TikTok and Search: A Step by Step Guide to Boost Revenue

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Written by Isidora Matovic

TikTok and Search: A Step by Step Guide to Boost Revenue

TikTok has emerged as one of the most popular social media platforms among the younger generation. It has become a hot spot for businesses targeting a youthful audience and expanding their reach. Among Gen Z, the platform progressively evolved into a search engine.

Undoubtedly, with over 1 billion active users worldwide, TikTok stands as a social media giant. The platform is driven by user-generated content, making it an ideal place for businesses to market their products and services more effectively. Its user base primarily comprises young people between 16 and 24, which is a difficult target market to reach through traditional advertising networks. However, TikTok levels the playing field for businesses aiming to gain traction with this age group, offering unparalleled opportunities for advertising success. The platform enables brands to create ads that feel real and not pushy, as they get people more involved, keep them watching longer, generate more sales, and make a lasting impression. By seamlessly integrating into users’ feeds, TikTok ensures that ads blend naturally with the everyday content users love. This makes advertising feel like a natural part of the TikTok experience.

In this blog, we’ll explain the concept, unpack the juicy benefits, and tell you why TikTok is the go-to platform for executing successful search arbitrage campaigns.

tiktok to search
Source: Statista

TikTok as a Platform for Search Arbitrage & Understanding its Addictive Algorithm

While Google and other search engines have been traditional platforms for search arbitrage, the meteoric rise of TikTok has opened up new opportunities for advertisers to leverage. TikTok’s algorithm considers not only user behavior but also the content within each video. This means that even if you don’t have a significant follower count, your content could still reach many users if it aligns well with their interests. TikTok provides several benefits for search arbitrage. Its extensive, engaged user base makes it a prime source of low-cost traffic. The platform’s viral nature can generate significant reach and engagement, ensuring more eyes on your redirected content. Plus, TikTok’s precise targeting options can yield high-quality traffic, leading to potentially higher conversion rates on the monetized platform. Consequently, TikTok stands out as a promising tool in search arbitrage.

On TikTok, users not only can create short-form vids, but they get lost in a never-ending stream of personalized content, thanks to the platform’s algorithm. Your preferences and behaviors are analyzed to give you content that you’re guaranteed to love. It’s like having your cheerleader but with videos instead of pom-poms.

This algorithm considers video completion rates, engagement patterns, and interaction history to serve you the most relevant and popular content possible. TikTok’s emphasis on discoverability explores a diverse range of topics, trends, and creators, making it the perfect one-stop shop for entertainment. Users can remix existing content or collaborate using features like duets, stitches, and challenges, taking creative expression to another level. Overall, TikTok delivers addictive and personalized content to keep you entertained, engaged, and endlessly scrolling.

TikTok Advertising Basics

Unlike native ad networks, TikTok Ads requires, in general, a much easier approach when it comes to campaign optimization. When running TikTok campaigns, there are just a few things you can control, as most of the traffic comes from TikTok’s owned and operated properties. This doesn’t mean that buying media from TikTok is a piece of cake, but compared to native is less complex.

TikTok requires using and testing of lots of creatives, generally UGC style in order to keep up with quick creative burnout and performance control.

On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that with TikTok Ads, it is very important to have accurate conversion reporting, which is what the campaign will be optimized for. Other than that, you will need to keep a targeted focus on the creatives themselves by testing lots of them, and scaling things according to their best practices in order to keep things under control.

Diving Deep Before Making a Splash: The Crucial Role of Research

Researching before running TikTok campaigns is crucial for success. Here are the steps to “spy” on competitors’ TikTok ads:

  • Identify competitors in your niche. Look for brands, coaches, e-commerce businesses, or anyone else in your niche.
  • Use the TikTok Ads Library to search for running ads. You can filter your search by country, industry, objective, etc.
  • Analyze creative elements, targeting options, and strategies used.
  • PiPiAds – spying software that helps TikTok marketers find best-selling products, save time, and boost sales. With filters and a vast ad database, PiPiAds keeps you ahead of the competition and allows you to monitor their campaigns.

TikTok’s robust platform, combined with the power of search arbitrage, can deliver powerful results for advertisers willing to dive in and experiment. However, it’s crucial to continuously test, analyze, and adjust your strategies to find what works best for your specific needs and target audience.

TikTok’s two-click visit flow

TikTok incorporates a two-click flow system, where the visit flow involves two consecutive redirects. The search feed provider (e.g. Tonic) facilitates these redirects swiftly.

Step 1: Create an initial ad – A TikTok video that entices users to swipe left. Make sure to include a call to action. The visitor then swipes left.

Step 2: First Redirect

Guide the visitor to the first redirect page, which presents more information or a teaser related to the advertised content. This page acts as a bridge between the TikTok platform and the destination page.

Step 3: Second Redirect

Include a call-to-action or button on the first redirect page. When the user clicks this call-to-action or button, they get redirected to a second intermediate page. The second redirect page serves various purposes, such as collecting user data, presenting a pre-landing page, or providing more details about the offer.

Ad Page: Finally, after the second redirect, the visitor lands on the ad or destination page, where they can explore the actual offer, product, or content in more detail. This is the pivotal point where the desired action or conversion takes place.

