Cutthesteps, nottheresults
Yourplaybooktohigh-impact,low-effort campaignswithTikTokautomation
Whyautomation isyourgrowthhack
Automationisthehottopiconeverymarketer's mind–andforgoodreason.Manuallycreating andshapingsuccessfulcampaignstakestime, moneyand,inreality, alotofguesswork.That's why9in10executivessayautomationthrough AIwillhelpdrivefuturebusinessgrowth.1
Meanwhile,cultureonTikTokmovesatlightning speed–millionsofvideosarecreatedeach month,rakinginbillionsofviews.People activelyparticipate,discover,searchandbuyon TikTok,givingbrandsmorewaystoturn engagementintomeasurableoutcomes.
Thequestionis: Howcanbrandskeeppacewithgrowingand ever-diversifyingcommunities?
EnterSmart+
TikTok'sAI-poweredsolution,Smart+,makesit easiertokeepup.Designedtodrive performancewithoptionalmanualcontrols, itletsyoustayhands-onwithtargeting, creative,placementsandbudget–while automationworksbehindthescenesto maximiseresults.
Smart+findstherightpeople,learnswhat worksandscalesit–helpingyougetmorefrom yourbudgetandcreative,whilesavingtimeand effort.
ThisplaybookwillshowyouhowtoplugintoSmart+andletautomationdothe heavylifting–soyoucanfocusongrowingyourbrandfasterandsmarter. Readytogetstarted?
TikTok
Results)2025,conductedbyNewtonX
3kindsofreturn youʼlllove
Hereʼsthemultiplier…
ThecorepromiseofSmart+ismultiplication–takingyourinputs,scalingthemfasterand reducingtheguesswork.HerearethreewaysSmart+delivers:
1. Return on investment with better performance
Whetheritʼssalesonyourwebsite,app promotion,leadformsubmissionsorother conversions,Smart+deliversontheKPIsthat mattertoyourbusiness.
2. Return on effort with time savings
Gettimebackwithasimplifiedcampaign setup.LetSmart+automaticallytestandfind therightaudiencesbasedonhistorical performanceandbuilt-inbestpractices, savingyoutimeandtakingouttheguesswork.
2.3x
higherincrementalROASforfully automatedSmart+campaigns*1
2.2x
moreuniquebuyersforfullyautomated Smart+campaigns*1
*vs.Smart+campaignswithmanualoptimisation
35
3. Return on creative with continuous creative supply % %
TapintoyourProductCatalogorcreativetools torefreshyourexistingassets–orgenerate newones–directlyinyourcampaigns.With Smart+,youcandrivecontentqualityand quantity,avoidingcreativefatigueand stretchingyourbudgetfurther.
averagetimesavingsusingfully automatedSmart+campaignsvs.Smart+ campaignswithmanualoptimisation2
+16
higherROASwhenusingcatalog-powered creativeassetscomparedtotraditional videoalone3
Sayhello toSmart+
Automationbydefault,flexiblebydesign
HowdoesSmart+helpmegetbetterresults?
Smart+ acts as your AI-powered campaign co-pilot. It learns what works, scales top-performing creative, pauses underperformers and gives you control where it matters.
Whataboutmanualsettings?
With Smart+ you get the best of both worlds –optional manual settings for targeting, budget and placements, and automation for expanded reach and hands-off optimisation.
Seetheslidingscale:
Manual optimisation
Choosing manual setup means your campaigns need a lot of attention – constant tweaking, guessing what to scale and what to pause, plus remembering to apply best practices.
Partial automation
Flexible setup helps you maintain oversight and automate the rest. Meaning you can tweak targeting, creative, budget and placement to your specific business challenges.
Full automation
Full automation means you only need to provide the basic information and TikTok handles the rest – finding the right audience, testing creatives and optimising content in real time.
Onesolution, endlesspossibilities
Smart+istailoredforyourmostcommon businessobjectives.
● GrowsaleswithorwithoutCatalog
● Driveappengagement
● Generatequalityleads
Takecontrol, commandresults
3waysSmart+givesyoutheedge
Inthenextfewpages,weʼlloutlineexactlyhowyoucantakecontrolofyourcampaigns,aswell ashighlightingthefeaturesofSmart+inmoredetail.
1
Flexibleautomation
Thisiswhereautomationmeetsflexibility.Youcandecidehowmuchcontroltokeep–or handover–acrossyourcampaignstructure,targeting,budgetandplacements.
Structure
Createupto30adgroupspercampaign, eachwith30assetgroups,andwithin those,upto50creativesperassetgroup–that's1,500creativesperadgroupand 45,000creativespercampaign.Youhave theflexibilitytostructureyourcampaigns howeveryoulike.
