TikTok reached one billion monthly active users in fall 2021. That milestone represented a 45% year-over-year increase and made it one of the biggest social platforms worldwide. The platform skews younger and female, with its Gen Z audience base expected to surpass Instagram’s by 2025.
All this to say, TikTok is taking over the world.
If your brand wants to reach users, you must have a TikTok presence. And a paid TikTok presence can further expand your reach, stickiness, and engagement on the platform. Let’s dig in to getting started with TikTok ads in 2022.
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Types of TikTok Ad Formats
Currently, TikTok has five main types of ad formats.
1. TopView Ads appear once daily, and are the very first ad a user sees upon opening the app. They can be 60 seconds long.
2. In-Feed Ads show on the “For You” page in between every three or four organic videos, similar to in-feed ads on Facebook or Instagram. You can add a CTA button to an ad. Here are two examples:
Live Nation’s CTA encourages viewers to learn more about The Weeknd’s upcoming tour with Doja Cat, while Thrive Cosmetics includes a link to buy their waterproof eyeliner.
Branded Hashtags are one of the more expensive TikTok ads. Brands create an exclusive hashtag and encourage TikTokkers to create videos using that hashtag, helping drive virality and awareness of the brand associated with the hashtag.
For example, Oreo kicked off the Oreo Stack Challenge with the #OREOBdayStack hashtag. Their original video demonstrates how viewers can participate. The hashtag has since racked up nearly 600 million views.
Brand Takeovers enable brands to take advantage of all three of the above formats. Each day, one business gets exclusive access to a Brand Takeover, and appears as the TopView ad, with In-Feed ads and a Branded Hashtag — driving brand familiarity and recall among viewers.
Branded Effects are 2D, 3D, or AR assets created by a brand. A brand may create a sticker to promote their branded hashtag or a new product. They could create an in-app game, like the one created by the NBA below. Or, they could design an AR filter people can use when creating their TikTok videos, such as the one below that promotes the 2022 Winter Olympics.
How to Set Up a TikTok Advertising Account
To create TikTok Ads, you must set up a TikTok Business account. You can do that here. These are the steps you’ll complete:
- Create an account using your email or phone.
- Describe your business and enter your website URL.
- Enter your billing information.
- Decide on a payment type. You can either have TikTok automatically charge you for ads, or manually add a balance beforehand.
- Choose your advertising mode: simplified or custom. Simplified mode relies more on TikTok’s algorithm, while custom mode gives you complete control with the ability to A/B test, define your audience targeting, and more. You can always switch to the other mode later on.
- Create your ad. Name your campaign, and choose your ad goals (e.g. conversions, traffic, app installs, or lead generation). You can upload your own creative, or use content created by a TikTok influencer you’re partnering with.
- Review and submit your ad!
After submitting your ad, it can take up to 24 hours to be approved. The guidelines for a TikTok ad are similar to those on other ad platforms. For example, your ad should:
- Use a functional landing page that matches your ad description and language.
- Be grammatically correct, without overusing symbols or capitalization.
- Be 60 seconds or less.
- Use a standard video format, with good-quality video and audio.
- Not advertise a prohibited product, such as gambling or drugs.
Succeeding with TikTok Ads in 2022
TikTok ads can drive powerful results. According to TikTok, jewelry brand Slate and Tell reached over 4 million TikTok users with their campaign, along with a 2x increase in ROAS and 1000 single sessions add-to-carts.Ready to get started with TikTok advertising? Talk to the experts at Your Marketing People.
