Are you stuck between the never-ending stigma of which social media platform to use for your brand when it comes to Facebook and TikTok ads?
Trust us, this has been a struggle for many startups and the biggest mistake that they make is that they use the same content all over the internet hoping it would lead them somewhere.
Well, here’s the scoop: This method is a recipe for disaster and you can not only lose money but also your motivation as well.
As more and more people every day are interested in social media than ever, the first thing they do is run to social media to get a better perspective of every product they want to buy.
This is your cue to be more invested in it as this is how you will grow as well.
Importance Of Understanding Each Platform’s Ads
Consider this, you are planning to grow on social media and you are deciding on which platform to use. Here are the possible mistakes that you could make:
Mistake 1: You make 1 type of ad content and post it everywhere without optimizing. This would lead to no engagement and even if it does, it would be short-lived.
Mistake 2: You choose one platform and start posting ads on it but do not learn about the platform and its audience. This will lead to fewer interactions as you might not get the audience you want there and hence you will be disappointed with the waste of effort.
Mistake 3: You learn about every ad platform, invest in all platforms, and put all your time there. This might sound like a wise thing to do but this will lead to exhaustion and you will be tired before you know it. Let’s not forget about the money you spent on it.
Save yourself from making these mistakes and learn about the different types of platforms and their ads before putting them up.
Key Differences between Facebook and Tiktok Ads
| Features | TikTok | |
| Targeting Capabilities | Location Gender Age Interests (Diverse) Behavior | Location Gender Age Interests (Narrow) Behavior Device Price Carrier Name |
| Audience Options | Custom Audience (Wide Range) Lookalike Audience | Custom Audience Lookalike Audience Narrow Balanced Broad |
| Ad Formats | Different Video Formats Many Image Formats Carousel Story Options | Main Feed VideoMain Feed Image |
| Ad Placement | Messenger Different Placement Options | Main Feed Ad |
| Augmented Reality | AR Filters | AR Filters |
| Ad Creation & Editing | Full-fledged Editing Studio | Simple Editing Tools |
| Cost Per Click | 50 cents | $1 |
| ROI Analysis | $2 | $1-3 |
When it comes to branding and ads, we’ve got a bunch of platforms to pick from, right? But compared to how things are nowadays, the two big bros everyone has been talking about are Facebook and TikTok. We cannot forget about Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, Snapchat along with a few more, but right now let’s talk about Facebook and TikTok ads.
It is an undeniable fact that these two have massive audiences. It is up to you to find out which platform suits your business better.
To figure out which one is better means to understand what sets them apart and what things they have in common. If you are on the lookout for all important information about them, you are in luck. Everything you need is laid out for you right here.
1. Targeting Capabilities of Facebook and Tiktok Ads
The first and foremost thing that you should be concerned about is the target ability of the two platforms. Both of the platforms perform well and have the ability to custom-target different audiences. However, there is a set of people present on each platform that you should know about.
- Demographic Targeting
Let’s start by discussing the type of users on both TikTok and Facebook. With the way TikTok has been growing, it has reached nearly 834 million users. But on the other hand, if you talk about diversity, the percentage of people above 50 years is only 11%. As for the gender roles, almost 57% of the TikTok users are females.
The people aged 18 to 24 are the ones that cover the majority of the platform. And apart from that, 47.4% of them are under 30 years old. Another thing that you should keep in mind is that if you are targeting the US, you are in luck because there are over 135 million US TikTok users.
Now, let’s see who’s hanging out on Facebook.
Well, the majority are between 25 to 35 years old. Around 18.4% are guys, and about 12.6% are ladies. And you know what? Don’t count the teens out. They make up around 32% of the whole crowd on Facebook.
Thus, if you are targeting girls and teenagers, TikTok is your way to go. But if you want to target men in their prime, you have to go over to Facebook. All you need to do is set your custom targeting options by adding the location, gender, and age of your audience and you are good to go. However, TikTok takes a step ahead and you can even select the device price and mobile carrier.
- Interest-Based Targeting
Want someone who loves books to see your ad about bookmarks? Interest-based targeting is something that you should definitely consider when it comes to PPC. You will be glad to know that both platforms provide interest-based targeting options. You just have to write or choose the interests that you are targeting and thus the magic takes place.
You can also research your audience beforehand but this method does that for you so that you don’t have to put your effort into it. The major difference is that Facebook provides a more diverse targeting option while TikTok offers retargeting options.
- Behavioural Targeting
Both Facebook and Instagram work by providing behavior-targeting ads. It works by tracking a user’s recent activities and interests and it suggests that specific interest for that user. Thus, if you are looking for a set of people with a certain interest in a time period, the platforms work for you and suggest relatable things to the right audience.
A huge chunk of determining the behavior of the audience depends on the demographic detail of the audience. Even if we take that away, we can understand the behavior of the audience by understanding the content provided on those platforms and what the people have access to.
