Singapore – With the initiative to give small and medium businesses (SMBs) across Southeast Asia to boost brand engagement and accessibility, short video platform TikTok has launched its newest initiative ‘Shop Local Saturday’ that gives SMBs opportunities to be featured on their platform.
Currently available for SMBs across Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, the ‘Shop Local Initiative’ features a variety of paid advertising packages to showcase the SMB branding through a unique suite of in-app spotlight features on TikTok, which will roll out starting 4 June. With many SMBs still managing the impact of the pandemic, this initiative also seeks to level the playing field by raising awareness about their businesses and amplifying their offerings.
Through the initiative, SMBs will have the unique opportunity to not only participate in TikTok’s campaign but also to leverage the platform’s scale and reach. With special perks such as a dedicated in-app page that is designed to drive traffic to the various SMBs’ sites, exclusive access to creators, produced ads, creative workshops and listings on TikTok’s website and blog, SMBs will receive next-level brand exposure to drive conversions of more users into new customers.
Beyond the benefits to local SMBs, local TikTok users in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam can also look forward to great deals, including providing promotion codes within the app for customers, available on TikTok all across June as they do their part to support their local businesses.
Esme Lean, head of small and medium business in Southeast Asia at TikTok stated that they are thrilled with the launch of said initiative, adding that the initiative aims to empower more SMBs to use TikTok as a platform to find their authentic voice and reach new audiences.
“This is our way of supporting SMBs and enabling them to grow in spite of the pandemic. We hope to show SMBs in Southeast Asia that they can leverage TikTok to launch meaningful campaigns that will ultimately drive sales and real business results,” Lean stated.
TikTok notes in its TikTok SMB Report conducted by TikTok for Business, 1 in every 4 SMBs in Thailand as well as 1 in every 3 Vietnamese and Indonesian SMBs have used TikTok as their preferred ad platform and find TikTok ads to be most effective, highlighting the strength of the platform as a marketing tool to drive their business goals.
In addition to the various benefits brought to SMBs by Shop Local Saturdays, TikTok will also amplify the initiative further on the platform through In-Feed Ads as well as attention-grabbing full-screen displays known as Brand Takeovers, to direct users to the Shop Local Saturday listings throughout June.
Beyond Shop Local Saturday, TikTok is firmly committed to helping SMBs bounce back by providing them with the tools, resources and best practices to connect with their audiences and grow their business during this difficult time:
- TikTok Ads Manager: SMB can leverage TikTok Ads Manager to create advertising campaigns with easy set up and flexible budgets while helping their business to reach their relevant audiences.
- Grow with TikTok – Starter Lab: A monthly training programme kickstarted in February 2021, where over 6,600 SMBs have since benefited from learning directly from established figures in the marketing industry and TikTok experts on getting started on the platform.
- Small Business Resource Center: Introduced in March 2021, it houses TikTok’s practices and resources for SMBs to learn to connect with their audience and drive results.
- Lead Generation: TikTok’s first-party solution that helps businesses reach prospects in order to convert them into potential customers with ease, is also available to businesses. Lead Generation enables businesses of all sizes to create seamless interactions to reach prospects in order to convert them into potential customers.
- Supporting Local Payments on TikTok Ads Manager: TikTok supports local-friendly payments through integration with e-wallets like DANA in Indonesia and Rabbit LINE Pay.
- Signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with the governments in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam: TikTok has also partnered local governments in key markets with MOUs, reinforcing its commitment to supporting SMBs across the region.
