TikTok Ads That Convert: A Complete Guide

By Cepy 8/01/2023 Post a Comment

TikTok is one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, with over 1 billion monthly active users. It is also a powerful marketing tool for businesses of all sizes, especially those who want to reach a young and engaged audience. But how do you create TikTok ads that convert? How do you optimize your campaigns for maximum results? And what are the best practices and tips to follow?

In this article, we will answer all these questions and more. We will show you how to create effective and engaging TikTok ads that drive traffic, leads, sales, and brand awareness. We will also provide you with examples, case studies, and resources to help you get started. Whether you are new to TikTok advertising or want to improve your existing strategy, this guide is for you.

Why TikTok Ads?

The Benefits of TikTok Advertising

TikTok advertising has many benefits for businesses, such as:

Access to a large and diverse audience: TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users, who spend an average of 52 minutes per day on the app. They are also very diverse, with users from over 150 countries and regions, and 75% of them aged between 16 and 34.
High engagement and virality: TikTok users are very active and engaged, with over 100 million videos viewed per day. They also love to create and share content, with over 2 billion videos uploaded per day. This means that your ads have a high chance of being seen, liked, commented on, and shared by millions of people.
Low cost and high ROI: TikTok advertising is relatively affordable compared to other platforms, with an average cost per click (CPC) of $0.10 and an average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) of $1.50. It also has a high return on investment (ROI), with an average conversion rate of 9% and an average revenue per user (ARPU) of $0.40.
Creative and flexible options: TikTok advertising offers a variety of ad formats, such as in-feed ads, branded hashtag challenges, branded effects, top view ads, brand takeover ads, and more. You can also customize your ads with different creative elements, such as music, stickers, filters, effects, and text.
Easy and intuitive platform: TikTok advertising is easy to use and manage, with a simple and user-friendly interface. You can create and launch your campaigns in minutes, track your performance in real-time, and optimize your results with data-driven insights.

The Challenges of TikTok Advertising

However, TikTok advertising also has some challenges that you need to be aware of, such as:

Competition and saturation: TikTok advertising is becoming more popular and competitive, with over 1 million advertisers on the platform. This means that you need to stand out from the crowd and create ads that capture the attention and interest of your target audience.
Compliance and regulations: TikTok advertising is subject to various rules and regulations that vary by country and region. You need to comply with these policies and guidelines to avoid getting your ads rejected or banned.
Measurement and attribution: TikTok advertising is still evolving and developing its measurement and attribution tools. You need to use third-party platforms or tools to track your conversions and sales across different channels and devices.

How to Create TikTok Ads That Convert

Step 1: Define Your Goals

The first step to creating TikTok ads that convert is to define your goals. What do you want to achieve with your ads? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that you want to measure? How will you evaluate your success?

Some common goals for TikTok ads are:

Awareness: You want to increase your brand awareness, reach, impressions, views, or followers.
Consideration: You want to generate interest, engagement, clicks, traffic, leads, or sign-ups.
Conversion: You want to drive sales, revenue, orders, purchases, or subscriptions.

Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For example:

Awareness: I want to reach 1 million users in the US in the next month.
Consideration: I want to generate 10% click-through rate (CTR) from my target audience in the next week.
Conversion: I want to achieve 5% conversion rate (CR) and $10,000 revenue from my TikTok ads in the next quarter.

Step 2: Identify Your Audience

The next step to creating TikTok ads that convert is to identify your audience. Who are you trying to reach with your ads? What are their demographics, interests, behaviors, and pain points? How do they use TikTok and what kind of content do they consume?

You can use various tools and methods to research your audience, such as:

TikTok Analytics: You can access TikTok Analytics from your TikTok Pro account or your TikTok Ads Manager account. It provides you with valuable insights into your followers, content, and trends on the platform.
TikTok Ads Manager: You can use TikTok Ads Manager to create and manage your campaigns. It also allows you to define your target audience based on various criteria, such as location, age, gender, language, interests, behaviors, devices, and more.
Third-party tools: You can use third-party tools or platforms to analyze your competitors, influencers, hashtags, keywords, and content on TikTok. Some examples are SocialPeta, Sensor Tower, Vidooly, and Influencer Marketing Hub.

Your audience should be specific, relevant, and reachable. For example:

Awareness: I want to reach female users aged 18-24 who are interested in fashion and beauty in the US.
Consideration: I want to reach male users aged 25-34 who are interested in gaming and technology in the UK.
Conversion: I want to reach users who have visited my website or added products to their cart in the last 30 days.

Step 3: Choose Your Ad Format

The third step to creating TikTok ads that convert is to choose your ad format. What kind of ad do you want to create and display on TikTok? What are the features, benefits, and limitations of each format? How do they align with your goals and audience?

