Event organizers have used social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram for years to market upcoming events and share information. TikTok has become another of the world’s largest social media platforms, and this video-sharing app is also an invaluable marketing tool for all types of events. With the ability to capitalize on viral trends, use paid advertising to boost views, and share user-generated content, learning how to leverage TikTok to your advantage is a savvy time investment.
A well-crafted TikTok event marketing plan can allow event marketers to harness the simultaneous visibility and mystique necessary to reach a larger audience and increase ticket sales. Keep reading for more on why using TikTok for events is essential to any modern marketing campaign and how to effectively promote any event.
What Makes TikTok an Advantageous Platform for Event Marketing?
Although learning to navigate TikTok can initially feel intimidating, once you master the platform, you’ll appreciate how direct the marketing approach is. Consider the following primary benefits of promoting TikTok events:
- TikTok allows you to reach a younger audience: Modernization is essential when planning any event, as scaling any event relies on adapting to the times and connecting with a younger community. More than 70% of TikTok users are under the age of 35, which makes it an indispensable marketing tool.
- TikTok focuses on video content: Social media apps like Facebook and Instagram rely on a healthy blend of content, with an ever-changing focus on creating reels over posts, and vice versa. However, TikTok is a simple platform with a single focus: sharing videos. Although you will need to stay up-to-date with current trends, how you share content on the app never changes.
- User-generated content is easy to access and share: TikTok is unique in its ability to harness and interact with video content created by other active users. While capitalizing on user-generated content is an essential strategy of any social media marketing campaign, TikTok events managers can further interact with videos that other content using the app’s sharing features. For example, the “duet” feature shows a split screen where you can post another user’s video on one side with your reaction to the video on the other. Similarly, the “stitch” feature lets you incorporate part of another user’s video into yours.
- You can get creative when using TikTok: Although many successful marketing campaigns rely on a cohesive brand image, TikTok allows you to branch out. There’s no need to have a single, narrow aesthetic with TikTok videos, and this social media platform lets you spread your wings creatively. For example, when marketing for an upcoming event, try multiple tactics and post videos designed to appeal to different users (without alienating your target audience).
Although these in no way encapsulate the full marketing potential of TikTok when promoting events, the above benefits show just how important this social media platform is to reaching a broad audience and creating engaging content.
The 5 Most Effective Ways To Promote an Event on TikTok
Now that you understand the importance of using TikTok to promote your next event, it’s time to learn how to leverage the platform in your event marketing campaign. Consider the following five ways to promote any event on TikTok most effectively.
1. Post Creative and Tantalizing Content
While this may sound obvious, it can sometimes be easy to forget that the primary purpose of your social media platforms is to create unique and engaging content that connects with your target audience.
Use TikTok to inform users about your event through exciting and creative means. Of course, how you create content is up to you, but one of the beauties of TikTok is that there are no rules or limits to the types of videos you can post.
If you’re planning a marathon or other race, consider a TikTok takeover, where you check in with a new runner each week and learn what motivates them. Interview the bands participating in a music festival or record videos of their rehearsals using TikTok live events. If you’re putting together a local food festival, visit each restaurant ahead of time, so your followers have an idea of which purveyors they want to check out.
2. Participate in Popular Trends
TikTok is a trend-based social media platform, so staying current with trending hashtags, sounds, and videos is essential. This certainly isn’t to say that you need to spend all day and night swiping through your For You page, but when you notice a trend that can fit your event, use it!
Participating in popular trends can help you reach new audiences, and it also offers you the ability to showcase your creativity. You don’t have to replicate the original video or videos exactly to participate in a trend, but you can use the audio or ideas presented in these videos to influence your own.
3. Use the TikTok Promote Feature
TikTok can be an excellent platform to drive organic traffic to your videos, but using the promotional tools on TikTok can also help boost visibility.
In-Feed Ads
There are numerous kinds of in-feed ads you can use to market your event on TikTok, including:
- Video ads
- Image ads
- Spark ads
- Carousel ads
- Pangle ads
These ads differ from the other promotional features on TikTok because you create this content yourself.
TopView
While there are various types of In-Feed ads that you can promote throughout a user’s journey, TopView ads differ because they are designed to be the first thing users see when they open their app (the top view of their For You page). In addition, these ads can last up to a minute in length.
Brand Takeover
Like TopView, a TikTok brand takeover is designed to be the first thing users see when they open the app. However, unlike TopView, the takeover utilizes a GIF or static image in conjunction with a Hashtag Challenge or event page.
Branded Effects
Branded effects are hugely beneficial marketing tools that allow other users to use items like stickers and filters on their videos that help promote your event. Consider rolling out branded effects during TikTok optimization events to help reach your marketing goals.
Branded Hashtag Challenge
Consider using a branded hashtag challenge to engage directly with your target audience. This marketing tool allows you to sponsor a TikTok challenge with a hashtag unique to your event that users tag when they participate in the challenge.
4. Team Up With Influencers
There are more than 100,000 TikTok influencers, so there’s a good chance you can find one within your niche who would be willing to partner with you. Working with influencers on TikTok who share your target audience allows you to reach individuals who might be interested in attending your event but are unaware of its existence.
Not only can partnering with influencers improve your visibility and drive traffic to your TikTok page, but it can improve credibility, especially for first- or second-time events. TikTok influencers have clout, and their followers trust their endorsements. Having one or more influencers support your event may positively impact ticket sales. And when influencers attend your event, you can capitalize on the user-generated content they create for your next event.
5. Reach Your Target Audience With the Right Event Hashtags
Using hashtags is one of the most strategic ways to reach your target audience and improve event awareness.
Consider, for example, that you’re planning a New Year’s Eve party. If you post a video of your event with no hashtags, there is little likelihood you’ll reach an audience interested in attending your event. But if you post the same event with “NYE,” “NYEparty,” “NYE2024,” “Newyearseve,” and other relevant hashtags, people who are searching for New Year’s Eve events using these hashtags will find your videos.
You can also create a unique event hashtag that users can search for once they become aware of your event and post on their own videos.
Create Event Hype and FOMO With Our Promotional Tools
Creating a marketing campaign for your event on TikTok and other social media platforms can be time-consuming and challenging. Events.com can help streamline this process and ensure you make the most of the promotional tools available. Reach out today to learn how we can help you with essential marketing components, including social media integration, VIP and sponsor invitations, affiliate programs, and more.
