TikTok is partnering with Vimeo to integrate the software solutions provider’s video creation tools into its application. The Vimeo Create feature, now available in TikTok Ad Manager, is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses to help them reduce production time and costs. Vimeo is the first TikTok partner to land in a new subcategory of creative tools under the ByteDance-owned platform’s largest partner program.
Prior to launch, companies asked new TikTok marketers to test the product, and soy-based candle brand NaturalAnnie Essentials reported conversion rates five times higher than other online channels. Courting more SMBs offers another sign that TikTok is rapidly maturing into a digital advertising heavyweight that can rival competitors like Snapchat and Instagram.
TikTok’s more concentrated push for SMB ad dollars mirrors how rival social media platforms became digital empires. Facebook, for example, has a pool of more than 8 million advertisers, most of which are SMBs. Some estimates suggest that premium brands account for only single-digit percentages of Facebook’s total ad revenue, while the pandemic forced smaller companies to shift more of their operations to social and digital networks.
Through the integration of Vimeo tools, TikTok promotes ease of use for marketers who may not have the resources or knowledge to produce high-quality videos on a regular basis. Vimeo Create applies artificial intelligence to help brands produce and publish content directly to TikTok, with a focus on volume. TikTok’s endlessly scrolling For You page, a main feed that algorithmically displays videos around the app, requires frequent posts and fresh content to stay in front of highly engaged users, according to TikTok. The platform recommends that brands share new organic videos several times a week, if not every day.
NaturalAnnie Essentials, for example, said it now generates between 30 and 75 videos for the app per month. The heavy output appears to be paying off, with pre-launch test brands seeing up to 50% higher click-through rates compared to efforts on other platforms, according to the release. Vimeo also developed new custom video templates exclusive to TikTok.
TikTok’s latest partnership could cool concerns that it is becoming a pay-to-play platform where big-money marketers dominate the main feed. Brands are rushing toward the app en masse as it becomes a larger cultural trendsetter, with products favored by creators selling out quickly. Its audience also continues to skyrocket: TikTok recently became the first non-Facebook mobile app to surpass 3 billion downloads, according to Sensor Tower.
At the same time, SMBs are experiencing problems on other platforms. Reports indicate that Facebook advertisers are starting to panic. Apple’s mobile identifiers, a key way to monitor iPhone users, become optional. The disruption could be an opportunity for TikTok to further bolster its profits.
With the profile rising, TikTok created a broader list of TikTok marketing partners, which debuted in September with participants including Sprinklr, Bidalgo and WinClap. The ByteDance-owned app in recent months also formed closer ties with major advertising agencies, including Interpublic Group and WPP, whose clients seek TikTok expertise.