Edi Moraes, Media Buyer, Upbeat Agency talks about the reasons why your TikTok ads may not be spending.
The TikTok made me buy it hashtag has become a global phenomenon. Viewed more than 77.4 billion times (more if you include #tiktokmademebuythis), on diverse promoted products, it’s a clever marketing ploy that has woken many retailers and etailers to the potential of TikTok as an advertising platform. And it works because it reflects the truth – as a marketing platform to the under 25s, it’s second to none, with clear appeal in the 25-35 age bracket too. But to take advantage of TikTok’s advertising power, you have to know how to use it correctly – and understand what may be holding you back.
So, what’s going wrong with your TikTok ads? And what can you do to address the problem?
Why Aren’t Your TikTok Ads Spending?
The learning phase
Almost all social media platforms have a learning phase for advertising. This is when the platform’s algorithms seek to understand a new ad, who it might appeal to, and where it is best to place it. It is a relatively quick process, but until it is completed, your ad is unlikely to generate much interest, so you have to be patient while the platform is working through this optimisation process. The good news is, if that’s your main problem, it will resolve itself shortly.
Targeting problems
No one gets audience targeting right first time. It’s a difficult skill to master, regardless of the platform you’re working with, so if your TikTok ads aren’t spending, targeting is a good place to focus. To make things slightly easier, the TikTok Ads Manager provides three key areas that you can use to pinpoint your audience – demographic, behavioural, and interest-based. The problem is in knowing when you’ve set the right parameters. If you narrow down into too niche an area, you may find that there simply isn’t enough customers within your identified criteria. And yet if you cast your net too wide, you could be wasting time and money showing your ads to an audience who just don’t care about your products. That’s where TikTok’s audience gauge tool can come in handy, providing valuable feedback about your audience size.
Poor bidding strategy
Bidding is the term TikTok uses to refer to the amount you’re willing to spend on your ad campaign. They call it this because you are bidding against other advertisers for the most desirable ad placements within your chosen parameters. Getting this right is really important because if you bid too high, you’ll blow your budget in the first few days. But if you bid too low, no one will see your ad.
However, there is one other important factor that will impact your bidding strategy – the quality of your ads. If you are submitting an ad with poor creatives, you’ll be charged a premium for its display. This is because TikTok is all about the user experience and they don’t want you to interfere with that with low quality content or production standards.
So, check your creatives before you look at your bidding strategy. And if that’s all good, try switching from “Lowest Cost” to “Cost Cap” and incrementally increasing the value until your ads begin to show.
You’ve blown your budget
If your ads suddenly come to a standstill after a decent performance, this usually means that you’re out of budget. You can address this by topping up your budget, but you will have to wait for your ad to work through the learning phase again. So, in general, it’s much easier to keep a close eye on your budget as you progress.
Incorrect currency setting
This is important for retailers and etailers. If you are promoting products on TikTok, you must align the currency of your ads to the currency of the country you’re advertising in. But it’s easy to make mistakes. So, if you have accidentally selected the wrong currency, head over to Ad Settings and it’s usually a simple matter to change it. The only time most users encounter difficulties is if they are targeting multiple locations. In this case, it can be easier to partner with an experienced TikTok agency.
Your ads are out of schedule
Your TikTok ads will only be active during the period that you have identified in your Ad Manager. So, if your ads don’t seem to be performing after launch, or they suddenly come to a standstill, check your launch date, and run period.
Ad Quality
As mentioned when discussing bidding strategy, quality is everything when it comes to TikTok, so if your creatives are poor or you’ve used an inappropriate format, you may find that your ads are not shown. There is no quick fix for this. The only option is to ensure that your format and file size is correct and that your creatives are engaging. Focusing on authentic, user-generated content is usually a safe approach.
You’ve received negative engagement
If people don’t like what you’re doing for any reason and respond negatively, you can almost guarantee that TikTok will cease to show your ad. And once that happens, there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. Some people address this issue by turning off audience comments, but that typically pushes the problem down the road. The best course of action is usually to engage with your audience. Respond to the negativity positively, and take the comments on board. That way, you’ll regain user confidence, and keep your ads running.
TikTok advertising isn’t difficult to do. But when you’re new to it, it can be hard to get the results you’re hoping for. Understanding the common sticking points can give you the advantage you need to address any problems, helping you to unlock the potential of this valuable platform for your retail business.
