Tok is great to showcase your fun and creative side, it is also great for eCommerce. 80% of Tik Tok users <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/business/library/TikTok_Publicis_WARC_WhitePaper.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">have said</a> that Tik Tok has helped them get ideas and information about brands and products they never have thought about before. Over 70% of users find ordinary content creators more interesting than celebrities.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3 Key uses of Tik Tok</h2>



While Tik Tok is a forever long feed of video posts, there are three key things brands can consider and use Tik Tok for.



<ol>
<li>Influencer Marketing &#8211; Engaging with the influencer community on TikTok is an excellent way to leverage the platform. With a deep understanding of the platform, influencers can transform normal brand messages into creative and fun videos. Influencer marketing is very effective at opening your content to a new audience and boosting brand awareness. </li>



<li>Original Content &#8211; While Tik Tok is filled with original content, you don&#8217;t need to be the originator of content that you create. Many times the best performing Tik Tok&#8217;s are the ones that follow or recreate current trends. Explore the app, top accounts, and the &#8220;explore page&#8221; and see how you can create content that aligns with your brand and Tik Tok users. </li>



<li>Paid Advertising &#8211; While the paid ads are still fresh on Tik Tok, they allow you to create in-feed ads and to create branded hashtags, and fun video effects. We are seeing a large rise in small businesses using Tik Tok as a paid advertising funnel.</li>
</ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why we love Tik Tok</h2>



With over a billion users, Tik Tok not only has engagement, but it has created an open opportunity even for brand new accounts to reach millions. Accounts with small follower amounts can generate millions of views due to the unique algorithm. Brands must be creative on Tik Tok to get reach and engagement.



We have seen some accounts with very few video views and followers, overnight generate millions. 



The key is staying consistent, and not giving up. 



Tik Tok is a core part of our strategy and will be moving forward. 



If you would like an audit of your Tik Tok from our Creative Director Kaitlyn who has 2+ years of experience growing and managing accounts, just reach out below! We would love to help 🙂

Why Tik Tok, and How Brands are Using it

The digital marketing world has been flipped on its head. Digital marketing agencies of yesteryear are struggling to keep up with trends and the attention span of users is quickly turning to the most entertaining and engaging brands.



Social media has made it to where the most entertaining and relatable brands are the winners.



Years ago, advertising agencies would create TV ad placements that are well thought out and planned, and they had lots of time to create!



The timeline has shifted, and brands no longer have months to plan. Marketing strategy and response to current events and current trends have lowered that execution time to hours. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The old marketing agency</h2>



Years ago brands would gameplan for months. There was a lack of tangible real-time data prior to the internet and social media. Decisions were driven by real-life focus groups, polls, and mailouts. Consumers were loyal to the big brands they simply knew and have seen before. 



We have moved from radio, television, and magazines into a more fragmented model. Now media is everywhere. Legacy marketing agencies that make laggard decisions are getting left behind and are completely losing the attention of consumers.



One-stop-shop advertising agencies were a thing of the 1800s and 1900s. At this time in history agencies were truly focused on the top of the funnel. This was primarily about creating awareness and consideration. 



A screenshot below of what I mean.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img decoding="async" src="https://sbx-dev.imprint-digital.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Marketing-Funnel-Design-618x628.png" alt="" class="wp-image-3453"/></figure></div>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Modern Digital Marketing and Branding Agencies</h2>



The power distribution has shifted from legacy institutions to their digital counterparts. No longer do 1-2 placements reach the masses. The fragmentation of how media is consumed has completely changed how marketing is done.



Search and social platforms have created near-unlimited reach. Consumers can purchase nearly anything at any time. Thanks to such targeted reach brands can become super niche which has led to the rise of the direct-to-consumer models which are competing with bigger brands.



Premium design is now a standard. Even the smallest brands can have a luxury design and feel. Custom product design, photography, videography, and quality creative direction are more abundant than ever.



Personalized content wins.



If you have used the internet at all you have seen the well-styled and personalized content that always seems to find you. 



While digital marketing will be cutting back on pixel tracking into 2023, <a href="https://imprint-digital.tempurl.host/blog/brand-identity/your-brand-name-is-forever-keywords-are-temporary/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">organic social content</a> is on the rise and its reach is getting better by the day.



Performance and Optimization are daily.