Expressing Creativity on TikTok: The Art of Content Creation

Creating killer TikTok campaigns is all about thinking beyond boring ads and crafting engaging TikToks. We analyzed the effectiveness of different types of TikTok videos used in campaigns and discovered those that connected with the audience and achieved desired results. Here are some insights:

Video Concepts: When it comes to video concepts, tutorials and user-generated content really hit the mark. It’s important to remember that on TikTok, people have short attention spans, so grabbing their attention right from the start is crucial. To create a successful TikTok video, you want to make it dynamic and engaging. Think about incorporating fast-paced visuals, dynamic movements, and captivating storytelling techniques to keep viewers hooked throughout.

Music Choices: Can TikToks get any cooler than when they blast those catchy popular jams? We don’t think so. Turns out, using popular music in your ads is like tapping into a secret weapon for conversions. People can’t resist grooving along and hitting that call-to-action button. The strategic use of popular TikTok music in ads has proven to be highly effective, leading to increased conversions and lower CPC. To put it another way, the familiarity and appeal of popular music create a positive association with the ad, prompting viewers to take action.

Font Choices: It is essential to maintain a native feel by using the default TikTok font. This helps to create a seamless experience and blend in with the platform’s aesthetic. Additionally, leveraging tools such as TikTok’s Ads Video Maker, CapCut, and Fliki application can greatly assist in producing high-quality and visually appealing videos. These resources offer a range of features and functionalities to enhance the creative process and ensure the videos align with the engaging and dynamic nature of TikTok content.

Video Duration: Undeniably, the length of a video plays a crucial role in audience engagement on TikTok. Our research has found that 10-20 second long videos hit the sweet spot. They’re short enough to hold attention and get your message across.

Inclusion of Humans: Including humans in TikTok videos has proven to be highly effective. Trust us, videos with real people, their reactions, and interactions are pure gold. In other words, they create a sense of involvement, making the audience feel part of the action.

Hook at the Beginning and Call to Action: Want your TikTok videos to stand out? It’s all about nailing two key elements: a killer hook at the start and a powerful call to action. Seriously, those first few seconds are make or break. If you want to keep your audience hooked till the end, you need a hook that grabs ’em by the eyeballs. And once they’re hooked, you gotta guide ’em towards the action you want them to take. Get those viewers swiping left and choosing from a bunch of options. That’s how you drive conversions and make your campaign a winner.

These sneaky tricks are the key to turning views into conversions and making your TikTok search campaign a major success.

Step-by-Step Guide: Mastering the Creation of a TikTok Ads Campaign

The TikTok Ads Manager organizes advertisements into three components: campaigns, ad groups, and individual ads. TikTok Ads campaign might seem daunting at first, but with a step by step guide, it can be a breeze. Your initial move is to create a campaign, during which you’ll establish your promotional goals, name your campaign, and allocate your budget. The following details will assist you in efficiently setting up your campaign.

  1. Log in to TikTok Ads Account

If you haven’t already, the first step is to create a TikTok Ads account. Sign into the TikTok Ads Manager, and let’s start building your campaign!

  1.  Create a New Ad Campaign

Once logged in to your TikTok Ads dashboard, click the “Campaign” tab and the “+ Create” button. You’ll then be asked to choose an advertising objective, which can be either Awareness, Consideration, or Conversion, depending on the goals of your campaign.

  1. Set Your Budget

Next, you’ll be asked to set your budget. You can choose between a Daily Budget, which sets a maximum spend per day, or a Total Budget, the total amount you’re willing to spend on the campaign.

  1. Define Your Ad Group

After setting your budget, you’ll define your ad group. This is where you’ll make critical decisions about your campaign, including:

  • Placement: You can only run your ads on TikTok or across its partner apps.
  • Details: Name your Ad Group, and select the Promotion Type that fits your campaign.
  • Targeting: Define your audience based on location, age, gender, languages, interests, and behaviors.
  • Budget & Schedule: Set the budget for this particular ad group and schedule the timing of your ad.
  • Optimization & Delivery: Decide how you want your ads delivered.
  1. Design Your Ad

Now comes the creative part — making your ad. Remember, crafting TikTok ads for search arbitrage is all about creating engaging TikToks, not just advertisements. The platform’s uniqueness and creativity require a native approach different from traditional marketing. And hey, in a sea of content, those first 2-3 seconds are make or break for grabbing attention. Your videos should be like juicy stories, solving problems in an exciting and relatable way. Click on the “+ Create a New Ad” button and follow the prompts to upload your ad creatives. TikTok provides a very good video editing tool and a lot of templates that can help you create captivating ads, even if you don’t have a design background.

  1. Review and Launch Your Campaign

Finally, review all the details of your campaign. Make sure everything aligns with your goals and that your targeting is correct. Once you’re satisfied, click the “Submit” button to launch your campaign. TikTok’s ad team will review it, and once approved, it will start running according to your set schedule.

Voila, there you have it! Creating a TikTok ads campaign doesn’t have to be complicated. With careful planning, a clear understanding of your objectives, and a sprinkle of creativity, you can launch a successful campaign that boosts your visibility and engagement on this rapidly growing platform.

