TikTok is a large social media video-sharing platform with a huge marketing potential. The platform is becoming more popular and the number of TikTok users is constantly growing. A lot of people use TikTok today and the vast majority of TikTok users visit the platform every day.
But most importantly, a lot of TikTok users are ready to purchase products online, so all that you need to do is to advertise the product on the platform and attract the target audience to your business.
More and more marketers choose to use TikTok as an online advertising tool for promoting brands, businesses as well as products and services. The platform is a great place to increase online presence, engage with the target audience and promote the brand.
TikTok ads platform provides the analytics tools that make the campaign management process simple and, of course, advertisers should use these tools to do analysis, track their success and make changes to their TikTok ads campaigns if necessary.
It’s fair to say that TikTok has a lot to offer to advertisers, but it’s crucial for business owners to find out how to get started with advertising and run ads on the platform effectively.
Initially, beginners should learn the basics of TikTok advertising to be able to create and manage TikTok ads successfully. After that, businesses should adapt the best practices to achieve the success in TikTok advertising.
In this guide, we are going to provide you with insights into TikTok advertising to tell how advertising on TikTok works, explain how to launch an advertising campaign on the platform and provide the tips that you should follow to run TikTok ads in an efficient way. On top of that, we’ll describe the pros and cons of advertising on TikTok and this will help you decide if TikTok advertising is the right choice for your business.
So, let’s get started.
How to Get Started with TikTok Advertising
TikTok advertising always begins with preparation. Initially, a TikTok ads campaign has to be created and the process of creating a TikTok ad campaign consists of the various stages. Let’s have a look at the main steps of creating a TikTok ads campaign.
Step 1: Create a business account on TikTok
It all begins with creating a TikTok account. Initially, you have to create a personal account on TikTok and after that you have to switch from a regular account to a business account on TikTok.
When creating a business account on TikTok, you have to provide the information on your business and choose a payment method. Advertisers can either pay for advertising on TikTok manually or select automatic payments.
After that, account information is submitted for approval and it usually takes 24 hours to get a TikTok business account approved. If your business account on TikTok has been approved, you can start using TikTok Ads Manager.
Step 2: Start using TikTok Ads manager
The platform offers TikTok Ads Manager to advertisers and it allows advertisers to create and manage ad campaigns easily. It’s necessary to login to a TikTok business account in order to start using a TikTok Ads Manager.
Step 3: Select either simplified mode or custom mode
TikTok Ads Manager offers two options to advertisers, so they can use either a simplified or custom version of TikTok Ads Manager.
A simplified mode is a basic version and this version is suitable for businesses of small and medium sizes, it is easy to use and doesn’t require special knowledge as well as experience.
The custom version is suitable for more experienced advertisers and it requires more complex configuration, so they can create groups of TikTok ads and use a bidding strategy in a custom mode.
Step 4: Set goals for a TikTok advertising campaign
When creating TikTok ads, advertisers also need to set goals for their campaigns. TikTok ads are used for various purposes and allow advertisers to increase traffic to a website, grow online presence, build a community, increase the awareness of a brand, get more video views, generate customer leads, drive more website conversions or app installs. Select the goals that meet your marketing needs best.
Step 5: Identify the target audience for a TikTok Ad campaign
TikTok ads have to be put in front of the right audience and that’s why it’s so important to identify the target audience for TikTok advertising campaigns in advance. With TikTok ads, it’s possible to select age, gender, location and the areas of interests for the target audience. If the target audience is identified correctly, TikTok ads will be shown to the right people and this will help you boost the efficiency of TikTok ads.
Step 6: Choose the right type of ads for TikTok advertising
Just like any other social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok offers different types of ads such as videos, images, ads in the feed (the so-called in-feed video ads), hashtag challenges, branded effects, spark ads, carousel ads, playable ads, top view ads and shopping ads and you have to run the right type of ads to attract the target audience to businesses.
Step 7: Set a budget and schedule for a TikTok Ad campaign
When using TikTok ads, advertisers should take into account locations, interests and behaviors of potential customers. By doing so, they will manage to show their ads to the right people on TikTok and this helps increase the efficiency of a TikTok ad campaign.
Advertisers can allow the TikTok ads platform to optimize their budgets or control their spendings individually, they just have to decide how much they want to spend on TikTok ads every day and set a budget for an advertising campaign. It’s possible to specify how long TikTok ads have to be shown to the target audience and TikTok ad campaign can be stopped or modified anytime if such a need arises.
