TikTok currently has over 1 billion users as at the time of publishing this article and still counting. But one great this about TikTok is that you don’t only get to have fun and watch your favorite characters on TikTok showing you great videos from their closet. You as a business can also advertise your services, grow your audience, and increase your ROI through targeted ad campaigns.
However, the challenge here is how you can stand out on such a competitive platform and ensure the right audience sees your ads at the right time. If you want to get the most from your TikTok advertising budget, you need to employ effective strategies, so here’s how to master TikTok ads and execute winning campaigns.
Who Is TikTok Ads For?
Absolutely anyone can advertise on TikTok. But TikTok ad campaigns work better if you’re targeting certain demographics. So here’s a little explanation of what I mean.
TikTok typically attracts teens and young adults. According to DataReportal’s research:
- 43.3 percent of users are aged between 18 and 24.
- 32.2 percent are between 25 and 34 years of age.
And just a little over 11 percent are 45 or over. Hence, it’s not the best platform if you’re targeting this age demographic.
Delving deeper into the demographics;
- men and women use TikTok, but it’s more popular with women as female users have been estimated as over 60%.
So let’s say you want to advertise to young women in Africa, you need to ask yourself if TikTok ads work better for certain businesses instead of others even within this demographic?
Well, it’s possible especially because fitness and sports-related content are among the most popular content worldwide with over 57 billion views whilst beauty and skincare content which is dominated by slay queens advertising these products has over 33 billion views worldwide.
TikTok is available in 154 countries worldwide. Hence, it does have global appeal among teens and young adults.
7 Steps to TikTok Advertising Success
For starters, let me state emphatically that there is no “right” way to run a TikTok advertising campaign, there are ways you can optimize your TikTok ads and boost your chances of success.
Hence, to become a master of TikTok advertising, follow these seven simple tips below…
1. Learn TikTok Ads Manager
TikTok Ads Manager is a hub from which you can create, run, and manage your ads. With TikTok Ads Manager, you can:
- create engaging ads using different visual formats and templates;
- target specific audience groups per campaign; and
- track ad performance through customized reports.
You might wonder how much TikTok advertising cost. Well, TikTok uses a bidding model, so you can set your own daily and campaign limits depending on your marketing budget. As a guide, be prepared to spend at least $50 per day for campaigns, and $20 per day for specific ad groups if you want to get results.
Meanwhile, the first step to creating TikTok ads is by creating a TikTok Ads Manager account. TikTok offers a breakdown for getting going, but here’s a quick start guide for your convenience.
First, head to the TikTok for Business page and “Get Started.” From the next screen, click “Sign Up” then input your details before hitting “Sign Up” again. Then input some basic business details to create your account:
Once you’re done registering, you’ll need to provide a few more business details, including payment information…then wait for account approval before creating your first ad.
Creating TikTok Ads
- From your TikTok Ads Manager account, click the “Campaign” button at the top of the page.
- Choose your campaign objective e.g., app installs, traffic, lead generation, or audience reach.
- Set a campaign name and a budget. If you choose “No Limit,” your spend is determined by the budget you set at the “ad group” level. Or, you can choose “Daily Budget” or “Lifetime Budget,” which means you’re limited by the daily or lifetime budget you set at the campaign level.
- Create your campaign.
Once there’s a campaign set up, you can set up an ad group and then create individual ads. The instructions are super easy to follow, and you can be up and running in minutes.
Here’s something crucial to note. Once you create a campaign, you can’t change the budget. Make sure you’re happy with your maximum spend limits before creating your TikTok Ads campaign.
2. To Stand Out, Use Creative Elements
Although you are at liberty to run ads for up to 60 seconds, TikTok suggests that you keep most ads under 15 seconds. Given the short time frame, you’ll want to use some fun creative elements to stand out, so here are some suggestions.
- Try “Branded Effects.” Branded Effects are elements like stickers and filters you can use to enrich your ads.
- Choose your ad format wisely. In-Feed ads, for example, look and feel just like native content which helps them feel more authentic, while TopView ads appear at the top of a user’s “For You” section and might help drive brand awareness.