TikTok offers a variety of ad formats for different purposes and objectives, such as:

In-feed ads: These are video ads that appear in the user's For You page or following page. They can be up to 60 seconds long and support various call-to-action (CTA) buttons. They are ideal for driving traffic, leads, sales, or app installs.
Branded hashtag challenges: These are interactive campaigns that invite users to create and share content using a branded hashtag. They can be up to 6 days long and feature a custom landing page with the brand's logo, banner, description, and CTA. They are ideal for increasing awareness, engagement, or user-generated content (UGC).
Branded effects: These are custom filters, stickers, or effects that users can apply to their videos. They can be up to 10 days long and feature the brand's logo or name. They are ideal for enhancing awareness, engagement, or brand affinity.
Top view ads: These are video ads that appear as the first post when the user opens the app. They can be up to 60 seconds long and support various CTA buttons. They are ideal for maximizing awareness, reach, or impressions.
Brand takeover ads: These are full-screen video or image ads that appear when the user opens the app or switches between categories. They can be up to 5 seconds long and support various CTA buttons. They are ideal for creating a strong impact, awareness, or recall.

Step 4: Create Your Ad Content

The fourth step to creating TikTok ads that convert is to create your ad content. What kind of content do you want to create and share on TikTok? What are the best practices and tips to follow? How do you make your content engaging and relevant?

You can use various tools and methods to create your ad content, such as:

TikTok Video Editor: You can use TikTok Video Editor from your TikTok Ads Manager account. It allows you to create and edit your video ads using various templates, effects, music, text, stickers, filters, and more.
TikTok Creative Center: You can use TikTok Creative Center from your TikTok Ads Manager account. It allows you to access various resources and services to help you create your ad content, such as creative partners, creative solutions, creative insights, and creative showcases.
Third-party tools: You can use third-party tools or platforms to create and edit your video ads using various features and functions. Some examples are InVideo, Animoto, Lumen5, and Magisto.

Some best practices and tips to create your ad content are:

Align your content with your goals, audience, and ad format: You should create content that matches your objectives, resonates with your target market, and fits the specifications and requirements of your chosen ad format.
Follow the TikTok style and tone: You should create content that follows the TikTok style and tone, which is fun, authentic, creative, and entertaining. You should avoid being too formal, boring, or salesy.
Use high-quality visuals and audio: You should use high-quality visuals and audio that capture the attention and interest of your viewers. You should avoid using blurry, pixelated, or distorted images or videos, or low-quality, noisy, or muted sound.
Add a clear and compelling CTA: You should add a clear and compelling CTA that tells your viewers what you want them to do next. You should use action verbs, such as shop now, learn more, download now, or join now.
Test and optimize your content: You should test and optimize your content to see what works best for your audience and goals. You should use A/B testing, analytics, feedback, and insights to improve your content performance and results.

A Detailed Table Breakdown Related to TikTok Ads That Convert

The following table shows a detailed breakdown of the different ad formats, features, benefits, limitations, and examples of TikTok ads that convert.

