Over the past few years, TikTok has risen meteorically to become one of the most popular social media platforms, especially among younger demographics. With its bite-sized video format and powerful algorithm that drives viral trends, TikTok presents a compelling new opportunity for brands looking to reach and engage Generation Z consumers.
For education brands targeting high school and college students, TikTok’s highly visual, interactive ads can be a game changer compared to traditional static advertising. But education is also a complex space with a lengthy decision-making process.
So how effective can TikTok ads really be for driving meaningful results for schools, universities, bootcamps, and education technology companies? In this post, we’ll break down the basics of TikTok advertising and take a data-driven look at why this channel shows so much potential to make an impact for brands in the education vertical.
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How effective are TikTok ads for the education domain?
TikTok presents a huge opportunity for education brands to connect with younger demographics, especially high school and college students who use the app daily. The short video format allows for creative storytelling that grabs attention.
Success comes down to understanding the TikTok audience and crafting campaigns with viral potential through hashtags, influencers, and student-generated content. But flashy ads alone won’t drive conversions – you need strategic objectives, precise targeting, and metrics tied to real-world enrollment and registrations.
Overall, TikTok gives educators an unparalleled channel to reach youth, but strategic effort is required to turn engagement into tangible results.
TikTok Ad Basics
Before assessing the value of TikTok ads for education, it’s helpful to level-set on how advertising works on the platform overall. Here are the key features brands should know:
Ad Formats
TikTok offers a range of different ad types, beyond just standard in-feed video ads. These include:
- In-Feed Videos – These vertical video ads appear between videos a user is watching. They can be up to 60 seconds long.
- TopView – A full-screen ad that appears when a user first opens the TikTok app. It can be skipped after 5 seconds.
- Brand Takeovers – A splash screen ad that users see when they launch TikTok.
- Hashtag Challenges – Video campaigns that encourage users to create content around a branded hashtag.
Targeting
Some of the targeting dimensions available on TikTok include:
- Location
- Age
- Gender
- Interests and behaviors
- Device and connection type
- Follower look-alikes
- Custom audiences from pixels or uploaded lists
TikTok also provides “Audience Network Targeting” which lets brands extend their ads beyond TikTok to apps and sites in TikTok’s network.
Bidding
For pricing, TikTok has both auction-based bidding and fixed rate options. For the auction model, brands set a cost per impression, click, or conversion. TikTok recommends cost per impression (CPM) for awareness campaigns.
For fixed pricing, TikTok provides estimated impressions and a flat rate. This can simplify budgeting but provides less control.
Tracking Conversions
Using TikTok’s pixel and SDK, advertisers can track downstream conversions across devices to optimize campaigns. Hashtag challenges also include performance metrics within TikTok’s dashboard.
Benefits of TikTok Ads for Education
Now that we’ve covered how TikTok ads work, let’s discuss some of the unique benefits this platform offers for education brands targeting students or promoting enrollment.
Reach Younger Demographics Where They’re Engaged
This is the single biggest reason education marketers are flocking to TikTok – its audience skews incredibly young. As of 2022, 67% of TikTok’s 1 billion monthly active users are under 30. The largest segment is 10-19 year-olds.
There simply aren’t many other platforms that let you reach Generation Z at scale while they’re happily engaged in an app. Instead of interrupting their experience like most ads, TikTok’s native video ads blend seamlessly into their browsing behavior.
For targeting high school students exploring options, undergrads choosing electives or majors, or grad students selecting programs, TikTok is primed for education advertiser success.
Video Format Drives Strong Engagement
Today’s youth have an increasingly shorter attention span thanks to mobile technology. On average Gen Zers flick through their phone 58 times a day! That’s why six-second ads on a video-centric platform like TikTok are almost certain to outperform static signage or 30 second TV commercials.
Video ads also allow brands to showcase the student experience, campus vibe, and school spirit in an interactive, eye-catching way. Things like:
- Campus tours
- Classes and labs
- Sports and traditions
- Student testimonials
- Alumni career success stories
- Silly behind-the-scenes moments
This kind of fun, first-person video content and storytelling helps potential applicants visualize themselves at the school.
Viral Trends Can Spread Brand Awareness
User-generated content and viral trends spread like wildfire on TikTok. The right lighthearted hashtag challenge or meme could reach millions of views.
