In 2022, TikTok’s average rate of engagement jumped to 5.95%, which is more than 5 times that of Facebook, Twitter, and its closest competitor — Instagram. What’s more, this rate is climbing annually, while other social media giants are experiencing a steady decline. This makes TikTok a hot market for digital advertisers, and brands are clamoring to get a piece of the pie. TikTok has responded to this demand by rolling out new advertising features and buying methods, including the introduction of TikTok Reach and Frequency campaigns.
“It provides transparency while building the most effective go-to-market strategies and maximises value for our clients. At MAGNA Global, we’re driven by results, integrity, and inquisitiveness. So we’re super excited to see TikTok deliver something that demystifies audience reach and cost on the platform.” – Eli Harris, Executive Vice President of Global Digital Partnerships and Media Responsibility at MAGNA Global
While new to TikTok, this buying method has already been available on other major social media platforms like Snapchat and Facebook for some time. It’s ideal for advertising clients who are looking for a highly controlled and predictable way to purchase online media. Eli Harris, Executive Vice President of Global Digital Partnerships and Media Responsibility at MAGNA Global sees Reach & Frequency as a powerful tool for advertisers. “It provides transparency while building the most effective go-to-market strategies, and maximises value for our clients,” she said while speaking to TikTok For Business. “At MAGNA Global, we’re driven by results, integrity, and inquisitiveness. So we’re super excited to see TikTok deliver something that demystifies audience reach and cost on the platform.”
What Is A TikTok Reach And Frequency Campaign?
When creating Reach & Frequency campaigns, advertisers can choose to prioritise either their overall number of impressions or the frequency at which the same users see their ad. TikTok will then optimise the campaign to hit the advertiser’s chosen KPI — options that weren’t available before. According to TikTok, the introduction of reach and frequency will allow advertisers “to book campaigns in advance with predictable, optimised reach and controlled frequency”.
Before launching a campaign, TikTok Ads Manager can provide advertisers with a reach prediction based on the advertiser’s budget or impression goals. This will help advertisers to set realistic targets for their TikTok campaigns and provide greater transparency throughout the process. One of the key selling points of this type of buying method is that it ensures a fixed CPM and delivers predictable campaign results. This is a crucial detail for budget-restricted advertisers.
According to a Nielsen study in 2018, 82% of CMOs believe reach and frequency are the most important metrics to consider when limiting advertisement waste.
Key Features Of A TikTok Reach And Frequency Campaign
In many ways, TikTok Reach and Frequency campaigns are similar to other types of programmatic buying. TikTok uses algorithms to show your ad to users who are most likely to be interested in it. However, some key differences make Reach and Frequency stand out:
- You can book your campaign up to 225 days in advance, which gives you much more control over when your ad will be shown.
- You have the option to buy by fixed budget, impressions, reach or reach percentage. This means you can tailor your campaign to your specific needs and goals.
- You can use TikTok Ads Manager to measure campaign results in real-time, which gives you greater control and transparency over your TikTok marketing.
- You can use R&F campaigns to drive traffic to hashtag challenges & TikTok’s branded effects page. It’s a great way to increase brand awareness and engagement on TikTok.
- Your R&F campaign can run for a maximum of 30 days.
- You must set your minimum reach to 100,000 per ad group.
Targeting
TikTok allows you to precisely target customer segments under the following categories:
- Location
- Age
- Gender
- Language
- Interests
- Operating system
- Device price and model
- Connection type
- Carrier
KPIs
Once your campaign is up and running, you will have access to a wide range of KPIs measured in real-time via the TikTok Ad Manager dashboard. These include:
- Impressions
- Reach
- Frequency
- CTR
- Cost per 1,000 people reached
- 2-sec/ 6-sec video views (the number of times your video was viewed for 2 or 6 seconds.
TikTok also gives some eligible advertisers the chance to gather feedback from users who have seen their ad via a Brand Lift Study. This happens in the form of an in-feed poll in true TikTok style featuring music and motion graphics. Data gathered during a Brand Lift Study gives advertisers valuable insights into how users have engaged with their ad and can assist future campaign planning. TikTok says that BLS “helps to empower advertisers with actionable data to shift, improve, and segment resources towards impactful campaigns and efforts.”
