Despite TikTok still being considered as largely untapped by advertisers, you’ll see many known brands jump into the bandwagon as it has become quite the platform to discover new products. Thanks to its massive active user count and immense popularity, it’s easy to understand why this platform has become the new ‘it’ when it comes to social media marketing (check our ‘TikTok Ads Guide for Beginners [2022 Edition’ to learn which niches work well on TikTok). 

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Whether you decide to market your brand through TikTok influencer marketing or through targeted ads, rest assured that with its clever targeting algorithm—you’ll be able to reach the right audience who will take a liking to your product or service. 

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How do we know, you asked?

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You see, TikTok’s algorithm is based on the platform’s objective: to provide curated content that is authentic, and relevant to the user. From trending topics—to trends within the video community, these algorithms ensure that the most relevant content reaches the largest possible audience.

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But how exactly does the TikTok targeting algorithm work? 

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In this article, we’ll dissect the different targeting options, and how it influences  the content algorithm:

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• Audience 

• Demographics

• Interests 

• Behaviour 

• Device

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Audience Targeting

Just as with any successful ad campaign, your TikTok Ad campaign starts with the CORRECT set of audience targeting. You can start by either choosing to target Lookalike Audiences or Custom Audiences. 

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Here is how to decipher when to choose which:

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Lookalike Audiences are people who share similar characteristics with your current customer base. They may not be your actual customers, but they are likely to be interested in your products and services. The idea behind using lookalikes is that if you know someone who shares some of these characteristics, you can use them to reach out to others who share those same characteristics.

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This option is great for cold outreach.

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According to TikTok’s Business website, you may choose to apply Lookalike Audiences regardless of whichever stage you are in the Ad Group delivery phase:  

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• Cold start: During this stage, Lookalike Audience can minimise the time it takes for users to find your product or service, and help the algorithms understand  which group of audience are likely to be interested in your ads, and the product you are promoting quicker. This—in turn, helps you get conversions faster.

• Mature delivery phase: this is when you’ve achieved your conversion rate goals and want to expand your audience further. By using Lookalike Audiences at this stage, it will allow you to find people who are similar to your current customers and target these new audiences to maximise your ROI. 

• Decline phase: at this point, this is when your audience starts to drop off and you need to start thinking about how you can get new people to see your ads. By applying Lookalike Audiences at this stage, it will extend the life cycle of your delivery—therefore, allowing you to target similar audiences who may not have seen your ad.

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Now if you’re looking to target your warm leads, then Custom Audience is the right option for you. 

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Custom Audiences is where you can target people who have already shown interest in your brand or products by having engaged with your brand in the past, have either liked or visited your page.  

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This option is great for re-marketing purposes, reaching potentially repeat customers, expanding your following or app engagement.  Bear in mind that you should have at least 1,000 audiences (minimum size) before you can target Custom Audiences in an ad group. 

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Currently, there are six ways a Custom Audience can be created. You may choose to customise it based on:

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• Customer File;

• Engagement;

• App Activity;

• Website Traffic;

• Lead Generation; or

• Business Account Audience.

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