How does remarketing work on TikTok?

December 1, 2024

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How does remarketing work on TikTok?

Remarketing on TikTok allows you to re-engage users who have previously interacted with your brand, whether they’ve viewed your content, clicked on your ad, visited your website, or used your app. It is a powerful strategy to convert potential customers who are already familiar with your brand but haven’t yet completed a desired action (like making a purchase or signing up).

Here’s how remarketing works on TikTok:

1. Setting Up Remarketing on TikTok

  • TikTok Pixel: To implement remarketing, you’ll first need to install the TikTok Pixel on your website. The Pixel is a piece of code that tracks users’ actions after they interact with your TikTok ads. It helps you gather data on behaviors like visiting a landing page, adding items to a cart, or completing a purchase. This data allows TikTok to identify users who have interacted with your website.
  • TikTok SDK: For app-based remarketing, you can use the TikTok SDK (Software Development Kit) to track actions inside your app. This is particularly useful for re-engaging users who have interacted with your app, such as those who have installed the app but not completed a specific in-app action (like making a purchase).

2. Creating Custom Audiences for Remarketing

  • Custom Audiences: Once you have TikTok Pixel or SDK set up, you can create Custom Audiences based on specific actions users take on your website or app. Examples of custom audience segments you can create include:
    • Website Visitors: Target people who visited your website but didn’t complete a desired action (like making a purchase or signing up).
    • Cart Abandoners: Target users who added products to their cart but didn’t complete the purchase.
    • Video Viewers: Re-engage users who watched a certain percentage of your TikTok video ads.
    • Engaged Users: Target users who interacted with your TikTok profile (liked or commented on your videos, followed your account) but didn’t take further action.
  • Lookalike Audiences: TikTok allows you to create Lookalike Audiences based on your Custom Audiences. This means you can find new users who have similar characteristics to those who have previously interacted with your brand, increasing your chances of reaching high-potential prospects.

3. Creating Remarketing Campaigns

  • Set Campaign Goals: Choose your campaign objective based on what you want to achieve with your remarketing efforts. For example:
    • If you want to drive conversions (e.g., purchases), select the Conversions objective.
    • If you’re aiming to drive app installs, select the App Install objective.
  • Target Your Custom Audience: When creating an ad set, select your Custom Audience as the target group for your remarketing campaign. This ensures that only people who have interacted with your brand in the past will see the ad.
  • Refine Your Message: Tailor your messaging to the specific stage the user is in. For example:
    • For users who abandoned their cart, use ads with a limited-time discount or highlight the product they left behind.
    • For users who watched a video but didn’t convert, you might retarget them with additional benefits or new offers to nudge them toward taking action.
  • Frequency Capping: Be careful not to overwhelm users with too many ads. TikTok allows you to set frequency caps to limit how many times a user sees your ad within a set time period, ensuring the ad remains effective without causing ad fatigue.

4. Optimization and Testing

  • Optimize for Conversions: TikTok’s algorithm can optimize the delivery of your ads to users who are most likely to convert, based on past behaviors and interactions with your brand. This can help improve your return on ad spend (ROAS).
  • A/B Testing: Test different creative variations for your remarketing ads. For example, try different CTAs, visuals, or offers to see what resonates most with your remarketing audience. This helps you continuously refine your ad performance.
  • Adjust Bidding Strategy: Depending on your campaign’s goal, adjust your bidding strategy. For remarketing campaigns focused on conversions, CPA (Cost Per Action) or CPC (Cost Per Click) bidding might be more effective, as they allow you to optimize for user actions that drive results.

5. Monitor Performance and Scale

  • Track Key Metrics: Monitor performance metrics like click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, cost per conversion, and ROAS to assess the effectiveness of your remarketing efforts.
  • Scale Successful Campaigns: If certain remarketing ads or audience segments are performing particularly well, consider increasing your budget or expanding your reach to more users with similar behaviors.

6. Dynamic Remarketing

  • Dynamic Product Ads: TikTok also supports dynamic remarketing ads through the use of product catalogs. With dynamic ads, you can automatically show users ads featuring the exact products they viewed or interacted with on your website. This is highly effective in reminding users of products they showed interest in but didn’t purchase.

Summary of Remarketing Process on TikTok:

  1. Install TikTok Pixel or SDK to track user actions on your website or app.
  2. Create Custom Audiences based on behaviors (e.g., website visits, video views, cart abandonment).
  3. Develop a targeted remarketing campaign, focusing on these audiences and customizing your ad message to their actions or stage in the buyer’s journey.
  4. Optimize the campaign with A/B testing, conversion optimization, and bidding strategies tailored to remarketing goals.
  5. Monitor and scale successful remarketing efforts based on performance metrics.

Best Practices for TikTok Remarketing:

  • Personalize Content: Use dynamic product ads and personalized messaging to create a more relevant and appealing experience for users.
  • Incorporate Social Proof: Include customer reviews, ratings, or user-generated content in your ads to build trust and credibility.
  • Use Urgency: Add limited-time offers, countdowns, or exclusive discounts to create a sense of urgency and encourage users to take action.
  • Segment Remarketing Audiences: Break your remarketing audiences into smaller, more targeted segments (e.g., users who visited specific pages or engaged with certain products) for more personalized messaging.

By implementing effective remarketing strategies, brands can re-engage users who have already shown interest, increase conversion rates, and drive more sales or other valuable actions.

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