An Introduction to TikTok Ads
Not only is TikTok the only non-Meta app to reach three billion lifetime installs and one of the fastest-growing social media platforms ever, but in Q4 2021 it saw a 77% increase in consumer spending year on year. In fact, according to a 2021 Kantar report for the second year running TikTok ranked number one for ad equity; ahead of Google, Amazon, Twitter, and Instagram.
What began as a video-sharing app for lip-synching to trending music is quickly creating a compelling case for a share of your marketing spend.
Let’s take a look at the different Ad types available plus some tips on creating effective ads:
In-Feed Native Video
These are your go-to ad format. Similar to Instagram ads and can feature an In-Feed CTA promoting viewers to purchase. Users can also interact with your ad by liking, commenting, sharing, and reusing the sound for their own content. For best results make these videos around 9-15 seconds long.
TopView
A Top View ad is a video that appears once a day immediately after opening the app for the first time. These can be up to 60 seconds long and are perfect for brands looking to advertise products or services that require a little more attention. This format guarantees high reach and impressions so it's a solid strategy for building brand awareness.
Brand Takeover
This displays your video full-screen as soon as the app is opened. TikTok only features one brand per day and the reporting starting cost is around £40k. Though similar to the previous format users; cannot engage with these ads - meaning they can't be skipped.
Branded Hashtag Challenge
This is where brands inspire TikTokers to create content around a brand-related hashtag of their choice. This format combines traditional digital advertising with TikTok's UGC focus to create powerful ads for driving engagement and brand awareness.
Branded Effects
This is where ads use 2D, 3D, or AR to add images of your products into TikTok videos. These are used primarily to increase engagement and brand awareness with Brands creating stickers of their products or creating filters for TikTokers to use when creating their videos.
6 Tips for Making More Effective Ads
Make it look organic. Ads should fit seamlessly into the TikTok experience so this means using elements such as text overlays, text-to-speech, and visual effects.
Hook viewers quickly. We all know how important those first few seconds are for video advertising. Stop your audience from scrolling past with an eye-catching opening for seconds.
Use the right audio. To avoid ad disapprovals stick to the TikTok Audio Library as your source. For accessibility don’t forget to use the captions feature.
Be Educational. Add Value to the audience and create saveable content that shows knowledge and builds trust.
Test! Ad fatigue sets in quickly on TikTok so don’t be afraid to try new styles, features, transitions, and effects. The more creative the better.
Stay Inspired. You can view the top ads in the TikTok Creative Centre and filter by country, industry, and campaign objective. So be nosy!
Monthly Active Users of TikTok in the UK from January 2020 to January 2022
Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1125306/tiktok-monthly-active-users-uk/
This post was written by our Inner Circle member, Oli. If you’re in any need of digital marketing help, do be sure to book a 30-minute discovery call.