TikTok Spark Ads: elevating brands with authentic native content

TikTok has become a top platform for boosting your brand, thanks to its innovative ad content. Among the advertising options available, Spark Ads shines as a powerful tool for showcasing native, organic, and popular content. In this article, we explore the effectiveness of TikTok Ads and dive into the dynamic features of Spark Ads, which help brands expand their reach and engage with their audience.

1. What is Spark Ads?

"Spark Ads is a native ad format that enables you to leverage organic TikTok posts and their features in your advertising. This unique format lets you publish ads using your own TikTok account's posts or organic posts made by other creators – with their authorization" (see more at Over view of Spark Ads).

Unlike Non-Spark Ads (regular In-Feed ads), Spark Ads utilize content from authentic TikTok accounts. This ensures that all engagement metrics such as views, comments, shares, likes, and follows acquired through the ad promotion are attributed to your organic posts. Moreover, there are no restrictions on the number of times you can repurpose the same TikTok content for your ads.

With Spark Ads, you have flexibility in Ad Specs and Caption

• Video specifications: There are no restrictions on video ratio, video resolution, file type, video duration, bitrate, or file size. You have the freedom to use videos that meet your preferences and requirements.
• Ad captions: You can choose to leave the ad captions blank if desired. However, if you prefer to include captions, you have the option to add them. You can also use account tagging, emojis, and hashtags in the captions to enhance engagement.
• Ad display name and text: The ad display name and text will automatically reflect the chosen organic post. Please note that these fields can not be edited during the ad creation process on TikTok Ads Manager.

With these specifications, you have the flexibility to customize your Spark Ads and make them align with your creative vision and brand messaging.

2. The difference between Spark Ads and Non-Spark Ads

The difference in user interaction:

In Non-Spark Ads: Users can interact by clicking on the Call-to-Action (CTA) button, profile photo, nickname, ad caption, or swiping left to access the landing page or app install page.

In Spark Ads:

• Users can interact by clicking on the CTA buttons and ad captions, which will direct them to the advertising landing page (if provided).
• Users can click on the profile photo or nickname and swipe left to access the video owner's profile page.
• Users can click on the "+" sign on the profile photo to follow the account.
• Users can click on the sound, artist's name, and music disc icon to access the music page (Please note that this music capability may not be available to all users yet, so it's advisable to consult your sales representative for more information).

These interactive features allow users to engage with the ads and explore further content, profiles, and music related to the Spark Ads.

The difference in metrics

The metrics in Non-Spark Ads will include:

• Paid clicks refer to the number of clicks recorded when users interact with elements like the CTA button, ad caption, nickname, profile picture, and by swiping left.
• Paid likes refer to the number of likes the video received within 1 day of a user seeing an ad.
• Paid shares: refer to the number of times your video was shared within 1 day of a user seeing an ad.
• Paid comments: refer to the number of comments your video creative received within 1 day of a user seeing a paid ad.

In addition to the four metrics of Non-Spark Ads, the metrics in Spark Ads include:

• Paid followers: refer to the number of new followers that were gained within 1 day of a user seeing a paid ad.
• Paid profile visits: refer to the number of profile visits the paid ad drove during the campaign.
• Anchor clicks: refer to the number of clicks on the anchor in your Spark Ads video in the for-you feed.
• Anchor click rate: Anchor clicks/anchor impression.

For a deeper understanding of the metrics to track for optimal TikTok ads performance, check out the article "10 Metrics to Track for Optimal TikTok Ads Performance."

The difference in ad caption

In Non-Spark Ads, the description should consist of 12-100 Latin characters or 6-50 Asian characters. Emoji and "#" symbols are not allowed, and the use of "@username" is prohibited in the description.

In Spark Ads, the ad captions can be left blank, and you can use account tagging, emoji, and "#" in the captions. The display name and text will be taken from the post and cannot be edited during the ad creation process.

3. Why should you use Spark Ads?

TikTok encourages advertisers to use Spark Ads for their TikTok advertising campaigns. Why is that? Let's explore the significant benefits that Spark Ads can bring:

• Authentic and unique brand experiences: Spark Ads enable you to incorporate organic TikTok pages and posts into your ads, allowing you to create genuine and distinctive brand experiences that build trust and solidify your brand image.
• Increased ad performance: Spark Ads have shown positive campaign results, including higher Video Views, Engagement Rate, CVR (Conversion Rate), and lower CPM (Cost Per Mille), compared to Non-Spark Ads. By utilizing Spark Ads, you can reduce unintended clicks and achieve higher CVR, resulting in improved ad performance.
• Innovative features: Spark Ads support interactive features like Duet, Stitch, and Stickers, providing an engaging and interactive viewing experience for users. Additionally, viewers can click on the post's music, enhancing their interaction with the ad.
• Long-lasting marketing Impact and Improved ROI: All engagement generated from Spark Ads is attributed to the original organic post, contributing to its long-term engagement and impact. This can lead to improved customer retention, loyalty, and drive new lead generation and re-purchases.

By leveraging the advantages of Spark Ads, you can create compelling ad experiences, improve performance metrics, and maximize your marketing ROI.

4. Best practice for Spark Ads

Advertisers can use natural video ad templates from their TikTok accounts in their paid campaigns. It could be a general brand or product introduction video. It's important to ensure consistency in product selection and video choice to achieve maximum performance.

Here are some tips to make your Spark Ads more effective:

• High-quality and high-resolution videos: Ensure that your video resolution is 720p+ as it can increase conversion rates by 312% compared to other video resolutions.
• Stick to the 9:16 aspect ratio for a full-screen experience for viewers. According to statistics, full-screen formatted videos have a 91% increase in conversion rates compared to non-full-screen videos.
• Include a clear Call-to-Action (CTA) to encourage viewers to take action. TikTok statistics show a 152% increase in conversion rates for videos with CTAs compared to those without.
• Videos should have sound, whether it's real-life audio or popular trending music, to increase impressions by 16% compared to videos without sound.
• Use multiple scenes and diverse angles to maintain vibrancy and increase the appeal of your video. Videos with multiple scenes have a 338% higher conversion rate than videos with only 1-2 repetitive scenes.
• Combining voice-over and promotional offers is a perfect combo, as a realistic voice-over can illustrate the product, and when combined with promotional content, it can further stimulate conversions.
• Keep your videos concise and compact: The ideal video duration should be between 21 to 34 seconds.

Don't miss out on trending TikTok video formats in 2023 to help you create effective and creative TikTok marketing campaigns.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Spark Ads are an excellent solution for leveraging authentic native content for brands. They have gained popularity as users are no longer interested in overly promotional videos. Spark Ads also exemplify TikTok's shoppertainment concept. We hope that the information and tips provided by Ecomdy will be helpful for you to effectively start utilizing Spark Ads in your marketing strategy in TikTok.

If you have any further questions or concerns regarding TikTok, please don't hesitate to reach out to Ecomdy - the best official agency of TikTok for e-commerce.