Step 8: Create a TikTok ads campaign
You have to create a new ad campaign in order to get started with TikTok advertising, so pick a name for your TikTok advertising campaign and select a category for your TikTok ad campaign.
Step 9: Create an Ad group
When advertisers select the custom mode in TikTok Ads Manager, they can create a TikTok ad group that has a collection of TikTok ads. The process of creating an ad group consists of two stages: 1) it’s necessary to select a name for the TikTok ads group and 2) the group’s settings have to be edited, for example, advertisers can allow users to leave comments and share video ads for an ad group on TikTok.
Step 10: Submit TikTok ads
Once you’ve created your ad on TikTok, it’s time to submit it and the content is uploaded on TikTok at this stage. You have to set a landing page before submitting your TikTok ads and provide a link to a website that you are promoting.
TikTok ads are reviewed within 24 hours and you’ll be able to run your TikTok ads when the review process is complete, so you have to optimize your ad campaign and try to get the most out of your TikTok advertising efforts.
Different Types of TikTok Ads
TikTok ads are available in different formats, so advertisers have to explore all their options carefully and pick the ad format that meets their needs in the best possible way. Below, we’ll briefly describe the most popular types of TikTok ads to help advertisers make a smart choice.
Video ads are a very popular TikTok advertising technique and ads of this type would be the perfect choice if you are just getting started with TikTok advertising. Initially, a video is created and it has to contain a link to a website or app and after that a video has to be promoted.
Let’s say that you would like to use video ads to promote your business on TikTok. In this case, you also need to select the placement for your ads where your TikTok video ads will be shown: in-feed, in post roll, on detail page or you can use the power of stories to promote a business with videos on TikTok.
In-feed video ads work well for businesses of different types and TikTok ads of this type look like the content that’s generated by users, the only difference is that in-feed TikTok ads have a “Sponsored” tag. Advertisers can also add a call-to-action button to in-feed TikTok ads.
In-feed TikTok ads are an effective way to promote a business site or app and this type of advertising allows business owners to increase website conversions and get more app installs and in-feed TikTok ads also help get more views, likes, shares as well as comments on TikTok.
Image ads can be also used for TikTok advertising, but an image that’s used for ads has to contain a brand as well as advertising text.
Carousel ads are worth considering if you want to advertise your business in TikTok’s news feed app series. Carousel ads can contain up to 10 images.
Hashtag challenges are the type of advertising that’s used to advertise a business and its brand on TikTok platform. Advertisers can create a hashtag for a brand and then promote it on TikTok.
Branded effects are another effective way to promote a brand on TikTok because the platform has a large collection of video effects that can be used for advertising. This advertising technique is very similar to hashtag challenges, so people can interact with brands on TikTok when this ad format is used. Some major companies use this ad format to promote their brands and this method provides high levels of engagement. However, branded effects on TikTik are not a cheap option and that means that advertisers must have certain experience to advertise on TikTok this way.
Tips for Running Successful TikTok Ad Campaign
There are many things to consider when advertising on TikTok. That’s why running an effective TikTok ad campaign is not always easy and advertisers face various challenges when promoting businesses with TikTok ads.
However, things will go easier if you know how to run a successful TikTok ad campaign. Here are tips that advertisers need to follow to maximize the efficiency of their TikTok ad campaigns.
- Post videos on TikTok at the right time. It’s not enough to create ads for TikTok ad campaigns and show them to the target audience. Don’t forget that timing is a key to success in TikTok advertising. It would be better to show TikTok ads at the right time, so you should display your ads when the target audience is the most active on the platform.
- Learn about the ideal video length for TikTok. Videos for TikTok ads don’t have to be either too short or too long because users usually don’t want to watch such videos. The ideal length for TikTok videos is about 21 – 34 seconds and TikTok ads that contain the videos of this length provide the maximum conversion.
- Use a Smart Video feature to create videos for TikTok. It’s fair to say that the success of TikTok advertising depends a lot on the quality of videos as high quality videos help advertisers impress the target audience. The platform provides advertisers with the so-called Smart Video feature that they can use to create great videos for TikTok ad campaigns, so this feature can become a good alternative to the modern video editing tools.
- Add the right Call to Actions (CTAs) for TikTok ads. Advertisers should aim to create clickable ads for TikTok advertising campaigns. Keep in mind that effective CTAs make TikTok ads more clickable, so TikTok ads with call to actions draw the attention of users and it’s also important to note that such ads have higher conversion rates and generate more sales.
