TikTok has become essential for social media users and brands in just a few years. Initially, this short video-sharing application was dedicated to entertainment. Then, its influence spread, and now, its users:
- Connect to it to consult news;
- Many people search online.
TikTok has thus transformed into a search engine… and a competitor to Google.
New uses are of interest to advertisers (brands) and ByteDance, the company that created this application. This is why TikTok has evolved significantly since its launch in 2016. For example, advertising services have been developed, which can be found on the TikTok for Business platform.
They have also recently been supplemented by a new functionality for advertisers: Search Ads Toggle. Adapting to users’ uses and preferences, it allows brands to broadcast ads directly in the application’s search results. An offer that closely resembles that of Google and confirms that TikTok is indeed becoming the new competitor of the American search engine.
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A Service Reserved For Advertisers
Today, TikTok is used to:
- Entertainment
- Discovery
- Learning
The themes discussed in the videos are very varied and concern cooking, beauty, decoration, science, fashion, and sports. They correspond to the concerns of users, who are mainly young in France ( 72.2% are under 24 years old, and 39% are between 18 and 24 years old).
On the app, they can access videos via their “For You” feed or by searching. And this feature is used more and more, making TikTok a real search engine.
This transformation represents a real opportunity for advertisers since they can target new customers. Indeed, according to a study by TikTok on its site, “58% of users discover new brands and products on the platform”. So many potential customers for advertisers who can now expand the reach of their advertising campaigns thanks to Search Ads Toggle.
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A Feature Available On TikTok Ads Manager
“Search Ads Toggle” is the new thing TikTok offers to advertisers. The principle is simple: they can broadcast advertisements in the application’s search results. To take advantage of this, you must activate the “Search Ads Toggle” function on TikTok Ads Manager. Then, ads are automatically created from existing In-Feed Ads. They are then distributed in response to user queries and organic search results. To identify them, the word “Sponsored” is indicated. Like other ads, brands benefit from several targeting options:
- Keywords
- Hobbies
- Demographic data
- User behavior…etc.
These options allow them to personalize their campaigns to be more precise and adapted to their objectives.
Where Are The Ads Served?
When the “Search Ads Toggle” feature is enabled, ads are displayed in the app’s search results. It works similar to that of Google:
- A user enters their query in the search bar;
- Organic results appear and sponsored results.
If the user clicks on an ad, it is displayed in full screen, like a “classic” video.
Regarding activating this functionality, it is started by default when creating a campaign. But it can be deactivated very quickly by going to the campaign settings on TikTok Ads Manager.
What Are The Benefits Of Search Ads Toggle?
For advertisers, the launch of this feature offers them new opportunities. They can thus increase:
- Their visibility among TikTok users since the ads are directly integrated into search results;
- Their conversion rate and user engagement.
They also can offer TikTok users more relevant advertising content that fits perfectly into the user journey. They, therefore, do not constitute a nuisance for them. Especially since the search bar is very popular with those under 24, the primary users of TikTok, a generation that is not sensitive to traditional marketing methods and is sometimes difficult to reach by brands. With TikTok and Search Ads Toggle, they can finally target it with advertising content corresponding to their preferences, uses, and modes of consumption.
Can TikTok Compete With Google With This Feature?
As we stated previously, today, TikTok is used as a search engine. Its users use it to get information and get answers to their questions. Their requests are, therefore, very varied.
But why do they prefer this application to a traditional search engine, such as Google? No doubt because of the content offered by TikTok, namely videos.
Today, this format is popular with many Internet users, particularly the younger generation, who prefer watching videos to reading articles. Hence his interest in TikTok, which understood this well. Therefore, this preference of the new generation makes TikTok a competitor to Google. This competition is not limited to the uses of Internet users since, with the launch of Search Ads Toggle, the application offers advertisers an advertising offer similar to that of the web giant.
But that doesn’t mean they will abandon Google Ads and focus solely on TikTok advertising. Far from it, and for a simple reason: the target audience is different. On TikTok, brands can reach the younger generation, who are not very receptive to traditional digital advertisements and prefer videos. On the other hand, Google is aimed at a wider audience. These two offers are, therefore, complementary for advertisers. But Google may not see the situation that way.
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