How to launch your first effective ads on TikTok?

So, as an advertiser, how do you leverage this ever-growing social network by creating ads on TikTok for your brand? 
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‍Find out how to reach your customers and engage passionate communities in a low ad-clutter environment in this article.

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Let's get started: some figures about TikTok

According to the latest figures, TikTok represents:

• 1,02 billion active users each month
• 57% women and 43% men
• 39.8% of users are in the 18-24 age group
• An average time spent per day on the application of 45.8 minutes
• An opening rate of 9 times per day 
• +150 countries in which the app is present
• +75 languages available

These figures should motivate you to launch your advertising campaigns on this creative platform!

What kind of audience can you target on TikTok?

Despite what one might think, launching an advertising campaign on TikTok is not only about targeting young audiences - even if they still represent a large part of TikTokers. From now on, the app will host niches grouped by interests (#FoodTok, #CarTok, #BeautyTok...) that include users of all ages and types.

So what targeting options are available to advertisers via TikTok Ads? 

Your TikTok advertising campaign allows you to choose your audiences... 

• Based on their demographics (age, gender).
• By geolocation (country, region, state, province) and language.
• By interests (Comedy, Fashion and Accessories, Culture and Arts, Movies, Video Games, Sports and Outdoor...).
• By operating system (iOS or Android).
• Custom: You can upload your database to the ad platform to target your existing contacts, target your app users, retarget your website visitors, or target users who have interacted with your content.
• By lookalike audiences: these are new users, defined by the algorithm, who are close to your target audience by their behavior or interests.

For example, let's say you want to create a TikTok ad for your main persona: Tom, a future DJ. You can choose the following targeting criteria:

• Gender: male
• Age: 19 years old 
• OS: Android
• Geolocation: London
• Interests: electronic music/sneakers
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What advertising goals should you set for your campaigns on TikTok?

As you know, to run a successful social media ad campaign, you must first set advertising goals that align with your overall marketing goals. 

Good news: the advertising formats offered by TikTok Ads can cover all your communication goals, from awareness to customer loyalty, through acquisition and conversion.

You can, for example, pursue branding goals to drive engagement with the most relevant and present audiences on the application. In this case, you will track KPIs such as Cost Per Click, Cost Per Completed View, and Click Through Rate for your ads.

Here’s another example: you set acquisition goals to acquire first-party qualitative data (email addresses, phone numbers). You will then set up automated forms integrated into the videos and track the Cost per Engagement of your campaign.

The last example of an interesting goal of TikTok Ads is to promote your products directly on the platform via TikTok Collection Ads. The idea is simple: you set up a showcase of your products, among which users can scroll without ever leaving the app.

How to manage the budget of your TikTok advertising campaigns?

The budget management of your TikTok ads works either with a daily budget or with a total budget for your campaign. The application suggests starting by defining a daily budget to control your expenses.

Note that the minimum budget to launch a TikTok Ads campaign is currently 50€ per day. 

Afterward, you can select a cost cap and a bid cap.

Be careful not to make budget changes before the campaign is sufficiently advanced: the TikTok Ads algorithm goes through a learning phase before optimizing your advertising expenses.

“The winning combo when it comes to TikTok advertising? The combination of real expertise of the advertising platform, consistent test-and-learn, and the synergy between your different advertising levers. Arbitrate your overall advertising budget so you can spend exactly what you need to achieve your marketing goals.” Taulant Ramadani, Head of Ad operations at Gamned!

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What are advertising formats available on TikTok Ads?

You must choose the right type of TikTok ads to achieve your goals.

The platform offers a variety of ad types.

Top View

This advertising format allows you to highlight your brand as soon as the user opens TikTok to engage your audience powerfully. The videos are 5 to 60 seconds long and start playing automatically with sound activated. 

With this format, you can work on your branding as well as your conversions since you can redirect users to a dedicated Landing Page of your website, your application, or your TikTok profile. In addition, you are guaranteed a minimum of 2.9 million impressions with this format.

Brand Takeover

Like the Top View format, the Brand Takeover allows you to advertise with shorter videos (3 to 5 seconds) appearing when the application is opened.

In-Feed Video

When you choose this TikTok ad format, you're running a narrative video ad embedded in users' feeds, designed to get users to interact with your content. It’s ideal for a reach campaign or to boost your organic content!

Your videos must be in 9:16 format and can last up to 60 seconds. They play automatically, with sound, and in full screen. 

You have over 26 call-to-action and targeting options and can redirect users to your website or mobile app.

Branded Hashtag Challenge

This unique and attractive format allows you to boost your brand's visibility and engage users. It invites them to generate content around a custom brand challenge concept. It’s perfect for stimulating the creation of User Generated Content.

This format requires the creation of a challenge page, which is highlighted by the TikTok algorithm for two months.

Branded Effects

Engage your target audience with the creation of a personalized branded effect powered by intelligent video recognition technology (2D, 3D, or augmented reality). More than 20 gestures and facial expressions are applicable to trigger or interact with the effect. It is about encouraging engagement and UGC. 

Spark Ads

This ad format allows you to boost organic posts occasionally. They will then appear on the For You page of the users.

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What are the best practices for creating ads on TikTok?

Only launch your first TikTok ad with these five best advertising practices!

• Keep it short. Your ad should be short and dynamic, clearly delivering your brand message and call to action. Make sure you capture attention in the first 3 seconds. Don't hesitate to do A/B testing on the duration of your ads.
• Be creative. Creativity is the basis of the platform: get out of your comfort zone, and dare to make very striking ads! For example, play with brand effects, and capitalize on sound to hold attention.
• Carefully craft your call-to-actions. They must be strong and explicit to encourage clicks and conversions.
• Make the platform's codes your own. TikTok has particular cultural and visual codes you need to learn to master the use in your campaigns. This is especially true for the In-Feed Native Video ad format, where your ad must look like an organic TikTok in order to be viewed.
• Focus on authenticity. Focus on the human element, stimulate the creation of UGC and emotion, and personalize your messages according to your audience segments.

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How to measure the impact of your campaigns?

The last crucial element to ensure your TikTok ads' performance is measuring your campaigns' impact. 

Make sure to track your campaign KPIs: impressions and clicks, app downloads, visibility, post-test studies... If you have a conversion goal, remember to install the TikTok pixel. This pixel allows you to track all actions on your site or app (visits, leads, app downloads, sales...).

Finally, remember to define precise attribution rules for your campaign. This way, you'll have a clear view of your ROI and the effectiveness of your ads.