Over the last few years, TikTok has seen explosive growth. By April 2022, the number of active users had reached a billion. It’s only continuing to grow.
Leveraging the huge audiences on this platform with TikTok advertising campaigns, you can bring in high-quality leads to convert.
If you’re unsure of where to start advertising on TikTok, you’re not alone.
This TikTok ads tutorial shares how the platform works, what you need to do to get started with the TikTok Business Manager, and how to create a new campaign.
Plus, we’ve outlined some best practices on how to run TikTok ads.
Setting Up TikTok Advertising Campaign From Scratch
Here’s the step-by-step process of how to run TikTok ads with no prior experience.
Step One: Create The TikTok Pixel
You can track the performance of your ads on the platform through using the pixel function. TikTok pixels are codes you install on your website that track visitor activity, sales, and other events.
When the pixel is installed, it tracks specific events, like when someone views a TikTok ad or clicks a website link. TikTok Ads records these events to help you see which ads are generating sales the most.
Follow these easy steps to use the TikTok pixel:
- Design your pixel
You’ll need a TikTok Business account to do this.
Navigate to TikTok Ads Manager > Assets > Events and sign in.
Select whether you wish to track Web Events or App Events.
Click on Create Pixel.
This is where you will name your pixel. Give your pixel a name that is easy to remember. If you want to track conversions on your website, you could call it a “Conversion Pixel.” Using it on an e-commerce site? Call it an “Ecommerce Pixel.”
Select TikTok Pixel under Connection Method. Click Next.
- Add the pixel code to your website or app
You’ll now see the screen for setting up web events with TikTok Pixel. You can manually install your Pixel here or set it up automatically via a third party.
You can manually install your pixel by clicking Manually Install Pixel Code. Click Next.
Paste the pixel javascript code in the header section of your website.
Look for a code that should begin with <head> and ends with </head> – your pixel should be right after this.
Ensure that your code is only pasted once!
If you’re using WordPress or Woocommerce, you can use plugins to install the code. Before installing a plugin, read the reviews (some can slow down your site).
Pixels can also be installed through third-party applications such as Google Tag Manager, Square, and BigCommerce.
On the Pixel Setup screen, select Automatically Set Up Web Events via Partner Platforms. Click Next.
Step Two: Create Events
To create events, click Next after creating and installing a pixel. You can track events using URL keywords or web elements on this page.
Two types of tracking methods are available for each event:
- Click Events: Track every time someone clicks on a particular element on your website. It could be adding items to a cart, submitting a form, or downloading software.
- URL Events: Track user visits to specific pages on your website. In this case, the confirmation or thank-you page might be included.
Create URL Events
- Start by clicking ‘+ Enter URL Keywords’ on the Create Events page
- Choose the appropriate Event Type for this URL event. You can name this event and input a value/currency to measure ROAS (Return on ad spend).
- To track a page, fill in the keywords from the URL. For instance, if you want to track: https://www.abc.com/id12345/welcome. Click the (+) symbol to the right to add additional keywords to this event.
- More events can be created by clicking ‘+ Add Web Elements’ or ‘+ Enter URL Keywords’
- Under Events Summary, review all your events and details.
- Finish the setup by clicking Complete Setup.
Create Click Events
- You can sync your website with the event setup by entering your website’s URL in the preview on the left side of the screen. Use the ‘Selector’ mode to add web elements or the ‘Navigation’ mode to move around.
- Click on ‘+ Add Web Elements’ when your website and mobile device are synced.
- Blue highlights indicate selectable web elements. Under the Select Clicked Element section, click to record an element as a CSS selector code
- Choose the appropriate event type for this click. A value/currency can be input under Advanced settings for determining ROAS (Return on Ad Spend).
- Click ‘+ Enter URL Keywords’ or ‘+ Add Web Elements to create more events
- Under Events summary, review all the details of your events. Then click Complete Setup.