Targeting
Setyouraudiencebasics–location,age, languageandexclusions–thenlet automationfindtherightpeople.With AudienceSuggestionsyoucanlayeron signalslikedemographics,interestsoruser behaviours,allowingSmart+togobeyond yourinitialsettingstoboostperformance. Wantmorecontrol?SwitchtoCustom Targetingtodefineadvancedoptionslike spendingpower,income,ordevicetype.
Ourrecommendation:
When targeting your audience, lead with automation, not assumptions – TikTok’s system knows how to find the right people.
Budget
Choosebetweendailyorlifetimebudgets, anddecidewhattoletthesystemmanage. TurnonCampaignBudgetOptimisation CBO)andSmart+willautomaticallyshift spendtowardthebestopportunities.Prefer tokeepthingstight?GowithAdGroup Budgetandsetyourownbudgetsandbids foreachadgroup.
Protip:
CBOhelpsyoustayflexiblewhennew opportunitiespopup.Youcanevenseta spendtargetperadgroup,andthesystem willworktohitit.
Placement
WithAutomaticPlacementsetbydefault, youradsgetaccesstothemostextensive audiencescopeacrossTikTok,Pangle*and theGlobalAppbundle.Wantmorehands-on? Youcanalsochooseyourpreferred placementstosuityourstrategy.
Ourrecommendation:
KeepAutomaticPlacementenabled– it opensupreachandexpandsyourimpact.
2 Enhancedreporting
Easilyscaleyourcampaignswithsharpreportingandstreamlinedoperations.
Enhanced creative-level reporting
Withenhancedcreative-levelreporting,you canseewhichspecificcombinationsof creative,textandenhancements(likeCTAs orAdd-Ons)aredrivingthebestresults. Meaningyoucanmakemoreconfident, informeddecisionsonwhichcreativesto scale,whichtopause,andwhatnewideasto test.Andwhenyouneedtoshareordig deeper,allthereportingisreadytodownload inaCSV.
TLDR:
Insteadofguessing,getclear,actionable insights–soyournextmoveisalways data-driven.
3 Creativeoptimisation
Streamlined ad operations
Smart+alsomakescampaign managementsmoother.Astreamlinedad operationsviewletsyoumanageasset groupsandindividualcreativesinone place.Youcanswitchcreativesonand off,previewassetsandcheckreview statuswithease.
TLDR:
Clearerperformancevisibility,better controlandsmoothercampaign management.
Thinkofyourassetgroupsascreativecontainers–theyholdvideos,imagesandcarouselsas wellastexttomusic,CTAs,URLsandproductsets.Withthissetupyoucandrivetrafficto multipledestinationsorshowcasedifferentproductsetswithinasinglecampaign,reducing duplicatebuildsandkeepingyourstructureefficient.
Readytoscale?Paironevideoorimagewithonetextassetfora11fixedmatch.Ifacombo performswell,lockitinandscalewithconfidence.
64 ofTikTokuserspreferbrandsthat provideavarietyofcontent.1
Smart+givesyoutheflexibilitytotest,remixandscalecreativeswithease. %
1.5x
Campaignswith57creativeassetson averagedeliver1.5×strongerROAS.2
SymphonyAutomationcreativetools
Smart+worksseamlesslywithTikTokSymphonytoolstohelpyouboostbothcreativequantity andqualityusinggenerativeAI.Thatmeansmorecontent,lesstime–andstrongerperformance acrosstheboard.
Recommendedcreatives:
CreatevideosusingSymphony'sGenAItoexpandyourassetlibraryandstreamlinead creation.Acentralisedtabwillshowyoucontextuallyrelevantcreativesincludingyour historicaltopperformers,AIGeneratedCreativesandmore.
Advertisingcontent creationisthe#1use ofAIbyadvertisers.1
AndTikTokusersare readyforit:
1.6x
Usersare1.6xmorelikely tobefamiliarwith GenerativeAI.2
1.4x
Usersare1.4xmore excitedtoseeitinads comparedtonon-TikTok users.2
Automaticenhancements:
Improvecreativeperformanceautomatically,includingvideoandimagequality,musicrefresh, translationanddubbingandresizing.
