TikTok: Everyone’s favorite video app. And when I say everyone, I do mean everyone—at the time of this writing, TikTok has 689 million active monthly users from from 10 to 110. People like the app so much that 90% of TikTok users open it every. day.

It’s totally understandable that now, brands want a piece of those eyeballs. But before you start lip syncing or dancing for your brand, here are 3 things to keep in mind when creating branded content on TikTok.

1. Cut through the clutter...by blending in. 

I know, I know. Everything we’ve ever wanted as marketers is to stand out from the cluttered media landscape. What I mean is this: Create content that doesn’t automatically out itself as an ad in the first few seconds.

In this case, be entertaining, educational, informative, and creative, but don’t be sales-y. Shoot your TikToks as though you’re an average Joe. Use an iPhone, a ring light and trending sounds available in the Commercial Music Library. Be mindful of the safe areas for text, and for heaven’s sake, make your TikTok videos vertical.

2. Use royalty-free music & audio to your advantage.

As a business account, you have access to TikTok’s Commercial Music Library—meaning you can use any song within the library without worrying about licensing. This is nice because it removes some of the hassle, but the library is limited and generally doesn’t have mainstream, trending songs.

Unfortunately, you can’t use trending sounds created by users, either. When an incredible lip syncing opportunity comes by, you may have to settle for sitting it out or posting from your personal account.

3. Paid strategies give you a boost.

Partnering with influencers, running in-feed ads, and promoting branded hashtag challenges are all great ways to gain traction on TikTok. Like most social platforms, your media spend is scalable, so no matter your budget, you can make magic happen.

Ready to dive into TikTok?

We can help you create and execute a plan that’s not cheugy. Give us a call!

OKLAHOMA CITY, September 20, 2021 — An Oklahoma marketing agency is doubling down on the digital future. VI Marketing and Branding has just completed an ambitious initiative to achieve Google Certification across its entire workforce. All VI staff are now certified in at least one of six foundational disciplines, including Search, Video, Display, Apps, Measurement and Shopping. The majority of VI's team achieved two to four certifications, while members of the media team completed all six. 

The effort represents the firm's latest push for excellence in Google's cutting-edge suite of marketing tools. Since 2016, VI has been a Google Partner Agency, and in 2018 it achieved the elite status of Google Premier Partner. The Premier Partner designation is reserved for the top 3% of agencies worldwide as measured by experience, expertise and success in Google's ad platforms. VI is the first Google Premier Partner Agency in Oklahoma, and with the addition of full staff certification, it extends its formidable leadership in the digital realm.

The effort was spearheaded by Creative Director Erin Robinson, Marketing Strategist Deleanie Moriello and Senior Digital and Data Strategist Josh Faytinger.

As a creative artist, Robinson sees distinct advantages in the certification process. "I’m excited to work for an agency that values collaboration and backs it up with continuing education. As a digital-first agency, our Google certification ensures that we're all on the same page, from strategy to ideation to execution. It aligns our creative with Google's marketing platform to create deeper connections with audiences."

According to Moriello, the certification process is just the first phase of a three-part plan to revolutionize VI's digital offerings. "We're utilizing a Define-Mobilize-Reinforce framework to transform the way we approach digital," Moriello said. "The certification process defined expectations. It gave everyone a shared understanding of the landscape. In the Mobilize phase, we'll develop and test KPIs on qualified accounts. And of course, we'll reinforce what we learn through continuing coursework and strategic optimizations. It's a never-ending process of iteration."

The certification is part of a wider agency push toward digital excellence. It is complemented by weekly "Food For Thought" seminars hosted during lunch and focused on digital insights. At a recent seminar, Faytinger held a panel discussion with Google's in-house experts. The seminar explored seismic shifts in the Chrome browser and their impacts on audience targeting and campaign measurement.