Marketing campaigns of yesteryear could run for 3-6+ months. With digital and social reach like we have with Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok campaigns can be optimized and changed daily based on user response.



Digital agencies now are standardly a/b testing everything, tracking all ads, analyzing niche customer groups, and using real-time data to drive faster and better decision-making.



The best brands move quickly.



Without a strategic plan to respond to consumer sentiment and acting responsively to the needs of your core audiences or niche, you will be replaced with a better storytelling brand that resonates and connects with consumers.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Consumers are advertisers</h2>



With the rise of platforms like Youtube, Instagram, and Tik Tok we are seeing consumers more than ever, influence purchasing behavior.



First, consumer reviews and consumer affirmation of brands from influencers or respected individuals is a massive trust builder. (This is basically digital word of mouth).



This also lends itself to the idea that brands MUST be where consumers are. Brands must be present on the social platforms that influence buying and decision-making. 



This is how your brand can win!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The takeaway</h2>



The 3-6 month game plan for marketing is dying. Brands that respond in real-time to consumer needs, niche consumer data, and to social and societal trends are the winners of today and the future.



Your brand must develop a customer-centric strategy that entertains while being the advertisement all brands need.



At Imprint Digital we help craft tailored and intentionally niche marketing campaigns for brands that understand this competitive landscape shift is underway. We would love a chance to work with you. Reach out below.

Advertising has become Entertainment

Before internet advertising, there were newspaper, magazine, and radio ads. (btw, the printing press came about in the 1440s). Advertisements at the start of print were character and product-focused. 



Fast forward 550+ years and now we have the incredible internet with all of its capabilities and features that give us near-infinite ways of targeting and getting in front of shoppers.



Google has given marketers the ability to target keywords and choose specific placements. Marketers have the option to remove or omit users who do not react or respond in certain ways, and it has gotten to a new level of control of ad placement.



Let&#8217;s take a quick step back and cover the first video ads, and keywords and then dive into why your brand is the most powerful tool and keyword you can ever have.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The first video ad</h2>



On July 1st, 1941, the first tv commercial aired. Over the next decade, advertisements became a firm part of society. Post-Cold War, viewers and listeners became more optimistic as prosperity rose. A connection between viewers and brands arose. The below ad is of Bulova, it was the first tv commercial.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Bulova world&#039;s first television advertisement" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ss6v5bpxODo?start=8&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



Products were the centerpiece of advertising back in the 40s-60s. Over time product still matters tremendously but we have shifted to telling a brand&#8217;s story, sharing the value proposition, and telling a brands mission to consumers.



Over the last two decades, as ad placements have evolved from television and radio to nearly every digital device, brands have had to refocus and realign their strategy.



The advertisements are damned!



Ad blockers are on the rise. Users find ads annoying or interruptive, they want more privacy, and they simply want to protect themselves from risks like malware.



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/fHvP2XCYrdhmE4vVM-x7wy0sJg5wWfi6lqEa2Y_XI4z_yRiyNec5Dtmw74MzmsqYDtFezTyQZuZrr24s9c5dqtoa7UuC0eJLZFYGvInERhztYzyYTXgUlOVY5U_1hejLa4FEsUlr" alt=""/></figure></div>



With the rise of ad blockers, and clamp down of targeting users with very specific ads with tracking pixels I foresee a shift. We are going back in time in ways. Brand awareness and quality advertising will matter more than ever.



People don&#8217;t want to be tracked with ads, or shown advertisements. They want privacy. This is leading to some shifts in how brands reach customers. Let&#8217;s talk more on keywords&#8230;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Are keywords still valuable in advertising?</h2>



While Google has offered some great experiences through their text ad format on desktop and mobile, users are finding new ways to connect with brands. There are countless new ways to discover new products.



Sure, you can target a keyword, run the ad, and send people to a landing page. But most consumers start as window shoppers, go through a research phase and then pick the product or service that best services them. But what is the best keyword?



$100 to who knows the best keyword of all time ?



The best keyword of all time is your brand name. And you don&#8217;t have to pay for placement.



Sure, paid ad placements will hold a part in all marketing, but there is a major shift happening in the marketing space that many business owners are ignoring.



Listen closely. Don&#8217;t get left behind



While keywords and standard old-school text ads will keep a place in advertising, there are some affordable and sometimes free tools brands are sleeping on. All businesses should be taking advantage of these tools.



