DMA geo-targeting is one of the best ways to target TikTok’s 80 million monthly active users (MAU) in the US alone. Like other social media giants, TikTok has embraced Nielsen’s DMA to give more value to advertisers who want to target a particular region or city.
This guide will walk you through the basics of using TikTok’s DMA geo-targeting and provide a list of over 100 DMAs for your next marketing strategy.
Source: http://bl.ocks.org/simzou/6459889
What is DMA Geo-targeting?
Geotargeting is a marketing strategy that allows you to focus your paid content on a selected consumer’s DMA. With this, TikTok can target app users by matching behavior data on current and recent location visits.
You can target specific demographics when running a video ad campaign on TikTok. This is done by choosing an available area from the drop-down menus in the “location” section. TikTok will show your video ad to users in a particular city based on the IP addresses of their mobile devices.
Related article: Marketers’ guide to TikTok ad specs
Why Use TikTok DMA Geo-targeting?
TikTok’s DMA geo-targeting is a tool that allows buyers to hyper-target their audience. It is a great way to ensure you’re reaching the right people. Beyond this, geo-targeting will enable brands to tap into TikTok’s highly-engaged organic content, creating more action for the ad.
TikTok DMA location targeting is most effective when:
- Your business has one physical store and location-specific offers
- Each store location has different landing pages
Related article: TikTok Analytics: Marketers’ Guide to Understanding TikTok Ads Targeting
Where To Locate TikTok Location Targeting Options
- Create a campaign on TikTok Ads Manager.
- Under Targeting, go to Demographics > Location
- Type in a location, and then all the options for that location will come up.
- You will see County, State, Market (DMA). Note: Some locations have trademarked “DMA” after them, and you can click to target them.
How To Create An Effective Plan When Targeting By Location
A good advertisement targets the right people so that it appeals to their interests and behaviors. However, advertisers can also go wrong by setting their parameters too broad or too narrow.
Setting the parameters too broad runs the promotion to many unnecessary viewers. In other words, serving the ad to people with no interest can quickly drive up ad costs.
Second, if you set your parameters too narrowly, you may miss an opportunity to learn what works, and at the same time, campaigns may not run consistently due to the small size of the audience pool.
List of available US TikTok DMA Geo-targeting
We’ve compiled a list of DMAs you can use for geo-targeting on TikTok. You can use these DMAs to reach a broader audience in a specific region.
Available TikTok DMA Geo-targeting by US City
| Name | City |
| New York City | New York, Kings County, New York, United States |
| Los Angeles | Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States |
| Chicago | Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States |
| Phoenix | Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States |
| Philadelphia | Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States |
| San Antonio | San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, United States |
| San Diego | San Diego, San Diego County, California, United States |
| Dallas | Dallas, Dallas County, Texas, United States |
| San Jose | San Jose, Santa Clara County, California, United States |
| Jacksonville | Jacksonville, Duval County, Florida, United States |
| Fort Worth | Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, United States |
| Charlotte | Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States |
| San Francisco | San Francisco, City and County of San Francisco, California, United States |
| Seattle | City and County of San Francisco, California, United States |
| Oklahoma City | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States |
| Boston | Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States |
| Portland | Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, United States |
| Detroit | Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, United States |
| Baltimore | Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, United States |
| Albuquerque | Albuquerque, Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States |
| Tucson | Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, United States |
| Sacramento | Sacramento, Sacramento County, California, United States |
| Kansas City | Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, United States |
| Mesa | Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States |
| Atlanta | Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States |
| Omaha | Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska, United States |
| Colorado Springs | Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado, United States |
| Raleigh | Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, United States |
| Long Beach | Long Beach, Los Angeles County, California, United States |
| Virginia | Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States |
| Oakland | Oakland, Alameda County, California, United States |
| Minneapolis | Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States |
| Tulsa | Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States |
| Bakersfield | Bakersfield, Kern County, California, United States |
| Arlington | Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas, United States |
| Aurora | Aurora, Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States |
| New Orleans | New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States |
| Cleveland | Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States |
| Anaheim | Anaheim, Orange County, California, United States |
| Lexington | Lexington, Fayette County, Kentucky, United States |
| Irvine | Irvine, Orange County, California, United States |
| Stockton | Stockton, San Joaquin County, California, United States |
| Corpus Christi | Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, United States |
| Cincinnati | Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States |
| Santa Ana | Santa Ana, Orange County, California, United States |
| Greensboro | Greensboro, Guilford County, North Carolina, United States |
| Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Jersey City | Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States |
| St. Louis | St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Gilbert | Gilbert, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States |
| Lubbock | Lubbock, Lubbock County, Texas, United States |
| Arlington | Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas, United States |
| Spokane | Spokane, Spokane County, Washington, United States |
| Baton Rouge | Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States |
| Hialeah | Hialeah, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States |
| Huntsville | Huntsville, Madison County, Alabama, United States |
| Rochester | Rochester, Monroe County, New York, United States |
| Fontana | Fontana, San Bernardino County, California, United States |
| Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States |
| Cape Coral | Cape Coral, Lee County, Florida, United States |
| Tallahassee | Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida, United States |
| Providence | Providence, Providence County, Rhode Island, United States |
| Knoxville | Knoxville, Knox County, Tennessee, United States |
| Akron | Akron, Summit County, Ohio, United States |
| Murfreesboro | Murfreesboro, Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States |
| Kansas City | Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, United States |
| Roseville | Roseville, Placer County, California, United States |
Available TikTok DMA Geo-targeting by US County
Available by US TikTok DMA Geo-targeting by Market
Search among the list of available DMA targeting found inside TikTok Business Manager.
Tips for Creating Effective Geo-targeted Content
To successfully geo-target on TikTok, you’ll want to create content that appeals to the market in your specific target location.
- Tailor your content to make it more relatable to the people in a particular city or area because
- There are often many different market trends in each US state.
- When crafting a marketing strategy, it is essential to consider your audience’s demographics rather than looking at them state-by-state.
- Using relevant hashtags can reach new consumers on TikTok
- Laying down DMA regions on top of your existing targeting allows you to prioritize local audiences, focusing on the top market rather than a more general audience.
When to choose State, City, and DMA- Target State if you want to cover a larger area
- Pick City if you wish to target a particular city in a State
- Choose Market if you want to target everyone in that area. For example, exclude Oklahoma City and Sherman if you wish to target Wichita Falls and Tulsa in Oklahoma on your TikTok ads campaign. You can geo-target each city by choosing the appropriate DMA.
TikTok offers great tool brands can use to deliver more personalized advertising messages, thanks to DMA geotargeting option. Marketers can find more opportunities for audiences across different demographics and geographies by including a more granular location targeting in their media plans. Matching target consumers’ location and the right messaging, campaigns are becoming relevant and exciting, resulting in a more desirable outcome.
