‘Tis the season of Q4 planning. While most major advertising platforms have started providing tools for holiday planning, we’ve been working with TikTok closely to provide best practices this holiday season to maximize potential shoppers’ purchase intent.
We see TikTok as an increasingly more full funnel solution for advertisers, when campaigns are well planned to tap into the platform’s engaged user base and messaging is personalized to drive results at every stage of the journey. From discovery to purchase, brands can leverage TikTok ads to make a powerful impact on holiday shoppers.
Key Insights:
- Tiktok is extremely community oriented. This means that during the holidays users will turn to the platform to hear what other TikTokers have to say about the most wonderful time of the year. This culture of sharing primes audiences to be inspired to make holiday-related purchases.
- Tiktok says: 1 in 2 TikTok users turn to the FYP for holiday
- 31% of TikTok users buy to fit in with friends & community
- 41% of TikTok users are motivated to buy for connection
- “The early bird gets the worm.” Brands who start planting the seeds for holiday purchases in Q3 are more likely to reap the benefits in Q4.
- 38% of shoppers are likely to shop earlier this year according to TikTok, and we have already seen signs of holiday shopping beginning during Prime Day sales.
- Creators continue to capture customers. Tapping into the creativity and relevancy of TikTok creators has long been a pillar of success for advertisers on the platform, and this holiday season looks to be no exception.
- 65% of TikTok users rely on creators for ideas.
- Data connections drive results. Integrating catalogs, pixel, and events APIs into TikTok accounts will provide maximum delivery and reportable conversion impact.
- Impressions from matched events have a 2x higher CVR.
- Events API connection drives an average of 15% incremental conversion events.
- Pixel connection drives an average of 10% incremental conversion events.
- Lean into new measurement opportunities. From post purchase surveys, to conversion lift studies, TikTok is rolling out new ways for advertisers to measure the impact of their dollars down the funnel.
In late July, TikTok hosted a Holiday Summit where they outlined actions that advertisers can take to be prepared for Q4 and best practices to employ to maximize efficiency. When taking a full funnel approach, it is important to implement a plan to attract, educate, and convert users.
Given that Q4 is a period of strong purchase intent and high competition, TikTok outlined the following to keep in mind during holiday planning and campaign execution:
As we gear up for the most important time of the year for Q4-reliant businesses, robust data connections and comprehensive catalogs can make or break marketing efforts. A well-organized and data-driven approach allows for compelling and relevant holiday campaigns that resonate with a target audience. In order to accomplish this, advertisers must:
- Connect product catalogs to TikTok's advertising system to unlock a seamless way to showcase holiday offerings to a massive audience.
- Harness the power of data analytics to identify key demographics, interests, and behaviors to ensure messages reach the right people at the right time.
- Monitor performance metrics, identify trends, and adapt strategies to optimize campaigns in real time.
Creating successful creative for TikTok requires staying on the pulse of trends and being ready to churn out new creative quickly to stay relevant. Since this is a demanding task, advertisers can lean into “trend signals” and “trend forces” that have longer life cycles and can be more easily predicted.
Larger, more predictable themes can be used by advertisers to plan content further in advance, relying on the ideas and communities that have been core to TikTok in the past. Used in tandem with hyper-relevant trending creative this holiday season, advertisers can accrue the volume and diversity of assets needed to succeed in the busy holiday season.
While TikTok has historically been primarily considered a platform for upper funnel discovery, the current suite of product offerings allows advertisers to take that discovery all the way down the funnel.
- TopView - Buying ads that appear in the first in-feed ad slot when a user first opens their app. 71% of users say TopView grabs their attention more than other ad units, making it a great way to introduce products to users.
- TikTok Pulse - This targeting option places ads in the top 4% of content across the app, which drives an 8% higher ad recall. Pulse is available in multiple content lineups such as music, fashion, and new seasonal lineups available in Q4 2023.
- In Feed Video - The quintessential TikTok ad, and the bread and butter of the platform.
- Focused Video - A way to move your ad strategy down the funnel by serving ads to users most likely to consume and engage with the content.
- Video Shopping Ads (VSAs) - Finally, at the bottom of the funnel, VSAs utilize catalog connections to make in-feed ads directly shoppable. These ads are found to drive a whopping 15% increase in ROAS, +10% increase in revenue volume, and -9% lower CPA.
The January Digital team is TikTok holiday ready
Most importantly, the time to start with TikTok holiday planning is now (and in reality has already passed). With the proper data connections and measurement tools in place, advertisers who are able to activate early and move down the funnel will be most equipped to capitalize on TikTok this holiday season.
Plan early. Take advantage of TikTok's dynamic ad formats, foster engagement, and streamline the conversion process to ensure a successful holiday campaign that not only captures attention but also drives tangible business outcomes.
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