TikTok Advertising

Why TikTok? #

In a span of just a few years, TikTok has seen massive growth in popularity and app usage. By April of 2022, it managed to reach 1 billion active users worldwide. The power of organic TikToks can be massive if you end up going viral, but there is also huge weight behind paid advertising through targeting for specific customer segments. For S4K – We have introduced a test campaign for recruitment (based on TikTok’s target audience) – not to say there wouldn’t be weight behind paid advertising for any of S4K’s B2C products – there are lots of parents also sat on the APP!

TikTok advertisers can show their products in action and pack a lot of information into a short video clip. While this format may be challenging for B2B brands that sell difficult-to-illustrate services, it’s ideal for B2C brands that want to move away from static ads and share engaging content.

Types of TikTok ads #

TikTok provides you with plenty of options to advertise on the platform. So you can choose what will be most effective in reaching your target audience and getting your message across. Here are the different types of ads you can run with the TikTok ads platform:

In-feed video #

These are ads that appear among the native news feed of TikTok users on the “For You” page.

Brand takeover #

This type of ad allows you to dominate the conversation as your message takes over the whole screen for a few seconds. It then turns into an in-feed video ad.

Spark ads #

TikTok rolled out this ad type in 2021, giving brands the ability to sponsor popular organic content that relates to their products.

Image ads #

Brands can place image ads in videos that appear via TikTok’s news feed apps: BuzzVideo, TopBuzz and Babe.

Video ads #

These ads are full-screen videos of 5 to 60 seconds that appear in a user’s “For You” feed.

Pangle ads #

Pandle’s video platform integrates with TikTok to offer video, native and banner ads, but this feature is available to only specific countries.

Carousel ads #

These ads include up to 10 images and appear in TikTok’s news feed apps.

Branded AR content #

Your ads can also appear as branded stickers, lenses and other types of AR content so TikTok users can use them in their videos.

Hashtag challenge #

This type of ad shows up in the “Discovery” section of the app and can encourage user participation.

Sponsored influencer content #

For this type of TikTok advertisement, you get your message across through sponsored content from an influential TikTok user.

 

How to set up ads on TikTok #

Now that you know about the different types of TikTok ads, let’s take a look at how to set them up from your TikTok ad account.

Step 1: Create your TikTok ad account #

The first step is simple: start by creating an account on the TikTok Ads Manager.

Choose your billing country or region and then select whether you’re using the account for a business or individual. Then click on “Next.”

Enter some basic information such as your email address and password. Then enter a verification code sent to your email. If you choose to sign up with your phone number, then you’ll need the verification code sent to your phone. Confirm that you agree to the terms and conditions, then click on “Sign Up.”

Once your brand is approved, log in to your dashboard and finish the initial account setup according to the instructions. Then you can follow the steps below to create TikTok ads:

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Step 2: Create a new campaign #

Create an ad campaign under the “Campaigns” tab and clicking on the “Create” button.
This will give you the option to choose your campaign objective — whether you want to drive traffic, conversions or app installs.

Then give your campaign a name and set a campaign-level minimum budget. You can set a lifetime budget to quickly reach as many people as possible. But if you set a daily budget, you can gradually and steadily reach out to your target audience.

Create an ad group:
Create an ad group to define audiences, campaign budgets and placements for your ads.

Choose the promotional type or goal:
Select either “App Install” or “Website” as your promotion type.

Select the ad placement:
Your choice of ad placement will determine where your ads appear on TikTok and its partner platforms. If you’re just getting started with TikTok ads, you can choose “Automatic placement” to have TikTok place your ads for maximum reach and value. You can also manually place ads across TikTok and its news feed apps.

tiktok ad placement selection
Select your creative type:
Turn on the “Automated Creative Optimization” feature, and TikTok will create variations of your content and test its engagement. You can turn off this feature at any time.

Define your target audience:
Choose the audience for your ad by selecting location, gender and age group. You can also specify user languages, add users with specific interests and include people who have previously interacted with your content.

tiktok ad targeting options
Select a delivery type:
Choose either standard or accelerated delivery. Standard delivery ensures your ad will appear during high-traffic times throughout your ad delivery period, with your ad budget spread consistently across that time frame. Accelerated delivery means your ad budget is dedicated to getting the most eyes on your ad as quickly as possible.