How to Track and Measure Your TikTok Ad Campaign Performance Using Ads Manager

You’ve set up your campaigns, they’re live, and now it’s time to track their performance. After all, understanding how your campaigns are performing is crucial to optimizing their success. Fortunately, TikTok Ads Manager provides robust tracking capabilities that allow you to monitor and analyze the key metrics that matter most to you. Let’s explore how you can effectively track the performance of your TikTok campaigns and unlock their full potential.

Dashboard Page: Bird’s-eye view of your account. This overview provides you with up-to-date metrics, ad spend, and the status of all your campaigns. It serves as a quick pulse check to assess your overall performance across campaigns, ad groups, and ads.

tiktok search arbitrage campaigns

Campaign Page: For a close-up look at your campaign performance. Here, you can analyze specific campaigns, ad groups, and ads. Easily search and filter for the campaigns you’re interested in. Want to customize your data view? No problem! Just select the metrics you want to see and save your preferred column view for later. And if you really want to dive deep into your campaign’s performance, click on “View Data” for detailed performance insights and audience analysis. Additionally, you can customize the date and time range and choose what you want to see on your chart.

Reporting Page: enables you to create customizable performance reports that can be delivered directly to your inbox. By navigating to the “Analytics tab”, you can either craft a custom report or leverage a pre-designed template. TikTok reports provide exported data that can be organized, analyzed, and presented in tables and charts. Customize your report based on your specific requirements and schedule its delivery as needed.

tiktok search arbitrage campaigns

By leveraging the dashboard, campaign, and reporting pages in TikTok Ads Manager, you can understand your campaign’s performance and make data-driven decisions to optimize your advertising efforts.

Best Practices for Campaign Setup

Below is a straightforward checklist outlining the steps and settings you need to employ to maximize the effectiveness of your TikTok campaigns.

  • Campaign Objective: Aim for Conversions – Complete Payment.
  • Budget: Set at the Ad Set level, a minimum is $20/day. For example, 50$ – $100 is optimal for large geos.
  • Audience Targeting: The TikTok Ads Manager provides a wide array of targeting possibilities, including creating or excluding custom or lookalike audiences. In addition, it offers demographic and device settings to help refine your audience based on parameters such as age, gender, interests, operating systems, and service providers.
  • Placement Targeting: We recommend excluding Pangle traffic – as upstream providers forbid it.
  • Creative Type: Opt for Automated Creative Optimization (highly recommended). When you enable Automated Creative Optimization, the system is programmed to auto-create combinations of your creative resources – videos and ad texts. It then strategically delivers only those combinations that demonstrate high performance. You can upload these creative assets during the ad creation process.
  • Cost Control: Go for the Lowest cost.
  • Conversion reporting: The Conversion API is required (and strongly recommended).
  • Creative count: Implement 3-5 creatives per ad group.
tiktok search arbitrage campaigns

Effective Campaign Optimization Strategies

The optimization of search arbitrage campaigns on TikTok generally involves testing fresh creatives, discontinuing underperforming ad groups or campaigns, and augmenting profitable ones.

To clarify your campaign optimization process, it’s best to divide the optimization procedure as follows:

  1. Discontinue Underperforming Ad Groups and Campaigns
  2. Reactivate Profitable Ad Groups
  3. Duplicate Ad Groups
  4. Expand Profitable Ad Groups

Consider this fascinating fact: Every day, our thumbs effortlessly travel kilometers across our screens, navigating the ever-expanding world of social media. With every swipe and scroll, we unlock a whole new universe of information, entertainment, and connections. TikTok is a digital highway of limitless opportunities, influencing our culture, habits, and business trends in the blink of an eye.

Armed with a grasp of TikTok ad campaign basics and our shared insights, you’re well-prepared to kickstart your own journey. Begin by setting up a business account to access your TikTok ads manager, and you’ll be all set to start creating your own TikTok ads.

Moreover, keep in mind that marketing is all about testing and learning. Start with small goals, regularly check your results, and adjust your strategy as you go. This ongoing process will help you create TikTok ads that elevate your revenue stream, converting kilometers of thumb scrolling into a profitable engagement.

Conclusion

In conclusion, TikTok is a powerful platform for search arbitrage campaigns, offering marketers tremendous potential. Understanding how TikTok’s algorithms work is important; creating ads that blend seamlessly with TikToks is vital for success on the platform, ensuring a unique and real experience that resonates with users.

By implementing the strategies discussed in this blog, tracking campaign performance, and understanding TikTok’s algorithms, you can achieve positive returns on investment.

So, have you already started creating awesome TikTok search campaigns? Did you find our resources helpful? We’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment sharing what else you’d like to see from us? If it’s something we can help with, we’ll provide content that will answer all your questions. Ready to boost your revenue with TikTok search arbitrage? Then, let’s get started!

Isidora Matovic

Isidora Matovic

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Social media enthusiast and a full time researcher. She takes digital presence very seriously and that is why you are always in touch in what is going on with us! Follow us for more posts like this.

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