What’s good, fellow advertisers? Today, we’re diving into the age-old question, what’s the difference between TikTok ads & Meta ads? Plus, where should you be spending your ad money? Are you a fan of the new kid on the block, TikTok Ads, or are you sticking to the tried and true ads on Facebook and Instagram?

We’re going to break down the structure of TikTok ads and how it compares to the OG Meta ads. We’ll also dive into targeting and share some tips that will help you make the most out of your ad campaigns. Let’s jump in!

Let’s talk about Ad Structure.

TikTok ads have a similar campaign, ad set, and ad structure to Facebook and Instagram ads, making it easy to transition from one platform to another.

Both platforms have campaign objectives and ad sets, where you choose the audience you want to target and the placements you want to target.

TikTok has an audience network, similar to Facebook, but not as many placements. Facebook allows for a broader range of targeting, such as household income, but TikTok has similar audiences based on interests.

Lookalike audiences are a great way to target specific audiences on both platforms. When it comes to Facebook, there is a higher match rate with email lists compared to TikTok, but creating a lookalike audience based on people who have viewed 25% or more of your video on TikTok can be successful.

It’s important to start with detailed targeting, use CBO (Campaign Budget Optimization), and then eventually move to broad targeting — targeting everyone in your demographic.

What about Targeting?

In terms of structure for targeting, TikTok and Facebook are similar, but Facebook has more detailed targeting options.

However, we have to note that Facebook is removing detailed targeting soon. TikTok’s targeting, on the other hand, is still good and can still be successful for B2B.

While Facebook & Instagram ads are still the more established and well-known option, TikTok ads are gaining popularity. So it should be considered as an option. Both platforms have a similar structure for targeting, and both can be successful with the right approach.

Always consider your target audience and the type of content you are promoting when choosing which platform to use.

Diving into Ad Deliverables.

This refers to the types of videos that work on Meta (Facebook & Instagram) and TikTok and how their audiences differ.

On Meta, branded content is more successful as users can promote ads upfront, whereas influencer-style videos perform better on TikTok.

It’s important to have an influencer strategy, whether you create the content yourself or reach out to influencers to make the content for you. However, just because a video is made in influencer-style doesn’t guarantee its success. You need to have a structure to that video to ensure good performance.

Furthermore, videos, images, and carousels are all available options for creative on Meta ads whereas TikTok only offers video.

Similarly, Meta ads offer a wider range of dimensions for creative (portrait, landscape, and square) while TikTok only has portrait.

Now, we get into Audience Demographics.

When it comes to the platforms’ audiences, TikTok has 140 million active users in the US and 1 billion worldwide. And, it’s still growing. Its age range is 18-24, which is 40% of the platform’s users.

Facebook has 182 million monthly active users in the US and 3 billion worldwide, while Instagram has 153 million monthly active users in the US and 1.4 billion worldwide.

However, TikTok isn’t just for kids as its age range also includes 35-44 (12.9%) and 45-54 (7.2%) demographics.

If your product caters to a younger demographic, TikTok might be the platform for you or at least worth testing. But remember, success on TikTok depends on your creative so you can blame creative, not TikTok, for poor results.

Don’t forget about CPM.

CPM, or cost per thousand impressions, is a key factor in deciding which platform to use for advertising, and it varies from case to case.

While TikTok was initially cheaper, CPMs can change frequently, and both platforms are aware of their competitor’s rates.

Meta provides more easily extractable data for analysis, but TikTok is pushing the bar for advertisers by offering more in-depth insights, such as frame-by-frame analysis and audience interests.

In Conclusion

That’s the difference between TikTok ads & Meta ads! On the whole, we recommend Meta for those starting out with advertising, while TikTok is good for those with an influencer strategy and a younger demographic. But, know that TikTok is growing in popularity and could potentially eclipse Meta, so it’s wise to allocate some budget towards TikTok too.

Interested in learning more? Book a free paid social audit right here!

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