First, some stats.

• TikTok users are twice as likely to recommend something they’ve discovered on TikTok when compared to other social media channels.
• Ads created for TikTok with creator partnerships has a staggering 93% higher engagement rate than ad content without.
• In-Feed TikTok ads achieve 23% higher detail memory than television advertisements.
• Gen Z is using social media to discover and buy products more than any previous generation.

If you run an e-commerce business, it’s clear that TikTok could be an exciting avenue to explore as part of a digital e-commerce marketing strategy.

We’ve audited over 100+ TikTok accounts, here are our top tips for anyone wanting to get started with TikTok ads.

When targeting, go broad

Try not to over-segment your audience.

Narrowing down your target audience may seem like the obvious solution, but our experience has proven that when it comes to starting a campaign on TikTok broader is better.

It maximises the potential reach of your ad and gets more eyeballs on your content. One of TikTok's main benefits is that it’s incredibly effective at getting your content in front of the people who want to see it.

Looking to target specific audiences? Lookalike audience testing and cost cap testing are powerful tools that allow you to utilise previous consumer behaviour data in order to find new potential customers.

Make decisions based on your creative metrics

Don’t make decisions about your ad account based on likes, comments and shares. Creative metrics in your ad account are the perfect tool for delving into how your ads are performing so you can pinpoint any bottlenecks that may be holding back conversions.

Assess performance based on metrics such as your hook rate, watch time, and click-through rate.

Use content native to the platform

Don't be fooled into thinking the same content that worked well on Facebook or Instagram will also work for TikTok. It may seem like a no-brainer, but this type of "copy and paste" approach more often than not fails to resonate within the unique atmosphere prevalent on TikTok.

If you want success in your campaigns through this platform, it is essential to understand how its native culture works - delivering content curated specifically for these audiences yields much better results!

Use what makes TikTok unique to make content native and authentic to the platform such as trending filters, sounds, and effects.

Make sure that you’re on the right platform

An unfortunate truth is Your product might not be right for TikTok. Many companies have seen success with it, such as Ryanair. But is that leading to an increase in sales directly from the platform - or just better brand visibility? It's important to weigh up whether this social media channel will work for your particular business goals before investing time and resources into developing campaigns on the app.

It's essential for brands to focus their efforts on the platforms most likely used by their target audience. While TikTok has become increasingly popular in recent years, not all businesses will necessarily find a direct ROI there—so take time to understand where your customers are hanging out and engaging online before diving headfirst into any platform.

Analyse the customer journey post click

Crafting an effective ad that resonates with your target audience is a great accomplishment. Do you have a high CTR, only to find no one is converting? If so, there’s an issue somewhere post-click.

To ensure that your customers have a positive and seamless experience with your business, it’s important to craft the perfect customer journey from start to finish. By aligning content across various interactive platforms like ads and landing pages, you cut down on inconveniences for shoppers - ultimately leading them closer towards conversion.

Fewer barriers mean more buyers.

Regularly refresh content

TikTok creative fatigues fast so you need to be even faster with creative iterations for your TikTok ads.

When planning and filming your content, do it in a way which means you can easily refresh the creative concepts when performance starts to drop. Making small changes can breathe some fresh air into your content and have it perform better for longer.

Try iterating on your hooks, pacing, sounds, and text styles.

Top hook tip: Try experimenting with adding the offer at the start of the video, this will pique the interest of your audience and likely have them watch the rest of the video to see if it would be worth it for them.

Always push the winning creative

Likes and comments can be an important indicator of which ads are resonating with your audience but they don’t pay the bills.

Look beyond surface-level metrics and dive into your internal data. Find out which creatives are resonating with customers as well as driving them to click through and buy and then scale these ads horizontally.

If you are interested in taking a dive into the world of TikTok ads and need a helping hand, get in touch with us here to get started on your journey.