Advertising on TikTok: An 8-Step Guide to Using TikTok Ads

TikTok is the Chinese social media app that has taken the world by storm. With over 1 billion monthly active users, TikTok is on track to become a popular platform for brand advertising. A major reason why TikTok is a good platform for advertisers is that it allows users to upload native videos that are anywhere from 15 seconds to one-minute long. This means that brands can implement their ads into user-generated content posts on TikTok, which is a strategy that has been proven to work.

If you’re still new to the whole app and looking for some more information on how TikTok works and what it is, then just keep on reading.

Why use TikTok ads?

TikTok offers a few advantages for advertisers, but one of the biggest is that they have a huge user base. Adding to that, TikTok allows users to upload videos up to one minute long, which is a big advantage for advertisers. A user’s video only starts playing 30 seconds in and if they close the app or choose to watch a different video before finishing the ad, they will still see the entire ad.

Another reason why TikTok is a good platform for advertising is that it has a much clearer demographic. Users on TikTok are typically between 13 and 24 years old, which means that advertisers can narrow down their audience. There is a wide variety of ads on TikTok, which means that there are different ad formats for brands to choose from.

The last reason why TikTok is a good platform for advertising is that ads can be integrated seamlessly into content. Since it’s an app where users are typically uploading their own content, where they can upload videos of themselves lip-syncing to popular songs or doing fun challenges. This means that ads can be seamlessly integrated into these types of videos, which means more impactful ads.

So it’s pretty clear why TikTok would be a good platform for advertising. Now let’s take a look at the eight steps you need to follow in order to use TikTok ads successfully:

Step 1: Define the goal of your ad

Before you start creating an ad for TikTok, it’s important to define what you want to get out of it. Do you want increased awareness of your brand? More website clicks? More app downloads? These are all questions that you should have answered before you start. It’s important to know exactly what you want to get out of your ad and how you will measure those results.

Step 2: Define your buyer personas

TikTok offers a lot of targeting options for advertisers, which means that you can define your target audience very specifically. This allows you to make ads that are more targeted in terms of language, country, age, or even TikTok’s own in-app categories. Once you have a clearer idea of who your audience is, then you can start creating better ads that speak directly to them. It’s also important to define how you will measure success for each of your personas.

Step 3: Create your ad

This seems like it should go without saying, but the first thing you need to do is create your ad. TikTok allows advertisers to upload 15-second videos, but we would recommend creating a 30-second ad since it has more time to catch the user’s attention. Video ads are much more effective in terms of brand awareness, so if you have the budget for it then it’s definitely worth your time. It’s also vital to have a clear call-to-action in your ad, whether it’s asking the user to swipe up or click on a link.

Creative is the most important part of your TikTok ad. Make sure that it is unique and entertaining, so you can catch the user’s attention and keep them watching until the end. You want to make sure that you stand out and that your ad is memorable, so people will be more likely to remember it and talk about it with their friends.

Step 4: Targeting & placement

Once you have an idea of who your audience is and what message you want to send them, it’s time to decide how you’re going to reach them. You can target your audience based on location, interests, gender, or even the user groups that TikTok has created. For example, you can target a video to a group of people based on their in-app activity like the number of likes they give. Once you have a clear idea of who your audience is, then it’s time to find out where you’re going to place your ad.

TikTok allows advertisers to put ads both in the discover feed and on videos that are trending. Placing your ad either at the start of a video or at the end is a good option, but if you want to choose your own placement then TikTok’s in-feed ads format is the way to go. These ads will show up in between videos and can be targeted to specific user groups based on their activity.

Step 5: Creative

Now that you’re clear on your buyer personas and where to place your ad, it’s time to make your creative. An ad creative is one the most important parts of your TikTok ad. Make sure that it is unique and entertaining, so you can catch the user’s attention and keep them watching until the end. You want to make sure that you stand out and that your ad is memorable, so people will be more likely to remember it and talk about it with their friends.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to make the most entertaining TikTok video on the planet, but you do need to make sure that it’s engaging enough to get the user to click on your ad. You can use stickers or GIFs to spice up your ad, but make sure that you have a clear call-to-action button or link at the end of each video.

