TikTok has rapidly evolved from a platform for viral trends to a powerful marketing tool with 27.6 million monthly users, an average daily usage of 110 minutes, and 14 app opens per user.
While it’s particularly popular among younger audiences (29% of users are 18-24 and 33% are 25-34), it’s also gaining traction among older demographics, with 20% of users aged 35-44 and 17% aged 45+.
With over 106 million videos created monthly, TikTok offers a constantly evolving ecosystem of fresh content. The platform's personalised For You Page (FYP) algorithm ensures that brands can effectively target and engage the right audience, making TikTok an essential space for businesses looking to connect with active, diverse consumers.
Why TikTok Excels at Reaching the Right Audience
What makes TikTok so effective for connecting brands with the right audience is its ability to deliver personalised content through its sophisticated FYP algorithm. This system curates content based on user preferences, behaviour and engagement – ensuring that ads are shown to individuals most likely to interact with them.
Regionally, TikTok also has a strong concentration in certain areas, with 54.4% of users based in Selangor and sizable followings in Johor, Sabah, Sarawak and Perak. This geographic data is ideal for local campaigns, allowing businesses to target specific regions for maximum relevance.
The platform's ability to appeal to a diverse demographic enhances its value for brands. While the majority of users are between 18 and 34 years old, TikTok’s reach continues to expand among older age groups, creating more opportunities to engage a variety of consumers.
Furthermore, with 77% of users on Android and 23% on iOS, TikTok ensures broad accessibility across devices. The combination of its targeted reach, personalised content delivery and active user base makes TikTok a standout platform for businesses aiming to connect with their desired audiences.
Effective Targeting Strategies on TikTok
TikTok offers a variety of advanced targeting tools to help brands reach their ideal audience with precision. For local campaigns, TikTok’s demographic targeting allows advertisers to refine their audience by location, ensuring that ads reach users in specific regions like Selangor, which hosts over half of TikTok's users in the country.
Along with location, advertisers can also target by age, gender and language to tailor campaigns for different audience segments.
Beyond traditional demographics, TikTok's algorithm enables advertisers to target based on user interests and behaviours, such as the types of videos users interact with, making it easy to connect with audiences interested in specific topics, whether that’s fitness, travel or fashion.
Hashtag targeting is another effective strategy, as leveraging trending or niche hashtags ensures your ad appears in relevant content streams. Additionally, TikTok’s custom and Lookalike Audience features allow you to upload existing customer data and target users who share similar characteristics, helping you expand your reach while maintaining relevance.
With device-specific targeting for Android and iOS users, businesses can also optimise their campaigns based on user behaviour within different app ecosystems. These targeting options, when combined strategically, allow brands to effectively connect with the right users.
Crafting Engaging TikTok Ad Content
To succeed on TikTok, your ads need to feel authentic and integrated into the platform's user-generated content. TikTok thrives on creativity, so ads that are fun, relatable and visually appealing tend to perform the best. Incorporating popular sounds, filters, or trends can help your ad feel more organic, increasing its chances of engaging users.
The key is to capture attention within the first few seconds, with an energetic hook that encourages viewers to stop scrolling and watch your content.
Interactive features, such as polls, duets, and challenges, can boost engagement by inviting users to actively participate. Storytelling is also a powerful tool, whether it’s highlighting a product or sharing a relatable experience. A clear call-to-action (CTA) is essential to guide users toward the next step, whether that’s visiting your website, purchasing a product, or downloading an app. By focusing on creativity and engagement, brands can create TikTok ads that resonate with users and drive meaningful interactions.
Leveraging TikTok’s Measurement and Performance Tools
TikTok provides several powerful tools to help brands measure and optimise the effectiveness of their ads. The TikTok Ads Manager (TTAM) allows businesses to track important metrics such as impressions, clicks, and conversions, providing the insights needed to adjust campaigns in real-time.
For a deeper understanding of how your campaigns impact brand perception, Brand Lift Studies (BLS) offer valuable data on how ads influence brand awareness and sentiment. For businesses focused on sales, TikTok’s Sales Lift tools track how well ads drive actual purchases, giving brands the data they need to correlate advertising efforts with sales results.
Additionally, TikTok offers the TikTok Creative Exchange, a platform that connects brands with leading creative partners for video production. This service helps streamline the content creation process, ensuring that the videos produced align with TikTok’s unique style and maximise engagement.
Brands can utilise these measurement and creative tools together to fine-tune their campaigns, ensuring they not only reach the right audience but also generate measurable results.
Conclusion
TikTok has quickly become one of the most powerful platforms for brands to reach and engage with a dynamic, active audience. With its broad user base, advanced targeting options, and a suite of creative and performance tools, TikTok offers brands the chance to drive brand awareness, engagement and conversions in new and impactful ways.
Your brand should take this opportunity to leverage the For You Page, create content that feels authentic to the platform and use TikTok’s measurement tools to build effective campaigns that truly resonate with your audience.
As TikTok continues to expand, it remains an essential tool for brands looking to make a meaningful impact and grow their reach. Staying up-to-date with the latest trends and tapping into the platform’s diverse features can ensure your campaigns not only reach the right people but also capture attention in a way that drives real results.
With the right approach, TikTok Ads can become a cornerstone of your marketing strategy, unlocking fresh opportunities for growth and success.
If you’re unsure where to start, we’re here to help. Let’s chat about how we at REISE can help your brand thrive on TikTok. Whether it’s strategy, content creation or campaign management, we’re ready to work with you to make your TikTok marketing a success. Reach out today!