How to Create Trending Ads on TikTok that Drive Traffic and Sales

By Cepy 8/16/2023 Post a Comment

Hi online friends, If you're looking for a way to reach a massive audience of engaged and creative users, you might want to consider advertising on TikTok. TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with over 1 billion monthly active users and 2.6 billion downloads as of June 2021[^1^]. TikTok is also a hub for viral trends, memes, challenges, and music that influence culture and consumer behavior.

But how do you create ads on TikTok that stand out from the crowd and resonate with your target audience? How do you leverage the power of TikTok trends to boost your brand awareness, engagement, and conversions? And how do you measure the performance of your TikTok ads and optimize them for success?

In this article, we'll answer all these questions and more. We'll show you some of the best examples of trending ads on TikTok from different industries and niches, and explain why they work so well. We'll also share some tips and best practices on how to create your own trending ads on TikTok that drive traffic and sales to your website or app.

What are TikTok Ads and Why Should You Use Them?

TikTok ads are paid promotional videos that appear on the TikTok app, either in the user's For You page (the main feed where users discover new content), or in other places like the Discover page (where users can browse hashtags, songs, and creators), or the Inbox page (where users can see their notifications and messages).

TikTok ads can help you achieve various marketing objectives, such as:

- Increasing brand awareness and reach

- Driving app installs or website visits

- Generating leads or sales

- Growing your TikTok followers or views

- Encouraging user-generated content or participation in a challenge

TikTok ads have several advantages over other types of online advertising, such as:

- They are immersive and engaging: TikTok ads are full-screen, vertical, and sound-on, which means they capture the user's full attention and create a strong emotional connection.

- They are native and organic: TikTok ads blend in with the user-generated content on the platform, which means they don't interrupt the user experience or feel intrusive. They also allow you to showcase your brand personality and creativity in a fun and authentic way.

- They are viral and influential: TikTok ads can leverage the power of TikTok trends, such as popular songs, hashtags, filters, stickers, effects, or challenges, which can help your ads go viral and reach a wider audience. They can also influence the user's behavior and preferences, as many users look up to TikTok creators as role models or sources of inspiration.

What are the Types of TikTok Ads?

TikTok offers several types of ad formats for different purposes and budgets. Here are some of the most common ones:

- **TopView**: This is the most premium ad format on TikTok, as it appears as soon as the user opens the app. It can last up to 60 seconds and has a high impact on brand awareness and recall.

- **In-Feed**: This is the most popular ad format on TikTok, as it appears in the user's For You page among other organic videos. It can last up to 60 seconds and has a call-to-action button that can direct users to your website, app, or landing page.

- **Branded Hashtag Challenge**: This is a unique ad format on TikTok that allows you to create your own branded hashtag and invite users to participate in a challenge related to your product or service. It can last up to 6 days and has a dedicated banner on the Discover page that leads users to a custom landing page where they can see your challenge video and other user-generated videos using your hashtag.

- **Branded Effect**: This is another unique ad format on TikTok that allows you to create your own branded filter, sticker, or effect that users can apply to their own videos. It can last up to 10 days and has a high potential for virality and engagement.

- **Brand Takeover**: This is a short ad format on TikTok that appears when the user switches between different tabs on the app. It can be either a 3-second image or a 3-5 second video that has a high impact on brand awareness and reach.

How to Create Trending Ads on TikTok?

Now that you know what are TikTok ads and why you should use them, let's see how you can create trending ads on TikTok that drive traffic and sales. Here are some steps to follow:

Step 1: Define Your Marketing Objective and Budget

Before you start creating your TikTok ads, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how much you want to spend. This will help you choose the right ad format, targeting, and bidding strategy for your campaign.

Some of the common marketing objectives on TikTok are:

- Brand awareness: If you want to increase your brand visibility and recognition among a large and diverse audience, you can use ad formats like TopView, Brand Takeover, or Branded Hashtag Challenge, and target users based on their demographics, interests, or behaviors.

- Traffic: If you want to drive more users to your website or app, you can use ad formats like In-Feed or Branded Effect, and target users based on their keywords, devices, or locations. You can also use a call-to-action button that encourages users to click on your link or download your app.

- Conversions: If you want to generate more leads or sales from your website or app, you can use ad formats like In-Feed or Branded Effect, and target users based on their conversion events, such as sign-ups, purchases, or registrations. You can also use a pixel or SDK to track and optimize your conversions.