“This type of campaign is perfect for brand awareness or top-of-the-funnel marketing objectives. And since you can book ad slots well in advance, it’s perfect for planning seasonal campaigns or product launches.”
Another feature of running an R&F campaign is that it can allow you to create an engagement audience based on the people who viewed or clicked on your ads. This can then be used as a target audience for future auction campaigns, giving you a more efficient way to spend your TikTok marketing budget.
Who Are Reach and Frequency Campaigns For?
TikTok Reach and Frequency campaigns are best for advertisers who want a high degree of predictability over their TikTok marketing. With an R&F campaign, you know how many people are going to see your ad and at what frequency. It makes budgeting a lot easier. This type of campaign is perfect for brand awareness or top-of-the-funnel marketing objectives. And since you can book ad slots well in advance, it’s perfect for planning seasonal campaigns or product launches.
But if you want to run a lead generation campaign via TikTok, Reach and Frequency may not be the best option. According to TikTok, R&F campaigns aren’t optimised for click-throughs or conversions. As such, you may be better off exploring other buying options. The main objectives of an R&F campaign will always be video views, brand awareness, impressions, and traffic.
Reach & Frequency Vs. Auction
You might be wondering how TikTok Reach and Frequency campaigns stack up against TikTok’s other ad buying methods. One benefit is the extra control you get over the number of times the same person sees your ad. According to the traditional advertising school of thought, the same target should see your ad at least three times to effectively raise brand awareness. However, your optimal frequency percentage will depend on a number of factors unique to your campaign.
While some campaigns may benefit from a high-frequency percentage, it can also potentially hurt your objectives if your campaign starts to trigger ad fatigue. As such, it’s important to have a clear understanding of your target audience and the type of frequency percentage that’ll work best for your campaign.
On the other hand, TikTok’s auction-based ad buying allows you to bid for a certain audience to see your ad. In essence, the highest bidder gets their ad shown but it’s slightly more complicated than this. TikTok also incorporates other factors to decide who wins the auction.
This can mean you over-spend while attempting to outbid your competitors. Alternatively, you might struggle to get through your entire ad budget because competitors are outbidding you so frequently. This lack of predictability is a key differentiator. While auction-based advertising can be a great way to get your ad in front of TikTok users, it doesn’t offer the same degree of control and predictability as reach and frequency campaigns.
How To Get Started
With the help of an account manager, you can start a TikTok reach and frequency campaign thanks to TikTok’s self-service Ads Manager tool. From your TikTok ad creation dashboard, you can:
- Create your ad or ad group
- Choose your buying option
- Select your target audience
- Choose your budget
- Set your campaign dates.
When creating a reach and frequency campaign, you can choose from one of three objectives — reach, video views, or traffic.
Once your campaign is live, you can use TikTok Ads Manager to track your campaign results in real-time. The dashboard provides detailed insights into your ad’s overall performance. This includes reach, frequency, video views, impressions, and click-through rate.
If you’re not sure where to start, TikTok for Business offers a number of resources to help you get the most out of your R&F campaign. They run regular webinars on a variety of topics related to TikTok advertising, so be sure to check these out. You can also contact TikTok’s support team if you have any questions or need help starting.
Get Help Navigating Your R&F Campaign
If you’re new to advertising with TikTok, setting up a reach and frequency campaign can seem daunting. A TikTok marketing agency with a strong relationship with TikTok can help you navigate the process. We personally have experience running successful Reach and Frequency TikTok campaigns and can offer guidance on everything from influencer outreach, to your creative strategy and TikTok ads management.
As mentioned earlier in the article, 82% of CMOs believe reach and frequency are the most important metrics to consider when limiting advertisement waste, so you need to pay attention.
If you’re interested in working with a leading TikTok agency, reach out to us at House of Marketers today. We’ll talk through your TikTok marketing goals and provide a proposal detailing how we’ll help you get there.
House of Marketers (HOM) is a leading TikTok Marketing Agency. Our global agency was built by early TikTok Employees & TikTok Partners, which gives us the insider knowledge to help leading brands, like Redbull, Playtika, Badoo, and HelloFresh win on TikTok. Want us to convert more of Gen Z and Millennials with TikTok? Get in touch with our friendly team, here.
