Written by Katelyn Litvan, Media Analytics Executive
Over the last few years, social media has taken advertising by storm. Companies can reach more people than ever before. Additionally, with comment sections, retweets, and reposts, customer engagement and interaction are possible for any company. However, not all social media users are excited by advertised posts, and some have even developed animosity towards companies who overuse the boosted post feature.
On TikTok, anyone with a Creator or Business account can boost a post. This allows smaller businesses to promote their company without having to deal with TikTok Ads Manager. Boosted posts are priced based on the target number of people the post will reach and the length of the campaign. While this may sound like a sweet deal, many TikTok users are against the idea of promoted posts.
The initial appeal of TikTok was the unpredictability. Users trusted the algorithm to show them content they would be interested in. However, when boosted posts cloud their feed, users grow frustrated with the service. After seeing an advertisement for the fifth time during a ten-minute scrolling period, users could become frustrated and associate their annoyance with the company. A recent study found that 90% of social media users were irritated with mobile marketing, and felt that these posts were an obstacle standing in the way of their scrolling experience. Additionally, 71% of consumers felt that targeted advertisements violated their privacy, as they did not agree to share the information that was used to target them.
While oftentimes it is the social media platforms such as TikTok or Instagram that are gathering information, many consumers cast their frustration at the companies using the platforms to advertise. Users associate the companies with being overeager, smothering, or suffocating.
Creative posts, such as those utilizing trending hashtags, jokes, or songs can help leverage the content that companies create. Users are much more likely to watch a boosted TikTok with their favorite sound, and will stay to watch the video instead of instantly scrolling past. This can help companies get the most out of their boosted post-budget, as more users will interact and possibly even go to the brands’ page to learn more. Companies such as Arby’s use humor in their posts and advertisements so that users are excited to see what the brand comes up with next.
While boosted posts can be an easy way for companies of any size to increase brand awareness, it is important to not overdo the advertising. Many platforms allow companies to choose the duration of the boost. Choosing short periods to promote posts can still promote a product or service without bombarding consumers. All in all, sponsored content isn’t going anywhere, so companies would be all the wiser to keep up to date with the latest trends and fads to create both effective and entertaining content.
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