Some of the factors that affect your budget on TikTok are:

- Ad format: Different ad formats have different minimum spending requirements and pricing models. For example, TopView and Brand Takeover are more expensive than In-Feed or Branded Effect, and they are charged by cost per impression (CPM), while In-Feed and Branded Effect are charged by cost per click (CPC) or cost per thousand views (CPV).

- Targeting: The more specific and narrow your targeting is, the more likely you are to reach your ideal audience and achieve your marketing objective. However, this also means that your cost per result may be higher, as you are competing with other advertisers for the same audience.

- Bidding: You can choose between automatic bidding or manual bidding for your TikTok ads. Automatic bidding means that TikTok will optimize your bid based on your budget and objective, while manual bidding means that you can set your own bid amount for each ad group. Manual bidding gives you more control over your spending, but it also requires more monitoring and optimization.

Step 2: Research Your Audience and Competitors

Before you start creating your TikTok ads, you also need to have a good understanding of your target audience and your competitors. This will help you create ads that are relevant, engaging, and effective.

Some of the ways to research your audience on TikTok are:

- Use TikTok's Audience Network: This is a tool that allows you to access TikTok's user data and insights, such as their age, gender, location, interests, behaviors, preferences, and trends. You can use this tool to create custom audiences based on these criteria, or lookalike audiences based on your existing customers or leads.

- Use TikTok's Analytics: This is a tool that allows you to measure and analyze the performance of your TikTok account and videos, such as your views, likes, comments, shares, followers, reach, impressions, watch time, and engagement rate. You can use this tool to understand what type of content resonates with your audience and what type of content drives them to take action.

- Use TikTok's Creative Center: This is a tool that allows you to discover and learn from the best practices and examples of other advertisers and creators on TikTok. You can use this tool to find inspiration for your own ads based on different categories, such as industry, objective, format, style, tone, or trend.

Some of the ways to research your competitors on TikTok are:

- Use TikTok's Search Bar: This is a tool that allows you to search for any keyword, hashtag, song, or creator on TikTok. You can use this tool to find out what type of content your competitors are creating and how they are performing.

- Use TikTok's Discover Page: This is a tool that allows you to browse the most popular and trending content on TikTok based on different categories. You can use this tool to find out what type of content is attracting the most attention and engagement from users.

- Use Third-Party Tools: There are also some third-party tools that allow you to monitor and analyze the performance of any TikTok account or video. Some of these tools are SocialPilot[^2^], Pentos[^3^], Analisa[^4^], or Influencer Marketing Hub[^5^].

Step 3: Choose Your Ad Format and Creative Strategy

Once you have defined your marketing objective and budget, and researched your audience and competitors, you can choose the best ad format and creative strategy for your campaign.

As we mentioned before, there are several types of ad formats on TikTok for different purposes and budgets. However,some of the most common and effective ones are In-Feed and Branded Hashtag Challenge, as they allow you to leverage the power of TikTok trends and user-generated content.

Here are some tips on how to create trending ads on TikTok using these two formats:

- Use a catchy hook: The first few seconds of your In-Feed ad are crucial to capture the user's attention and interest. You can use a hook that is relevant to your product or service, such as a question, a statistic, a testimonial, a challenge, or a benefit.

- Use a trending song: One of the easiest ways to make your In-Feed ad stand out and go viral is to use a popular song that matches your brand tone and message. You can browse the most trending songs on TikTok's Discover page or Creative Center, or use your own original song if you have one.

- Use a creative angle: Another way to make your In-Feed ad more engaging and memorable is to use a creative angle that showcases your product or service in a unique or unexpected way. You can use humor, emotion, storytelling, animation, or demonstration to highlight your value proposition and differentiation.

- Use a clear call-to-action: The last but not least element of your In-Feed ad is a clear call-to-action that tells the user what you want them to do next. You can use a verbal or visual cue that encourages the user to click on your button or swipe up to visit your website, app, or landing page.

Some examples of trending In-Feed ads on TikTok are:

- DoorDash: This ad uses a catchy hook ("I want to show you how I was able to afford AirPod Pros in 48 hours starting with nothing"), a trending song ("Money" by Cardi B), and a creative angle (showing how the user earned money by delivering food with DoorDash) to promote their app and service.

- HelloFresh: This ad uses a catchy hook ("I'm about to show you how I made this delicious meal in under 30 minutes"), a trending song ("Good as Hell" by Lizzo), and a creative angle (showing the user unboxing, cooking, and enjoying their meal kit from HelloFresh) to promote their product and offer.

- Crumbl Cookies: This ad uses a catchy hook ("You won't believe what I just found out"), a trending song ("Sugar" by Maroon 5), and a creative angle (showing the user discovering and tasting different flavors of cookies from Crumbl) to promote their product and brand.

