As TikTok has soared in popularity, so has the opportunity to tap into its advertising capabilities. Placing ads on this high-powered platform can yield impressive results! TikTok’s paid ads offer entrepreneurs a lucrative way to connect with their target audience in a visually engaging and captivating fashion. The platform’s user base has grown exponentially thanks to its short-form videos and creative features that provide an immersive environment for contemporary consumer preferences.
We’ve guided you through how to start a TikTok for your business and use its shoppable experiences. Now, let’s explore how to launch paid ads on your brand’s TikTok!
Why Implement TikTok Ads?
With over 1 billion monthly users in more than 150 countries and 80+ billion downloads worldwide, TikTok presents a wealth of opportunities for marketers to raise brand awareness, drive traffic, and boost conversions. The platform also boasts an impressive engagement rate of 17-18%, which speaks to its ability to engage vast audiences worldwide. TikTok is truly a formidable force for brand promotion.
TikTok Ad Types
Before setting up paid ads on TikTok, get to understand the different types of ads available on the platform. TikTok ads manager has a range of ad formats, each catering to specific marketing goals.
- In-Feed Ads: Displayed within users’ feeds, these ads seamlessly blend with organic content.
- Branded Hashtag Challenges: Encourage user participation by creating interactive challenges that incorporate your business.
- TopView Ads: Captivate audiences with full-screen, high-impact video ads that appear when users open the app.
- Branded Effects: Engage users by allowing them to incorporate your branded effects into their own content.
Note, when creating ad groups and campaigns, you have the option to set budgets for both. TikTok also allows for multiple ad groups within a campaign, and you can choose between lifetime and daily budgets.
Creating TikTok Ads
So, you’ve set up and verified your business account. Now, you’ll get started on the TikTok Ads Manager, which you can activate in the Activity & Support section of your Business Suite.
Now you’re ready to get started creating your TikTok adverts! Whenever you start a campaign, TikTok will ask you if you’d like to use Simplified Mode or Custom Mode. Simplified Mode is quick and easy to use, includes cheaper budget options, and offers one of your existing TikTok videos to use as your ad. This is great for beginner advertisers or when you’re just testing out low-priority ads. Below, we’ll walk you through the steps of Custom Mode.
- Set up a campaign based on your marketing goals. Whether you aim to boost website traffic, drive app installations, or enhance brand engagement, TikTok offers a range of objectives to suit your needs.
2. Use the app’s advanced targeting options to narrow down your audience preference based on age, gender, location, interests, and behavior. This precision ensures your ads reach the individuals most likely to resonate with your message.
This stage is also where you’ll determine your advertising budget and duration. TikTok offers multiple bidding options, including cost-per-click and cost-per-impression, letting you optimize your spending based on your campaign goals.
3. Create visually captivating ads that adhere to TikTok’s vertical video format using the platform’s creative tools to add music, effects, and text overlays to help enhance the viewer’s experience!
This stage also allows you to set up tracking for any applicable website conversions, app events, and offline activity.
Once your ads are live, monitor their performance using TikTok’s analytics dashboard. Adjust your strategies based on real-time insights to ensure optimal results throughout the campaign.
Best Practices for TikTok Ads
To maximize the effectiveness of your TikTok ads, consider implementing these best practices to enhance the value of your advertising campaign:
- A significant portion of TikTok’s users access the app via mobile devices. Use vertical video formats, legible text, and clear visuals that are easy to see on smaller screens.
- Choose eye-catching thumbnails that entice viewers to engage with your ad.
- Keep your message concise, as TikTok’s short-form nature favors quick, impactful content.
- Incorporate user-generated elements into your ads, showcasing real customers using your products for authenticity.
- Every successful ad needs a clear and compelling call-to-action. Guide viewers on what to do next, whether that’s visiting your website, downloading an app, making a purchase, or following your TikTok account.
Paid TikTok advertising is not a one-size-fits-all approach. As you monitor your campaign’s performance, experiment with different ad formats, visuals, captions, and targeting options to identify what works best for your audience. You can do this per-campaign with split testing, or as different campaigns in either Simple Mode or Custom Mode.
Brands Succeeding at TikTok Ads
TikTok has become the platform for numerous brands to use its innovative features and authentically engage with their audience. For example:
- GoPro tapped into TikTok’s user-generated content culture using the hashtag #GoProChallenge to encourage users to share their thrilling GoPro-shot videos. This campaign showcased the exciting experiences captured by users, highlighting the product’s stunning capabilities.
- GymShark, a fitness apparel brand, capitalized on TikTok’s fitness and wellness community. They collaborated with influencers and athletes to showcase their products in engaging workout videos, effectively positioning themselves as a fitness enthusiast’s go-to brand.
- Supergoop!, a skincare brand, created short TikTok videos to educate users about the importance of sun protection. Blending educational content with a touch of humor effectively conveyed its message and resonated with health-conscious consumers.
These brands have succeeded on TikTok by understanding their target audience, creating engaging and shareable content, leveraging influencer partnerships, and aligning their strategies with TikTok’s unique features. Each brand’s approach reflected its identity while effectively capturing the attention and interest of TikTok’s diverse user base.
TikTok is one of the most effective ways to get your brand in front of your target audience. However, success doesn’t come automatically. Creating TikTok ads that effectively promote your brand, reach new prospects, and engage your audience takes effort and planning. Ready to launch paid ads on your brand’s TikTok? Contact us to schedule a consultation or training!