How to Create a Successful Advertising Campaign on TikTok

With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok is one of the fastest growing social media platforms worldwide and was the most downloaded app of 2021. According to TikTok, 25% of their users have purchased or researched a product after seeing it advertised on TikTok. With a large and engaged audience, marketers and entrepreneurs should consider adding TikTok to their 2022 marketing strategy. This guide will explore how to build a successful TikTok ad campaign. 

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TikTok Advertising Options 

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In-Feed Ads

The most affordable and accessible ad type offered by TikTok are In-Feed ads. These ads appear seamlessly into a user’s feed as they are scrolling. They appear like a user-generated TikTok, except for a small sponsored tag. After a few seconds a call to action appears that can link directly to your website. Just like a user-generated TikTok, in-feed ads generate views, likes, shares, and comments.

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This guide will focus primarily on creating an ad campaign using in-feed ads because it is the most popular option for small and medium sized businesses. However, other premium ad options offered by TikTok include: 

• TopView ads: These are video ads that appear exclusively at the very top of someone’s feed immediately when they open the app.
• Branded Hashtag Challenge: Brands create their own hashtags that are then promoted by TikTok. 
• Branded Effects: Companies can add a branded effect  to TikTok’s library of video effects, encouraging users to interact directly with their branding.

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The premium ad options are often reserved for major companies due to the higher price tag and the need to work directly with TikTok. In contrast you can create and launch an In-Feed ad yourself using the TikTok Ads Manager, which we’ll explore below

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How Much Do TikTok Ads Cost? 

With TikTok’s simplified ad placement options, you can control your daily budget, starting at $5 a day. There are also more customized options that include bids for more experienced marketers. 

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TikTok Ad Specs

TikTok provides some technical guidelines for in-feed ads.

• Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9
• Video resolution: Resolution must be ≥ 540 x 960 px, ≥ 640 x 640 px, or ≥ 960 x 540 px
• File type: .mp4, .mov, .mpeg, .3gp, or .avi
• Length: Up to 60 seconds, but TikTok recommends nine to 15 seconds.

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Creating your First TikTok Ad 

TikTok Ads Manager provides two methods for creating campaigns, simplified and customized. We will be exploring the simplified version because it is straightforward, easy to use, and doesn’t require technical expertise. 

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Create a Business Account

A business account is required to use TikTok Ads Manager. Switching from a personal account to a business account is free and easy. You can switch your account by going to the manage account section of your privacy settings. Switching to a business account also comes with extra perks like access to your analytics and the ability to put a link in your bio

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Set Your Goal 

When creating your ad campaign, there are three goal options to choose from.

• Connect with customers: This is a good option for businesses looking to increase brand awareness and grow their social media presence.
• Get website visits: This option is for companies hoping to get people to their store to be potential customers. 
• Generate customer leads: This method is designed to capture information from viewers that can be used to retarget potential customers and nurture existing fans.

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Select Your Audience

Next, you will need to decide who you want to see your ad. You can let TikTok decide for you by selecting the automatic audience option. However, it is easy to add some custom parameters for a more targeted reach. You can select your audience based on gender, age, and languages as well as target interests like cooking, clothing, sports…etc. 

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Set Your budget and Schedule

Starting at a minimum of $5 per day, you can set your daily budget and set how long to run your campaign for. Alternatively, you can also select no end date to run the campaign indefinitely. 

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Create Your Ad

TikTok provides two options for creating in-feed ads. You can either choose one of your existing TikToks to run as an ad, or you can create a new one. If you choose to create a new one it will not appear on your regular feed. You’ll also be able to write a caption for your ad and create a call-to-action button, such as Shop Now, with a link to your website. After you submit your ad, it will go into a review process before it goes live. As your ad runs, you can monitor the results and optimize your next campaign.