When we talk about Facebook, we can observe that it allows you to learn about other people’s behaviors and hobbies. Thus, you can promote your ads by showing the daily routine of someone in your ad using your products.
On the other hand, TikTok ads work by celebrities or influencers using certain products or if the users use a certain hashtag for their videos. You can use trending hashtags in order to rank your ads. Since most people would be interested in seeing what their favorite influencer has posted about a product, it is better to reach out to a creator to advertise your products.
- Custom Audience Creation
Can’t find an already-set audience type? Create a custom audience for your ads in a few minutes. The best part is that both platforms have custom audience creation settings that you can optimize to your requirements of targeting.
You can use the Ads Manager on Facebook to optimize your ads according to your custom audience where you can set everything about your audience. Now, when it comes to setting your sights on a specific audience over on TikTok, you’ve got the Ads Manager to help tailor who sees your stuff. But here’s the deal: Facebook has mastered the art of targeting. They’ve got a whole range of options that are seriously specific and cover a wider range compared to what you’ll find on TikTok
- Lookalike Audience Options
Lookalike Audience Targeting means that you are describing a customer persona and the platform will match that with their target users. This way, your ads will go to that baseline specified audience that resembles the customer persona as a priority. For instance, if you choose an audience that is rich, old, women, who love perfumes, you can describe that to the platform so that every lady who is rich, old, and loves perfumes will see that ad.
With Facebook, it chooses a custom set audience type for the Lookalike Audience. But TikTok provides narrow, balanced, and broad audience options so that you can select the intensity of your Lookalike Target Options.
2. Ad Formats Available on Facebook and Tiktok
The difference between the two ads does not end with how they work. This extends to the type or format of ads present on both platforms. There are many ads that may look the same on both Facebook and TikTok. Even after that, there is a lot you need to look for before jumping in.
- Video Ad Options
Video ads tend to gain more engagement and interaction than photo ads in many cases. Both platforms provide the services of video ads where ads can be played many times. But the main difference comes in the ad placement options. Facebook provides many ad placement options like stories, feeds, messenger, and many more. On the other hand, TikTok ads are usually placed on the main feed that users scroll past.
- Image Ad Formats
Let’s talk about those image ads you see floating around on Facebook and TikTok. They’re like secret weapons for advertisers to really reach the right people. But here’s the thing: while both platforms use images to grab attention, Facebook tends to serve up these image-based ads with catchy captions across its whole network.
They can be served in various placements, including Facebook Stories, Facebook Messenger, the Facebook home feed, and more. These ads are present in different formats and can even be adjusted into different ratios like 1:1, 4:5, and many more. This way, you can choose how your ad will look like on that platform.
TikTok ads also offer different types of formats. But when it comes to appearance, Facebook takes the win. While Facebook ads can appear in several different positions throughout the app, the majority of TikTok ads are served in and around the main feed. TikTok has both interests and categories that you can target but they offer just a fraction of what’s available on Facebook. One of the prime examples is that you cannot target other people’s audience like you do on Facebook.
- Carousel Ads
When it comes to carousel ads on Facebook versus TikTok, the big difference lies in how they show off their content. Facebook’s carousel ads are like a cool slideshow, letting you swipe through images or videos in a personalized way. It’s all about creating your own mini-story by tapping through the sequence.
Now, over on TikTok, their carousel approach is more about a series of quick, attention-grabbing moments. Instead of swiping, you’ll find these snappy, bite-sized bits of content that flow together smoothly. So, both use carousels, but each platform has its unique style for telling stories and keeping users hooked.
- Story Ads
When we talk about Story Ads, there’s a distinction between how they roll out on Facebook and TikTok. Facebook’s Story Ads seamlessly blend into your Stories feed, slipping in between updates from your friends. They’re like those extra bits carefully designed by advertisers to catch your eye.
Let’s talk about the TikTok realm, Story Ads take a different approach. They smoothly integrate into the main feed, mingling with the regular stream of videos you’re scrolling through. Instead of standing out between stories, TikTok’s Story Ads seamlessly fit in with the content you’re already watching. So, while both platforms offer Story Ads, they do it in their own distinct way to match your browsing style.
- Ad Placement Options
Ad placement in both platforms is designed in a way that makes the ads more visible yet not annoying. Have you noticed the ads on Facebook that catch your attention? They’re those cool image-based ones with catchy captions that pop up almost everywhere including stories, Messenger, your main feed, and almost all corners of Facebook. You can smoothly carry these Facebook ad campaigns over to Instagram, tapping into new audiences and expanding your reach.
On the other side of the arena, TikTok’s ad game is no slouch either. They’ve got a variety of formats to spice up your marketing strategies. While Facebook ads cozy up in different spots across the app, TikTok ads prefer the main feed spotlight. These standard TikTok video ads, like the In-Feed or Top View ones, are like magnets for engagement, drawing in huge audiences and hitting those engagement highs.
