Holiday Guide Part 8: TikTok Hacks

Kickstart Your Brand with Spark Ads

Good for: ⚖️ Resource Constrained, 🔐 Unlocking Creative, 🚀 Performance Boost

Kelsie Pilkington, Senior Manager of Media Services at New Engen, says that Spark Ads are the secret weapon for any brand with limited creative resources. This is a native ad format that enables brands to white-list posts from users who are already creating organic content about their products. The upside to advertisers is huge - TikTok reports that Spark Ads can drive +43% in CVR and +142% Engagement Rate compared to Non-Spark Ads, and at -4% in CPMs.

For brands that are resource-strapped to produce strong ad creative at scale, or are constrained by limited creative learnings, Spark Ads are a game changer. In fact, this tool was an integral component part of our launch strategy for Threadbeast. Spark Ads enabled Threadbeast to leverage user content and mine creative insights that ultimately became the foundation of the brand’s strategy on TikTok going forward.

Whether you’re struggling to break through on TikTok or simply want to fortify your existing content strategy, a handful of Spark Ads are the key to finding which creative unlocks are out there waiting for your brand.

Run an Inexpensive Awareness Campaign

Good for: 💸 Price-Conscious, ⚖️ Resource Constrained, 💪 Pixel Learnings

Deploying a low-budget awareness campaign is an excellent way to understand who your potential audience is and what kind of content will resonate with them. Kelsie Pilkington explains, “We’ll run an inexpensive awareness campaign for a client and throw in spark ads or other creative we want to test into. Then we’ll launch a retargeting campaign to anyone who engaged in any way with our awareness efforts, and use this opportunity to leverage better creative if we have it. This allows us to close the loop on the audience, and to do so with better creative and promotions.”

And it’s not too late - Kelsie argues that launching right now is actually to an advertiser’s advantage. With a low-investment awareness campaign (during a period of otherwise high ad costs) that targets a broad audience, you can get into the game, gather a ton of learnings during this high-traffic season, and build up pixel signals for post-holiday retargeting.

Prioritize Customer Experience

Good for: ⚖️ Resource Constrained, 👩‍💻 Customer Experience

Customers expect a seamless buying experience and TikTok makes that possible, no matter what your website looks like. With Instant Pages, brands can easily build beautiful pages where customers can shop gift guides and make purchases rather than navigating away from the app and onto the brand’s site. Instant Pages have faster load times, are less glitchy, and have proven to deliver higher CVRs. This feature is particularly beneficial to brands with limited site functionality or developer resources.

Check What’s Trending

Good for: 🔐 Unlocking Creative, 🚀 Performance Boost, 💡 Channel Insights

TikTok Trends is a powerful database that empowers advertisers with “snackable insights on everything from how a TikTok community behaves or connects with brands to how ads on TikTok are driving real business impact,” says Kelsie. Use this tool to uncover which trends have had the highest CVR, engagement rates, and other key metrics for specific industries. Then use this information to build creative or identify Spark Ads that fit these criteria.

TikTok is a platform fueled by trends, and knowing when and how to capitalize on the right trend for your brand can be a game-changer.

Have Fun With It

Good for: 👩‍💻 Customer Experience, 🔐 Unlocking Creative, 🎁 Holiday Cheer

There are countless tools & resources to bring your brand to life this holiday season and beyond. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of some of features you can use to breathe life (and Holiday cheer) into your brand:

1. Reinforce your Holiday ads with add-ons like Gift Code and Countdown Stickers to create urgency and encourage engagement. According to TikTok, Countdown Stickers drive +72% CTR, +55% share rate, and +8% watch time, while Gift Code Stickers can yield +133% lift in conversion rate.
2. Use trending sounds and holiday backgrounds to keep your content relevant.
3. Tap into what’s trending and build it into your messaging to connect with new communities of shoppers. What pop culture phenomenon is sweeping For You Pages right now? Find out and join the conversation.
4. In a pinch, use in-platform tools like Script Generator to help refresh copy and test new messaging.
5. Don’t forget about hashtags. #Hosting and #GiftIdeas generated 149M and 4.8B views respectively last year - users planning a holiday party or searching for the perfect gift are going to rely on TikTok (and hashtags) for recommendations and inspiration.
6. Leverage the Creative Center and other in-platform tools to inform creative optimizations.