The Complete Guide to TikTok Advertising

TikTok is among the most downloaded and widely used apps, making it a lucrative platform for advertising. You should consider advertising your ad on TikTok if you want to target younger Millennial and Gen Z consumers particularly. 

You are losing out on a significant social media advertising option for your brand if you still believe TikTok is only for children. ByteDance’s advertising resources revealed that in early 2022, there were 1.83 million TikTok users aged above 17 in Singapore.

Types of TikTok Ads

 

Businesses and companies can experiment with a range of unique ad types on TikTok. Most of the many sorts have probably appeared on your everyday TikTok “For You Page”. Here are the most common types of TikTok ads:

In-feed ads

These TikTok advertisements are displayed while users go through their “For You Page” (FYP).

In-Feed advertisements can last up to 60 seconds. However, videos between 9 and 15 seconds seem to perform better. “TikTokers” can interact with these advertisements by giving them likes, comments and shares. 

The call-to-action button on the TikTok ad that a brand makes can link to a landing page. In-Feed ads can be effective if your goal is to increase visitors or sales from TikTok.

These ads are suitable for:

• Brands that want to conduct subtle advertising (blends in well with native content feed)
• Brands selling a physical product – great for product demonstrations
• Beginners to Tik Tok advertising, as this is the easiest content to create

Spark Ads

Instead of making a video from scratch, spark advertising allows brands to promote their existing TikTok content and user films.

These advertisements have the same look and feel as In-Feed ads. This is because they show up in-feed without interfering with scrolling.

Spark advertisements can lead to a TikTok account rather than just a landing page. Viewers can visit the original poster directly because these advertisements are linked to legitimate TikTok accounts.

The initial, organic post is where the majority of the video engagement and followers are acquired during a Spark promotion. This occurs whether the piece of content is produced by the brand or the creator. Spark advertisements’ additional statistics make it simple to determine their returns on investment.

These ads are suitable for:

• Brands with existing viral content that can be used as an ad
• Companies looking to benefit from social proof should collaborate with creators who have more established followings than they do
• Brands that are looking to increase brand awareness rather than focusing on sales

TopView Ads

These 60-second “video-first style” advertisements start playing as soon as a user launches the TikTok app.

These advertisements stand out because they auto-play with sound and are full-screen. The advertisement may have a call-to-action button. These advertisements practically fill up the entire screen, making them “must-sees.”

TopView advertising is probably not your best option if you are searching for seamless advertisements that feel natural. This is because they might interfere with the user’s experience. TopView is among the most “conventional” of TikTok’s video advertising due to their length and sense of commercialism.

These ads are suitable for: 

• Brands that want to reuse their current ads and ad creatives
• Brands with knowledge of different TikTok ad formats

Brand Takeover Ads

As soon as someone opens TikTok, these full-screen advertisements start to show up on the FYP. They are made with 3 to 5 second videos, and they point users to a landing page or a hashtag challenge. Depending on their campaign goal, brands can pick either.

Each day, TikTokers only see one Branded Takeover advertisement. This makes them more expensive but also means there is less competition for the ad space.

These ads are suitable for:

• Brands looking to promote events or make a TikTok hashtag popular
• Product launches are occasions when businesses try to generate a significant spike in traffic
• Large-budget companies aiming to increase their exposure with less competition

Branded Hashtag Challenges

On TikTok’s Discover Page, these sponsored hashtag challenges are highlighted at the top. On average, 8.5 percent more people engage with this type of advertising, and it also promotes user-generated content.

The branded hashtag challenge link at the top of the Discover Page is clicked by a viewer.

They are then directed to a Brand Challenge page with information on the challenge, guidelines, the sponsoring brand’s logo, and a website link.

Following which, TikTokers can produce original material based on the challenge and share it on social media by using the brand’s hashtag.

These ads are suitable for:

• Brands looking to promote more user-generated content
• Businesses that have previously promoted hashtag campaigns (or brands with established, well-known hashtags)
• Brands worked to increase TikTok users’ awareness and engagement

Branded Effects & Filters

Think of Instagram and Snapchat! Branded Effects on TikTok enable businesses to make shareable stickers, filters, and special effects for self-promotion, just like on these other platforms. This style is frequently combined with other TikTok advertising by brands.

The loud and exciting nature of filters and special effects makes them ideal for TikTok’s viewers. These kinds of advertisements are excellent for increasing engagement and obtaining more user-generated content.

These ads are suitable for:

• Brands using TikTok to develop a style or identity
• Given the time and knowledge needed to create digital effects, businesses have creative talent on hand
• Brands seeking to increase the visibility of a current TikTok offer

Benefits of Advertising on Tiktok

These are some of the reasons why you should consider marketing on the app and boost your Tiktok advertising revenue:

• Global reach: Tiktok is used worldwide in more than 150 countries
• Participate in trends: There are new trends on Tiktok every day, and taking part in these trends helps to boost your content
• Get to be creative: With the many built-in tools and templates, you can easily create your ad – no need for external softwares!
• Target your specific audience: You can choose to target your audience by their demographics – gender, location, interest, etc
• Transparent tracking: Analyse your ad’s performance with detailed data and reports. These metrics include: ad conversions, impressions and click attribution data

How to set up your Tiktok Advertising Campaign

1. Register and login to your Tiktok Ads Manager account. Click on “Create” to start on your campaign. 
   
2. Choose your objective. There are 3 main categories: awareness, consideration and conversion. 

3. Set up your budget. You can establish a certain amount in the campaign budget that you are willing to spend on running advertisements. Your campaign will end when it reaches its budget, which you can specify. The advantages of a campaign budget include improved marketing budget allocation, delivery management, and performance measurement. You may always change your budget later or even start a new campaign if you are unsure of how much you are ready to spend on a campaign.
   
4. Create your ad group. You can have various ad groups aimed for various audiences inside a campaign. Target your audience based on their demographics.

5. Create your ad. Start off by choosing between a video or spark ad. Produce your video using the video template on Tiktok, or upload your own video. Generate a thumbnail. Preview the ad. Once you are satisfied with your final product, click “submit”. Before going live, your advertisement will go through a review procedure.

How to Get Started with Tiktok Advertising

Learn to launch your very own TikTok Advertising Campaign by signing up for Vertical Institute’s beginner-friendly Digital Marketing Course. You do not need to have a degree in digital marketing, nor any background to enrol in this course. You will also gain digital marketing skills for Facebook, Instagram, Google (SEO, SEM) and more from expert digital marketers in Singapore. Gain hands-on experience by executing your own digital marketing campaign – while receiving expert guidance.

Besides digital marketing, Vertical Institute also offers UX Design and Data Analytics courses in Singapore. These are some tech skills that are highly in-demand today and will be helpful for your digital marketing career.

About Vertical Institute

​​Vertical Institute prepares individuals for the jobs of tomorrow. We specialise in teaching in-demand skills, and building the next generation of changemakers and inventors through our world-class tech courses and certifications. 

Singaporeans and PRs can receive up to 70% IBF Funding off their course fees with Vertical Institute. The remaining fees can be claimable with SkillsFuture Credits or NTUC UTAP Funding.