TikTok, with billions of users worldwide, is not only a creative playground but also a fertile ground for brands to exploit revenue. In particular, TikTok ads are an effective method. Let’s learn with Ecomobi how to run effective Tiktok ads, optimizing costs in the following article.
What is Tikotk Ads? Why should you run an advertising campaign on TikTok?
TikTok Ads is a form of paid advertising on the TikTok platform. This is a way for your brand to appear in front of millions of users, at the right time, in the right place, and with the right audience. Imagine TikTok as a bustling market, where thousands of unique videos continuously pass by users’ eyes, TikTok Ads are the most prominent “stalls”, attracting attention at first glance.
The purchasing power of users on the platform is limitless
The latest TikTok algorithm has a major impact on the delivery of ads to the right audience based on user interests and behavior.
Advertising spending on TikTok is paying off. Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) brands have seen extremely positive ROAS (return on ad spend) and sales performance through TikTok, outperforming other platforms.
[ROAS is a metric that shows how effective an advertising campaign is by measuring revenue against advertising spend].
The US stands out with a significantly higher paid media ROAS of 96% on TikTok. Regions like the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia have also seen similar growth.
Studies in partnership with NCSolutions have revealed that TikTok ads generate nearly 2x the ROAS of TV ads, demonstrating TikTok’s absolute superiority in terms of customer reach and closing rates. Even though TikTok ads have a lower frequency of display, they achieve the same growth per 1,000 impressions (DPM) as TV ads. All of this shows the positive impact of TikTok ads on the retail industry worldwide.
Tiktok – The New Search Engine for GenZ?
If you’re not a laggard, you’re probably aware that TikTok has become the most popular search engine among Gen Zers and could even challenge Google’s dominance in the future. Studies show that millennials, ages 18-24, are turning to TikTok and Instagram as their go-to search engine.
Low competition and advertising bids
TikTok’s growing popularity has turned it into one of the hottest marketing channels, with ad spending expected to reach $8.75 billion by 2023. With a significant increase in ad reach of 14.6% year-over-year, TikTok is a promising platform to invest advertising dollars (compared to Google Ads or Facebook Ads, which are increasingly expensive and ineffective).
Available TikTok Ad Formats
TikTok offers a variety of ad formats to meet the diverse marketing goals of businesses. Here are the popular ad formats on the platform:
In-Feed Ads
- Appears in the video stream on the user’s For You page as they scroll through TikTok.
- Supports a variety of actions such as engagement (like, comment, share), website visits, app downloads, or purchases.
- Suitable for increasing brand awareness, engaging with users, and leading users directly to the business’s products or services.
Brand Takeover Ads
- Appears as soon as a user opens the TikTok app, usually as an image, GIF, or short video of 3-5 seconds.
- This type of TikTok advertising is exclusive, meaning only one brand is allowed to show it each day.
- This type of advertising is expensive and is designed for big brands who want to gain attention in a short time
TopView Ads
- Appears first in the list of videos on the For You page, allowing content to be displayed up to 60 seconds long.
- Ensure users pay attention to top priority placement, suitable for brand storytelling or product launch campaigns.
- According to TikTok, TikTok Top View ads are the top in terms of engagement (likes, comments, shares, etc.) and have a 67% higher sales efficiency than other types of ads.
Hashtag Challenge Ads
- Encourage users to participate in content creation by using the campaign hashtag ((e.g. #InMyDenim, #Maybeli)
- This is a suitable form of advertising to expand brand awareness, tie into the TikTok culture of challenges, and create user-generated content (UGC).
Branded effect
Custom effects (2D, 3D, AR) can be filter stickers or motion effects designed by brands for users to integrate into videos. Users can use these effects when recording videos to increase appeal, and fun, and help increase natural virality.
Collection Ads
Pair a video ad with a specific product in your shopping cart. When users click anywhere on the video ad, they’ll be redirected to a page that displays the product within the TikTok app.
Live Shopping Ads
- Combine live streaming with advertising to sell products in real-time.
- Especially effective for sales or product launches.
>>> Among the above methods of running Tiktok ads, In-Feed Ads and Hashtag Challenge Ads are highly appreciated for their ease of implementation, high appeal, and good cost-effectiveness (in the case of limited budgets).
Instructions on how to run Tiktok ads on computers
Step 1: Create a TikTok advertising account
- Go to TikTok Ads Manager ⮕ and click Start to create a TikTok advertising account. You can choose to create a Tiktok advertising account using email or phone number, but ECOMOBI recommends that you choose to Register with a Tiktok account (according to the Tiktok channel where you will run ads).
- After the computer screen displays the QR code ⮕ use the phone that is logged into the Tiktok channel to scan the code (Home page ⮕ 3 horizontal bars ⮕ My QR code ⮕ click on the icon in the upper right corner to scan).
- Fill in the required information. In the Phone number section, you register a phone number that has NEVER run Tiktok ads.
- In the Set up billing information Tax Status section, you leave it as default.
Step 2: Build an advertising campaign
After completing the above steps, the browser will switch to the Tiktok Ad Management tab,
However, you cannot set up a camp right away, you need to top up.
