Facebook and TikTok are dominant forces in social media marketing, captivating advertisers worldwide. Their immense popularity stems from their vast audiences, data-driven targeting, and powerful marketing tools.
However, incorporating them into your paid social strategy requires understanding their differences and how to effectively utilize both. This post will delve into precisely that, starting with an introduction to each platform.
Table of contents
- Facebook ads 101
- Tiktok ads 101
- Facebook vs TikTok ads compared
- Tips on using Facebook and TikTok ads together
What are Facebook ads?
Facebook ads, simply put, are image-based ads with captions, delivered across the Facebook network. They appear in various placements, such as Stories, Messenger, the home feed, and more. They come in diverse formats, often tailored to specific campaign goals.
For instance, while Single Image and Video ads excel at top-funnel engagement, Collection and Advantage+ ads are designed to boost clicks and conversions. Facebook’s advertising platform shines with its robust targeting capabilities. Leveraging vast user data, advertisers can employ sophisticated targeting tactics for exceptional results.
Expanding Facebook campaigns to Instagram is seamless, offering increased reach and new audience targeting.
More Instagram ad examples here.
What are TikTok ads?
Similarly, TikTok offers various ad formats. However, unlike Facebook ads, which appear in various app sections (Reels, Stories, Messenger), most TikTok ads are concentrated within and around the main feed. Standard TikTok video ads (In-Feed, Top View, etc.) excel at reaching large audiences and generating high engagement, making them popular among businesses of all sizes (learn more about advertising on TikTok here). Branded Effects and Branded Hashtag Challenges offer high impact for brands seeking to make a statement on TikTok. These formats drive mass user engagement and reach, propelling many brands to viral success. Undoubtedly, TikTok presents a potent opportunity TikTok ads can be highly effective especially when leveraging trends (like Stitching) and creating resonant content.
Facebook ads vs TikTok ads: Head to Head
It’s time for a social media showdown. Having compared TikTok and Instagram Reels ads, we’ll now pit Facebook and TikTok against each other in key marketing areas.
Costs
Let’s begin with the average costs associated with TikTok ads:
- TikTok average CPM (cost per mille): $10.00
- TikTok average CPC (cost per click): $1.00 In comparison, here are the average costs of Facebook ads:
- Facebook average CPM: $7.00
- Facebook CPC (Cost Per Click) – $1.00 With identical average CPCs, Facebook emerges as the more cost-effective option for reach with its lower CPM. However, remember that campaign costs are influenced by various factors like industry, target audience, ad formats, and bidding strategy. The provided figures serve as guidelines rather than fixed rules.
Demographics
Let’s analyze the demographic composition of Facebook and TikTok’s audiences. TikTok is renowned for its dominance among younger generations, with data confirming this: 41.7% of users are aged 18-24, 31% are 25-34, and only 24.1% are over 35.
Image source
Facebook, conversely, boasts a more diverse age range. Only 22.6% of users are 18-24, while 31% are 25-34, forming the platform’s largest segment. Older generations are better represented on Facebook, with 41% of users over 35, compared to TikTok’s 24.1%.
Image source
What does this signify for marketers?
Targeting Gen Z and younger millennials is best achieved on TikTok, a platform with substantial influence on younger audiences. Data reveals that 40% of Gen Z prefer TikTok over Google for searches.
For those targeting a wider demographic, Facebook offers a more balanced user base and significantly higher reach, with around 2.96bn monthly active users users compared to TikTok’s 1.2bn monthly users.
Targeting
Audience targeting is consistent across both platforms, offering basic options like:
- Demographic targeting
- Interest targeting
- Behavior targeting
- Device targeting _
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Free guide!Both platforms allow building pixel data-driven Custom Audiences and generating Lookalikes. However, Facebook’s advantage lies in its longer history of data collection. Launching its ad platform in 2007 (compared to TikTok’s 2020 launch), Facebook possesses a larger pool of user data and insights for enhanced campaign performance. While offering similar targeting options, Facebook’s vast historical data gives it an edge. (Explore effective TikTok ads targeting strategies here.)
Formats
Both platforms offer diverse ad formats. Facebook offers:
- Image ads
- Video ads
- Carousel ads
- In-Stream Video ads
- Stories ads
- Collection ads
- Messenger ads _
A Facebook Messenger ad example._ (Image source) TikTok offers:
- In-Feed ads
- Top View ads
- Brand Takeover ads
- Branded Hashtag ads
- Branded Effects ads
- Collection ads _
_ Image source This category is a close call. Both platforms offer formats aligned with specific objectives (e.g., In-Feed video ads for awareness, Collection ads for conversions). The distinction lies in ad placement. Facebook ads appear across various app sections, while TikTok’s design is more streamlined, with ads primarily in or around the home feed. Facebook suits experimentation with diverse ad formats, while TikTok’s simpler layout maximizes visibility.
Analytics
Performance analysis is crucial for paid social success. Both platforms excel in analytics, offering built-in dashboards (the Facebook Ads Manager and TikTok Ads Manager) for performance monitoring, custom reports, and conversion tracking. Beyond basic analytics, both offer additional features like Brand Lift studies and tracking pixel implementation.
How Facebook ads brand lift studies work. (Image source)
Tracking and analyzing ad performance is seamless on both platforms, making this category a draw.
How are your Facebook ads really performing?
Find out with the free Facebook Ads Grader!
How to use Facebook & TikTok ads together
Combining TikTok and Facebook ads is effective and profitable for businesses of all sizes. Each platform offers unique strengths and opportunities, raising the question: How can they be leveraged together for maximum returns? Let’s explore how to combine them effectively.
1. Gather & implement insights across platforms
Cross-channel advertising is essential today, involving running ads on various channels (search, social) and platforms within those channels (TikTok and Facebook within social). This approach yields more insights and learnings. Analyze campaign reports from both platforms to identify cross-platform opportunities, such as replicating high-performing audience segments or repurposing creative assets.
2. Strengthen your brand identity
Maintaining a consistent brand identity is crucial across platforms. Ensure a clear tone of voice, consistent branding elements (colors, fonts, imagery), and regular audience interaction on both networks. Consistency builds trust, so utilize both platforms to strengthen your brand.
3. Expand your campaign reach
Utilize Facebook and TikTok to expand your reach and frequency. Leverage their unique audiences and demographics by experimenting with different target groups and allocating sufficient budget to both platforms for scaling. (Learn how to scale Facebook ads here).
Maximize your Facebook & TikTok ad returns
Individually, both platforms deliver exceptional results. Combined, their potential is limitless. Capitalizing on their strengths and following best practices can transform your paid social marketing into a high-performing, conversion-generating engine. Want more? Discover the key differences between Instagram and Facebook here.