You can still edit or add events after you set up your Pixel in Events Manager by clicking Add Events or Edit in the Pixel details page.
Step Three: Create Custom Audience
- Log in to the TikTok Ad Manager
- Click on Assets > Audiences
- Create an audience for an App Activity or a Customer File
Your App Activity audience can be defined by:
- A specific timeframe, select any actions you wish people to take on an app (where retargeting is enabled.)
- Any actions you don’t want people to take within a specific timeframe.
- Learn more about creating an audience for App Activity in “App Activity.”
- Upload a list of people who have performed a certain action on an app (where retargeting is enabled) to create a Customer File audience. Click here for more information.
Note: A Lookalike Audience can’t be created using an existing app audience as a source audience.
You can connect your TikTok pixel to a third-party account. You’re all set now!
Create A TikTok Advertising Campaign
Set The Ad Group (Targeting Audience)
1. Choose Your Objective
Click the Campaign button in TikTok Ads Manager to get started. Advertising on TikTok consists of seven objectives divided into three groups:
One: Awareness
Reach: Display your ad to the most people (in beta).
Two: Consideration
- Traffic: Direct traffic to a specific URL.
- App Installs: Encourage users to download your app.
- Video Views: Optimize video ads (in beta).
- Lead Generation: Collect leads using an Instant Form.
Three: Conversions
Get visitors to make a purchase or sign up on your website.
Catalog Sales: Dynamic ads tailored to your product catalog (in beta, available only in supported regions).
2. Decide On Campaign Name And Budget
Name your campaign so that your team can easily recognize it. You can enter up to 512 characters.
If you have unlimited funds or prefer to limit budgets for specific ad groups rather than the whole campaign, you can choose No Limit. Alternatively, you can set a Daily or Lifetime budget for your campaign.
Campaign budget optimization using Lowest Cost Bidding is also available for App Installs and Conversions objectives.
- Create An Ad Group And Placements
Each campaign can vary from one to 999 ad groups. Ad group names can be as long as 512 characters.
Each ad group can have a different placement. Placements are not available everywhere:
- TikTok placement: In-feed ads in your For You feed.
- News Feed App placement: Within TikTok’s other apps, like BuzzVideo, TopBuzz, NewsRepublic, and Babe.
- Pangle placement: TikTok’s network of audiences.
- Automatic placement: allows TikTok to deliver ads more efficiently.
- Choose Automated Creative Optimization
Your creative won’t be uploaded until you’ve created individual ads. For now, you can choose whether TikTok will automatically combine your images, videos, and ad text. As a result, only the best-performing ads will be shown.
It is recommended that new advertisers turn on this setting.
- Identify Target Audience
With TikTok Ads Tutorial, you can direct your ads specifically to your target audience. Use a lookalike audience or a custom audience, or target your TikTok Ads based on:
- Gender
- Geographic location
- Language
- Age
- Personal interests
- Behavioral characteristics
- Device specs
- Budget And Scheduling
Your campaign budget has already been set. Setting the budget and scheduling the ads is the next step.
Select the budget for your ad group, then choose the start and end times. Using Dayparting, you can select specific times to run your ad (based on your account time zone).
- Optimize Bidding Strategy
Choose your optimization goal: conversions, clicks, or reach. The campaign objective may determine this goal automatically.
Decide how you will bid next.
- Bid Cap: Maximum cost per click (CPC), view (CPV), or per 1,000 impressions (CPM).
- Cost Cap: The cost per result for an optimized CPM. Although the cost may fluctuate above and below the set bid amount, it should average out to the set amount.
- Lowest Cost: By using the ad group budget, the ad system generates the most results at the lowest cost.
Lastly, choose whether you want standard or accelerated delivery.
With standard delivery, your budget is divided evenly over the campaign’s scheduled dates. With accelerated delivery, it is spent as quickly as possible.
Your TikTok ad will go through a review process before it goes live.
