In advertising, whatever the channel you use, it’s all about reaching the right audience. Targeting – especially narrow or hyper-targeting – guarantees that the ad budget will be spent the best possible way, reaching the people who are most likely to convert. Geo-targeting, or targeting by geographic area, is one of the most efficient methods to do so. TikTok already has an excellent range of targeting features that allow advertisers the best possible placement of their ads, most notably the TikTok Nearby feature. And now, that range is about to expand with the introduction of TikTok zip code targeting.
TikTok zip code targeting – How does it work?
It’s really very simple. With this new feature, TikTok allows advertisers to set a location or a group of locations where they want their ads to display. The locations are specified by zip codes, which allows for very narrow and precise targeting. The user’s location is determined by using their static IP addresses.
Let’s say you have a line of bakeries around the country. You don’t want to waste your ad budget displaying ads to the entire country – you just want to target audiences in the areas where your bakeries are located. You specify those locations with zip codes, and that’s it.
This way, advertisers get to optimize their ad budget by creating relevant, personalized campaigns delivered to audiences that actually need to see them.
In order to use TikTok zip code targeting, you need to head over to your TikTok Ads Manager, where you’ll have two options to choose from.
You can add zip code targeting to an ad group via Search, and via Bulk Upload.
For the Search method, head over to Demographics targeting and find the Location drop down menu. Here you’ll be able to pick and choose the zip codes you want to target. The zip codes will appear in the drop down as you type.
The Bulk Upload tool is available in the file upload section. Here you can manually set the zip codes to target by typing or copy/pasting them in the location box. Keep in mind that zip codes can only be five digits long, that you can only upload .xls files, in a single data column with one zip code per row.
Who can benefit from TikTok zip code targeting?
Zip code targeting is a type of geotargeting or targeting the audiences by their location. However, it is the more granular and more specific form of geotargeting as it doesn’t merely focus on audiences in certain countries, regions, areas or cities – it narrows it down to the finest unit of geo-segmentation: the zip code.
Similarly to the TikTok Nearby feature, zip code targeting can be extremely useful to any business that runs operations in one or more physical locations. It allows marketers to increase brand awareness in key areas of interest, and by targeting specific audiences it helps them shape their behavior and ultimately drive their sales.
Combined with TikTok’s powerful ad algorithm, zip code targeting can help businesses generate new audiences and new customers, increase foot traffic in their brick-and-mortar locations, and improve overall brand experience.
TikTok zip code targeting is ideal for businesses that don’t cater to an entire region or even an entire city. It helps them save money by directing the ads only to the specific areas where they can actually yield results.
Furthermore, the ads can be tailored according to zip code. For instance, if you’re offering promotions in just one of your stores, you can target the ad group to the audience in that one location. This maximizes ad relevance and therefore also the effectiveness of the ad budget.
Zip code targeting in TikTok is particularly suitable for businesses looking for a performance lift, be it an increase in CPA, in physical store traffic or sales.
Limitations and Availability
Note, though, that the feature is currently available only for U.S. zip codes. Some zip codes are not available for targeting due to legal constraints.
Zip code targeting is available for Auction ads, and comes with a limit of 1,500 locations per ad group. Reporting for zip code targeting is currently not available, and this particular targeting is not available for exclusions.
We recommend you reach out to your TikTok account team, or better yet, to the GrowMojo team of advertising and performance growth experts to find out how you can get on board and start reaping the benefits ahead of your competitors.
