How to Use Music in TikTok Ads. New Data-Backed Study by TikTok

How is TikTok changing in 2022? Does music matter when it comes to TikTok marketing? The TikTok platform has grown and expanded exponentially in a few years of its existence. So much has changed over the past few years. So far, we have seen a big focus on creator monetization, platform updates, and great strides to making the platform brand-friendly. Recently, TikTok released a new data-backed study on how to use music in TikTok Ads. Why does music matter in TikTok marketing? Here is why you need to incorporate music into your content on the platform. Not just music, but the right music needs to be involved in your TikTok marketing strategy.

Here’s 4 reasons to use audio in your TikTok campaigns

• • A recent study by TikTok showed that users are less likely to skip a branding video if it has some sound.
  • It revealed that 50% of users say music makes TikTok more engaging.
  • An additional 73% of users stop and look at the sound on TikTok ads.
  • New Data-Backed Study by TikTok also showed that different sound types have varying effects on user sentiments and ad effectiveness.

Combining music and branding is great for any brand. Music helps brands tickle the right emotions in their audiences. Further, it allows marketers to go into the depths of the users’ hearts. Enabling brands to build a strong marketing foundation built on good memories. From there, marketers can form an emotional connection with their audience and build businesses that attract customers and generate sales. One will say, music is the butter and breed of TikTok marketing. Therefore, brands can’t do any better without incorporating music in their TikTok marketing strategy.

68% of users are more likely to remember a brand if their marketing videos feature some sound

Knowing what works for your TikTok campaigns makes a difference

For a curious mind, some may wonder what kind of music works for their campaign? Recent data released by TikTok showed that 68% of users are more likely to remember a brand if their branding videos feature a song they like. TikTok revealed that music is key to successful marketing on the platform, but knowing which music works for your campaign makes a huge difference. Of course, you need to determine the objective of your campaign from the start. Once your goal is set, decide whether to use music or voiceovers to meet your set objective. Choosing the right backing soundtrack or voiceover can be the difference in generating way more conversions.

How to choose the right music for your TikTok campaign

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The music in your TikTok content must be aligned with your marketing campaign goals. You achieve these two goals when you accompany TikTok ads with music or sound:

• Favorability
• Recall

Favorability and Recall are very important factors

TikTok data shows that incorporating music in your ads best creates brand favorability. Consider the following, what song or combination of songs is your most favourite? Something favourited should be heart rendering. It never disappoints, and above all, it evokes the right emotions in you and makes you feel good. Moreover, by reaching in and plucking your heartstring, the favourite song(s) embeds its message into your subconscious mind without your noticing it. That is what the right music does to your target audience.

Favorability is simply building your brand so that customers view it as the most ideal for solving their needs and wants. 50% of users say music makes TikTok more engaging, so adding music to your TikTok ads will help you engage your target audience. Equally important, it promotes your storyline and brand awareness, and lastly, it triggers the right action and, as such, reinforces sales.

While 85% of users say music is integral to the overall TikTok experience, using any piece is not a guarantee for successful TikTok marketing however.
Tip: Only choose music whose connection with your audience evokes positive emotions associated with your brand name.

Music categories; which kind should you pick?

TikTok classifies music into three categories:

• Recognizable
• Custom
• Obscure

Recognizable music

The recognizable category is the type of music that users already know or are familiar with. A whopping 66% of TikTok feel that TikTok has had a significant impact on the music industry, and accurate to the findings, music, and TikTok are inseparable. TikTok makes musical hits via TikTok challenges and trends. So, using recognizable songs in your ads creates that immediate attachment. Additionally, according to TikTok, recognizable music aligns your brand with the buzzy music that makes TikTok special.
Recognizable music is ideal for improving users’ attitudes towards your brand, generating user interest in your ads, and increasing purchasing intent.

TikTok custom music

On the other hand, the custom type of music has been specially made for your campaigns. It is a new creation not heard before by your target audience. The recent TikTok study revealed that customised music “brings in more high intrigue and clicks”. Custom music is ideal when your ads aim to improve ad recall. For instance, it is easy for the user to recognize your brand whenever they hear the soundtrack associated with it playing. Similarly, since other users can use your track in their UGC, custom music becomes a great way to sell your brands.

Obscure TikTok music

The obscure type of music is regular music that your target audience doesn’t know or is not familiar with. This music type is characterised as highly informational, quality, and engaging.
TikTok has established that this type of music is ideal for boosting ad recall. It is suitable for ad recall because, as TikTok reports, with this music type, users will most likely concentrate on the contents of your ads as opposed to the music playing in the background.

Is your TikTok campaign informative?

Tip: Choose the Obscure TikTok music.

What is more? TikTok has made adding music to your ads more accessible with their Commercial Music Library (CML). Here you get access to an unending list of ready-to-use songs and music tracks. Other music options include outsourcing tracks outside the CML or partnering with custom sound partners to create bespoke tracks for your campaigns.

Different music types; a one-by-one comparison

Research shows that 72% of users associate certain songs with TikTok, and adding music to your ads increases their likability by 9%. Music gives viewers a reason to hang on for a while, with 15% of users likely to skip an ad if it is music unaccompanied. However, different tracks evoke different emotions in your target audience to varying degrees. TikTok’s Data-Backed Study on how to use music on TikTok ads will help you stay ahead of your competition.

• Recognizable songs are 5% more likely to ignite a purchase intent than 2% instrumentals and 4% brand-tailored tracks.
• Instrumentals are more likely to be shared by 18-24-year-olds and are likely to generate the most robust brand recall. Compared to recognizable tracks, 5% and brand-tailored tracks stood at 2%.
• Brand tailored tracks generate more track clicks and intrigue compared to recognizable tracks, 7%, with instrumentals standing at 10%
• Users consider R&B Rap and Pop music types the most aligned with TikTok’s core emotional zones-Interesting, Inspiring & Fun.

Conclusion

TikTok is now unmistakably one of the leading content creation and marketing platforms. If brands and marketers want to fully leverage what the platform offers, they have to keep up with it. So far, in this post we have delved into the new data-backed stats on using music in TikTok Ads.

Our take on using music on TikTok Ads

Brands must strive to be positioned and match the music in their content to their campaign needs. Our agency team at House of Marketers recommends choosing soundtracks based on the appropriate marketing funnel stages. If you want to create awareness or want your target audience to consider your brand, the instrumentals work best. Do you intend to engage and interact with your prospects? Both recognizable, instrumental, and brand-tailored tracks can work for you. Also, there’s nothing wrong with voiceovers or having your creators sell your product or brand in an informative, entertaining way. For those in the conversion stage, recognizable tracks are the most ideal.

 

TikTok’s Royalty Free Music Library for Ad Content

TikTok has a huge library full of royalty free music which you can use in your campaigns. Read more about the library which holds over 600k+ songs here.