How SMEs can use video to stand out this sales season

As the year comes to a close, we find ourselves in the middle of a massive online sale season. While date-related sale campaigns such as 9.9, 11.11, Black Friday, and 12.12 have only just ended, other sales will be happening for Boxing Day, New Year’s, Lunar New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day in 2021.

Photo credit: Georgejmclittle

With the variety of deals around, businesses have to work harder to catch the eyeballs of potential customers. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may find it hard to compete with larger ecommerce players, which means that adding a touch of creativity in online marketing efforts is not only encouraged but essential.

And there is perhaps no platform that rewards creative marketing more generously than short-video platform TikTok.

During Tech in Asia’s recent “Grow with TikTok: SME Webinar,” Annemarie McDaniel, TikTok’s SME marketing manager in Southeast Asia, and Carmen Foong, product marketing manager for SMEs at TikTok, outlined why the platform is ideal for small businesses to reach potential customers.

People are spending more time on TikTok

Consumers are watching more video than ever – specifically short-form video.

Photo credit: 123RF

As the world continues to deal with lockdowns, more and more people are turning to TikTok for entertainment, education, and more. And Southeast Asian users in particular are accounting for a large portion of the increased interest.

Malaysians are spending an average of 331 seconds of undivided attention on the platform per session, according to data by app analytics platform AppAnnie – that’s more than five minutes spent on the app every time it is opened. SMBs could tap into this opportunity to better advertise their products and services to potential users.

Why are ads on TikTok more effective?

McDaniel attributed this trend to TikTok’s ability to create the “right mindset” for its users with its “quick, creative storytelling.”

“On TikTok, people are fully engaged, they’re in a great mood to discover, and we believe that people will not just be in the right space to see these ads, but also engage with them,” she said.

Part of this framing also comes from TikTok’s focus on discovery, which pushes content that users actually want to see and leaves them feeling happy and inspired. Positive feelings in users means they are more likely to convert and purchase products

The results of this strategy have been evident: The hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt has gone viral and features user reviews of items discovered via the platform. Videos with the hashtag have accumulated over 735 million views as of October 2020 and present a wide range of consumer products, from work-from-home essentials to bargain buys.

But user-generated content isn’t the only one stealing the show. Ads have a significant impact too. 80% of TikTok users have waited for promotions before making a purchase, according to data by GlobalWebIndex on users between 16 to 64 years old in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam in Q2 2020.

People “have decided the ads are not just a nuisance but were excited and interested enough to click through at such a high rate,” said McDaniel.

How to start advertising on TikTok

Just because TikTok is a short-form video platform doesn’t mean advertisers must have sharp video-editing skills to create a sleek campaign. This may come as good news to SMEs who might not have the resources to produce high-quality video ads.

TikTok’s creative ad tools come embedded in its self-serve TikTok For Business ad platform, which showcases other powerful tools to help business owners come up with creative videos that will convert.

TikTok’s ads manager platform / Photo credit: TikTok

Even if SMEs only have product images, they can use the Video Template tool or Smart Video tool to easily create videos based on existing materials, suggested TikTok’s Foong. The Smart Video tool is also helpful for those with some short videos, as it “analyzes assets uploaded and draws out important snippets,” Foong said.

Text overlays and stickers can also be added to create a more organic feel, while transitions and soundtracks are automatically added when necessary to create an ad-ready video in about three minutes.

The product suite has a Smart Video Soundtrack tool as well, which offers hundreds of copyright-free music to add to existing videos, and an Asset Analysis Report tool for marketers to track ad performance.

“These tools are built to generate outcomes within minutes so [businesses] can quickly and confidently get ads running on TikTok,” said Foong.

While jumping onto a new advertising platform might seem like a daunting task, TikTok’s powerful ad platform ensures a smooth onboarding process for new users to create powerful messages.

Watch “Grow with TikTok: SME Webinar,” presented by Tech In Asia in partnership with TikTok For Business, where representatives shared their perspectives on how to drive business growth on the short-form video platform during this mega sale season and beyond.

This content was produced by Tech in Asia Studios, which connects brands with Asia’s tech community. Learn more about partnering with Tech in Asia Studios.