What Lies Ahead In The Future Of TikTok Ads?

TikTok is everything right now, but what will the future of TikTok Ads bring to us?

In today’s post, let’s take a look at ads on TikTok and where these might go in the future. 

You’re here for the future of TikTok ads. But why?

When you’re creating ads for the here and now (especially when you’re so stretched for time)…

…it can feel silly to look at what’s coming in the future of advertising. 

But without an idea of where ads could (or should) be going, and what’s coming from existing and emerging social networks and other advertising platforms…

…it’s important to consider these things for a couple of reasons:

And that is because you’re not just barely keeping up (or way, way behind) on trends, you’re actually ahead of them.

That is if you throw all of your eggs into one basket and it’s the wrong basket.

If you know that how you’re advertising now can’t work in the near future of ads, you might want to make a change. 

Let’s get into the post. The first question you may be asking yourself is this: 

Why Should I Care About The Future Of TikTok Ads? It’s Just Barely A Thing.

If you’re not advertising on TikTok or your business has been slow to join the platform (no judgment, we get it)…

…you may be wondering why in the world we’d be focusing an entire post on the future of TikTok ads. Why not Facebook?

The answer can be complicated, but we feel it can appropriately be summarized thusly:

In its short time, TikTok has completely changed the landscape of video advertising online.

Their influence on other networks (hey, Facebook is scrambling to prioritize micro-video) has been huge.

And we think we’ll continue to see TikTok trends, preferences, and user behaviors bleed into other areas of the internet for some time.

However, we do have a post that you can read next if you’re new in Facebook ads. But for this post, let’s go back to TikTok ads.

What Is The Future Of TikTok Ads?

We’ve organized today’s post like this: 

TikTok Is A Seamless Ad Experience

Users on TikTok haven’t pushed back on ads too much.

Why? We think it’s because the ads don’t interrupt the experience (when done correctly). 

Speaking of doing ads correctly, after this post, you should check out our post on 7 TikTok ad mistakes and How to Avoid Them.

They’re putting even more emphasis on making sure ads don’t feel like ads…

…creating guides to help businesses, and working with big brands and creators to make tons of great examples. 

Future Of TikTok Ads: What Are The Changes Coming To TikTok?

In the last couple of weeks, TikTok has announced a number of changes coming to the platform that can ultimately affect your TikTok marketing.

Here’s a summary of them: 

Think of ways your business could use NFTs (or not, NFTs don’t make sense for everyone). 

This is to include 150,000 new songs from “emerging and top-tier artists and houses”.

You can now purchase custom sounds or buy a subscription to royalty-free sound platforms like Epidemic Sound. 

This includes; the ability to bulk delete comments, report, or block accounts all at once.

Users can also filter comments by content to customize their experience.

You’ll also be able to mute commenters during live streams (for a few seconds, a few minutes, or the whole stream). 

Before we talk about how these announced changes may affect your ads, be sure to also check out our new social media ads training course after this.

This new course will help you take your social media advertising skills to the next level to better promote your business online.

How Will the Changes Impact the Ads You’re Running Now? 

When we say the future of TikTok ads, the biggest change for your ads is that…

…you have more music and sound options available for use in your creative.

Speaking of creatives, check out this post next to learn how to design TikTok ads.

This should make it easier for you to jump on trends and make the most of relevant trending sounds. 

Continue to cultivate the customer experience you want for your brand, whether that be in your videos or comments sections. 

TikTok Trends That Work Well On Other Platforms

TikTok has been a cultural sensation. There’s a definite pre-TikTok internet and post-TikTok internet.

It’s changing how we advertise on other platforms, and how we interact with our customers.

But what trends should you focus on replicating?

In this portion of the post, we’ll highlight the most important trends that are becoming standard practice. 

1. Ads that don’t feel like ads

TikTok has gotten away with adding more ads to the platform by ensuring they feel like regular content.

That’s why Gen Z, who as a whole dislike advertising, hasn’t pushed back on TikTok in any substantial way. 

This attitude toward ads is bleeding into other platforms, with more Stories…

…and Reels going to the route of “Native” ads.

And many of the ads in feeds on other social networks perform better when they don’t look or feel like an ad. 

What you can do: Spend some time on the platform acting like your ideal customer.

The ads you make should fit in with this kind of content so they don’t feel out of place in the user’s feed. 

2. Getting to the point

TikTok popularized micro-content in a big way.

The platform only recently extended the length of videos to 3 minutes, and many users and creators think it’s too long.

Because of all the noise on social networks, if you don’t capture your viewer’s attention in the first 3 seconds, they’re gone and they will never be back. 

Our attention spans for uninteresting or irrelevant content are nearly nonexistent.

We have enough to see if our interest is piqued, but no more. This preference is found on every platform for nearly every form of content. 

What you can do: Be succinct.

At least at first. capture their attention quickly and well. Get them the information they need to decide if you’re worth spending time on.

Your audience does have attention to give, but you have to prove you’re worth it.

Save the longer, more complicated topics and discussions for customers further along in their journey. 

3. Using user-generated content & influencer content in ads

Unlike many of the top social media platforms, if your business advertises on TikTok and doesn’t engage with the users on the app…

…your ads and account are going exactly nowhere. 

User-Generated Content can help you save time (because they created it for you) and help with social proof.

It’s often free (unlike influencer content), though we recommend asking permission to use their content and rewarding them in some way.

You can do so with whatever makes sense for your business, whether it’s a gift card, coupon code, freebie, or mention. 

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We’re seeing big brands using User Generated Content in their ads, even some showing TikToks in their television spots.

It’s already crossing platforms and into “traditional” advertising, so this trend is here to stay for a while. 

What you can do: Incentivize your customers when they tag you.

If you’re not getting tagged in posts by your customers, encourage them and incentivize it with one of the ideas we just shared, or your own.

When you do start getting content from your customers:

You should share on a set schedule (like once a week or every 3 days) if you can. 

That wraps up our post on the future of TikTok ads.

Now if you want to take your TikTok advertising up a notch, get our social media advertising services today!