In just a few short years, tiktok has experienced massive growth in popularity and app usage. by April 2022, it managed to reach 1 billion active users worldwide. And in our previous post on tiktok basics, we explored some of the reasons for the app’s popularity and how brands can market on the platform.
In addition to those marketing tactics, you could also invest in paid advertising on tiktok to further increase your brand’s impact on the app’s audience. With the immense popularity of the app, tiktok ads could be a great addition to your social media advertising strategy.
but advertising on tiktok is not the same as advertising on other social channels. this post gives you a detailed description of how to advertise on tiktok and what type of ads you can use.
which brands should use tiktok advertising?
a wide variety of brands advertise on tiktok, including chipotle, guess, and fenty beauty. what these brands have in common is that their products are naturally suited to the tiktok video format.
tiktok advertisers can show their products in action and pack a lot of information into a short video clip. While this format can be challenging for b2b brands selling hard-to-illustrate services, it’s ideal for b2c brands who want to move away from static ads and share compelling content.
types of tiktok ads
tiktok gives you many 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. These are the different types of ads you can run with the tiktok ad platform:
- video in-feed: these are ads that appear among tiktok users’ native feed on the “for you” page.
- Brand Takeover: This ad type allows you to dominate the conversation as your message fills the entire screen for a few seconds. then it becomes a video ad in the feed.
- Spark Ads: tiktok launched this ad type in 2021, giving brands the ability to sponsor popular organic content related to their products.
- image ads: brands can place image ads in videos that appear through the tiktok newsfeed apps buzzvideo, topbuzz, and babe.
- Video ads: These ads are 5-60 second full-screen videos that appear in a user’s “for you” feed.
- pangle ads: pandle’s video platform integrates with tiktok to deliver video, native, and banner ads, but this feature is only available for specific countries.
- carousel ads: these ads include up to 10 images and appear on tiktok newsfeed apps.
- branded ar content: your ads can also appear as stickers, lenses and other types of branded ar content for tiktok users to use in their videos.
- tag challenge: this ad type appears in the “discover” section of the app and can encourage user engagement.
- Influencer Sponsored Content: For this tiktok ad type, you convey your message through the sponsored content of an influential tiktok user.
how to set up ads on tiktok
Now that you know the different types of tiktok ads, let’s take a look at how to set them up from your tiktok ads account.
step 1: create your tiktok ad account
The first step is simple: start by creating an account on tiktok ad manager.
Choose your billing country or region, and then select whether you’re using the account for a business or an individual. then click “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 register with your phone number, you will need the verification code sent to your phone.
confirm that you agree to the terms and conditions, then click “sign up”.
Once your brand is approved, sign in to your dashboard and finish the initial account setup according to the instructions. then you can follow below steps to create tiktok ads:
step 2: create and install tiktok pixel
now you’ll need to install the tiktok pixel, a piece of code on your website that collects information about site events (for example, how users got to your site, what device they’re using, and where they’re located) .
after selecting “standard mode” or “developer mode”, you will create your pixel by first setting up a “web event” in your tiktok ad manager. remember to review your cookie consent settings before implementing your pixel. then download or copy the pixel code and paste it into the header of your website.
step 3: create a new campaign
create an ad campaign in the “campaigns” tab and click 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 name your campaign and set a minimum budget at the campaign level. you can set a lifetime budget to quickly reach as many people as possible. but by setting a daily budget, you can reach your target audience gradually and steadily.
step 4: create an ad group
Create an ad group to define audiences, campaign budgets, and placements for your ads.
choose the type of promotion or objective:
select “app install” or “website” as promotion type.
select ad placement:
your ad placement will determine where your ads will appear on tiktok and its partner platforms. If you’re just getting started with tiktok ads, you can choose “auto placement” for tiktok to place your ads for maximum reach and value. You can also manually place ads on tiktok and your newsfeed apps.
select your creative type:
turn on the “automated creative optimization” feature and tiktok will create variations of your content and test their engagement. you can disable this feature at any time.
define your target audience:
Choose your ad audience by selecting placement, 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.
select a delivery type:
choose standard or expedited delivery. Standard delivery ensures that your ad will appear during high-traffic hours during your ad’s delivery period, with your ad budget spread evenly over that time period. accelerated delivery means your ad budget is dedicated to getting as many views as possible on your ad as quickly as possible.
Step 5: Create a new ad
after you set up your ad group, you can set up your first ad. tiktok gives you the option to upload a video or image file as your ad creative. For best results, be sure to follow the recommended ad specifications. this will ensure that your ad looks great on tiktok and all associated platforms.
after creating an ad to your liking, you will have the option to preview it and get an idea of how it will appear to tiktok users. at this point, you can also find out if your ad needs some tweaking before submitting it for review.
You can further customize your ad by giving it a name to make it easier to distinguish between different ads within the same ad group. then enter your ad text using 12-100 characters to convey your message even more effectively. this text will appear above your ad.
You will then have the option to choose between different calls to action based on what you want your audience to do. so you can ask your audience to “register”, “download now”, “contact us”, “book now”, “buy now”, “request now” or “get more information”. then click “submit” to finish creating your ad.
use tiktok promotion to boost existing ads
tiktok promotion is a paid feature that allows you to choose a goal (video views, website visits or new followers) and promote your video content. select an audience, set your budget and schedule your ad duration, then start your promotion.