Used together, Smart+ and Symphony can support your creative workflow:
Streamline creative production to boost volume and variety of content
Edit, refresh and generate content with ease – avoiding creative fatigue
Uncover insights to make informed decisions and optimise with impact
HowbrandswinwithSmart+
SoaringsummersalesforRay-Ban
Objective: Boostsaleswhile maximisingROAS
Strategy:
Ray-BanutilisedTikTok's advancedAItooptimise creativeassetsquicklyand efficiently,reducingcreative costsandadfatigue
Solution:
CatalogAds
Results:
WinningbigonBlackFridayforClinique
Readthefullstory
Holidaysalesandefficiency
CliniqueusedSmart+ CatalogAdstoengagethe rightaudiencesandcreate aseamlessshopping experiencewithrelevant products
Objective: Strategy: Solution:
Smart+CatalogAds
Results:
CatalogAdsvs.Smart+Web
YourSmart+ starterpack
4checkliststokeepyouontrack
Nextup,weʼrebreakingdownthefourstagesofSmart+campaigns–settingup,optimising, scalingandmeasuring.ThinkofthesechecklistsasyourcheatcodestoSmart+success.Letʼs divein.
1 GettingstartedwithSmart+campaigns
1.Automation
Usefullautomationsolutionswhere possible.
2.CampaignStructure
Keep a simple campaign structure.
Consolidatebudgets,creatives,and audiencesintoonecampaignandone ad group where possible.
Keepassetgroupsasuniqueas possible.
3.Budget
UseCampaignBudgetOptimisation CBO)andsetanappropriate dailybudget.
4.Bid
SetanappropriatebidforSmart+Cost CaportargetROAS.
5.Creative
Uploadanappropriatenumberof creatives.
LeverageRecommendedCreativesfor creativesupply.
UseCatalogcreative(e.g.carousel, catalogvideo)ifyouhaveacatalog.
6.LearningPhase
Donʼtmakenegativeadjustments duringthelearningphase.
Pausecampaigns/adgroupsduring thelearningphase
Reducethebudget
Lowerthebid
Modifythetargeting
ortROAS
Creativeper adgroup
YourSetupCheatSheet
MAI50*averageCPI
AEO CPA$20010*averageCPA
CPA$2005*averageCPA
VBO CPA(once)≥5
CC≥Last7dayCPA(iOS real-timereporting)
D7tROAS≤Last7day
ROAS(excl.iOS
D0tROAS≤0.9Last7day
ROAS(iOS:real-time reporting)
MAI10creatives
AEO/VBO6creatives
IfCPA$2010*average CPA
IfCPA$205*averageCPA
LC/HV/tROAS10*average CPA
CC30*averageCPA
CC≥Last7dayCPA tROASN/A 3creatives
2 OptimisingSmart+campaigns
Enableautomatictargetingandbroad age/interest/customaudience targeting.
2.BiddingStrategy
CreateanewcostcapSmart+ campaignifthecurrentlowestcost campaignisunderperforming.
CC≥Last7dayCPA
tROAS≤Last7dayROAS
6creatives
Creative
IfthecurrentSmart+campaignis underperforming,either:
CreateanewSmart+campaignwith differentiatedcreativesfromthe existingcampaign,or
Ifyouʼvealreadytriedtheabove recommendations,addatleastone newcreativetotheexistingSmart+ campaignoradgroup.
3 ScalingSmart+campaigns
1.Budget
Increasedailybudgetby≥20%ifacampaign oradgroupisoutperforming:
Ithasatleast10conversionsoverthe past28days.
CPAislowerthantheaverageCPA overthepast7days(samelocation andoptimisationevent).
Thecampaignbudgetisbeingwell utilised.
Onlyraisethebudgetafterverifyingthose criteriatosustainscalableperformance.
4 MeasuringSmart+campaigns
1.Understandtheconversionjourney
Checkclick-throughandview-through conversionsinAttributionAnalyticsto understandtheTikTokconversion journeyandidentifyopportunities.
2.Test→validate→iterate
Useacustomsplittesttosetupa flexiblecampaign-levelA/Btestwith anycustom,user-definedvariablesto identifyawinningcampaign.
Continuetestingnewiterationsto identifyoptimalapproaches.
2.Bid
Increasebidifthecostcapcampaignorad groupshowsstrongscalingpotential:
Increaseby≥20%whenCPA$25.
Increaseby10%whenCPA$25.
3.Measureincrementalimpact
Meetsignalprerequisitesfor ConversionLiftStudyCLS.
Startwithsingle-cellCLSforbaseline learnings.
Ensuresufficientspendandaudience reachformulti-cellsetups.
Minimiseothervariablechangesto isolateSmart+impact.
Compareincrementalgrowthwith attributionresultsandadjust.
Takecontrol withSmart+
Marketingmovesfast–andwithSmart+,socan you.Fromsetuptooptimisationtocreativetesting, Smart+givesyourbrandtheedge:campaignsthat learn,scaleandoutperformwhileyoustay focusedonbigideas.So,readytoletitcook?
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