Are you lagging behind in the biggest strategy shift in marketing because you have not seen others do it? I am talking about organic social algorithms.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The rise of the organic algorithm</h2>



Consumers and centralized authorities have raised hell about pixel targeting, and the creepy following that brands do online. There were accusations of <a href="https://sfist.com/2020/08/31/facebook-finally-removes-racial-ad-targeting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Facebook allowing racial targeting</a>, and Facebook later removed the detailed targeting and options which gave advertisers this ability.



This leads to a new idea. Brands like Instagram and Tik Tok have done a wonderful job flipping this on its head.



They now allow for content creators and brands to get discovered by people who are not even following them. The majority of people who see your posts on Tik Tok are not following you. This creates a major opportunity for brands to connect with users without paying. But your content must be entertaining and enjoyable. One thing many small businesses fail at.



Why is this interesting?



Well before we could create creepy targeted content that was precisely made for a small segment of users. Now with organic algorithm capabilities platforms can serve up relevant content that is in the spectrum of interest to a user.



This is where brands and creatives must be very in tune with the interests and needs of their target market. Brands that connect in an authentic way and create memorable and engaging content are the winners who get shared and circulated.



Storytelling matters more than ever before



As a 10+ year digital marketer for small businesses, I can say it used to be stupidly easy to just build a great site, have good customer service, get some great reviews, place some ads, and write consistent content, create social posts and your funnel is complete. (CAVEAT: it&#8217;s not that simple, but with the right team, it honestly really is.)



Now, there are so many brands and so much content, that brands MUST find a unique way to stand out. Everyone on earth seems to be an entrepreneur, or are starting a small business. And everyone knows how to get great reviews, how to make a great site quickly, how to write content, and how to place ads.



IT&#8217;S ALL COMMODITIZED! ALL OF IT!



Your business MUST find unique ways to create original content and relatable content that resonates with users. It often doesn&#8217;t even have to sell your product. You need to sell yourself. 



People are yearning for emotional connections, creating memories, laughing, and sharing experiences with their friends and closest network.



This is where truly committing to telling your brand&#8217;s story and showing personality wins.



Every day we get better at reading through the BS and knowing who is legit and who is not.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Consistency in Creating Content</h2>



This is a learning process for everyone. Copying brands, mirroring what&#8217;s hot, and not being original may work in the short term, but truly being original, being yourself, and separating yourself from others is what makes a brand stand out from the rest of the crap noise in this world. 



We are taking this exact approach at Imprint. As a digital marketing agency, we are masters of Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Content Creation, Display Placements, building sales funnels, and optimizing for conversions, but the greatest effort we can put forward is telling our brand&#8217;s story, expressing the value we bring in a relatable and human way.



Your brand and the story it tells is far more compelling than a low price, free shipping, or great customer service. Your brand gives people a feeling, it reminds them of something, it is a chance to tap into the core of their needs as a human.



THIS IS WHERE BRANDS WIN



The brands that create original, quality, relatable and fun content will be the winners. People want connection, and brands that make relatable and enjoyable content will be the long-term winners.



After all, these organic feeds have ZERO cost to get placement, the only challenge is quality.



So yeah, while keywords are great, your brand is forever, and if your brand does a great job at connecting with people in a genuine way, you will find tremendous success and your brand will stay top of mind as the choice.



If you are struggling to connect with consumers and tell your story, that is where we help. Our team of world-class marketers will build your brand&#8217;s story, create content, and get placement for your brand that will separate and differentiate you from the world. 



Contact us below to learn more!

Building a world-class brand with organic social content

TikTok has been on an absolute tear since 2018. I will admit, at first I wrote it off as a platform in 2019 when I first discovered it. Since then it has taken over how social media is digested and how social strategy is executed. Instagram and Facebook are both modeling their platform after the success of TikTok in order to keep relevance in the market. 



At a high level, it looks like a fun app for dancing and lip-syncing, but it is also an incredible place to showcase your brand&#8217;s value, products, and services. TikTok is giving small businesses an outlet to create fun and creative content to connect with their core market.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What is TikTok?</h2>



TikTok is the mecca of short, digestible mobile videos. TikTok has taken social by storm by being a blend of Instagram and Youtube. TikTok is a search engine of sorts to many users as a way to learn new things or to get insights into brands and products. Videos can be anywhere from 5 to 60 seconds long. TikTok also has an extensive music library so that you can add songs to your videos.