Education marketers can piggyback on trending topics like back to school tips, dorm room tours, or college hacks. But they can also proactively launch their own unique hashtag challenges to engage communities.
For example, a university could ask students to show off their school pride with a dance or cheer routine. By sponsoring a branded challenge like this, schools get audiences actively interacting with their brand and recommending it to others.
Effective Campaign Strategies and Examples
Now let’s look at some real-world examples of creative and effective TikTok campaigns from education brands. What objectives and strategies are driving their success?
School Spotlights
One smart use case is using TikTok influencers to create fun slice-of-life videos highlighting different schools. The goal is showing off the one-of-a-kind student experience beyond the standard PR photos.
For instance, the University of Oregon partnered with members of its track and field team. The athletes gave inside looks into training, academics, dorm culture, and more as authentic UO student ambassadors.
This helps prospects envision daily life on campus. The mix of academic and social content also appeals to parents and students evaluating priorities.
Professor Takeovers
Enabling professors to “take over” the school’s TikTok account is another win-win tactic. It humanizes the faculty and gives them a direct line to engage with prospective students. The bite-sized format is ideal for professors to share insider tips, lead mini-lessons, or host live Q&As where enrolled students ask questions.
These sessions often see high involvement as youth are curious about connecting with professors. Small segments like virtual office hours or campus tours led by faculty also lend credibility. Prospective students value that insider perspective.
Student Testimonials
User-generated content from current students can powerfully showcase first-hand experiences. This could include:
- Typical day in the life vlogs
- Reacting to acceptance letters
- Getting ready for move-in day
- Campus reactions to big games or events
- Social media takeovers during orientation
The goal is capturing authentic student stories – both the highlights and everyday moments. This builds trust and helps applicants picture life on campus based on real students’ eyes.
Collecting and reposting user-generated content like this also scales campaigns since you leverage students to create it.
Key Metrics and Results to Track
To determine the true impact of TikTok ads, education brands need to identify the right metrics to track based on campaign objectives. Here are some top-line metrics to assess:
Awareness and Reach
- Impressions
- Views
- Followers and engagement rate
These metrics indicate brand visibility and how well content resonates. Compare engagement benchmarks like likes, comments, and shares to optimize creative.
Website Traffic
- Link clicks
- Traffic source
- Bounce rate
Assess how effectively TikTok drives prospective students to key sites to learn more and convert.
Conversions
- Lead generation
- Applications submitted
- Program registrations
- Campus tour sign-ups
The most important KPIs relate to converting interest into tangible actions like completing enrollment steps. Ensure conversion tracking is implemented.
Return on Spend
- Cost per result
- Lifetime value
- ROI
Ultimately, these monetary metrics reflect how efficiently ad spend translates into students acquired. Monitor these over time and compare channels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of TikTok ads work best for education?
In-feed video ads and hashtag challenges tend to perform well, as they blend with native content. TopView and Brand Takeovers also garner attention.
How can schools target ads on TikTok?
Key options are location, age, interests, follower look-alikes, custom audiences from pixels or lists.
What’s a good objective for education TikTok ads?
Brand awareness, traffic, conversions, or a mix. Set specific goals based on where prospects are in funnel.
How much do TikTok ads cost?
CPM bidding starts around $10. Targeting and competition impact pricing. Fixed rate campaigns can be cheaper.
What TikTok metrics indicate if ads are working?
Engagement, views, traffic, conversions, cost per result. Optimize based on those metrics.
How can I make the most of TikTok for our school?
Create relatable video content students want to watch and interact with. Embrace platform trends and culture.
Conclusion
In today’s digital-first environment, schools and education brands can’t rely solely on traditional channels to reach Gen Z. With smart objectives, targeting, creative, and metrics, TikTok provides a huge opportunity to drive awareness, engagement, and conversions through video ads.
Compared to other social platforms, TikTok boasts much higher usage and engagement from young demographics that education marketers want to connect with. TikTok also lets brands track real-world conversions powered by their video ads.
Success comes down to testing creative approaches, optimizing based on performance data, and learning as you go. The brands seeing strong results tailor video ads to the youthful audience, embrace trends, and partner with students and faculty. Conquering TikTok does require adapting creative and messaging to the medium.
At its core, TikTok opens the door for education brands to capture attention and drive action in a place where high schoolers and higher education students are primed to discover and engage. That’s an invaluable advantage for resonating with prospective students in the modern era.
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