Running a successful business is about more than just brainstorming incredible products and services your customers can’t live without.
Even the very best products can’t sell themselves, so you need to let your target audience know they’re out there. That’s where digital advertising comes in, and the right social media platforms are a massive part of that.
Saying that TikTok is a popular social media option these days is quite an understatement. In 2022, the video-sharing platform had more than 1 billion active users, and that momentum shows no signs of slowing down.
That said, advertising on TikTok is definitely something every digital-age brand should consider.
Why Should You Consider Advertising on TikTok?
When it comes to social media marketing, choosing the right platforms for your brand is crucial, and each option brings its unique benefits to the table.
For example, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram boast large numbers of users from a variety of different demographics. Meanwhile, LinkedIn is a perfect fit for B2B brands.
TikTok, on the other hand, is the place to be if you’re looking to connect with younger audiences like millennials and Gen Z, as the vast majority of TikTok users are under 30 years old. Here’s a look at a few more reasons why you should consider advertising on TikTok.
User-Friendly
If you’re new to TikTok, definitely don’t let that fact stop you from giving advertising there a try. TikTok makes setting up an advertising campaign and generating content incredibly easy and intuitive, so you’ll be up and running in no time.
Economical
It’s also an economical option for businesses of many types. TikTok offers advertisers a choice between setting a daily or lifetime budget for each campaign.
And although every campaign will be different, it costs most marketers less on average to advertise on TikTok than it does on Instagram or Facebook.
Versatile
TikTok offers advertisers a wide range of different ad types to choose from, each with its unique benefits and advantages. Check some of them here.
All options are set up to maximize engagement and earn brands the highest possible return on their investment. Plus, TikTok users, on the whole, are a very engaged bunch, in general.
Influencer-Friendly
If you’re interested in expanding your influencer marketing efforts to TikTok, you’ll be happy to know it’s a very influencer-friendly place.
Not only is the platform home to a variety of different influencers – everyone from athletes to top-tier bloggers – but it’s the place to be for raw, relatable content, which is red hot right now.
Types of TikTok Ads
Advertising on TikTok is all about video, but don’t let that fool you into thinking there’s only one option to choose from when it comes to advertising content.
Your TikTok for Business Ads Manager makes it possible for you to create your choice of a variety of different options. They include:
In-Feed Ads
When TikTok visitors first open the app, they land right at the top of their “For You” feed. “For You” is all about serving up videos the platform’s algorithm thinks the user would be most interested in. Your in-feed ads will be here, too, featured about four videos down from the top.
Spark Ads
Spark ads give you the option of lending more reach to either your own branded content or that of other users. This type of ad is incredibly effective, with a 24 percent higher rate of completion, as well as a 142 percent higher rate of engagement than standard in-feed ads.
TopView Ads
A TopView ad has the opportunity to appear only once per day, but that happens at the best possible time – right when the user opens their app for the first time that day.
TopView ads can also be up to an entire minute long, so these are terrific options for brands that need that extra time to get their messages across.
“TikTok offers advertisers a choice between setting a daily or lifetime budget for each campaign.”
Branded Hashtags
How would you like the opportunity to have exclusive access to a specific hashtag as part of your advertising campaign?
That wouldn’t be possible on any other social media platform, but that’s precisely what branded hashtags are all about on TikTok. Use your hashtag to add your own branded content, as well as encourage other users to join in.
Branded Effects
Half the fun of making videos on TikTok is adding cool filters and other effects to them so that they genuinely feel unique and watch-worthy.
TikTok offers advertisers the chance to create branded effects their audiences will go ape for – a fantastic, fun way to raise brand awareness and expose their products to the right consumers.
Brand Takeovers
Only one business each day gets to be the focus of a TikTok brand takeover, and it’s a huge deal. Brand takeovers can include a combination of branded hashtags, in-feed ads, and TopView ads, as well as images, GIFs, and more.
They represent an investment, starting at $50,000 per day. However, they can generate astronomical profits for the brands involved, so they’re well worth considering if you have them in your marketing budget.
How Do TikTok Ads Work?
As with most social media platforms these days, everything about TikTok is set up to be simple, easy, and user-friendly. This includes setting up an ad.
Start your journey by setting up a TikTok business account, as this will be your spot for putting together, posting, and tracking your ads. Input a brief description of your company, as well as set up your preferred method of payment.
Then decide whether you’d rather work in simplified mode or custom mode.
- Go with simplified mode if you want the easiest, quickest, most convenient ad creation method, as TikTok’s algorithm will do a lot of the hard work for you.
- Choose custom mode if you want complete and total control over your creator experience. Think features like audience targeting, A/B testing, ad combos, and full customization.
If you’re really not sure which option is right for you, don’t worry. You’re free to switch from one mode to another anytime you like.
How to Set Up a TikTok Ad Campaign
Ready to get the show on the road with your very first campaign? Here are a few easy steps to get you started in the right direction.
Select your objective
Every ad campaign needs an objective, which is no less the case when advertising on TikTok. On TikTok, you have a variety of different options, each of which falls into one of three categories.
- Awareness: This option shows your ad to the maximum number of appropriate users – great for brand awareness campaigns and reputation building.
- Consideration: This category contains options designed to drive traffic to URLs, encourage app downloads, generate leads, or maximize ad plays.
- Conversions: This is the best option if you’re looking to have users fulfill specific calls-to-action on your website or display dynamic ads featuring selections from your product catalog.
Set your budget
Budgeting is essential for any aspect of your digital marketing campaign, and that’s pretty easy to do when advertising on TikTok. Give your campaign a name that will be easy for your entire team to recognize. (It can be anything 512 characters or under.) Then consider your budget.
On TikTok, you have the option of setting a daily budget. But if there’s a maximum amount you don’t want to exceed for the entire campaign, you can set a lifetime budget instead.
And if you have deep pockets at the moment, you can also choose to proceed without any limits.
Set up your ad groups
Just as you can do on Google ads, Facebook, and many other advertising interfaces, you can keep your campaign nice and organized on TikTok by setting up ad groups.
You can create anywhere from one to 999, so you have room to segment your efforts to whatever degree you wish.
You can set a different ad placement for each group. (Some options may be limited in specific locales.) You can choose for your ads to appear in TikTok’s “For You” feeds, across their various apps (such as TopBuzz and BuzzVideo), and more. You can also allow TikTok to optimize the delivery of your ads by selecting automatic placement.
And of course, TikTok allows users to set separate schedules and budgets for each ad group.
Decide how to target your audience
If you’re looking to connect with a specific audience, you can also elect to have your ads explicitly shown to them, so decide whether this is something you’d like to do.
Among other options, you can target your ads according to your audience’s age, gender, location, interests, behaviors, and device details.
Create your ad content
You can connect up to 20 different ads to each of your created ad groups, so you’ve plenty of room to be creative when advertising on TikTok. And the creation process is incredibly user-friendly, as with any other type of content on the platform.
Simply choose your ad format. Then either add your own video and images or get with a template via TikTok’s integrated video tools. Create your TikTok content masterpiece.
Pick a thumbnail, add text and links, and submit. Your ad will undergo a quick review process, but you’re officially up and running once that’s finished!
Take Advertising on TikTok to the Next Level
Now that you know the basics of advertising on TikTok, it’s time to kick things into high gear. Creativity is king on TikTok and many other popular social media platforms today, so you’ll want to bring your A-game to your ongoing strategy.
Create your TikTok For Business account now and check out our write-up on how to take your TikTok ad campaigns to the next level and beyond. You’ll learn about the importance of making content as opposed to ads, how to gain footing on other emerging platforms (like Snapchat and Pinterest), and more!
