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TikTok continues to solidify its role as a dominant force in the social media landscape. As brands scramble to capture the attention of their highly engaged audiences, TikTok has doubled down on innovation, introducing new advertising solutions that blend creativity and technology. 

On September 24, 2024, TikTok launched its highly anticipated Search Ads Campaign—a move poised to revolutionize how brands interact with users through intent-driven search queries. This blog post explores TikTok’s growing influence, the specifics of this new ad format, and why marketers and brand entrepreneurs should take notice.

TikTok’s Growing Influence in Social Media

In just a few short years, TikTok has evolved from a fun platform for short-form videos to a global social media powerhouse. With over 1 billion active users, TikTok has surpassed traditional social media giants, capturing a demographic that is moving away from platforms like Facebook and Instagram. 

The platform’s unique algorithm has become its superpower. It seamlessly curates content tailored to each user’s interests, resulting in higher engagement and helping build a sense of community and discovery. TikTok’s ability to captivate its audience has opened new opportunities for brands to connect with potential customers in authentic, engaging ways.

TikTok took another giant leap by launching Search Ads, a keyword-based ad solution designed to meet users where they are—at the critical moment of intent within search results. This innovation signals TikTok’s ambition to become more than just a social app. With this launch, TikTok is positioning itself as a competitive player in the search engine space, challenging even Google for advertising dollars.

What are TikTok Search Ads?

TikTok Search Ads are a new keyword-based search ad format that allows brands to show their ads directly in the app’s search results. By targeting specific keywords, advertisers can place their video or image-based ads in front of users who are actively searching for related content on the platform. This ad format integrates seamlessly into the user experience, showing up as part of the organic search results users interact with daily.

By enabling brands to reach high intent users, TikTok Search Ads offer a new layer of precision targeting, ensuring that businesses can connect with their audience at the right time. This type of ad format can deliver highly relevant content to users, increasing the likelihood of engagement, interaction, and conversion.

Key Features of TikTok Search Ads

TikTok’s Search Ads come equipped with a range of features designed to optimize performance for advertisers, including:

• Traffic and Web Conversion Campaign Objectives: Brands can choose between objectives focused on driving traffic to their website or encouraging conversions. This flexibility allows marketers to align campaigns with their goals, whether it’s increasing website visits or boosting sales.
• Video and Image Carousel Ad Formats: TikTok Search Ads support multiple ad formats, including video ads and image carousels. These visual formats leverage TikTok’s strength in storytelling, making it easy for brand entrepreneurs to create engaging and immersive content.
• Keyword Targeting and Research Tools: TikTok provides powerful keyword research tools that help advertisers identify trending and relevant keywords. Brands can target keywords related to their product or service, ensuring their ads appear in the most relevant search queries.
• Negative Keyword Capabilities: To ensure ad relevance, TikTok also offers negative keyword targeting, allowing brands to exclude specific search terms and fine-tune who sees their ads. This feature helps optimize ad spend by preventing ads from being shown to users unlikely to convert.

Why TikTok Search Ads Matter

As all generations increasingly turn to TikTok for search queries, the platform is emerging as a pivotal search engine. According to recent data, 57% of TikTok users regularly use the app’s search function to find content, products, or services. This trend has significant implications for marketers as TikTok’s search functionality offers a unique opportunity to capture attention at moments of high user intent.

TikTok Search Ads present a chance to engage users when they are actively searching for specific content, products, or services. This is critical because users in search mode are more likely to have purchase intent. By leveraging this feature, brands can increase visibility at these decisive moments and drive users further down the funnel.