For Faytinger, adapting to change is nothing new. "The evolution of digital marketing is accelerating," he noted. "There's never a time when you can lean back and say 'I've got this.' Our seminars and certifications keep us at the forefront of the digital ecosystem. In this business, that's so crucial. You adapt every day. You learn every day. Or you go extinct. It's that simple."

VI Partner and President Tim Berney is excited about the agency-wide effort. "Most agencies claim to be digital-first," he commented. "We're focused on creating tangible milestones that prove our digital excellence. It's great to talk the talk. To walk the walk, you have to do the hard work, invest in your capabilities and bring a relentless commitment to the process. Our success depends on it, and our clients deserve nothing less."

To learn more about VI Marketing and Branding, including their industry-leading Google expertise, visit vimarketingandbranding.com.

DID YOU KNOW WE’RE A GOOGLE PREMIER PARTNER AGENCY?

Following the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, many quick service restaurants were turned upside down and had to adjust their service models. With closed dining rooms, increased sanitization procedures and a pandemic staring them in the face, many brands shifted their focus to technology to find contactless ways to continue driving sales. With drive-thru, curbside or delivery top-of-mind for many consumers, app and online ordering quickly became the new normal for dining out. 

The digital media space is constantly changing, ebbing, and flowing with the events in society. Large societal shifts and a long list of unknowns have already started to show a large increase in digital media habits. As digital media habits shift, the teams that plan and execute campaigns should be nimble and have the ability to adapt in real-time to mirror those habits. Increased news coverage and data usage present an opportunity for advertisers to reach users with clever solutions and content in a time when they need it most.

In the words of every great investor, "Don't invest in something you don't understand." The same could be said for digital marketing. We all know the world is going digital. But let’s be honest, programmatic can be a complicated marketing tactic to understand. I’m sure you’ve heard the term “programmatic” tossed around. With that being said, let this blog post be a general overview of the exciting world of programmatic advertising and how it works. 

Need some digital marketing inspiration this week? The digital team at VI is always seeking out the latest in digital marketing insights. In an ever-evolving industry, we keep our skills sharp and our clients top-of-mind. 

How do you compete in an oversaturated social ad space? In the era of binge-watching and short attentions spans, marketers are challenged with creating content that is to-the-point, adaptive to the platform and personalized. We need to reach audiences with familiar content, reliable content and consumable content.

I wrote my last blog about snackable videos, so I’ll be sticking with the food theme as I take a minute to dive further into consumable content. To make content consumable, we can’t simply dump content on a user and expect the results to be long-lasting. We need to do more than just engage. We need to maintain engagement. So we must create supportive content that is easily accessible and encourages continued relationships. Enter the age-old solution of storytelling.

Video is one of the most engaging and effective ways to educate your target audience. Let’s face it, video can be used to support almost any objective. While it is usually designed to achieve upper-funnel objectives, it can be used to achieve lower parts of the funnel too. These are a few ways to ensure video is used as effectively as possible at every consumer touchpoint.

One of the most important, but often forgotten, aspects of a digital marketing campaign is conversion or goal tracking. You can put together the most strategic marketing plan with sound strategies and clear objectives, but if you don't have a way to track success, you won't be able to measure campaign success. For this reason, determining success metrics prior to campaign launch is crucial. These success metrics may vary by objective, but are typically conversion goals and/or key performance indicators (KPIs) for each tactic. Keep in mind that determining what action or actions you want a user to take is only the first step. You also will have to determine the best way to track these actions.

“Snackable” 6-second ads have been popping up in the digital space, as well as traditional media, for the past year. And now, industry leaders are saying 2018 is “go-time” for these short videos. As attention spans dwindle and the need for on-the-go information rises, these bite-size videos are giving the consumer what they seek and enticing them for more.

Our media landscape is becoming more fragmented by the day. Audiences are consuming media (especially video content) across multiple platforms, often at the same time. These changing media habits really underline the question of how can we measure TV and digital video viewing, and then compare it on an apples-to-apples level?