- Augmented Reality Ads
Augmented Reality is something that has caught everyone in awe. At first, this concept fascinated many people. But as time passed, more and more people were intrigued by using it. Since both platforms understand this hype, they offer different ad options with this.
Facebook uses the technique of making and promoting filters. Many brands use this option to make filters and promote their beauty products or services. If you are an advertiser, you can create an AR ad in Spark AR Hub where you post your filters. After that is done, it is up to them to make sure that your filter is uploaded on Facebook in the correct way. Once integrated into the AR Hub tool, advertisers return to Facebook Ads Manager to initiate new campaigns. While these ads appear conventional, a simple interaction immerses viewers into an augmented reality sphere, fostering engaging interactions between brands and customers which is a valuable asset in contemporary marketing strategies.
Meanwhile, TikTok has joined Instagram and Snapchat in providing branded AR effects and hashtag challenges for brands. TikTok’s distinguishing feature lies in its potential for virality, trends, and videos that swiftly captivate widespread user attention. With TikTok, your videos can go viral quickly and they are then seen by a large number of audience. This can be tricky for brands to tackle because the short-type content can become an odd addition.
- Ad Creation and Editing Tools
Think of Facebook’s ad tools as a full-fledged art studio with all the brushes, colors, and canvases. You’ve got Ads Manager for crafting your ad campaigns, offering loads of options, different formats, ways to target your audience, and cool analytics to tweak your strategy. And then there’s Spark AR Studio, almost like a special section for creating augmented reality stuff. It’s like having a studio filled with everything you need to create your ad masterpiece.
But when we talk about TikTok ad creation and editing, it’s like having this streamlined, yet powerful toolkit. Their ad creation is simple and user-friendly, especially for making those short video ads right within the app.
3. Cost Comparison of Facebook and Tiktok Ads
Now comes one of the most important things that you must be curious about- the cost of the ads. It is apparent that every person has a budget for ads and does not want to go more than that. Thus, knowing which option is the most affordable one is the right thing to do.
- Cost Per Click
As for the Cost Per Click rate of the ads, you should know that it ranges according to the audience selected and the demographic data of the ad. However, it still lies in a range that can be used to estimate.
The average Cost Per Click for TikTok Ads is around $1 which is reasonable for many ads. On the other hand, the average Cost Per Click that you can expect from Facebook ads is 50 cents as per the updated 2023 information.
- Cost Per Thousand Impressions
The cost paid by you because of the number of people who have seen your ad is Cost Per Impression. The Cost Per Thousand Impressions on Facebook is about $7. But when we talk about TikTok, the ads cost around $10 for thousands of impressions.
- Ad Bid Strategies
Ad Bid strategies are the efforts you add in order to make your ad the spotlight. Many times you would have to bid to get your ad placed on a specific area of the feed. It allows more visibility and thus more engagement to your ad.
With Facebook, you’ve got three bidding strategies in the bag which are spend-based, goal-based, and manual. The spend-based one is all about using your budget to get the best bang for your buck, aiming for maximum results. With goal-based bidding, you set a specific cost or value you want to hit. And then there’s manual bidding, where you’re the boss, deciding exactly how much you want to bid in ad auctions. You’ve got options like lowest cost, lowest cost with a bid cap, and target cost.
TikTok’s Ads Manager keeps it a bit more straightforward. They’re rocking two bidding strategies: Cost Cap (for hitting specific goals) and Maximum Delivery (for squeezing out the most results from your budget). TikTok also rolls out automated bidding strategies, like Target Cost and Max Conversion, making bidding a bit easier by letting the system handle some of the heavy lifting.
- ROI Analysis
Return on Investment (ROI) analysis is the benefit you get for all the effort you put in. Many brands get huge chunks of ROI while others don’t claim it.
Okay, when it comes to people clicking on links in ads, Facebook seems to be the winner with a Click-Through Rate (CTR) of about 1.07%, while TikTok is sitting at around 0.84%. In simple terms, folks are more likely to tap on links in Facebook ads compared to TikTok.
Now, Facebook’s got this long history, right? That familiarity and trust with users make folks more engaged with ads there. But hey, let’s talk numbers.
On Facebook, the average cost to reach a thousand people (CPM) swings between $7 to $20, and clicking on an ad (CPC) can cost between $0.6 to $1.50. As for the Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) on Facebook, it’s around $2 on average.
On the flip side, TikTok’s all about that fresh, raw content vibe and targeting Gen Z. Their CPM averages around $10, and clicking sets you back about $1 on average. The Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) on TikTok can range from $1.20 to $3. So, some online shops might find better luck with TikTok, while others might strike gold on Facebook. It’s like a toss-up depending on where you’re playing the ad game.
Bottom Line
No matter which platforms you use for ads and branding, just make sure to properly optimise the ads before launching. You can use the benefits of both platforms and can expand on any platform you like once you start to learn about it.