Note: Spark Ads only works with content that’s been given an access code by its creators.
Check out TikTok’s Spark Ad instructions.
Finalizing The Details: TikTok Ads Tutorial
Our TikTok ads guide makes the entire process easier. Upload your images or videos and eye-catching design ads in minutes with the TikTok ad manager.
Follow the steps below to run TikTok ads:
- Ad Name
Enter the ad name in the column below. It will help you identify your ads. There is a limit of 512 characters for ad names.
- Ad Format
You can choose between two options on TikTok – image or video. Currently, TikTok only allows video ads.
- Ad Creatives
Upload your creative media to add details to your ad. Your media can be uploaded from your computer or used from previous ads. Alternatively, you can make a new video.
For new videos, choose “use video template” or “smart video.” Choose a video thumbnail that will serve as your cover photo. You can upload a new one or pick one from your video.
- TikTok Ads Library
Want some inspiration to run TikTok ads effectively? Explore the TikTok Ads Creative Center. Make sure you bookmark the site, as you’ll want to return daily to discover what is working on TikTok and what isn’t.
- URL And Call To Action
Provide the text and link for your ad. If you plan to drive traffic to a specific website, include the display name, text, call to action, profile image, and URL.
An ad’s call-to-action button urges someone to take “action.” When it comes to ad performance, using the right CTA is critical for marketers.
Based on your account’s industry, past ad performance, and ads with similar objectives and settings, TikTok Ads Manager determines the best CTA text to use in your ad.
To access that, go to your ad creation page. Then, click the Call to Action drop-down menu under the Ad Details section. Click the Recommended tag next to the CTA text.
- Tracking TikTok Ads
With TikTok’s ads manager, you can track the performance of your ads, ad spend, and the status of your ads.
The status of your campaigns, ad groups, and ads can also be viewed. In order to regulate your campaigns, you can check the performance metrics. Analyze the CPM, CPC, CPA, CTR, and other conversion metrics.
Testing And Reviewing TikTok Ads
Advertising on TikTok requires constant testing and optimization. You will likely go through many evolutions to the ads before you find winning strategies. Simplify your TikTok marketing strategy by using analytics. With TikTok Business accounts, you can gain insight into everything from when to what you post.
TikTok Advertising Guide: Checking Tiktok analytics
On Mobile:
- Log in to your profile.
- In the top right corner, click Settings and privacy.
- Go to the Creator Tools tab under Account.
- Then select Analytics.
On Desktop:
- Sign in to TikTok.
- Click on your profile picture in the top right corner.
- Click View Analytics.
How to Run TikTok Ads: FAQs
How often do TikTok ads appear?
These full-screen ads appear on the FYP when someone opens TikTok. Viewers are directed to a Hashtag Challenge or landing page using 3 to 5-second videos (or 3-second images). Depending on their campaign objectives, brands can choose either option. Each day, TikTokers see one Branded Takeover ad.
How do you use TikTok as a marketing tool?
Find influencers on TikTok who resonate with your industry and audience to use in your own marketing strategy. Send free products directly through messaging on the platform in exchange for a video of their experience.
How much does it cost to promote on TikTok?
The minimum daily spend for a TikTok promotion is $3 USD, and the maximum is $1,000 USD. When you set your budget and timeline, TikTok will estimate your video views. Generally, TikTok claims you can reach 1,000 views for $10.
In A Nutshell: Tiktok Advertising Tutorial
Due to its high engagement rate and large audience base, TikTok is becoming a great advertising platform for businesses.
Once you understand how to run ads on TikTok, your business could see impressive results. With TikTok’s advertising features, you can create ads that will reach your audience in different countries, helping you to expand your reach.
Focus on directness and simplicity to convey your message to the app’s wide user base.
If you’re serious about generating quality leads to scale your business, we can help. We work with businesses to develop streamlined, effective client acquisition strategies. Book a free consultation call with one of our advisors today to learn how we can support your business.