- Use an catchy hashtag: The first element of your Branded Hashtag Challenge is an catchy hashtag that represents your brand name, product name, campaign name, or challenge name. You can use a hashtag that is short, simple, memorable, relevant, and unique.

- Use an engaging challenge: The second element of your Branded Hashtag Challenge is an engaging challenge that invites users to create their own videos using your product or service. You can use a challenge that is fun, easy, creative, rewarding, or social.

- Use an inspiring video: The third element of your Branded Hashtag Challenge is an inspiring video that shows users how to participate in your challenge and what they can win. You can use a video that is informative, entertaining, authentic, or influential.

Some examples of trending Branded Hashtag Challenges on TikTok are:

- Chipotle: This challenge uses an catchy hashtag (#ChipotleLidFlip), an engaging challenge (flipping the lid of a Chipotle burrito bowl without spilling it), and an inspiring video (featuring celebrities like David Dobrik and Zach King) to promote their product and brand.

- Guess: This challenge uses an catchy hashtag (#InMyDenim), an engaging challenge (showing off different outfits with Guess denim), and an inspiring video (featuring influencers like Bebe Rexha and Jay Alvarrez) to promote their product and brand.

- NBA: This challenge uses an catchy hashtag (#NBADraft), an engaging challenge (showing how you would react if you were drafted by the NBA), and an inspiring video (featuring NBA stars like Zion Williamson and Ja Morant) to promote their event and brand.

How to Measure and Optimize Your TikTok Ads?

After you have created and launched your TikTok ads, you need to measure and optimize them to ensure they are delivering the best results possible. Here are some steps to follow:

Step 1: Track Your TikTok Ads Performance

The first step to measure and optimize your TikTok ads is to track their performance using the TikTok Ads Manager. This is a tool that allows you to access various metrics and reports related to your campaigns, ad groups, and ads, such as:

- Impressions: The number of times your ad was shown to users.

- Clicks: The number of times users clicked on your ad or call-to-action button.

- Views: The number of times users watched your ad for at least 2 seconds or 50% of its duration, whichever comes first.

- Conversions: The number of times users completed a desired action after clicking on your ad, such as installing your app, visiting your website, or making a purchase.

- Cost: The amount of money you spent on your ad.

- CPM: The average cost per 1000 impressions of your ad.

- CPC: The average cost per click of your ad.

- CPV: The average cost per view of your ad.

- CTR: The click-through rate of your ad, calculated as clicks divided by impressions.

- CVR: The conversion rate of your ad, calculated as conversions divided by clicks.

- ROAS: The return on ad spend of your ad, calculated as revenue divided by cost.

You can use these metrics and reports to evaluate the performance of your TikTok ads based on your marketing objective and budget. You can also compare the performance of different campaigns, ad groups, or ads to identify what works best and what needs improvement.

Step 2: Optimize Your TikTok Ads Performance

The second step to measure and optimize your TikTok ads is to optimize their performance using the TikTok Ads Manager. This is a tool that allows you to make various changes and adjustments to your campaigns, ad groups, or ads, such as:

- Pause or resume: You can pause or resume your campaigns, ad groups, or ads at any time based on their performance or schedule.

- Edit or duplicate: You can edit or duplicate your campaigns, ad groups, or ads to make changes or create new variations.

- Split test or optimize: You can split test or optimize your campaigns, ad groups, or ads to compare different versions or settings and find the best combination.

- Increase or decrease: You can increase or decrease your budget or bid for your campaigns, ad groups, or ads to control your spending and results.

You can use these changes and adjustments to improve the performance of your TikTok ads based on the data and insights you gathered from tracking them. You can also test different elements of your ads, such as the hook, song, angle, call-to-action, hashtag, challenge, or video, to find out what resonates with your audience and drives them to take action.

Conclusion

TikTok is a powerful platform for advertising that can help you reach a massive audience of engaged and creative users. By creating trending ads on TikTok that leverage the power of TikTok trends and user-generated content, you can increase your brand awareness, traffic, and conversions.

To create trending ads on TikTok that drive traffic and sales, you need to follow these steps:

- Define your marketing objective and budget

- Research your audience and competitors

- Choose your ad format and creative strategy

- Track your TikTok ads performance

- Optimize your TikTok ads performance

We hope this article has given you some useful tips and examples on how to create trending ads on TikTok that drive traffic and sales. If you need more help with creating or managing your TikTok ads, feel free to contact us at [email protected] We are a team of experts who can help you create and optimize your TikTok ads for success.

Google Ads Guide