Ad Format	Features	Benefits	Limitations	Examples
In-feed ads	- Video ads that appear in the user's For You page or following page - Up to 60 seconds long - Support various CTA buttons	- Drive traffic, leads, sales, or app installs - Reach a large and engaged audience - Customize your ads with different creative elements	- Compete with other organic and paid content - Require high-quality and relevant content - Depend on the user's scrolling behavior	- Spotify: Promoted its premium subscription service with catchy music and visuals - Walmart: Launched a branded hashtag challenge #DealDropDance to showcase its Black Friday deals - Chipotle: Created a series of humorous videos featuring its menu items and customers
Branded hashtag challenges	- Interactive campaigns that invite users to create and share content using a branded hashtag - Up to 6 days long - Feature a custom landing page with the brand's logo, banner, description, and CTA	- Increase awareness, engagement, or user-generated content (UGC) - Create a viral effect and word-of-mouth marketing - Leverage the power of influencers and celebrities	- Require a high budget and investment - Need a clear and catchy hashtag and theme - Depend on the user's participation and creativity	- Guess: Launched a branded hashtag challenge #InMyDenim to promote its denim collection - Colgate: Launched a branded hashtag challenge #MakeMomSmile to celebrate Mother's Day - NBA: Launched a branded hashtag challenge #NBADunkContest to engage basketball fans
Branded effects	- Custom filters, stickers, or effects that users can apply to their videos - Up to 10 days long - Feature the brand's logo or name	- Enhance awareness, engagement, or brand affinity - Add fun and interactivity to the user's experience - Encourage the user to try out the brand's products or services	- Require a high level of creativity and design - Need to be relevant and appealing to the user's interests - Depend on the user's preference and choice	- Pepsi: Created a branded effect that allowed users to virtually try on its Pepsi sunglasses - Adidas: Created a branded effect that allowed users to virtually try on its Adidas shoes - L'Oréal: Created a branded effect that allowed users to virtually try on its L'Oréal makeup products
Top view ads	- Video ads that appear as the first post when the user opens the app - Up to 60 seconds long - Support various CTA buttons	- Maximize awareness, reach, or impressions - Create a strong first impression and recall - Showcase your brand's story or message	- Require a high budget and investment - Need to be captivating and relevant - Have a limited duration and frequency	- Apple: Showcased its iPhone 12 features and benefits with stunning visuals and music - Netflix: Promoted its new series Bridgerton with a teaser trailer and a CTA to watch now - KFC: Highlighted its finger lickin' good chicken with mouth-watering images and a CTA to order now
Brand takeover ads	- Full-screen video or image ads that appear when the user opens the app or switches between categories - Up to 5 seconds long - Support various CTA buttons	- Create a strong impact, awareness, or recall - Dominate the user's attention and screen - Drive immediate action or response	- Require a high budget and investment - Need to be concise and clear - Have a limited duration and frequency	- TikTok: Promoted its own branded hashtag challenge #TikTokFashionMonth with a video ad featuring various influencers and celebrities - Samsung: Promoted its Galaxy S20 phone with an image ad featuring its logo and tagline - Coca-Cola: Promoted its Coke Zero product with a video ad featuring its slogan and CTA

FAQs About TikTok Ads That Convert

How much do TikTok ads cost?

The cost of TikTok ads depends on various factors, such as your ad format, campaign objective, target audience, bidding strategy, and competition. However, according to TikTok, the minimum budget for a campaign is $500, and the minimum budget for an ad group is $50. The average cost per click (CPC) is $0.10, and the average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) is $1.50.

How do I set up TikTok ads?

To set up TikTok ads, you need to follow these steps:

Create a TikTok Ads Manager account or log in to your existing account.
Create a campaign and choose your objective, budget, and schedule.
Create an ad group and choose your target audience, placement, optimization goal, bidding strategy, and delivery type.
Create an ad and choose your ad format, creative content, CTA button, landing page URL, tracking link, and tracking pixel.
Review and submit your ad for approval.
Launch your campaign and monitor your performance.

How do I optimize TikTok ads?

To optimize TikTok ads, you need to follow these tips:

Analyze your data and metrics: You should use TikTok Analytics or third-party tools to track and measure your ad performance and results. You should focus on the metrics that matter for your goals, such as impressions, reach, views, clicks, CTR, conversions, CR, ROI, etc.
Test and experiment: You should use A/B testing or multivariate testing to compare different versions of your ads and see what works best for your audience and goals. You should test different elements of your ads, such as headlines, images, videos, music, text, CTA buttons, etc.
Optimize your content: You should use the insights from your data and tests to optimize your content and improve your ad quality and relevance. You should follow the best practices and tips for creating engaging and effective TikTok ads that convert.
Optimize your bidding: You should use the insights from your data and tests to optimize your bidding and improve your ad efficiency and ROI. You should adjust your bid amount, bid strategy, optimization goal, delivery type, etc. according to your performance and results.

What are some examples of successful TikTok ads?

Some examples of successful TikTok ads are:

Gymshark: The fitness apparel brand launched a branded hashtag challenge #Gymshark66 to encourage users to share their fitness journeys. The campaign generated over 2 billion views, 1.7 million user videos, 300% increase in followers, 40% increase in website traffic, and 35% increase in sales.
E.l.f Cosmetics: The beauty brand launched a viral song "Eyes Lips Face" to promote its products on TikTok. The campaign generated over 4 billion views, 3 million user videos, 1.6 million new followers, 41% increase in brand awareness, 20% increase in purchase intent, and 15% increase in sales.
Nike: The sportswear brand launched a top view ad featuring its Air Max shoes with stunning visuals and music. The campaign generated over 100 million impressions, 20 million views, 10% CTR, and 7% CR.

Conclusion

TikTok ads are a great way to reach a large and engaged audience, drive traffic, leads, sales, and brand awareness, and showcase your creativity and personality. However, to create TikTok ads that convert, you need to follow a clear and effective strategy, choose the right ad format, create engaging and relevant content, and optimize your performance and results.

We hope this guide has helped you understand how to create TikTok ads that convert. If you want to learn more about TikTok advertising, check out our other articles on the topic.

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