How to Get The Most out of TikTok Ads
Last updated on September 21st, 2023 at 04:27 pm
TikTok ads represent an excellent opportunity for today’s companies. Boasting more than 1 billion monthly active users and an ever-growing global presence, TikTok has rapidly emerged as a crucial tool for brands seeking exposure.
While it’s possible to succeed on TikTok with organic content alone, TikTok ads offer an excellent opportunity to heighten brand awareness and drive better results. However, since advertisements on TikTok haven’t been around for very long, most people still don’t know how to use them correctly.
Today, we’re going to be sharing some top tips on how to make the most of your TikTok ads.
1. Choose An Advertising Option That Works For You
TikTok represents one of the top social media platforms in the world, with exceptionally high engagement, and a range of ways for brands to stand out. There are several different kinds of ads available for TikTok companies, and each has specific benefits, such as:
In-feed Ads:
In-Feed ads are the standard ad format for TikTok, allowing users to embed video ads to auto-play on the “For You” page of your target audience. In-feed ads look like native content, so they’re less likely to be deemed “overly promotional” by viewers. They can also feature helpful extras like CTA buttons to drive traffic to your brand’s account or an external landing page.
In-feed ads are ideal for connecting with your audience through a simple, action-focused strategy. Purelei achieved a 2.91% engagement rate with their In-Feed ads, which featured a collaboration with Nina Chuba, a singer and content creator.
TopView Ads:
TopView ads take advantage of the prime real estate at the top of the “For You” page. As soon as a potential customer clicks on the TikTok app, they’ll see your ad. This solution ensures you can show videos up to 60 seconds long, without the need to compete for content. You also increase brand awareness with Top-view ads through impressions.
When Samsung launched its new Galaxy Note 20 with TikTok’s TopView ad format, it achieved 6.8 million views, as well as 30,000 new account followers.
Branded Effects:
Branded Effects give you a new way to connect with your audience through shareable filters, special effects, and stickers. You can unleash your creativity with fun and visual experiences like stickers and filters which help people to engage with your content.
If you don’t want to be overly “obvious” with your advertising campaigns, branded effects can be an excellent option. Kia used this method to promote its new car model and achieved 1.2 billion views and a massive 13.7% engagement rate.
Branded Hashtag Challenge:
Hashtag challenges have long been a valuable option for TikTok ads, even before the platform began offering promotional services. TikTok hashtag challenges involve asking a customer to do something specific when connecting with your brands like a new dance or a feat of athletic skill.
The best thing about branded hashtag challenges is they get people talking about your business. If you want the best shot at taking your business viral, a hashtag challenge is a great choice. When Universal Pictures used a hashtag challenge to promote “The House with a Clock in its Walls,” they encouraged more than 19,000 user-generated videos.
2. Partner With TikTok Influencers
No matter what kind of TikTok ad you choose, you can enhance the impact of any marketing effort with the help of influencers. Influencers on TikTok have already earned the attention and trust of your target audience. Collaborating with them on a hashtag challenge or an engaging advertising video is an excellent way to make your promotional strategy seem more credible.
The key to success with any influencer campaign is finding the right people to partner with. A TikTok account search should help with this. Look for an influencer who has a strong presence in your industry by searching for keywords and hashtags connected to your niche. You should also be considering the engagement level of any influencer you want to collaborate with. Remember, they need to not only attract audience attention but encourage them to connect, too.
You can even create your hashtag challenge with influencers too like Pepsi did with the #Pepsicanbalance hashtag:
Remember, when partnering with influencers, it’s often helpful to get their insight on the kind of TikTok campaigns most likely to generate results for your business.
3. Use Captions And Popular Sounds
When you’re creating your TikTok ads, you should be optimizing them as much as possible. This means making sure you produce high-quality videos whenever you can, using the best possible camera and lighting. However, don’t forget to take full advantage of TikTok features, too.
TikTok offers everything from effects to filters to make your content stand out. One particularly important feature is “sounds.” With sounds, you can improve your visibility on TikTok, as TikTok users can search for videos by tapping on a sound they like. Sounds also help to grab the audience’s attention and make your content more attractive.
When Elf Cosmetics used TikTok influencer marketing to enhance their TikTok ads, they ended up with a viral video, made all the more popular by the presence of TikTok celebrities, and a custom sound. The song even went viral on Instagram and YouTube.
