Douyin Ads for Tourism: How to start Advertising on Douyin?

Finding the right place for your travel ads for the Chinese market can be hard. Douyin / TikTok is a key platform to consider. This article will show you how my team and I use Douyin to boost tourism business around the world.

Get ready to learn.

Summary

• Douyin is great for travel ads because it lets brands connect directly with millions of users. You can use different types of ads like In-Feed Ads and Hashtag Challenges to get noticed.
• The app’s audience is mostly young people who enjoy videos. This makes Douyin a good place to show off travel spots and experiences that appeal to them.
• Businesses can sell trips or hotel stays right on Douyin, which makes it easier for customers to book after seeing an ad.
• Working with influencers can help spread the word about your tourism brand since they know how to create content that gets attention.
• Before starting ads on Douyin, understand the rules and what content works best. Also, think about cultural points that match your target audience’s interests.

Key Benefits of Advertising on Douyin

Advertising on Douyin brings your brand to life, directly engaging millions of users. With features like direct shopping links and creative campaigns with popular creators, your message reaches the right audience fast.

User Generated Content & High Engagement

Douyin’s “Daka” feature gets over one trillion views every year. This shows how much people love to share and watch videos of places they visit. Travelers use Douyin to connect with others who have been to the same spots.

They give local tips and insights. This means lots of tourists might see your ads when they explore content about their next travel destination.

With user-generated content, your brand can be part of the many stories told by travelers on Douyin. Imagine having a tourist post a video at your hotel or tour spot and it goes viral.

Suddenly, millions know about you through just one video! Videos like these make viewers want to visit too, leading to high engagement for your business on the app.

Wide Range of Ad Formats

Douyin provides a selection of ad types for tourism companies. You have the option to use In-Feed Ads lasting up to 60 seconds inclusive of a call-to-action button. Other available options include Brand Takeover Ads, TopView Ad Format, Hashtag Challenges, Branded Effects, and Sticker Ads.

This assortment enables you to connect with people in varied ways.

For instance, for immediate attention, Brand Takeover Ads are an excellent choice. These ads appear when users start the app. For extended storytelling about your hotel or travel location, In-Feed ads are the most suitable.

By utilizing Hashtag Challenges and Branded Effects, you can create enjoyable user interactions. This strategy will enhance your brand’s recall.

Leveraging a balanced combination of Douyin’s ad formats can increase your tourism brand’s visibility and attract additional travelers.

Direct E-Commerce Integration

Moving from the variety of ad formats, businesses can directly sell products within Douyin. This feature lets tourism brands create pages for bookings and listings right on the app.

ByteDance’s technology makes sure ads reach the right people. So, if you run a hotel or offer travel packages, you can set up a page where users buy directly after seeing your ad.

This direct selling cuts down steps for customers. They see your video ad and can book a room with just a few taps. It uses big data to show your ads to those most likely to book. For example, if someone watches lots of travel videos, they might see your hotel ad next.

This makes advertising on Douyin powerful for boosting sales in tourism.

Influencer Marketing Collaborations

Tying products to famous faces boosts sales. In the travel sector, working with influencers makes a big difference. They show off places in videos, making people want to visit. Airbnb did this well during tough times by getting popular KOLs to host live streams.

This kept their audience interested and talking about them.

For a tourism brand, choosing the right influencer is key. Look for someone who travels a lot and has followers that match your target market. They can create content like Instagram posts or TikTok videos that make viewers think of booking a trip through you.

By teaming up with these influencers, your ads reach more people in a natural way.

Understanding Douyin’s Audience

To grasp Douyin’s audience, focus on young people like Gen Z and millennials. They love watching videos and using the app daily. Knowing what they enjoy can help you pick ads that catch their eye.

Ready to learn more? Keep reading to find out how targeting works and how it can boost your tourism or hotel business.

Demographic Insights: Gen Z and Millennials

Gen Z and Millennials are key to Douyin’s success. One in three users on this platform is under 26. They spend an average of 67 minutes a day looking at videos. This fact shows how much they love the app.

For marketers in tourism or hotels, knowing this can help target ads better. Young people like these look for new experiences and places to visit.

Douyin offers many ways to reach these young travelers. Ads that show exciting destinations can grab their attention quickly. With so many spending hours on the app daily, your ad has a good chance of being seen by lots of potential travelers.

One in three users on Douyin is under 26, showing its youth-driven audience.

Audience Targeting Capabilities

Douyin uses ByteDance’s data to find specific types of customers. This means you can reach people who are more likely to book trips or hotel stays. For example, you can target young folks interested in travel videos.

Douyin also has Dynamic Product Ads. These ads show products based on what users like. If someone watches a lot of beach videos, they might see ads for seaside hotels.

This platform lets you pick your audience with care. You can choose by age, interests, and more. So, if your hotel is all about luxury and comfort, Douyin helps you show your ad to people who love fancy things.