Benefits for Advertisers

The introduction of TikTok Search Ads opens up numerous advantages for advertisers:

• Access to a Highly Engaged, Not-Necessarily Younger Audience: A significant portion of Gen Z and Millennials use the app daily. These users are more receptive to interactive, visual content and less responsive to traditional, static ads. However, shoppers of all ages are now turning to TikTok. It’s no longer the exclusive domain of kids. 
• Blending Intent-Driven and Spontaneous Discovery: TikTok combines intent-driven search with the platform’s signature discovery-based content feed, allowing advertisers to engage users searching for specific products while also benefiting from spontaneous, viral trends.
• Higher Engagement Rates: TikTok’s visual nature, with its emphasis on videos and interactive content, lends itself to higher engagement rates. Users on the platform are more likely to interact with ads, especially when they are relevant to what they are searching for. Studies show that combining TikTok Search Ads with In-Feed Ads can boost conversions by 20%, making it a powerful pairing for advertisers.

How to Get Started with TikTok Search Ads

Launching a TikTok Search Ads campaign is a straightforward process, but success hinges on thoughtful keyword targeting and creative optimization. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Set Up Your TikTok Ads Account: If you don’t have one already, create a TikTok Ads Manager account and ensure your billing and account settings are configured.
2. Define Campaign Objectives: Choose between driving traffic or web conversions based on your marketing goals.
3. Keyword Research: Use TikTok’s keyword research tools to identify at least 20 relevant keywords per ad group. Focus on terms that your target audience is likely to search for.
4. Create Engaging Content: TikTok’s users respond best to creative, authentic video content. Use high-quality visuals and ensure your ads tell a compelling story that connects with your audience.
5. Launch and Monitor: Once your ads are live, monitor performance closely and adjust your targeting, creative, and budget as needed for optimal results.

TikTok vs. Google: The Search Ad Battle

TikTok’s venture into search ads positions the platform as a direct challenger to Google’s dominance in the search ad space. Young users turn to social media platforms like TikTok for search, particularly for product recommendations, reviews, and shopping inspiration. Now, as mentioned above, TikTok’s demographics are expanding upward. This shift marks a significant change in user behavior, and TikTok is seizing the opportunity by offering search ads that capitalize on its strength in visual, interactive content.

Google, long the leader in search advertising, still holds a considerable share of the market, particularly for more traditional, text-based search queries. However, TikTok’s rise represents a shift toward more dynamic, visually driven search experiences. As this trend continues, brands may find that TikTok offers new and innovative ways to engage consumers where they’re already spending much of their time.

Strategies for Success

For marketers looking to get the most out of TikTok Search Ads, the following strategies are essential:

• Keyword Selection: Choose a minimum of 20 relevant keywords per ad group to ensure your ads reach a broad but targeted audience.
• Creative Optimization: Focus on producing visually engaging and authentic content that resonates with TikTok’s user base. Optimize videos for mobile viewing, with quick cuts and attention-grabbing visuals.
• Budget Management: Start with a modest budget, but be prepared to scale as you see positive performance. Continuously monitor and adjust your budget to maximize ROI.
• Continuous Campaign Optimization: Regularly review campaign performance and make adjustments to your keyword targeting, creative assets, and bidding strategy for better results.

Potential Impact on Holiday Marketing

The timing of TikTok’s Search Ads launch just before the holiday shopping season is no coincidence. With Q4 being the busiest time of year for retail, TikTok Search Ads provide brands with a new avenue to capture holiday shoppers at moments of intent. Brands can leverage these ads to drive traffic to holiday promotions, product launches, and limited-time offers, ensuring they are visible to users ready to make purchasing decisions.

What Does this Mean for Brand Entrepreneurs

TikTok’s Search Ads represent an exciting new frontier for advertisers, blending the power of search with the platform’s immersive, visual experience. As more users turn to TikTok for search, the potential for brands to capture intent-driven traffic is immense. Marketers should embrace this new advertising avenue and explore the creative possibilities TikTok Search Ads offer.

If you’d like to know more about how to integrate TikTok ads into your own marketing strategy, reach out to the omni-channel specialists at Canopy Management. 

Canopy is the quiet force behind the success of many Amazon, Walmart, and recently, TikTok Shop sellers. Want to know what all the excitement is about? Connect with a Canopy e-commerce expert here to find out more!