Brands enter TikTok’s search results with new ad feature

TikTok is shaking things up in the world of advertising, offering a fresh way for companies to get their messages out to more people. They’re rolling out a new feature called the “Search Ads Toggle” on TikTok Ads Manager, which works as a control center for advertisers. This new feature lets companies show their ads right in TikTok’s search results.

Brands using this innovative tool can accurately target users who are actively using the app’s search box to find specific products. Unlike a separate product, the Search Ads Toggle works as an extension of an advertiser’s existing TikTok video ad campaign.

This feature makes the most of the power of In-Feed Ad creatives, easily combining ads alongside natural search results related to user queries. By embracing the Search Ads Toggle, brands can effectively broaden the scope of their campaigns, reaching users showing a strong desire to explore content relevant to their businesses. This has the potential to increase engagement and unlock new ways of making money.

The way it works is by automatically creating ads using a brand’s pre-existing ad content. These ads are then carefully placed within TikTok’s natural search results, matching user queries that hold relevance. It’s important to note that these ads are clearly labeled as “Sponsored” content to ensure transparency.

Where these ads appear on the results page varies, depending on how well they match user intent. When a user clicks on a search ad, the user experience is similar to the regular in-feed TikTok content, allowing users to smoothly continue scrolling through search results.

Advertisers also keep some control over ad placement on TikTok. They can include “negative keywords” to make sure their campaigns are not shown near posts that don’t match their brand’s message or values. This feature helps maintain brand alignment and integrity in the advertising world. The results of a study conducted in March demonstrate that brand safety was a key priority for 67% of advertisers.

Since the beginning of 2023, TikTok launched multiple features regarding advertisements. 

A tool named ‘Promote‘ has been introduced to empower advertisers in attracting more users directly to their individual pages and DM boxes. Additionally, there is ‘Pulse Premiere,’ designed to enable advertisers to display their ads alongside content shared by premium publishers. ‘The Creative Challenge‘ offers creators complete creative control over their ads. Most recently, ‘PrivacyGo‘ has been introduced, allowing advertisers to align their CRM information with audience insights while ensuring privacy protection.