TikTok has experienced exponential growth in the last couple of years. Launched in 2017 as Douyin in its native China and TikTok in the rest of the world, the app has since migrated every user to a new combined TikTok platform that appeals most to younger people.

With more than 1 billion users worldwide, TikTok has emerged as one of the top social media platforms in the world, surpassing competitors like Snapchat. As a result, it has become a fertile ground for advertisers.

What is TikTok?

TikTok is a video sharing app launched in 2017 by Chinese developer ByteDance. After acquiring and growing Musical.ly, the entire package was combined in 2018 to form the TikTok app.

In TikTok, users usually upload videos that are about 15 seconds long. It is possible to create a 60-second story-type video. Most users of TikTok are teens and young adults. The first set of talented, enthusiastic, and technically proficient members form its core influencers.

The great number of its daily users and the growing popularity are among the major reasons TikTokhas captured the interests of marketers. The platform is also relatively young and features much fewer ad options like other social media platforms.

Another good reason to consider TikTok is its unique audience. The platform users are mostly Gen Z, a lucrative demographic that is hard to reach. The app is also popular among millennials, and many big brands like Nike and Apple Music are advertising on TikTok.

While there is an option for self-service Ads, TikTok is mostly used by large advertisers and ad agencies. The largest campaigns range from $25,000 to $150,000. On the other hand, self-service Ads require a minimum budget of $500 for overall campaigns and $20 minimum for ad groups.  

Advertising on TikTok

Getting started with TikTop advertising is not as complicated as some might think. There are different ways to run Ads on the platform, however. Biddable Ads on the platform allow advertisers to bid on ad slots with TikTok. These are self-service style Ads, and biddings are made manually. With biddable Ads, you can place your Ad videos in the app’s main feed, using any of the three pricing models, cost per click, cost per mile, or cost per view. Ads can also be targeted by age, gender, and location.

In addition to regular biddable Ads, TikTok offers different campaign options, which normally require larger budgets. You will also need to work with a TikTok account manager for these Ads. These campaign options include brand takeover, Hashtag Challenge, branded lenses, and influencer package.

Step by Step Approach to Advertise on TikTok

Follow the steps below, or reach out to a TikTok Ads agency to manage your TikTok campaigns.

Create a TikTok Ads Account

TikTok advertising is relatively new, so it is understandable if the program is not autonomous yet. You will need to create an ad account first by visiting the TikTok Ads homepage and clicking on the button that says ‘Create an Ad’. This will take you to a form. Fill in the correct information and submit. You will be contacted by a TikTok representative within five business days to let you know whether your business qualifies. 

Create an Ad Campaign

When your TikTok ad account has been approved, you will be able to create ads on the platform. To get started, you need to create an ad campaign, which is the overall activity that supports the other functions. 

From the TikTok Ads dashboard, click  the ‘Campaign’ tab, then the ‘Create’ button. Next, set the goal of your ad campaign by choosing from the three objectives:  traffic, conversions, and application installations. You will also have to choose a budget option, between daily budget and total budget.

Set up the Ad Group

After creating the ad campaign, the next step is to set up the ad group. This an opportunity to target your desired audience. You can have different ad groups within an ad campaign, so you can target different audiences.

Advertising in TikTok gives you access to run ads on the entire family of related applications, including Vigo Video (India), BuzzVideo (Japan), TopBuzz (US and BR), Babe (Indonesia), and News Republic (worldwide). You can limit your ad to TikTok, or run it across the network. 

After selecting placement, enter other relevant information like category, images, display name, and URL. The Keyword section lets you pick up to 20 terms that determine who sees your ads. For targeting, you can also set parameters like age, gender, language, location, devices, and more.

Set the Campaign Details

This is another opportunity to set up your ad campaign according to our tastes. You can choose how much you want to spend per day, or how much you want to spend for the duration of the campaign. You will also need to select the dates you want the campaign to be active. There is a ‘Dayparting’ option that lets you choose specific times of day or days of the week. 

There are options to choose the pace at which the budget is spent, either the ‘standard’ or ‘accelerate’ option. You will also need to select the ad group optimization goal here. There are three options: conversions, click, and impressions. You can also choose to turn the ‘smart optimization’ option on or off.

Design Your TikTok Ad

The final stage of TikTok Ads is designing the ad. The apps generally consist of images and videos in horizontal, vertical, and square format. There are helpful tools available, including the Video Creation Kit, Automated Creative Optimization, and Landing Page to Video tool. Use these tools properly, and you will have an amazing ad to run on the platform.

Conclusion

TikTok is a powerful platform for advertising. It may not be as big as YouTube yet, but there is a lot of potential there. We provided a step-by-step approach to advertising on the platform, but don’t forget to monitor the performance of your ad campaigns!