There are 5 TikTok ad formats that you can choose from:

1. Brand Takeover -an ad is displayed on the app launch screen. Brand takeover ads appear before you start your daily scroll on the “For You” page. These ads are displayed in the form of a 3-second static image or a 3-5 second video with no audio.
2. TopView ads – TopView ads work just like the Brand Takeover ads. The only difference is that they are 60-seconds long giving the users more time to engage with your ad.
3. In-feed ads – in-feed ads show up on the “For You” page, which means that these ads are displayed for all users regardless of whether or not they follow you. They can be up to 60-seconds long and blend in with the user’s regular feed.
4. Branded Hashtag Challenge – this format allows you to create a branded hashtag and challenge your fans to create their own TikTok videos with the hashtag. This is a good strategy if you want to encourage social engagement.
5. Branded Effect – Much like Instagram filters,  the branded effect allows you to add filters, stickers, and other effects on top of your videos. This gives you a chance to add some more creativity to your videos.

Step 6: Optimize, optimize, optimize

One of the most important things that you should always keep in mind when running ads is to constantly A/B test your ads. This means that you should always be changing the creative of each ad so that you can compare which one works best. Make A/B tests for different types of ads on different days of the week to see which works best, and make sure your CTA always remains the same. It’s also a good idea to always try out new ad placements so that you can find the perfect fit for your target audience.

Step 7: Measure your results

As you’re running each of your ads, make sure that you’re measuring their performance every step of the way. You can use TikTok’s built-in analytics to see how many people watched your ad, where they came from, and how long they watched your video. If you want to go even further, you can measure conversions like click-throughs and website visits as well.

Step 8: Rinse and repeat

Last but not least, the only way to ensure that your ads work is by constantly testing new ads. You can learn a lot about the types of ads that work well for you by using TikTok’s analytics, and this will allow you to become an expert in creating ads that convert. With a bit of hard work and patience, you should have no problem creating a successful video ad strategy to see results in your brand’s awareness and sales.

Conclusion

TikTok has become an incredibly popular social media app for millennials, and if your target audience falls under this category, you should definitely consider running ads on TikTok. To get the most out of your campaigns, make sure that you’re focusing on creating engaging creative and using the right targeting. And, as always, remember to A/B test your ads so that you can find out which ones work best for you.

 

10 Ways to Use Google Analytics to Validate Your Digital Marketing

In the world of digital marketing, having a sufficient amount of data is important. It’s also difficult to compile and examine all this information through traditional methods alone. It’s time to throw Google Analytics into the mix.

The ways in which digital marketers can use Google Analytics go far beyond just checking out the number of visitors to their website. Using Google Analytics, marketers are able to consolidate their data into one place. This allows them to have a clear view of how their strategies are performing and identify places to improve.

But, how can marketers make sure they’re using all of Google Analytics’ features effectively? Here are 10 ways to use Google Analytics to validate your digital marketing programs:

1. Segment Users and Content via Goals and Filters

Google Analytics allows marketers to track users across their marketing channels. For instance, marketers can determine whether or not visitors are coming from search versus social media, or an external source versus an internal source.
In addition to tracking users by channel, marketers can also track what content they’re engaging with. This allows marketers to see whether or not their message is being received.
The process of tracking users and content might sound time-consuming, but it can be simplified by using goals and filters.
For example, a marketer could create a goal for a s

pecific page on their site that they want to track. This means that whenever a visitor lands on that page, Google Analytics registers it as an accomplishment.
Afterward, the marketer could create a filter that excludes certain referral traffic from their goal page. It’s important to do this because referral traffic can easily skew the data.

2. Create a Goal Flow

In addition to tracking what users are doing, marketers can learn where they’re going. Creating a goal flow will allow marketers to see how users move from one page on their site to another, and even why they don’t complete a goal.
Marketers may use this information to find out what content on their homepage or landing page isn’t resonating with the reader or the path that is most effective in getting users to accomplish their goal. It can also give marketers insight on how they can improve their site’s efficiency, which is especially useful when dealing with eCommerce sites.

3. Create a Funnel Report

When creating a goal flow, marketers can also add a funnel report. This will allow the marketer to see how many visitors are dropping off from one page of their goal flow to another. It can also allow them to see how many visitors are completing a goal.
For example, if a marketer notices that nobody is moving from their homepage to their contact page or about page, they may need to optimize these pages. It could be that there is a problem with the messaging, call-to-action, or CTA. Creating a funnel report allows marketers to make these kinds of updates quickly and efficiently.

