What's TikTok's Attribution Manager & How Can Advertisers Use It?

TikTok just announced a new feature in its Ads Manager platform, which allows advertisers to customize their attribution window for better tracking and performance.

Let’s break down how the attribution manager works, how to access it, and the benefits of using it.

Breaking Down Key Attribution Terms

Before we get into this new TikTok feature, let’s first get a refresher on some key terms:

Attribution – A reporting strategy that allows advertisers to know the path users are taking after clicking or viewing an ad.

Attribution window – The time between when a user clicks or views an ad and when they convert.

Conversion – The desired action taken by a targeted user, such as visiting a website or making a purchase.

Now that we have the basics down, let’s dive into TikTok’s new attribution manager.

Understanding TikTok’s Attribution Manager

When it comes to ad campaigns, no two are the same. The goal for one may be to increase purchases for a particular product while for another, it may be to raise brand awareness.

Brands may also have contrasting conversion journeys based on their industries.

With that in mind, TikTok introduced customized attribution windows to enable advertisers – those using the TikTok Pixel or Web Events API – to more accurately track performance and assess campaign results.

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The default setting is a seven-day click and one-day view window. This means that a user must convert within seven days of clicking an ad or 24 hours of viewing an ad for the conversion to register within TikTok’s ad manager.

Advertisers can now set different windows:

• 1, 7, 14, 28 days for clickthrough attribution
• Off, 1, 7 days for viewthrough attribution

When is it valuable to pick a one-day versus 28-day attribution window? It all depends on the goals of your campaign, the industry you’re in, and expected user consideration periods.

Say you’re a B2B software company with an ad campaign to convert free users into premium users. One-day conversions are probably unlikely given the product. However, a 28-day one seems more realistic given that their particular industry deals with longer consideration periods.

A jewelry brand, on the other hand, may opt for a 24-hour attribution window when running a sale.

Pro-tip: Want to sync your ads manager with your CRM? Try Leadsbridge.

How to Access TikTok’s Attribution Manager

Now that you understand how it works, here’s how to access this feature within TikTok’s Ads Manager.

1. Login to TikTok for Business.

2. Navigate to "Assets."

3. Click on "Events."

4. Narrow down to "Web Events."

5. Select "Attribution Manager."

You will also see the option to customize your attribution window when creating a campaign. It should show up under the "Bidding and Optimization" section.

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This great addition to TikTok’s Ads Manager will arm advertisers with more reliable data to understand their audience and leverage these insights into action.