What is special about TikTok is that it has an AI algorithm that recommends your content to users who are not currently following you, through their &#8220;#ForYou&#8221; page. The AI recommends to users new videos and users they should watch based on their past viewings. This makes it easy for users to discover new content.



Some cool stats about TikTok



<ul class="has-medium-font-size"><li>1.65+ billion downloads</li><li>Avg user opens the app 8+ times a day</li><li>Demographic: 18-24 year olds, followed by 13-17 year olds</li><li>60% of users are female, 40% male</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How to use TikTok</h2>



You can easily create a <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">small business account</a> and begin engaging with the platform to see what the buzz is all about. TikTok is NOT a platform for jumping straight to selling your product or service. TikTok is a place where you can tell a story. In our <a href="https://imprint-digital.tempurl.host/blog/seo/the-ultimate-guide-generating-marketing-leads-with-a-0-budget/#:~:text=Video%20For%20Social%20%E2%80%93%20Tik%20Tok%20%26%20Instagram" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ultimate guide to marketing with $0</a>, we break down some great TikTok video ideas for small businesses to help you jump-start your strategy!



Once you have registered, explore around and see what other brands are doing to get a feel of how small businesses are executing on strategy and telling their story!



What is GREAT about TikTok is that the platform is not about professional video and design. The platform has most of its content shot from a mobile phone, which has an authentic and direct connection feel. Users of TikTok expect and enjoy the content that comes directly from the phone of someone on the other end. This is a great low-budget way to connect with your audience in an authentic way!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hashtags on TikTok matter</h2>



To get your content discovered, you will want to do some hashtag research to start. Look into what kind of hashtags are trending and what your audience is engaging with. Hashtags should relate to the video you make. Only use relevant hashtags so that when people encounter your video, it is relevant to their interest and hashtag search



REMEMBER: TikTok is primarily for amusement and entertainment, not pushing and selling products. So if you are attempting to sell something, you need to get VERY creative. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">TikTok Business Advertising</h2>



Businesses can now advertise on TikTok, just like they can on other social media platforms. That&#8217;s a great method to encourage new users and prospects to notice your brand. There are four major ways to promote on TikTok for your business:



<ul class="has-medium-font-size"><li>Brand Takeover &#8211; When a user first opens TikTok, the brand takeover ad appears before any other user content. If you&#8217;re creating a unique TikTok offer, you can link the ad to a landing page.</li><li>Native Ad: This is an ad that appears in the middle of user content. Keep in mind that consumers can quickly skip this form of ad by just scrolling past it.</li><li>Sponsored Hashtag Challenge: Businesses can sponsor a specific hashtag challenge and advertise on the Discover page with a sponsored hashtag challenge. This is a fantastic approach to increase brand and hashtag interaction.</li><li>Branded Lens: A branded lens is a type of filter that your company creates for people to use on their videos. It&#8217;s ideal to choose something that is relevant to your company and resonates with your target audience.</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Takeaway</h2>



TikTok is an incredible way to get your brand discovered in the sea of businesses in the marketplace. What I love about TikTok is that once you create content, you can then also share it across other social channels. 



Show off your creativity, what makes your brand unique, and that you have humor. So many brands are stiff as a starched tie (young people may not get that, haha). Create fun and engaging content that lets the world know you have a fun-loving and human side to your brand. As I always say:



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-medium-font-size is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">Do not save your best funny and relatable marketing for the Super Bowl.<cite>&#8211; Bobby Shell</cite></blockquote>



Check out TikTok&#8217;s <a href="https://ads.tiktok.com/business/learn/401" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Business Learning Center</a> and learn more. If you would like help on strategy or a game plan on how your brand can take over TikTok to better tell your story and differentiate yourself, just give us a shout below and we will be happy to help!

Tiktok is a fun new way to chat with friends that has attracted small business owners by the thousands.

tiktok marketing

Social is the secret to word-of-mouth marketing in a recession

Why Tik Tok, and How Brands are Using it

Advertising has become Entertainment

Building a world-class brand with organic social content

How small businesses are using Tik Tok