The result? Your ads hit the mark every time, getting more clicks and bookings.

Overview of Douyin Ad Formats

Douyin ads offer many ways to show your ad, like in-feed clips, takeover banners, top spot videos, challenge tags, brand visuals, and sticker promos. Explore these to grab more attention.

In-Feed Ads

In-Feed Ads on Douyin permit videos to run for a maximum duration of 60 seconds, conveniently accompanied by a call-to-action (CTA) button, triggering viewers to respond instantly.

The pricing of these advertisements, operating on cost per click (CPC) and cost per mille (CPM) models, fluctuates in the tourism industry based on the level of competition.

In-Feed Ads swiftly captivate users, prompting immediate action.

Continuing on to another efficient method to capture interest: Brand Takeover Ads.

Brand Takeover Ads

Moving from In-Feed Ads, let’s talk about Brand Takeover Ads. These ads make a big impact right when people open the app. Imagine your ad being the first thing tourists see. That’s powerful! Each day, only one ad shows up like this.

Your message can last up to 60 seconds and starts playing without sound.

Using these ads is a smart move for getting seen fast. They’re perfect for making your tourism spot stand out. Picture travelers opening Douyin and seeing your beautiful location first thing – it grabs their attention instantly!

TopView Ad Format

TopView Ads grab attention as soon as someone opens the app. They play automatically but without sound for up to 60 seconds. This makes them a powerful tool for marketers in tourism or hotels who want to show off their destinations or services right away.

Using TopView Ads ensures your message is the first thing viewers see. It offers a unique chance to make a strong impression quickly. For those looking to boost brand awareness, this ad format can be especially useful.

Because of its prominence and length, it helps create memorable experiences that can inspire travelers.

Hashtag Challenges

Moving from TopView ad formats, we see Douyin’s hashtag challenges create a big splash. These challenges get users to make and share their videos related to your tourism brand. This boosts your visibility fast.

For instance, creating a challenge that asks users to post their best travel memories can go viral. This means more people see what you offer.

Hashtag challenges on Douyin bring our hotel into the spotlight, leading guests right to our doorstep.

These trends are not just popular; they’re powerful tools for digital marketing in tourism. Users enjoy being part of these campaigns, helping spread the word without extra cost to you.

Imagine thousands sharing their experiences at your location with catchy hashtags—this is free advertising reaching millions.

Branded Effects

Branded Effects employ AR technology, enabling the creation of distinctive filters and stickers. Your tourism enterprise can fashion exclusive ones for Douyin users, who relish incorporating them into their videos.

This approach transforms your advertisement into an enjoyable and interactive experience. It aids in amplifying the visibility of your travel destinations or hotels. More individuals witness, circulate, and retain your brand in this manner.

This strategy significantly elevates user engagement.

Sticker Ads

Sticker ads use AR technology to let people add fun stickers to their videos. These digital stickers make videos more engaging. This way, tourism marketers can create unique ads that stand out.

For example, imagine a sticker of a famous landmark popping up in a video. It grabs attention fast.

Users love adding these stickers to their own content too. So, when they share these videos on Douyin or other social media platforms, it helps spread the word about places to visit or hotels to stay at without extra cost for advertisers.

Through sticker ads, businesses in tourism get more eyes on their services quickly and creatively.

Steps to Create a Successful Douyin Ad Campaign

Creating a winning Douyin ad campaign starts with clear goals. Know what you want—more visits, sales, or just awareness. Next, get to know your audience. Who are they? What do they like? Use Douyin’s data tools for this.

Pick the right type of video that fits your message. Maybe it’s an in-feed clip that shows off a cool destination. Or a fun challenge that gets everyone talking about your place.

Team up with influencers who have the ears of your target crowd. They can make your spot the next big thing. Finally, keep an eye on how things go and tweak as needed for better results.

Define Your Campaign Objectives

To start, know what you want from your Douyin ad campaign. Goals may include increasing website visits, boosting bookings for tours and hotels, or raising brand awareness among travelers.

Each goal requires a different approach in terms of content and targeting on Douyin.

For example, if the main aim is to drive more traffic to your tourism website, focus on creating video ads that showcase exciting travel spots with a clear call-to-action (CTA) leading viewers straight to your landing page.

On the other hand, aiming for direct bookings might mean collaborating with key opinion leaders (KOLs) who use their influence to promote your offers through engaging stories or livestreams.

Set specific targets like ‘increase website click-throughs by 20% within two months’ to measure success clearly.

Audience Mapping and Targeting

Mapping your audience means knowing who you want to reach. Douyin uses ByteDance’s big data to find the right people in China. Think about their age, likes, and what they do online.

This way, you can show your ads to folks likely to book a trip or stay at a hotel.

