TikTok advertising may seem intimidating for beginners, but it’s certainly worth getting into. The app has a wide reach, making it one of the most lucrative platforms for social media advertising. Moreover, it has some of the best engagement and can quickly promote brand awareness.
What Is TikTok Advertising?
TikTok began dominating the social media industry around 2018. It quickly rose in status and became the most downloaded mobile app globally in 2022, surpassing Meta apps like Instagram and WhatsApp. This rise to prominence, and several other impressive notable TikTok stats, made the app attractive not only to regular users but also to brands and creators.
Unsurprisingly, TikTok advertising has become one of the most lucrative ways to promote brands on social media. TikTok ads are promoted content on the app paid for by various brands and creators. Like other social media advertising, bands pay to promote these ads to their target audience. TikTok ads are often made to sell products and services or raise a brand’s social media presence or brand awareness. Although many TikTok ads come in full-screen videos, they come in many forms. There are three main levels:
- TikTok Ads. These ads come as a single advertisement, usually in a video promoting an offer or a brand’s products and services.
- TikTok Ad Groups. These ads are a cluster of individual TikTok ads.
- TikTok Campaigns. These ads are a cluster of TikTok ad groups.
Types of TikTok Ads
Advertising on TikTok can come in various forms. Each allows creators to tailor how users access and interact with the advertisement. Choosing the right one is important to ensure you’re reaching your goal. Here are the different types of TikTok ads creators and brands can use.
In-Feed Ads. These ads are those creators can make themselves through the Ad Manager. They are shown in a user’s news feed or “For You Page.”- TikTok Video Ads. These ads look like regular videos, but interaction leads to an app installation or a specific landing page.
- Spark Ads. These ads promote organic content from a user’s account and do not disappear after the brand stops paying for their promotion.
- Image Ads. These ads are still photos with an app or brand name and text.
- Playable Ads. These ads encourage engagement by offering a sort of mini-game.
- Shopping Ads. These ads are the successor of Dynamic Showcase and Collection ads. They are still being tested and are only available to a few advertisers.
- Carousel Ads. These ads are available under BuzzVideo. Advertisers can upload up to 10 photos with separate captions in one carousel ad.
- Pangle Ads. These promotions are set through the TikTok Audience Network.
- TopView Ads. These ads are only accessible to managed brands with a TikTok sales representative. Full-screen takeover videos appear for 5-60 seconds upon opening the app.
- Branded Hashtag Challenge. These ads are only accessible to managed brands with a TikTok sales representative. They appear as three to six-day campaigns to promote engagement. User-made videos appear on the hashtag challenge page.
- Branded Effects. These ads are only accessible to managed brands with a TikTok sales representative. They include branded special effects, filters, and stickers that promote brand interaction.
How Much Do TikTok Ads Cost?
TikTok ad pricing can be complex for new users. That’s because the cost isn’t so clear-cut as TikTok uses a bidding or auction model. The advertiser often decides how much to pay per click, impression, and view. An advertiser’s bid will determine how competitive the advertiser will be to reach their goal. However, there is a minimum threshold for TikTok Ad Groups and TikTok Campaigns:
- TikTok Ad Groups. Each group costs at least USD 20 for each day the group is active.
- TikTok Campaigns. Each campaign costs at least USD 50 for each active campaign day.
As for the bidding methods, there are four bidding methods available for TikTok ads. These include the following:
- CPV or Cost Per Thousand Views. This method counts views when a user watches the video for over 6 seconds or when users interact with the video in the first 6 seconds, whichever comes first. The method is ideal for getting more views.
- CPM or Cost Per Thousand Impressions. This method pushes the ad to maximize the number of impressions it gets. It’s best for broadening a brand’s reach.
- oCPM or Optimized Cost Per Thousand Impressions. This method will show the ads to users likely to finish a conversion event, install an app, or become a lead. It’s ideal for gaining followers, sales, or app installations.
- CPC or Cost Per Click. This method is ideal for app installations, conversion, profile visits, and making sales.
Specs for TikTok Advertising
When creating a TikTok ad, it’s crucial to ensure it has the right format, size, and shape. The optimal specifications for video ads are:
- Video Resolution: 540×960 px, 640×640 px, or 960×540 px
- Aspect Ratio: 9:16, 16:9, or 1:1
- Video Length: 5 seconds to 1 minute (optimally 9 to 15 seconds)
- File Type: Mpeg, Mov, Mp4, Avi, or 3gp
- Size: Maximum 500MB
How to Dive Into TikTok Ads for Beginners
Eager to set up the best TikTok ads to promote your brand? Here’s what you can do to set them up from a TikTok ad account and start with TikTok advertising.
1. Make a TikTok Ad Account
Open TikTok and create an account on the TikTok Ads Manager. Select your country or region and choose whether you’re running ads as an individual or business. Click “Next” and add your email or phone number and password. Verify your account and agree to the terms and conditions. After approval, you may head to your dashboard and finish setting up the account by following the instructions.
2. Install TikTok Pixel
If you have a website, it’s best to install TikTok Pixel, as this code gathers important information about site activity. This can tell you how users have landed on your website, where they are, and what device they use. Once installed, create your Pixel by heading to the TikTok Ads Manager and then set up a Web Event. Download or copy the code and paste it to your website’s header.
3. Start a Campaign
All the top TikTok ads start by creating a new ad campaign. Head to the “Campaigns” tab and press the “Create” button. Choose an advertising objective and name your campaign. You may also set a minimum, daily, or lifetime budget.
4. Make an Ad Group
Create an ad group and name the group. Head to “Placement” and click “Advanced Settings” to choose whether users can download, share, or comment on your video ads. Select a target demographic by specifying the age group, language, gender, location, and other targets. You may also set “Content Exclusions” to set whether your ad can appear alongside mature content.
You can also curate the ad placement to manually choose where the ads appear on TikTok and its partner platforms. Beginners can choose “Automatic Placement” so the app can optimize where to place the ad. Once this is done, set the budget and schedule. The minimum budget you can set per day is $20. You can also set how long the ad will run and if it will run at all times or only during set periods.
5. Upload the Ad
After setting things up, it’s time to upload your content. Make sure to upload the video or image according to TikTok’s best specifications. Write a caption to entice the viewers or tell them about the promotion. You can also enter a display name or use the brand’s TikTok account instead. Afterward, you can set the destination page or landing page to redirect users to a website. Advertisers may also use Instant Pages to link to an in-app page. Finally, users can set up tracking on the website, app, or third-party sites.
Once this is done, advertisers can hit “Submit” to send the ad for review. TikTok advertising submissions are often reviewed 24 hours after being sent.
Promote Your Brand on the Most Popular Social Media App
TikTok advertising can be difficult for new creators and brands unfamiliar with the platform. However, they’re certainly not too difficult to set up and can provide numerous benefits for those who want to expand their reach or promote their offerings. TikTok is one of the largest social media platforms and will undoubtedly be effective for digital marketing.
If you’re having trouble creating an effective social media campaign, you might need professional help. Tanner Grey offers industry-leading social media marketing solutions for businesses of all sizes. Contact us online or reach out to us at 844.500.1339 to learn more!
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