Dive Brief:

• TikTok is teaming with Vimeo to integrate the software solutions provider's video-creation tools into its app, according to a news release.
• The Vimeo Create feature, now available in the TikTok Ad Manager, is targeted at small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to help them trim production times and costs. Vimeo is the first TikTok partner to land in a new Creative Tools subcategory under the ByteDance-owned platform's larger Creative Partners program.
• Leading up to the rollout, the companies asked marketers new to TikTok to test the product, with soy-based candle brand NaturalAnnie Essentials reporting conversion rates more than five times higher than those on other online channels. Courting more SMBs offers another sign that TikTok is quickly maturing into a digital advertising heavyweight that can rival competitors like Snapchat and Instagram.

Dive Insight:

TikTok's more concentrated push for SMB ad dollars mirrors how rival social media platforms have evolved into digital empires. Facebook, for example, has a pool of more than 8 million advertisers, the majority of which are SMBs. Some estimates suggest that blue-chip brands account for only single-digit percentages of Facebook's total advertising revenue, while the pandemic has forced smaller companies to shift more of their operations to digital and social media.

Through integrating Vimeo's tools, TikTok is promoting ease of use for marketers that may not have the resources or know-how to regularly churn out high-quality videos. Vimeo Create applies artificial intelligence to help brands produce and publish content directly to TikTok, with a focus on volume. TikTok's endlessly scrolling For You Page — a main feed that algorithmically surfaces videos from around the app — requires frequent posting and fresh content to stay in front of highly engaged users, according to TikTok. The platform recommends brands share new organic videos multiple times per week, if not daily.

NaturalAnnie Essentials, for example, said it now generates anywhere between 30 and 75 videos for the app per month. The heavy output appears to be delivering results, with pre-release test brands seeing up to 50% higher click-through rates compared to efforts on other platforms, according to the release. Vimeo also developed new custom video templates exclusive to TikTok.

TikTok's latest partnership could cool concerns that it is becoming a pay-to-play platform where deep-pocketed marketers dominate the main feed. Brands are rushing to the app en masse as it becomes a larger cultural trendsetter, with products favored by creators quickly selling out. Its audience also continues to skyrocket: TikTok recently became the first non-Facebook mobile app to surpass 3 billion downloads, per Sensor Tower .

At the same time, SMBs are experiencing struggles on other platforms. Reports indicate that Facebook advertisers are starting to panic as Apple's mobile identifiers — a key way to keep tabs on iPhone users — become opt-in. The disruption could be an opportunity for TikTok to further shore up its gains.

With the rising profile, TikTok has built out a wider roster for TikTok Marketing Partners, which debuted in September with participants such as Sprinklr, Bidalgo and WinClap. The ByteDance-owned app in recent months has also formed closer links with major advertising agencies, including Interpublic Group and WPP, whose clients are seeking TikTok expertise.