- Select Tools ⮕ Payment ⮕ Add Balance. TikTok requires a minimum top-up of 160,000 VND each time.
- Payment methods include: Credit card or Debit card, E-wallet, and bank transfer.
- Note: Cash balance is the amount you top up into your account, while Advertising Credit is the part that Tikotk gives to new advertising accounts and can also be used to run ads.
Click Create New and fill in all campaign information:
- Select Advertising Objectives including: increasing reach, video views, optimizing conversions, etc.
- Campaign name: should be named after the product name + creation date for easy tracking (maximum of about 512 characters).
Step 3: Set up your target audience
The important thing in how to run effective TikTok ads is that you need to define customers by demographics (geographic location, age, gender, language, spending ability, interests, and behavior.
Step 4: Set campaign budget
- Tiktok allows you to run ads according to Daily Budget and Total Budget. You should choose a daily budget (which will run from the time the ad is approved by TikTok until 12 am the same day. For example, if TikTok approves the ad at 6 pm – it will run until 00:00 the same day).
- The minimum amount of money will depend on the advertising goal selected above. For example, in the illustration, if the Advertising Goal is to Increase Video Views, the minimum budget for 1 day is 200,000 VND. The specific number will be calculated and provided to you by Tiktok.
- Schedule broadcast: All day or Specific time
Step 5: Upload/optimize ad content
- Next, to be able to run Tiktok video ads, you NEED TO TURN ON IDENTITY VERIFICATION.
- Select the video you want to run ads on. You should use a computer and upload the ad video/image to ensure quality.
- After clicking upload, Tiktok will approve your ad and after completion, the ad will start “biting money”.
To upload advertising videos/images, click Upload video (image). Before uploading, please note the format and quality of the uploaded advertising images/videos. Advertising videos/images must comply with the following principles:
- Rules for file size and capacity (shown below)
- Rules for setting titles and descriptions: Maximum length is 100 characters (No emojis, #, and “{ }” signs allowed)
- Spaces and punctuation marks also count as 1 character.
Step 6: Monitor and optimize Tiktok advertising content
- Prepare a short, creative, engaging video that conveys a clear message. An attractive thumbnail creates interest.
- Make sure the video is high resolution, 9-15 seconds long, with a strong call to action. Absolutely do not use copyrighted music and do not promote products that violate TikTok’s policies. Finally, click Submit and Tiktok will approve the ad.
- Use TikTok Ads Manager to track ad performance.
- Adjust factors such as content, target audience, or budget to improve results.
Note:
- When running conversion ads on Tiktok, you need to have Tiktok pixel – a tool to track and execute remarketing campaigns and optimize Tiktok ads.
- TikTok AI needs time to learn machine learning and optimize based on data from events that occur in the campaign, such as views or conversions. During this period, regularly monitoring performance and making necessary adjustments is a decisive factor for the success of the ad.
- If the number of events is too low, optimal performance may not be achieved, and TikTok may require an increase in budget or focus on a broader audience.
TikTok Ad Format Standard Requirements
TikTok Ads Manager supports both image and video ad formats, and TikTok has specific size and format requirements for each element. Here are the updated standards that creators need to know:
Image regulations
- Aspect Ratio: 1:1 Square Format.
- Size: Not to exceed 50KB.
- File Format: Supports .JPG or .PNG files
Note: When designing your ad images, keep key ad elements centered on the screen so they aren’t obscured by the description or logo, and avoid being cut off at the edges to fit different screen sizes.
Video regulations
- Aspect Ratio: Supports 9:16, 1:1, and 16:9.
- Resolution: Unlimited. (minimum should be 720*1280 px, 640*640 px, or 1280*720 px)
- File Format: Tiktok video ads support file formats such as .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, or .avi.
- Bitrate: No more than 516 kbps.
- File Size: No more than 500MB.
- Duration: Videos should be short, between 5 and 60 seconds, with an optimal recommendation of 9 to 15 seconds.
In addition, you also need to pay attention to the regulations on the number of characters when naming your brand and describing your TikTok ads here.
Some experience in running ads on TikTok
- Define clear goals: According to TikTok, campaigns with specific goals such as app installs or increasing brand awareness and traffic will achieve 60% higher conversion rates than campaigns without clear goals.
- A/B testing: testing different audience segments can increase conversion rates by up to 43% compared to those who only target a single audience.
- Track advertising effectiveness: Use TikTok Ads Manager to analyze important metrics such as: click-through rate, conversion rate, revenue achieved, … and make appropriate adjustments.
- Test different TikTok advertising models: Continuously test new content, audiences, and optimization strategies to discover what works best for your brand, bringing the highest engagement and conversion rates.
- Understand TikTok advertising policies carefully: Similar to advertising platforms like Facebook or Google, TikTok advertising policies are updated regularly to ensure content quality for users and fairness between advertisers. You need to carefully study TikTok’s advertising policies before getting your ads approved.
With the above information, hopefully, content creators have more knowledge about how to run Tiktok ads to exploit and make the most of it for brand development. If you need more knowledge about Marketing, follow the Ecomobi Blog for quick updates!