4. Optimize for Traffic Quality

Marketers may use Google Analytics to track the number of users that come to their site, but this isn’t enough. Marketers should also track the quality of traffic that they’re receiving. Quality of traffic is a measure of how many users are likely to engage with the site rather than just passing through.
To improve the quality of the traffic that they’re receiving, marketers should search for keywords that are sending them visitors that aren’t likely to engage with their site. For instance, marketers might want to get rid of keywords associated with poor search engine optimization or that are more likely to send them highly targeted visitors.
Google Adwords allows marketers to track ad costs, click-through rates, and conversions. This type of information is helpful in understanding the quality of traffic that a marketer is receiving from their campaign. It can also help marketers adjust their strategies accordingly, which is especially important when trying to meet a specific ROI or return on ad spend.

5. Track Ecommerce Sales

In addition to tracking certain actions on a site, marketers can also track eCommerce sales. This allows marketers to see how many users are converting into paying customers.
By using Google Analytics, marketers can also track eCommerce data such as a user’s average order value, number of transactions, and total revenue. All this information can help businesses double down on strategies that are working and end ineffective ones. It is of crucial importance for marketers because it helps them understand the health of their business.

6. Track Offline Sales

In addition to tracking website engagement, marketers can also track offline sales. With Google Analytics’ offline tracking, marketers can see how many users have come to their store and what they’ve purchased.
This information is valuable in finding out whether or not a user has experienced their offer, and it can be used to create reports for offline marketing efforts. It can also help marketers see if the campaigns that they’re running for their products and services are driving sales. Tracking offline sales might not look like a priority, but it’s an important step in understanding the health of the business and eventually increasing ROI.

7. Track Social Media Engagement

Social media has become an integral part of businesses’ marketing strategies, and it’s important that marketers are tracking its impact. Marketers can use Google Analytics to track social media engagement via goals and filters. For instance, they can track how many users have come from a social media platform and whether or not they’ve completed a goal.

Marketers can also track the number of social media engagements, such as how many times a user has shared their posts. It is also possible to track conversions from social media via the number of downloads, registrations, or click-throughs. Social media engagement is a valuable metric because it can give marketers an idea of the overall buzz around their brand.

8. Track Offline Social Media Engagement

In addition to tracking social media engagement online, marketers can also track its effectiveness offline. For instance, they can use Google Analytics to track how many users have come from Facebook.

Marketers might also use Google Analytics to track the number of users that have come from offline social media engagement, such as how many Facebook users have come to their store. It’s important for marketers to see whether or not offline and online social media engagement overlap.

9. Track on Mobile and Tablets

It’s crucial for marketers to track the number of users who are accessing their site on mobile and tablets. Many users now prefer to use their smartphones or tablets to access the web, which means that marketers need to track traffic from these devices.

In addition to tracking on mobile and tablets, marketers need to make sure that their site is mobile-friendly. This allows users to access their content without any problems on a mobile device, which can also have a positive impact on SEO. Marketers should regularly test their site for mobile friendliness and see if there are any changes they need to make in order to optimize it for mobile. If a site isn’t optimized for mobile, users can end up leaving and going to a competitor’s website.

By using Google Analytics, marketers can track how many users are engaging with their content on mobile devices and tablets. It’s also possible to track the bounce rate and page views, which can help marketers understand how engaged users are with their site.

Mobile engagement is crucial, as users are often more likely to act within a shorter timeframe when they’re using mobile devices.

10. Track Search Engagement

Marketers should track the number of users who are coming to their site via search engines. It’s important to keep in mind that there might be multiple keywords that are driving users to their site.

Marketers need to make sure that they’re tracking the number of times each keyword is used, along with the conversion rate. It’s a good idea to use a unique URL for every keyword in order to properly track engagement and conversions.

By using Google Analytics, marketers can easily track these metrics and see which keywords are bringing in the most traffic. This is crucial information to have, as it can help marketers understand which keywords to prioritize and optimize for. This also allows them to see the number of searches that are being made for their company name, product name, or service.

Conclusion

Google Analytics is one of the best tools for marketers to use in order to track metrics and other important information. It’s free, easy-to-use, and provides valuable insights that can help marketers improve their site and increase conversions.

Marketers should regularly review the various metrics, reports, and information provided by Google Analytics in order to discover areas for improvement. This allows them to make changes and see the results of those changes in a short timeframe, which can help them optimize their website and lead to a higher number of conversions.

By making sure that Google Analytics is tracking the correct information, marketers can have access to invaluable insights that can help their site succeed. Make sure that your site is getting the traffic it deserves by tracking metrics with Google Analytics!