Beating the Holiday Rush on TikTok:
Insights From Natalie Andrews

We are all about our people.

Each month, we spotlight a member of our expert team who is dedicated to driving your marketing success. This month, we’re putting the focus on Natalie Andrews, our Manager of Social Operations, who brings practical, actionable insights to help marketers like you navigate the ever-changing landscape and achieve stronger results. Natalie shares her expert advice on how to drive holiday marketing success on TikTok in a highly competitive environment.

Competing With Larger Brands on TikTok

For small and medium-sized businesses, the holiday season can feel like a battle against brands with massive budgets. However, TikTok offers a unique advantage. Natalie explains how even smaller players can make a significant impact.

“By incorporating TikTok into your media plan this holiday season, you are opening up a new demographic of users who are interacting with your business online,” Natalie says. She points out that the platform provides a cost-effective way to build a valuable audience. “TikTok is one of the best places to get those users through the doors of your website at one of the lowest CPMs and then utilize retargeting tactics on your other platforms to convert those users.”

Avoiding Common Holiday Content Pitfalls

Creating compelling content is key, but it’s easy to miss the mark. The biggest mistake Natalie sees is a slow start.

“Remember that TikTok is a video platform, so keep your content punchy and straight to the point,” she advises. “Advertisers sometimes wait until the end of their videos to explain what sales they’re running and what their core objectives are. With so much competition during the holiday season, you want users to understand exactly what you’re selling at a lightning-fast pace.”

So, how do you capture attention immediately? “I suggest your hook gets users within the first 2-3 seconds of your videos.”

Timing and Planning Your Holiday Cadence

Effective campaigns require more than just great content—they need strategic timing. Planning your content schedule is essential to maintain audience interest without causing fatigue.

“Timing is crucial! You don’t want to exhaust your audience with the same content for 6 weeks before Christmas, but you also don’t want to miss out on your biggest sales opportunities,” Natalie notes.

Her recommendation is to work in phases. “Try to swap out creative at least once a week if you have promotions running, so new users can catch on before it’s too late. A/B test your best performing creative and gradually swap in new creative to continue to push the algorithm to find the highest results at the lowest cost.” This approach keeps your campaigns fresh and optimized for performance.

Top Tips To Drive Traffic This Holiday Season

To help your strategy move the needle, Natalie offers a few top tips for driving traffic to your website or physical stores.

Increase Budgets and Optimize Quickly: “Because competition can be intense during the holiday season, now is the time to look at increasing budgets,” she says. Even with TikTok’s lower CPMs, you must account for increased competition. Stay agile to stay ahead of weekly changes.

Use Fresh, Seasonal Creative: Stick to short, engaging videos between 15 and 30 seconds long. Natalie stresses the importance of new content: “Try to avoid evergreen creatives you’ve been previously using!”

Expand Your Audience Targeting: What works on one platform may not translate directly to another. Be open to broader targeting on TikTok. “What may seem large on Meta is narrow on TikTok, based on their targeting differences,” Natalie explains.

Top Tips To Drive Traffic This Holiday Season

Our team is continually seeking new ways to enhance our results. Natalie shares an exciting development she and her team are focused on to serve clients with physical locations better.

“We are currently enhancing our offline event offerings on TikTok. Offline events are helpful for brick-and-mortar stores in the retail industry, garnering real results,” she shares. “What this means is that if a user sees an ad from our client in their feed, and then they go into the store to purchase, we can attribute that data directly to our TikTok campaigns.” This capability has already proven successful for Meta campaigns, and the team is excited to bring the same level of data-driven insight to TikTok.

What This Means For You

Natalie’s insights provide a clear roadmap for leveraging TikTok this holiday season. By focusing on punchy creative, strategic timing, and smart budget allocation, your brand can effectively capture attention and drive traffic. The upcoming enhancements in offline attribution will provide even deeper insights into how your digital campaigns influence in-store sales.