Step 5: Create a new ad
After setting up your ad group, you can configure your first ad. TikTok gives you the option to upload either a video or an image file as your ad creative. For best results, make sure you follow the recommended ad specs. This will ensure that your ad looks great on TikTok and across all the partner platforms.

ad creative customization page
After creating an ad to your liking, you’ll have the option to preview it and get an idea of how it’ll appear to TikTok users. At this point, you can also find out whether your ad needs some tweaking before you submit it for review.

You can further customize your ad by naming it so it’s easier to distinguish between different ads within the same ad group. Then enter your ad text using 12-100 characters to get your message across even more effectively. This text will appear above your ad.

Next, you’ll have the option to choose between different calls to action depending on what you want your audience to do. So you can ask your audience to “Sign Up,””Download Now,” “Contact Us,” “Book Now,” “Shop Now,” “Apply Now” or “Learn More.” Then click on “Submit” to finish creating your ad.

Use TikTok Promote to boost existing ads
TikTok Promote is a paid feature that lets you choose a goal—video views, website visits or new followers—and promote your video content. Select an audience, define your budget and schedule the duration of your ad, then start your promotion.

 

Measure your ad performance #

The job isn’t done after launching your ad; you should also measure your performance to see how the campaign is paying off. TikTok provides native analytics that can show you how your ad is doing in terms of impressions, clicks, conversions and more. You can even test and compare the performance of different ad creative and placements to see what works best for you.

 

TikTok ad specs #

TikTok in-feed video ads must follow formatting guidelines in order to display correctly and generate engagement. Start by creating a video in TikTok’s suggested range (9 to 15 seconds), that’s less than 500MB and is one of these file types: .mp4, mov., mpeg, .3gp or .avi.

Then consult TikTok’s list of ad specs for additional formatting guidance.

How much do TikTok ads cost?
TikTok closely guards its pricing algorithm, which is based on a bid model. At a minimum, campaign-level budgets should be £50/daily, and ad group level budgets must be £20/daily.

 

TikTok advertising best practices #

To get the best results from your TikTok ad campaigns, follow these best practices:

Stay on brand #

TikTok users respect authenticity, so make sure your ad content is true to your company’s values and conforms with your branding.

Be direct #

Yes, TikTok allows you 60 seconds to make your point, but videos of 21 to 34 seconds are best for boosting conversions.

Keep it vertical #

Videos with vertical orientation outperform the square or horizontal format, with a 40% boost in impressions.

Promote at the right time #

The success of eBay’s “Sneaker Showdown” campaign was due in part to its timing in alignment with the NCAA basketball tournament. Look for trending topics or events that can help you generate buzz for your ad campaign. And don’t forget that TikTok analytics will show you the best time to run your ads for maximum audience reach.

Use sound and text #

According to TikTok, “audio of any kind” boosts ad impressions. Captions and text overlays also improve the impact of ads.

Incorporate hashtags #

Help users find you by including relevant hashtags. You can see trending hashtags on the TikTok discovery page and choose the ones that make the most sense for your ad and your brand.

Incorporate interactive add-ons #

TikTok’s interactive features encourage interaction with ads. For example, you can use the Gesture add-on to encourage users to swipe or tap on an ad to reveal a reward. Or use the Voting Sticker overlay to seek input from your audience.

Partner with influencers #

TikTok influencers already have a following, so partnering with them on an ad campaign can greatly expand your reach. Search for influencers that are either already using your product or are among your target demographic. You might be able to launch a new campaign with an influencer to build buzz for your brand, or find an influencer with existing content that would work well for a Spark Ad.

Test and optimize #

Review your TikTok analytics often to see how your content is performing. Look at metrics such as views, interactions and click-through rates, and adjust your content strategy if you’re not seeing the engagement you’d hoped for.

Winning at TikTok advertising #

TikTok advertising may feel completely different from the other social platforms you’re advertising on. But once you understand how to run ads on TikTok, you could see impressive results for your business. Put directness and simplicity front and center so you can easily get your message across to the app’s wide-ranging and fast-moving audience.