4 Ways to Optimize Your Advertising Campaign on TikTok

If you are a part of the 1.7 billion+ active monthly users on TikTok, you know how monumental this platform is. While its advanced algorithm delivers curated content to users based on their interests (among other factors), TikTok essentially offers a unique experience for each user; think of each TikTok For You Page like a digital snowflake – no two are the same.

With the uniqueness comes a vast audience of users, which can make marketing on the platform feel daunting. What should the content focus on? How long should the clips be? Should it feel more natural or professional? These questions can cause some hesitation, but having a solid strategy in place can make navigating marketing on TikTok much easier.

Below we have outlined some of the ways you can begin to optimize your advertising campaign efforts. Before you get started, be sure to check out TikTok for Business for more of the technical details of getting your ad up on the platform.

Who is the demographic on TikTok?

Let’s first uncover who the audiences are on the platform to better understand exactly who your business could target. There is clear popularity among the younger demographic, with 386.6 million users aged 18 to 24 years old, which makes up 43.7% of the users on TikTok. Meanwhile, those between 25 to 34 years old account for 282 million, which is 31.9% of the total number of users on the platform, and those 55 years old and above account for 3.4%. There are also more female users (56%) than males (44%) globally.

Reaching Audiences on TikTok

According to recent statistics from April 2022, 970.2 million global users aged 18+ can be reached by ads on TikTok, and in North America alone, 148.5 million aged 18+.

While a significant number of users are reachable, are they taking action based on the content they see? According to TikTok, users are 2x as likely to recommend a product/service that they found on the platform compared to users on other platforms. Meanwhile, 37% of users are in the top third of spenders making them 61% more likely to be top spenders compared to users on other platforms. Additionally, 57% of users look for details about where they can purchase the products they see, which is significantly higher than other social platforms (84%), and almost 65% do that research online with 54% doing so in person.

But it doesn’t stop there – users are taking action even after the purchase. TikTok users are two times more likely to keep engaging with a brand post-purchase compared to users on other platforms, are 2.4x more likely to make a post and tag the brand they purchased from, and are more than twice as likely to send a DM to a brand or leave a comment after making a purchase.

As for brand discoverability, almost three in five users discover new brands/products on TikTok and are 38% more likely to research brands that they discover using the platform. This, tied with the action that TikTok users undertake after purchasing from a brand, can be great news to a brand as it can lead to increased engagement levels and can strengthen long-lasting relationships that generate future sales.

Now that have a better understanding of the audience on the platform, let’s get into the ways you can optimize your advertising efforts to reach your target audience.

RELATED

How to Create Click-Worthy Ads on Facebook

1. Ensure Ads Are Native

When posting on TikTok, your ads should appear as though they “fit in” with the content already on the app. This means it should be shot vertically to fit TikTok dimensions and include some of the common features found on the platform, such as music from their library (preferably a trending sound), a voiceover, or text, all of which users are used to seeing and using.

When creating ads, which should be on the shorter side (15 seconds and under), you want to get the attention of your audience, just as a typical TikTok video would that receives a lot of engagement. Try out different styles, such as interesting video transitions or video responses to customer questions. A great tool you can access is TikTok’s Creative Center, where you can search trending hashtags, songs, creators, and videos to gain some inspiration. Browsing through these videos can be a great help when creating your ad campaigns, as it can help ensure that you have the look and feel of the content that is performing well.

2. Promote Authenticity In your Ads

Generally, ads that are clearly branded and that lack authenticity will not fare well among consumers, especially since 90% say authenticity is an important factor when they choose which brands they want to support. However, specifically on TikTok, authenticity can be incredibly important. Research conducted by the platform found that 61% of users report TikTok advertising is unique from other top social platforms. This is largely because this is an app where many users report feeling positive, inspired, and entertained by the content (advertisements included), according to their findings.

Generation Z (those born between 1997 – 2012) want authenticity from brands, as many in this generation want to uncover more about a brand, its mission and values, etc. The more honest and real a brand can be, the better.

Since TikTok is popular among this younger generation, emphasizing authenticity within your ads can be extremely appealing, especially if this is your target audience. Illustrating who your business is and what you stand for, and demonstrating this in your ads, can be a great strategy to take in your ad campaigns.

User-generated content is also seen as highly authentic, which is something brands can utilize on TikTok, especially since it’s an app full of creators. Creating ads with real people can help fulfil part of the authenticity factor, while also making the ad fit in with other content. A good tool you can turn to for this is TikTok’s Creator Marketplace where brands and creators can collaborate on the platform to create this type of content.

3. Utilize TikTok’s Audience & Targeting Features

TikTok has several great tools related to ad targeting, all of which you can access in TikTok for Business and your TikTok Ads Manager. Some of which include:

• Ad Targeting – you can target based on audience, demographics, interests/behaviours, device, and more.
• Location Targeting – if you want to target an audience based on their location, you can do so via their country, region, province/state, city, etc.
• Interest Targeting – this is based on users’ long-term interests and engagement with TikTok content. This can be helpful if you want your ads to reach those that have an interest in the products/interests your ad promotes.
• Behaviour Targeting – this is based on a TikTok user’s recent in-app behaviour, rather than their long-term engagement like interest targeting focuses on.
• Automatic Targeting – TikTok will automatically optimize the process of audience targeting based on several factors of the ad.
• Custom Audiences – this ad targeting option will find the users who have engaged with your business, which can be helpful for re-marketing.
• Custom Audience Auto-Refresh – TikTok Ads Manager will automatically refresh every day after you create an audience, and this will provide you with up-to-date user data that you can use to better understand your audience.
• Lookalike Audience – this can be extremely beneficial for businesses, as you can find audiences that are similar to those that already purchase from you, making the ability to reach a wider audience much easier.

Be sure to look around and see what features are available that can allow your ad campaign to reach your target audience and other interested prospective customers.

4. Consider Your Description

When posting on TikTok, users typically add a description to their video, and businesses can do the same on ads. The description can be a great place to include an enticing call to action (CTA) and add any necessary additional information that you couldn’t fit in the ad. Some users may pull up your description while your ad is playing, so include relevant and useful details that they might have missed from the ad.

What you add in the description plays an important role in getting the ad to your audience, which is why including relevant and trending hashtags can be a great addition. Keep in mind that there is a character limit, so keep your description short and concise, ideally with three to five hashtags.

Keep TikTok’s Specifications In Mind

With TopView and In-Feed ad options, there are several opportunities for your brand to grow and reach your target audience on this substantial platform. As you proceed with your ad campaign, be sure to check TikTok’s video and image ads specifications, as you will want to comply with what is outlined.

Advertising social media advertising TikTok

WRITTEN BY

Alexandra Few

Alexandra is a Content Producer at Reshift Media. Her work in our social team includes creating and designing content for social media, as well as researching and developing blog posts, landing pages, and other forms of web content for several brands. She has completed certifications in digital marketing, professional writing, and digital strategy and communications management, and she has published work on topics that range from franchising and social media to music and wellness.