Targeting gets even sharper with Douyin’s tools. Choose by age, location, or interests from their daily activities. Say you run a beach resort for young couples; target users who enjoy beaches and romantic getaways.

Use this info to set up ad campaigns that speak directly to them.

Next up: choosing the perfect ad format for your message.

Choosing the Right Ad Format

Picking the best ad type is key for drawing in tourists on Douyin. Each format, from In-Feed Ads to Branded Effects, has its use. For example, In-Feed Ads show up while people scroll through videos.

This means they see your ad without a break in their activity. Brand Takeover Ads fill the screen when the app opens, grabbing immediate attention but for a short time. If you want something that stays longer in memory, consider TopView Ad Format which gives your message top spot for 24 hours.

For engaging with users more deeply, Hashtag Challenges and Branded Effects invite them to create content tied to your campaign. This turns viewers into active participants. Choosing depends on what you aim to achieve: quick views or deeper interaction? Before moving forward with influencers make sure your ad format aligns well with your goals and appeals directly to Gen Z and Millennials who love sharing their experiences online.

Collaborate with Influencers

After choosing the right ad format, it’s time to work with influencers. Local KOLs have strong trust in travel marketing. They know how to talk to your audience. Find those based overseas for a global touch.

They understand both China and other places well.

Use their knowledge for your ads. Team up with them on platforms like Douyin and Weibo. This way, you can reach more people who might book a trip. Their followers see them as experts, so their word means a lot.

Managing Douyin Ad Campaigns

Managing Douyin ad campaigns means setting up a business profile and using OceanEngine to stay on top of your ads. Keep an eye on how well they do and make them better over time. Get ready to see more tips on managing these ads next.

Setting Up a Douyin Business Account

To start a business account on Douyin, you need a few key items. First, make sure you have a valid business license. This shows that your tourism or hotel business is legal. You also need a Chinese mobile number and bank account, plus your passport.

This info helps verify your identity and connects to local services.

There’s a cost to set up ads on Douyin too. It starts with about $250 for setup fees. Then, you must pay around $750 upfront to begin advertising campaigns. So, planning your budget is important before jumping in.

Using these steps will help get your tourism ads running on Douyin quickly.

Using the OceanEngine Platform for Ad Management

OceanEngine is a top tool for managing Douyin ads. It helps you set up a business account easily. With this platform, tourism marketers can handle their campaigns efficiently. You see how your ads perform and make changes to improve them.

Also, OceanEngine was among the top 100 most valuable Chinese brands in 2021.

For instance, Airbnb used OceanEngine during the pandemic for brand engagement. They did live streams with popular hosts on Douyin. This shows OceanEngine’s power in linking brands with audiences through smart ad management.

Next, we look into how to monitor and optimize campaign performance for better results.

Monitoring and Optimizing Campaign Performance

After setting up on OceanEngine, tracking how your ads do is key. This step makes sure your tourism ads hit the mark. With a data-driven approach like Facebook Ads, checking performance is direct.

Launching a first test around week 4 gives solid numbers for tweaking future campaigns.

The aim? To lower cost per action while boosting engagement—spotting what works and fixing what doesn’t sharply. Tools like A/B testing are great here. They compare ad versions to find winners.

Keep an eye on metrics like daily active users and click-through rates (CPC). Adjust targeting, visuals, or messaging based on real feedback from these insights.

Challenges and Considerations in Douyin Advertising

Facing Douyin ad rules can be tough. You must know local laws and what content works.

Navigating Regulatory Requirements

Before placing ads on Douyin, you must know certain rules. Some industries like cigarettes and medical devices can’t advertise. Also, you can’t show products from Douyin’s competitors.

This means no ads for other social platforms or apps similar to Douyin.

Getting your ad out there takes about three weeks. You need this time to make sure everything follows the rules and to set up your campaign right. Make sure you plan ahead so your tourism ads hit Douyin without a hitch.

Cultural and Content Considerations

After addressing regulatory requirements, it becomes crucial to concentrate on cultural and content factors. Culture molds people’s perception of ads. It has an impact on the effectiveness of marketing strategies.

In China, local insights prove to be significantly beneficial. Cooperating with Chinese KOLs stationed abroad can be very beneficial. They comprehend the local culture and the lure of the destination.

Ensure your ads honor local traditions and values. For tourism, spotlight experiences that correlate with Chinese travelers’ preferences. Utilize visuals and narratives to which they can connect.

These elements help your brand gain prominence on Douyin. Success is often the result of thorough audience understanding and demonstrating this effectively.

Conclusion

Douyin Ads make it easy for tourism brands to connect with millions. Start by setting up a business account and picking the right ad types. Ocean Engine helps manage ads across platforms like Douyin, making targeting tourists simple.

We are an official partner of Douyin and we can help you. Contact us by clicking the image below 😉