Here’s how to leverage TikTok for Business this Ramadan

Ramadan in our region is expected to begin on April 2. While brands and businesses plan activations to connect with consumers during the Holy Month, a well-planned media strategy is required for optimised results. Preparations for this period start in the weeks leading to the occasion and consumers, who are seasonal shoppers, tend to buy more, and they do so together. This community consumption trend is reflected in the high traction on TikTok, making it a powerful tool for marketers.

This Ramadan, TikTok for Business is encouraging brands to be part of the community in order to maximise visibility.

TikTok has launched a toolkit to guide brands towards bringing consumers an uninterrupted Ramadan experience, by providing content that is familiar, relatable and noticeable from users, from brands, and from premium publishers.

One of the core areas of this mix revolves around bringing familiar content to the community, and here’s how to do it:

How to be familiar with the community on TikTok during Ramadan:
With the knowledge that 74 per cent of TikTok users focus on community activities related to Ramadan, and 57 per cent spend more time with family and friends, brands have to become members of the community and bring content that is valued. As a matter of fact, 61 per cent of TikTok users perceive brands as part of the open community.

To achieve this, brands can follow the three Cs – culture, content, commerce.

Culture:
• Ramadan is known to be the month of inspiration and discovery. 46 per cent of MENAT digital users discover new tips, skills and content during Ramadan. Brands can connect with their communities by bringing them helpful content which adds value to their daily lives.

• Consumption patterns also vary during the Holy month whereby users fully immerse themselves with the platform and move more towards watching content than creating it.

• Consumption is also higher post iftar towards midnight, based on 2021 results.

Brands can time their content to be released around the peak engagement times to maximise exposure among communities.

Content:
• In 2021, the entertainment category alone grew 70 per cent, creating an opportunity for brands to engage with a community that is seeking joyful distractions.

• TikTok is also a place that people have turned to for inspiration – in fact, people browsed more content than expected related to beauty (23 per cent), fashion (23 per cent), food and cooking (23 per cent), Sports (15 per cent) and Home Decor (14 per cent).

• In Ramadan 2021, videos views grew by 21 per cent during Ramadan and engagement also increased by 22 per cent.

Commerce:
• Many consumers believe that they get the best deals and offers during Ramadan – which is a golden opportunity for brands to give back, during the month of giving.

• One in two TikTok users agree that the platform helped deciding what to buy. TikTok users spend 66 per cent more on shopping than non-users during Ramadan, especially in the F&B category, and TikTok users purchased 42 per cent more categories compared to other channels last Ramadan. Community commerce comes to life during Ramadan, the season of shopping.

• TikTok users are ahead of the game with their digital connectivity and are more likely to purchase online. It is then up to brands to create the content that will engage the community and capture the audience.

How to be present in all sub-moments throughout Ramadan:
Ramadan is not only one moment. It is a period of 30 days, which allows brands to be consistent in their engagement with the community and really immerse themselves in it.

This includes being there in the moments that matter. Brands need to plan their communications around the different mindsets and emotions of consumers, whilst considering all the various sub-moments that are usually forgotten to ensure the connection is consistent throughout the month.

During Ramadan, the nocturnal community is empathetic and optimistic, and comes together to share their experiences with others online in the form of short videos on TikTok. The beauty of the platform is this highly engaged community that tells brands what they expect from them. For example, communities love episodic content on TikTok, making the platform the new home for Ramadan shows and entertainment.

The key takeaway is for brands to think TikTok-first when bringing simple and affordable content to consumers. Brands can connect with their audiences in an authentic and meaningful level simply by collaborating with the creator community through the TikTok Creator Marketplace or hashtags and challenges.

How to plan, optimise and measure for success during Ramadan:
No campaign is complete without understanding its results. A winning Ramadan strategy for brands involves planning, optimising and measuring.

In Ramadan 2021, TikTok delivered 2.6x more ad memorability and 5x more purchase motivation than industry standards. TikTok also proved to be more cost efficient in driving brand awareness and consideration than TV. Lastly, TikTok drives an average lift of 4.1 per cent on in-store sales.

Brands who choose TikTok as a platform to share their content this Ramadan, have access to TikTok’s pool of solutions to address objectives for businesses of all sizes.

This Ramadan, we want brands to understand the importance of being part of the community during this period, rather than disrupting it. By sharing content that is familiar, relatable, and noticeable and leaning into the community, brands have a chance to build relevant connections with their audiences, and drive real world business impact.

Jochen Bischoff is the head of Consumer Business Partnerships MENA – Global Business Solutions at TikTok