2024 TikTok Ads Targeting & Audience - Masterclass

Introduction

If you aim to find your customers easily on TikTok, you'll need to master the platform's diverse targeting options. Knowing what these options are, and more importantly, when to use them, can make a significant difference between making and losing money with TikTok ads. In this masterclass, I'll break down each option and guide you on setting them up inside the TikTok Ads dashboard. For a more in-depth guide, check the top link in the description below.

For those unfamiliar with me, my name is Neil, and I run Links Digital, an agency that has managed millions in TikTok ads and taught hundreds of people how to run TikTok ads themselves. Let's dive into the seven major categories of TikTok targeting options you can see on screen right now. Note that some targeting options are accessible through your campaign settings, while others need to be set up via the assets in your audience manager. Don't worry, I'll explain how to do both.

Demographic Targeting

Starting with one of the most straightforward categories—demographic targeting. TikTok lets you target audiences based on various demographic parameters, although these are somewhat generalized compared to platforms like YouTube or Facebook. To access demographic targeting, navigate to your campaign manager and set up a new campaign. Focus on the ad group level where you’ll see several targeting options.

Location-based Targeting

Begin with location or geo-based targeting. Unlike other ad platforms, TikTok doesn't permit hyper-specific targeting like by ZIP codes or postal codes, which is a limitation. Nonetheless, you can still target geographically within broader parameters. Also, due to compliance issues, TikTok doesn’t allow global targeting from certain locations. For instance, U.S. advertisers can't target people in Europe, and vice versa.

Gender, Age, and Language

You can select targets based on gender, age (within predefined age groups), and language. For age, TikTok doesn’t offer super-specific groups but stays within broader age buckets. For language, always select the language in which your ad is filmed to ensure effective communication.

Device-based Targeting

TikTok leads in device-based targeting options. These can be found within the ad group settings of your campaign, including parameters like operating system, OS version, device model, connection type, carriers, and even device price. Device targeting is mainly useful for specific scenarios like promoting a mobile app or high-ticket products. For instance, choosing a Wi-Fi connection might be beneficial for educational content, indicating stable viewing conditions.

Content-based Targeting: Hashtags

Hashtag targeting falls under content targeting. You can target people based on the hashtags they search for or engage with. This helps in identifying niche audiences and should be used with hyper-specific hashtags to avoid broad, non-converting categories.

Data Point Audiences

Data point audiences are essential for remarketing and require pre-building inside the audience manager. These include customer lists, ad-interaction-based audiences, and website traffic audiences, the latter needing a correctly installed TikTok pixel. These are crucial for retargeting audiences who have previously interacted with your brand.

Expansion Targeting: Lookalike Audiences, Automatic Targeting, and Target Expansion

Lookalike Audiences

Like Facebook’s lookalike audiences, TikTok’s version expands your audience based on initial characteristics. Set these up via the audience manager, choosing whether to include or exclude the original source audience.

Automatic Targeting and Target Expansion

Automatic targeting lets TikTok find audiences likely to convert, while target expansion adjusts your audience size based on potential conversions. These options are less reliable for beginner campaigns and are better suited for advanced scaling.

Interest-based and Behavior-based Targeting

These are the most effective for finding customers. Interest-based targeting identifies users based on who they are, while behavior-based targeting focuses on user actions.

Purchase Intent and Interest Targeting

Start with purchase intent for high-conversion potential or interest-based targeting for broader audience discovery. Fine-tune audiences by typing specific interests to avoid broad categories that may dilute ad effectiveness.

Behavior Targeting

This includes actions like video views, engagements, and Creator interactions. Ideal for scaling, although specific to certain campaign objectives.

Implementation Strategy

Layer demographic targeting with all campaigns. Begin with narrow, high-intent audiences such as remarketing groups, gradually transitioning to broader targets like interest and purchase intent as your account matures. Lookalike audiences work best when derived from remarketing groups.

Final thoughts—TikTok ads can be broad but effective if navigated correctly. Stick to specific interest and purchase intent groups unless scaling demands broader categories.

Keywords

Keywords:

• TikTok Ads
• Targeting Options
• Demographic Targeting
• Device-based Targeting
• Hashtag Targeting
• Data Point Audiences
• Lookalike Audiences
• Automatic Targeting
• Target Expansion
• Interest-based Targeting
• Behavior-based Targeting
• Purchase Intent

FAQ

FAQ:

Q1: What are the primary targeting options on TikTok Ads? A: The primary targeting options are Demographic Targeting, Device-based Targeting, Hashtag Targeting, Data Point Audiences, Lookalike Audiences, Automatic Targeting, and Interest & Behavior-based Targeting.

Q2: Can I target ads by ZIP code on TikTok? A: No, TikTok does not allow hyper-specific location targeting, such as by ZIP codes or postal codes.

Q3: Can I globally target my ads on TikTok? A: TikTok has compliance restrictions that prevent global targeting. For example, U.S. advertisers cannot target European audiences and vice versa.

Q4: What is the difference between interest-based and behavior-based targeting? A: Interest-based targeting focuses on who the users are (their interests), while behavior-based targeting focuses on what actions they take on TikTok.

Q5: When should I use lookalike audiences? A: Lookalike audiences are best used when derived from high-intent groups such as remarketing audiences. They should not replace initial interest or purchase intent targeting in new campaigns.

Q6: How do I set up a TikTok Pixel for tracking? A: Setting up a TikTok Pixel involves adding a small piece of code to your website to track conversions and create custom audiences. A detailed guide can be found in the linked video for more instructions.