- Add music or sound to add extra layers to your ads. Just make sure the music or sound effects match your brand’s voice.
3. Test Spark Ads
Ever seen someone using (and loving) your product on TikTok? Do you wish you could run this user-generated content (UGC) as part of your own ad campaign?
Well, thanks to Spark Ads, you can take existing, organic posts from other TikTok accounts and turn them into original ad content. Why would you want to do this? Let me give you three reasons.
Using existing content means less work for you, for one thing.
What’s more, since the content comes from real TikTok accounts, any activity you generate (such as likes, follows, or shares) is linked to yourpost. If you’re looking to boost your engagement, Spark Ads can help.
Finally, UGC adds authenticity to your company and helps to boost your brand’s reputation. Since customers are over two times more likely to prefer UGC to branded content, Spark Ads are definitely worth your time.
Here are some tips for getting the most from this form of TikTok advertising.
- Opt for content with happy, positive undertones to present your products in the best light.
- Use short text overlays to emphasize key points e.g. product features.
- Run A/B tests to identify which ads are performing best and revise your less successful ad content.
- Finally, always ensure you get someone’s permission before using their content in Spark Ads.
4. Experiment With Different Targeting Options
The most successful ads target a specific audience. TikTok knows this, so the platform lets you tailor who sees your ads by excluding certain audiences and directly targeting others.
You can target audiences by dimensions such as their age, behaviors, device, interests, and physical location. For example, maybe you want to target under-25s using iPhones, people based in Accra or men interested in football.
Here’s how you can do it.
From TikTok Ads Manager, go to “Ad Group,” then “Targeting.”
Then, choose which audience segment to target. For example, you might choose U.S. users aged between 25 and 44:
TikTok will then optimize who sees your ads so there’s a greater chance of running a successful campaign. Cool, right?
5. Use Data to Leverage Hashtags Effectively
Hashtags allow people to organize content into categories so others can find what they’re most interested in. While you can use as many hashtags as you want, you won’t reach your ideal audience unless you know which hashtags to target, so here’s how you might choose the right ones.
First, check out which hashtags your most successful competitors use. Chances are, it’s worth including at least one or two of these hashtags to boost your visibility.
Next, use trending hashtags.
To find these trending hashtags, scroll to the “Discover” tab and check out the day’s top tags.
You can also find related keywords by searching for a word and leaving the hashtag out. Tap “Hashtags” under the search bar, and you’ll see similar hashtags to include in your campaigns.
6. Create Content With High-Quality Graphics
TikTok is a highly visual platform, so your ads need graphics and videos to stand out. If you don’t have expensive recording equipment, don’t worry; we’ll give you a clue below.
First, film and upload your video content as usual. Before clicking “Post,” hit “More Options” and drag the “Upload HD” bar right so it turns green.
Remember, sharp videos bring your content to life.
To get the most from your TikTok advertising, upload the clearest, sharpest graphics and videos you can.
Frequently Asked Questions About TikTok Ads
Well, this depends on on several factors. At the campaign level, there’s a daily and lifetime budget of $50. At the ad group level, you need a minimum budget of $20 per day, and your lifetime budget works out as your daily budget multiplied by the number of campaign days scheduled.
First, create a TikTok Ads account and choose your campaign objective. Name your campaign, set your marketing budget, determine the ad placement, and choose your target audience. Set your campaign schedule and create your ads.
If you’re a business on TikTok, you could try TikTok ads. However, TikTok ads might work best for retailers selling to younger audiences.
Good TikTok ads are visually appealing with clear CTAs and well-chosen hashtags to boost visibility. They use high-quality images and successfully capture a viewer’s attention within just a few seconds.
In Conclusion:
If you want to maximize visibility, increase your ROI, and boost your social media reach, then try TikTok ads. TikTok advertising is suitable for all businesses on the platform, it’s easy to get started, and since you don’t need a huge budget which is affordable and accessible for startups and small companies.