- Perform the competitor research. Competitor research plays an important role in advertising on TikTok and it would be great to do competitor research before getting started with ads. This way, you’ll see how competitors run their ads campaigns and promote their businesses on the platform. Analyzing competitors carefully helps advertisers come up with great TikTok advertising ideas to create an attractive TikTok ads campaign and run it efficiently.
As you can see, there are many ways to optimize TikTok ads campaigns and, of course, you should do every single thing possible to increase the efficiency of TikTok ads. Follow these tips to create a TikTok ads campaign that works and manage it effectively.
Pros and Cons of TikTok Advertising
Just like any advertising solution, TikTok has its own pros and cons and those advertisers, who are planning to use TikTok ads, have to analyze the weak and strong sides of the ad platform before getting started. Let’s dig deeper into the advantages and disadvantages of doing TikTok advertising for businesses.
Pros of Advertising on TikTok
- TikTok ads allow advertisers to promote products internationally. TikTok is one of the most downloaded apps in the world that has users from different countries. This makes TikTok the ideal advertising platform for businesses that sell their products globally. TikTok ads make it possible to promote products worldwide and reach a large and diverse audience.
- TikTok ads attract the target audience. Precise targeting is another important advantage of TikTok advertising campaigns. Advertisers have an opportunity to specify the target audience for their ads by selecting locations, interests, devices, age and behaviors for their TikTok ad campaigns. Initially, the marketing research is performed and the target audience is identified and after that it’s necessary to adjust a TikTok ad campaign for custom audiences. As a result, TikTok ads will be shown to the right people and this will help advertisers achieve the maximum results.
- Easy video production. TikTok has all the necessary built-in tools that allow advertisers to create the content for advertising on the platform easily and quickly. Advertisers can use various effects, filters and transitions to create visually appealing content for TikTok ads. And of course, highly engaging video content will help TikTok ads stand out and draw the attention of users on the platform.
- Different ad formats. The platform offers a large variety of ad formats and templates, so advertisers can diversify their strategies by using different ad formats in their campaigns. Using the advanced built-in tools makes it possible to create effective and engaging ads for their TikTok campaigns easily. And the best part is that you don’t have to be a professional video editor to create TikTok ads. It’s a great idea to try different types of TikTok ads and analyze the performance of an advertising campaign and after that you have to focus on the most cost-effective TikTok advertising solutions that provide the highest return on investment.
- High level of engagement. Interesting videos are actively discussed and promoted quickly on TikTok, so the platform has a high audience engagement rate. People like to watch TikTok videos and they share, like and leave comments on video content. Business owners can engage with the target audiences in different ways. For example, they can add captions to videos and reply to the comments that users leave on videos.
- Effective ad performance metrics. TikTok has the advanced analytics tools that advertisers can use to measure the performance of their TikTok ads and evaluate the results. The platform provides detailed data on TikTok ad campaigns and customized reports with the information on ad’s performance, impressions, ad spendings, conversions and other important parameters. After studying the efficiency of TikTok ads, advertisers can make the necessary changes to their ad campaigns and improve their TikTok advertising strategies.
- Great influencer marketing opportunities. TikTok has many influencers on its platform, so advertisers on TikTok can easily establish partnerships with the influencers, who work in their niches, and send a brand message to their established audiences.
Cons of Advertising on TikTok
- High advertising costs. TikTok specializes in cost-effective advertising solutions. However, TikTok advertising costs are higher compared to other advertising platforms, so it can be very expensive to launch an ad campaign on TikTok and, therefore, TikTok advertising is not a good option for businesses with the limited marketing budgets. Advertisers have to hire professionals to get high quality videos for their TikTok ad campaigns and they also have to pay for running TikTok ads. The most expensive forms of TikTok advertising are: paid promotions, sponsored content and influencer partnerships.
- Content format limitations. When creating the content for TikTok, advertisers have to deal with certain limitations and that’s why producing video content for TikTok ads can be hard. It’s important to know that TikTok videos should last no longer than 60 seconds, but advertisers may need to create longer videos for TikTok ads campaigns. For example, it’s necessary to create longer videos for product reviews. In this case, advertisers have to create longer videos in order to describe the key product’s features.
- TikTok is popular among young people. The vast majority of TikTok users are under 30 years old and young people often don’t have enough money to make purchases, however, the number of older TikTok users is constantly growing.
Start Advertising on TikTok
There is no doubt that TikTok advertising is worth it! TikTok ads campaigns work well and provide high return on investment.
It’s also important to note that TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media platforms. The platform continues to grow and it will become even more popular in the future.
That means that it makes a lot of sense to invest in TikTok advertising, so it’s time to create the first TikTok ad campaign and start advertising on the platform right now!
