Advalyze

What marketers should expect from TikTok ads

TikTok Marketing
Marek Lacina @advalyze
Marek Lacina

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With one billion active users worldwide, TikTok has emerged as the advertising platform you shouldn’t miss out on, if your brand is targeting young users. But are kids the only ones using TikTok? In this article we’ll take you through the ins and outs of TikTok ads and how to position them in your paid marketing portfolio mix. What and most importantly who is on the platform, how do you go about setting up your expectations, and last but not least: Is TikTok a platform you need in your marketing mix?

What are TikTok ads?

TikTok, in comparison to its rivals, is one of a few selective social media platforms that wasn’t initially launched in the US. Although the growth of the app in the US is still very strong, most of TikTok’s users are not based in the US. The social media platform is becoming more and more popular every day and it’s reported to hit 1 billion active users in early 2021. When it comes to TikTok’s popularity, the data speaks for itself. The average time spent on the app is 52 minutes per day and the app is opened on average 8 times a day. The new study conducted by The Verge magazine using data from 2020, stated that fifteen-year-olds spent 80 minutes a day on TikTok.

TikTok is not your common marketing platform, nor is it a conversion closer.

Should you be advertising on TikTok?

With such a high usage, TikTok was seen by brands as a new outlet to target younger age groups. However, we have to breakdown the first misconception of TikTok being that “There are only kids” who use it. This statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, TikTok is popular with a younger audience (10yr – 19yr), but this age segment occupies only roughly 32,5% of the entire fandom in the U.S. The second most populated age segment is actually 20yr – 29yr with 29,5%. However, reaching this group is becoming harder every year as younger generations leave Facebook or forego signing up with the hope of finding more “hip” platforms. If you belong to a brand that needs or wants to target this audience with a compelling message, connection or great offer, don’t hesitate to test the platform.

TikTok audiences by age

  • 32,5% of U.S. based users are aged 10 to 19
  • 29,5% are aged 20 to 29
  • 16,4% are aged 30 to 39
  • 13,9% are aged 40 to 49
  • 7,1% are 50 or older
  • According to Influencer MarketingHub, in countries such as China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, membership among 25-34 year-olds is higher than among 16-24s.

TikTok user age diagram

Don’t collect conversions, collect connections

When it comes to talking about what to show and how to behave with TikTok marketing, we are actually navigating “new waters” since TikTok is not your normal platform where you show ads and expect users to buy immediately. TikTok management does a really good job at recognising this, being very transparent about the outcome of your advertising on the platform and building their value proposition around this idea.

How to position TikTok ads

TikTok is not your common marketing platform, nor is it a conversion closer. TikTok is here to connect you with new audiences, to promote your brand in up-to-date communication and most importantly, to start a conversation between your new customers and your brand. When it comes to the marketing funnel, TikTok is at the top of its game and should be treated as such. Avoid setting up your KPIs too strictly – TikTok will not generate sales on the last click attribution model.

How much do TikTok ads cost?

The good news is that for now, it is still very affordable. Many advertisers recorded CPMs of €0.38 and CPCs of below €0.1 according to a test presented by Sebastian Vogg on the OMR blog. You currently won’t find a prospective marketing platform this inexpensive. When it comes to a daily budget, you can start off modestly with at least €50 a day offering your ads via the self-serve platform. However, if you have some advertising dollars to spend, up to €200,000 will get you a brand takeover and €100,000 for a hashtag.

We can manage your TikTok Ads for you

How TikTok ads work

When launching a campaign on TikTok, make sure that you set up your expectations and most importantly the campaign goals. Instead of making conversions, make connections. Instead of generating sales, generate leads. Instead of generating purchases, generate visits. All of this valuable data will only fuel your performance marketing campaigns.

How to create content for TikTok ads

If your goal is to reach a TikTok audience, you have a strategy in place and you know what action you want the users to take then you’re ready to begin on TikTok. With all of the above, there is one more important thing to note – 83% of all app users are also creators or have posted at least one video on their own. Your creative assets need to stand out among all of the existing semi-professional videos within the feed. If you feel comfortable creating your assets then that’s a big plus for you. For all the rest, TikTok offers a space where you can connect with the creators and have them help you create your own unique assets tailored to your business awhile also being useful on TikTok. Simply using your YouTube cinematic assets, most likely won’t do the trick.

Rules for TikTok ad content

  • To fit in the platform’s feed, make sure to prioritise vertical videos with a native look and feel. Other formats most likely won’t be accepted by TikTok or will not be displayed properly.
  • If you want your videos to be shown in correct length, aim between 9 to 15 seconds. Longer videos will most likely be trimmed.
  • TikTok content tends to be centered with minimal frames. Try to mimic this format with centralized focus to grab the audience’s attention.
  • Audio has never been more important in a video ad than on TikTok. Audio settings must be enabled on your ads.
  • Feel free to get creative with your background music instead of subtitles.
  • On top of compelling video and audio content, make sure to include a strong and clear call-to-action in your ads that is consistent with your landing page.

TikTok offers the full specs at their help center.

Do I need a TikTok agency?

TikTok for business and its self-serve platform is now accessible to all brands in Germany via TikTok Hub. You can join the ad space just like you can on Facebook or Google. However a full-fledged agency can give you a support and guidance how to start. Depending on the agency, you can either just jump right in with your own strategies and assets or have the agency help you outline all of the steps to help you become successful on the platform.

If you need any support regarding TikTok ads feel free to contact us today.

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