In our recent bite-size learning session, our Paid Media experts revealed their top tips on running successful advertising campaigns on two tip-top social media platforms: TikTok and Snapchat. We answered all of your questions regarding advertising best practices and things to consider in the future. So, if you want to catch up with the session, click here. But for now, let’s fast-forward to your Q’s and our A’s around advertising on these platforms. 

Can you run a conversion campaign in TikTok if you don’t own the website you’re sending people to, e.g. selling tickets via Eventbrite?

Yes, you can. But you need to make sure you have the permissions to set up a pixel or integrate an analytical tool like Google Analytics if you want to track conversions. Eventbrite is good for pixel integrations. However, if you’re using another site, you can always track through Google Analytics and look at your conversions that way. Tracking and measuring are essential, so without the appropriate permissions, you won’t be able to see if your ads are performing well or not.

Can you run the ads and business side of TikTok on desktop, or is it run through the mobile app?

TikTok ads don’t run through the mobile app. TikTok’s ads are run, monitored, and managed through TikTok Ads Manager. You’ll find this on the desktop web app. It’s a lot easier to run them on desktop, so we recommend ditching the mobile for the big screen in this case. 

What is the optimal video ad length on TikTok and Snapchat?

As a general rule, anything above 15 seconds is too long. Some studies show that attention spans on social media are as little as two seconds. Even though there are ad formats that allow videos of up to three minutes, we wouldn’t recommend creating long-form content. For Snapchat, we’d say to stick to 5-6 seconds, and on TikTok, around 5-15 seconds works well. But what does this mean for your creative? You need to get inventive with how you curate your ads. Get your branding and CTA out there within the first three seconds before people have the chance to skip!

The good news? You don’t have to put quite so many resources into your creative assets!

Can you conduct interest targeting to under 18s as this is now restricted on other platforms like Facebook and Instagram?

Snapchat and TikTok don’t have restrictions at the moment, which is particularly useful as both platforms’ core demographic are young people. However, we can’t say how long this will be possible as advertising ethics evolve. 

What is the difference between Snapchat and TikTok?

Both Snapchat and TikTok aim to connect with user-generated content. But what makes them different? We’ve defined two key areas: 

• Demographics – Snapchat tends to draw in a younger crowd; 57% of users are between 15 and 26 years old, and only 12% of users are aged 35 to 54. Although 35% of TikTok’s global audience is between 19 and 29, there is demand from an older demographic as 37% of TikTok users are over 30.
• Ad types – TikTok and Snapchat offer different ad formats. We ran through each ad type and the best for your business in the session. If you’re interested in hearing about them, click here.

How do I know which platform is right for my brand and my campaigns? 

Truthfully, we can’t answer this as it depends on your objectives, brand and campaign. Play around on both of them and see what your audience engages with best. Just remember to track and measure when you change up your strategy so you can pinpoint what improved your campaign or what didn’t work so well. 

For startups, what’s your top advertising tip?

We recommend A/B testing. It’s about trying something that hasn’t been done before and continuously testing one variable in your campaign. Audience segmentation is one of the easiest ways to test what works on different audience groups. Start by feeding different ads to your various audience segments – that way, you won’t bombard everyone with each new ad you put out. Ad fatigue is real – and people don’t appreciate it. 

Can I use the same creative on TikTok as on Snapchat?

Generally, it’s okay to repurpose content. But if your creative is fit for purpose, i.e. adapted to suit different ad types, then the formatting might need to change. Each format has a different layout, which might mean that an ad that works well on one platform might not work well on another if part of the CTA is cut off or your audio doesn’t play. How can you overcome this issue without creating entirely new assets? By testing, of course. (Did we mention that already?)

Have Snapchat and TikTok been affected by the iOS.14 update? 

Yes – pretty much all mobile advertising has been affected by Apple’s changes to privacy and data use. When reaching users on iPhones and other Apple devices, your adverts will be affected. So how can you circumvent this? By retargeting people based on their platform engagement and then tracking their behaviour through Google Analytics 4 (Google’s latest, more-advanced tracking system).

Do you have a question that hasn’t been answered? Talk to our advertising experts about your advertising challenges.