TikTok and the use of TikTok ads have massively grown over the last couple of years, especially since everyone was in lockdown. In March 2020, TikTok downloads in the United States had 6,843 downloads, and now it has over 130 million downloads. The number of active users on TikTok in the UK in 2021 exceeded 13 million.
TikTok is a social media platform where users post short videos ranging from trending dances and lip-sync videos to informative how-tos and educational videos. This platform allows content creators to reach a large community, and brands can use TikTok Ads Manager.
Are TikTok Ads Worth It?
According to TikTok, 61% of users feel that advertising on TikTok is unique compared to other social media platforms. To begin mastering TikTok ads, you have to use TikTok Ads Manager to organise everything to do with the ads and access all relevant information as it is all located in one place. You can use Ads Manager to set up campaigns, groups, creatives, and landing pages.
TikTok videos are less saturated with ads than many other social media platforms are, which means there is much less competition! If you’re looking to create ads, there are many different routes you can go down: in-feed ads, video ads, image ads, spark ads, or pangle ads.
Many brand accounts on TikTok take part in recent trends and use trending songs/sounds, increasing how many users will interact. Some possible ads include a brand takeover where your ad pops up when they open the app or even a hashtag challenge to get users to interact with your account. Also, adverts on TikTok can lead to users (potential customers) clicking on your website, sending them to download your app, or even following your hashtag! A key benefit is that you can reach over 150 countries with your videos so that you can boost your company in a variety of locations.
Who should use TikTok Ads?
So we’ve discussed what types of TikTok ads there are and what benefits they can have on your business, but who should be investing in TikTok adverts? One way to know whether a brand with a wide variety of audiences will find it worthwhile is by testing small ad campaigns first. But TikTok ads will most likely benefit these brands who have:
- The target audience of women aged 16-24 (41% of TikTok users fit in this age range)
- Brands that can afford high minimum spend
- Target audience aged under 35
Research shows that 90% of TikTok users access the app daily, so depending on whether your target audience uses the app, using ads on TikTok can boost your business to the next level. However, other social media platforms such as Instagram, which started targeting young adults and teens, now have a much larger age variety of users. TikTok could also move in this direction, and in the future, the audience could span out to reach a higher range of audiences.
Similar to many social ads, TikTok lets you target your content to custom audiences based on aspects like their:
- Gender
- Age
- Language they speak
- Hobbies/interests
- Location
- Personality/Behaviours
- Alternative Social Media Marketing
In terms of alternative Digital Marketing services that your business could use, there are many other directions you could go down that could better suit your business’s requirements, like different target audiences, different audience needs, and business goals. Other Social media platforms to consider are Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. If your business relies heavily on visual content, then Pinterest, Instagram or YouTube may be better for your social strategy. However, LinkedIn and Facebook are a must-have for most businesses to grow their presence.
For example, if you are still looking to use social media to advertise your business and products and have a senior target audience, perhaps Facebook marketing would be better. When creating these Facebook ads, it is crucial to think about your target audience:
- using relatable language
- understanding their different criteria
- making things easier to understand by using clear pictures
- suggesting sharing and liking in a more obvious way as seniors usually won’t think to do these themselves.
\If you are looking to build your presence on social media or learn more about social media marketing but have no idea where to begin – let HC Media Group help you! Our specialist team will sit down with you to understand your social media or marketing visions and goals. We will then create a strategy to transform your brand’s online social presence. If you are interested in getting in touch, you can book a call here at a date and time that suits you!