Alongside your songs and sounds, make sure you optimize your captions, too. A caption should explain what’s going on in your video, as well as list hashtags you want to rank for, like #FYP. Like most social platforms, TikTok uses hashtags to help users find content.
4. Keep It Short And To The Point
No matter how attractive and compelling you consider your TikTok ads to be, it’s worth remembering the average person doesn’t visit TikTok to look at advertisements. TikTok appeals to most younger customers because they want to see fun, light-hearted, and human content online – not endless promotions. Get straight to the point with your marketing campaigns.
Simple, straightforward videos will gain a lot more attention than complicated content. Additionally, it’s worth making sure you take extra steps to make your video as personable and as genuine as possible. Think about the kind of personality you want to shine through in your content, and remember your audience is looking for someone they can connect with.
Short and engaging videos can include anything from your employees showing off your products, to testimonials from happy customers.
TikTok Ads: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much does a TikTok ad cost?
TikTok ads can cost anything from $0.50 per 1000 views to $0.02 per click. There’s a minimum spend of $500 for your ad campaigns before you can get started. If you prefer to work with an influencer instead, you can use a TikTok money calculator to determine how much a professional might cost to work with.
Q: How can I find TikTok ads?
TikTok launched a new “Top Ads” library tool, which allows you to search for the best-performing TikTok ad campaigns by region and vertical, so you can gain some handy inspiration for your campaigns.
Q: How do you set up ads on TikTok?
Start by creating an Ads account with TikTok. You’ll need a business account so you can create your ad campaign and start setting up your ad groups. The exact steps you’ll need to follow will depend on the kind of TikTok ads you want to run. You’ll need to submit your ad to TikTok and get it approved before it will show on the platform.
Brands Killing The TikTok Ads Game
Need some extra inspiration for your TikTok ads? Here are some excellent companies mastering the TikTok advertising game right now:
1. Pathe
Pathe wanted to reach as many people across the Netherlands as possible with its ad campaign, so it ran a series of In-Feed ads through the TikTok Ads Manager. The main objective of the campaign on TikTok was video views, reach, and engagement. With the campaign, Pathe was able to achieve a massive 5.6 million views.
More importantly, Pathe also achieved a fantastic like count of around 61,000, demonstrating engagement from its target audience.
2. Clearly:
The Canadian company was on a mission to eradicate vision problems when it started its ad campaign on TikTok. The company partnered with TikTok to launch the #ClearlyTransform hashtag challenge, designed to encourage a “feel good” attitude towards wearing glasses.
Also worked with various high-profile creators during the campaign to help with creating content for the hashtag challenge. The result was an incredible 20 million video views and an increase in followers of 12,000 within the first 6 days!
3. MetroTap:
South Carolina company “MetroTap” produces NFC technology to help connect people and link devices. The NFC tech allows users to share social media, payment platforms, music, and contact information by tapping a phone to another compatible device.
Working with TikTok, MetroTap used an extensive “Promote” campaign to improve their reach of various high-quality campaigns to a wide variety of viewers. MetroTap was able to significantly increase its sales by 78% and improve its follow rate by 11%.
4. Jenius:
A digital banking app, Jenius was struggling to refresh its campaign creatives. Over time, this caused the company to lose its appeal, which affected the brand’s business objectives. By participating in the TikTok Creative Program, Jenius was able to create more engaging videos for their performance campaigns.
The initiative helped the company to hone in on the creatives that would drive new installations and opportunities. The program also provided direct guidance to the company, which allowed it to start producing fantastic new campaigns. Now, the company is achieving around 45% more conversions with its campaigns.
5. McDonalds:
McDonalds celebrated 50 years in Australia in 2021. As part of the company’s birthday party, it wanted a way to reconnect with existing fans and engage people who might have drifted away from the brand. Alongside the golden arches, the iconic McDonald’s jingle is one of the most recognizable assets for the company.
McDonald’s asked six emerging Aussie artists to reinterpret the jingle in a range of musical flairs. The audio ideas were then embedded into the TikTok platform for other users to access. This use of sound was an excellent way to drive conversions for the brand, achieving around 41.2 million impressions.
Transform Your TikTok Ads
As TikTok continues to attract attention in the digital landscape, it’s more important than ever to ensure you’re taking advantage of the channel. With TikTok, you can easily grab the attention of a host of new fans and customers. All you need to do is learn how to use your TikTok ads correctly.