Step 6: Measure the performance of your ads
The job doesn’t end after you launch 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 placements and ad creatives to see what works best for you.
tiktok ad specs
TikTok in-feed video ads must follow the format guidelines to display correctly and drive engagement. Start by creating a video in the tiktok suggested range (9-15 seconds), less than 500mb, and one of these file types: .mp4, mov., mpeg, .3gp, or .avi.
then refer to the tiktok ad spec list for additional guidance on formatting.
how much do tiktok ads cost?
tiktok closely guards its pricing algorithm, which is based on a bidding model. at a minimum, campaign-level budgets must be $50 per day and ad group-level budgets must be $20 per day.
7 examples of tiktok advertising done right
In addition to learning the basics, it’s just as important to see how other brands use tiktok ads. this will give you some ideas on how to run your own campaign. Check out these four examples of brands that have launched brilliant ad campaigns on tiktok:
1. chipotle
chipotle has been dominating the tiktok platform with fun and creative video content. He also nailed his influencer ad campaign to promote his annual “boorito” sale for Halloween. The brand brought in top influencers known for their creativity, including Brittany Broski and Zach King.
2. kroger
kroger was one of the first companies to test tiktok’s “hashtag challenge plus” feature. This allowed tiktok users to purchase Kroger products tagged with the campaign hashtag directly in the app. this not only fostered user engagement and brand visibility, but also improved the user experience by providing seamless shopping functionality.
3. experience
experian launched a tiktok feed ad that is simple and easy to understand. It featured a simple text conversation between two friends to highlight the benefits of Experian Boost to your credit score. it also came complete with a “download” button. everything about this ad is great because it puts directness and simplicity at the center.
4. I hope
ihop (the international house of pancakes) used tiktok ads to target millennials and build excitement about their limited-time offers. temporarily rebranded itself as the “International Pancake Haunted House” for its Halloween 2021 campaign, promoting “scary face” pancakes and other spooky menu items.
The campaign reached more than 33 million users and ihop used behavioral targeting to find the right audience. the result was 26% lower cpm than the national tiktok average.
5. party machines
partymachines started using tiktok marketing in 2019 to expand its reach and generate more b2b sales from its foam machines. (Entrepreneurs who buy the machines can lease them to local customers.)
one of the company’s initiatives was to use banner ads to find popular content featuring its product. In at least one video, the company added a voiceover about its product and invited users to comment on how they would use a partymachine. thanks to the shopify integration, tiktok users could click on the video, go to the partymachines website and buy the product.
spark ads campaign increased tiktok website traffic by 620%. And by using existing content, partymachines kept their ad costs low – just 10 cents per click.
6. ebay
The online marketplace ebay is a go-to destination for sneaker enthusiasts, so it launched a tiktok campaign to drive engagement from that audience. Using three different banner ads with voting sticker overlays, eBay’s “Sneaker Showdown” campaign invited users to pick the winning shoe in a pool-style tournament.
The campaign, which coincided with the NCAA Basketball Tournament, resulted in a 54% increase in ebay’s feedback rate and 1.2 million users participated in the survey.
7. kooapps
kooapps wanted to increase awareness of their mobile game “snake.io” and generate installs in the US. he found two tiktok users who had created content showing how to play the game and partnered with them to produce commercials.
within two weeks of launching the campaign, snake.io app installs increased by 67% among users.
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 values and fits your brand.
be direct
yes, tiktok allows you 60 seconds to make your point, but 21-34 second videos are better for increasing conversions.
keep it vertical
portrait oriented videos outperform square or landscape format, with a 40% increase in impressions.
promote at the right time
The success of eBay’s “Sneaker Showdown” campaign was due in part to its timing with the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Look for hot topics or events that can help you build buzz for your ad campaign. and don’t forget that tiktok analytics will show you the best time to post your ads for maximum audience reach.
use sound and text
according to tiktok, “audio of any kind” increases ad impressions. subheadings and text overlays also enhance the impact of your ads.
embed hashtags
help users find you by including relevant hashtags. you can see the trending hashtags on the tiktok discover page and choose the ones that make the most sense for your ad and your brand.
embed interactive plugins
TikTok’s interactive features encourage interaction with ads. For example, you can use the Gestures plugin to encourage users to swipe or tap an ad to reveal a reward. or use the voting sticker overlay to seek feedback from your audience.
associate with influential people
TikTok influencers already have a following, so partnering with them on an ad campaign can greatly expand your reach. Look for influencers who are already using your product or are among your target demographic. you may be able to launch a new campaign with an influencer to build buzz for your brand, or find an influencer with existing content that works well for a spark ad.
test and optimize
check your tiktok analytics frequently to see how your content is performing. look at metrics like views, interactions, and click-through rates, and adjust your content strategy if you’re not seeing the engagement you hoped for.
earn on tiktok advertising
tiktok advertising can feel completely different from the other social platforms you advertise 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 and ever-changing audience.
and if you’re still not convinced to use the platform, check out some of the top reasons brands should use tiktok.
