Getting started with TikTok advertising

If you’re looking for somewhere to spend your advertising budget this year, look no further than TikTok. Since its meteoric rise in 2018, this short-form video platform has captured the attention of billions worldwide. With a staggering 1.5 billion monthly active users in 2023 and an anticipated surge to 1.8 billion in 2024, TikTok is no longer just a hub for trends and entertainment—it's a goldmine for eCommerce companies.

That’s because TikTok users are ready to shop. In fact, they're 1.5 times more likely to purchase a product after seeing it advertised on the platform, making TikTok ads a great way to reach a large and highly engaged audience.

In this guide, we’ll teach you how to create and manage TikTok ads and share some pro tips to help you get the most out of advertising on TikTok.

Why advertise on TikTok?

With a massive, engaged audience always ready to discover something new, TikTok is the perfect place to showcase your brand. Advertising on TikTok offers numerous benefits, including:

• Effective engagement: TikTok's creative format encourages high levels of interaction and sharing.

• Creative ad formats and tools: You can easily create captivating ads with a variety of formats and user-friendly tools that make it easy to transform your images and videos into engaging ads.

• Outcome-based advertising objectives: Set clear goals (such as brand awareness, consideration, and conversions) and measure your campaign's success directly within the TikTok Ads Manager.

• Precise targeting: Detailed targeting options based on demographics and interests allow you to reach your ideal audience.

• Detailed reports and analytics: You can track your ad performance with in-depth dashboards and custom reports.

How to create your first TikTok ad in 7 steps

TikTok Ads Manager offers two campaign creation options: simplified and custom. The simplified version is perfect for small to medium-sized businesses, while the custom version is tailored for experienced marketers. In this guide, we’ll focus on the simplified version, so make sure to select ‘Simplified Mode’ during the setup process.

Step 1: Create your TikTok Ads Manager account

Go to the TikTok Ads Manager signup page. Create a login using your email address or phone number and a chosen password. Next, you'll need to provide essential business information including your country, time zone, preferred currency, business name, and industry.

Important: Make sure you have a business account for the platform. In the app, simply go to ‘Settings and Privacy’, then ‘Manage Account’, and tap ‘Switch to Business Account’.

Step 2: Set up billing and payment details

You'll need to provide billing and tax information based on your country's requirements. Choose between manual or automatic payments (if available). Be aware that automatic payments can't be changed back to manual once selected.

Step 3: Create a TikTok ad campaign

Once your TikTok Ads Manager account is set up, you'll begin the ad creation process by choosing a campaign goal. But if you're not ready to start immediately, you can access the ad creation tool anytime by clicking the red ‘Create Ad’ button on your dashboard.

Step 4: Choose your campaign objective

Decide what you want to achieve with your ads: more website visitors, increased sales, or better brand recognition? TikTok categorizes objectives into Awareness, Consideration, and Conversion campaigns to help you reach your goals.

In the Simplified ad setup, you’ll be presented with four options:

1. Traffic: Choose this objective if you want to drive more people to your online store and complete an action like signing up for your mailing list.

2. Community interaction: Pick this option if you want to grow your brand presence on TikTok and engage with potential customers.

3. Lead generation: This option is designed to capture information from viewers via a contact form. You can select this option if you want people to sign up for a sale or a product launch.

4. Website conversions: Most eCommerce brands will want to select this option as it’s designed to help you drive more sales.

Step 5: Select your target audience

You can reach your ideal audience by targeting location, demographics, interests, behaviors, and specific devices. TikTok recommends starting with broad targeting and letting the automatic targeting optimize your reach. In the Simplified Mode you can select ‘Automatic Audience’ to let TikTok’s algorithm decide who sees your ads.

You can also refine your target audience by focusing on specific interests. For instance, a skincare brand could target interests such as “beauty” or “skincare”. You can also reach users who actively engage with TikTok content by targeting those who like or comment on related videos.

Step 6: Set your campaign budget and schedule

Your campaign budget is the amount that you’re willing to spend on running your ads. You can choose between a ‘Daily budget’ or a ‘Lifetime budget’. If you choose the first option, determine your daily ad spend (minimum $5) and how long you want your campaign to run. For flexible campaigns, choose the "No end date" option and stop it whenever you want.

Step 7: Create your TikTok ad

Upload your pre-made videos or images or use TikTok’s video creation tools to design new ones. Available ad formats and specifications will depend on where you want your ad to appear. You can find TikTok’s image and video ad specifications here.

Once you’ve uploaded your creative and previewed how it looks, you can add your ad text. This is the text that will appear in your ad underneath your brand name. TikTok supports 12-100 English characters. Just be aware that if your text is too long it may not display correctly on certain screens, so make sure to check the preview first.

The final step is adding a call-to-action for your ad. TikTok has a few options to choose from:

• Download Now

• Learn More

• Shop Now

• Sign Up

• Contact Us

• Apply Now

• Book Now

Once you’ve selected your call-to-action, click the ‘Submit’ button to create your ad.

3 TikTok ads best practices

Looking to get started with advertising on TikTok? Here are 3 best practices to keep in mind when creating your first TikTok ads:

1. Use the right content structure

As with all video ads, it’s important to have a hook, highlight your unique selling points, and end with a clear call-to-action. Here are some additional tips to make your ads stand out on TikTok:

• Hook viewers in the first 6 seconds with suspense or surprise to boost engagement and watch time.

• Introduce your product or value proposition within the first 3 seconds.

• Keep viewers engaged by making use of unique transitions, stickers, and graphics.

• End with a strong call-to-action so viewers know what action you want them to take.

2. Stay authentic to the platform

Using an ad that you’ve used on another ad platform on TikTok is setting yourself up for failure. The creatives that usually perform best are ones made specifically for TikTok. If you’re new to the platform, it’s a smart idea to spend some time watching popular TikToks to understand what works. To maximize your ad's impact, feature real people like creators, employees, or customers in a DIY, authentic style that resonates with TikTok's user-generated content.

3. Use trends as storytelling templates

TikTok's billion-strong community is united by a shared love of trends. These trends offer brands unique opportunities to tap into popular storytelling formats created by users. With 77% of users enjoying brand content that leverages trends, memes, or challenges, capitalizing on a trend can significantly improve the performance of your ads. You can discover the latest trends in your region by exploring the Trends page on the Creative Center.

Tip: Need inspiration for your TikTok ad? Check out TikTok's ad library for a collection of high-performing campaigns from other brands.

Key Takeaways

TikTok's growing user base and unique platform dynamics make it a must for eCommerce advertising.

• Expansive audience: TikTok is projected to reach 1.8 billion users in 2024, offering vast advertising potential.

• High conversion rates: TikTok users are highly engaged, making them more likely to purchase products after seeing ads.

• Versatile ad tools: The platform offers diverse formats and tools to create compelling ads.

• Precise targeting: TikTok’s targeting options and analytics help brands reach and measure the right audience effectively.

• Streamlined setup: The Ads Manager’s simplified mode is ideal for quick and easy campaign creation.

• Budget control: Flexible budget options allow for daily or lifetime ad spend with the ability to adjust campaigns as needed.

• Best practices: Use engaging content, stay authentic to the platform, and tap into trends for maximum impact.

TikTok advertising is a powerful tool for brands looking to connect with a dynamic and growing audience in 2024.

Want to learn more about social commerce and advertising tips? Check out the rest of Channable's resources on our blog.