TikTok isn’t just for silly dance routines anymore. This social media phenomenon is rapidly growing and has been a powerful channel of sales for businesses that range from high fashion to home repairs.

TikTok even made feta cheese a commodity. After a viral feta pasta recipe on TikTok, the U.S. was faced with a shortage of feta cheese in 2021.

TikTok is full of possibilities. Small businesses will love its irreverent humor and authenticity. This makes it an ideal match to increase awareness and traffic to their online shops. Retailers can now sell directly on TikTok using new shopping tools and see a direct impact on their bottom line.

This article will provide all the information you need to get started.

• What’s TikTok?
• Why TikTok?
• The #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt phenomenon
• TikTok Selling

What’s TikTok?

For most, TikTok needs no introduction. Here’s the scoop.

TikTok, a Chinese social media platform that allows short-form videos is similar to Vine (RIP). The COVID-19 pandemic was when many people were unable to entertain themselves in person and the platform became popular.

TikTok accounts are completely free to create. If you don’t want to sign up, however, you can still see TikTok videos shared by others or view many TikToks posted on Instagram.

It’s unique, creative, and personal. That’s the beauty of the channel. A quick glance through your “For You” page will reveal a variety of videos that reflect your interests and humor. TikTok users can choose to “follow” their favourite creators. However, the default page “For You” does such an excellent job of targeting that you might not visit your “Following” feed very often.

TikTok’s addictive and immersive nature is well-known. Plus, there are many funny jokes. The channel is easy to consume and offers many sounds, filters, and effects that can be used to encourage video creation. TikTok also features “Audio hashtags” and dance trends. Creators often riff on popular vocal tracks and imitate each others’ dance moves. They also record their reactions to each another’s videos.

Many are now aiming for TikTok fame, whereas America’s youth aspired to be YouTube stars a few years back.

TikTok is a great place to sell your stuff

It’s not surprising that TikTok has enjoyed a huge popularity and a highly-coveted Generation Z audience. TikTok quickly added new features to businesses, including sponsored hashtags and social commercetools.

Although it may seem daunting to launch yet another social media platform, there are strong reasons to incorporate TikTok in your eCommerce Marketing strategy.

• TikTok is the platform to reach young shoppers. TikTok is used by more than half of the 18-24-year-olds in America. By 2025, TikTok’s Gen Z users will surpass Instagram’s. TikTok is more than a platform for these users. It also offers insight into cultural and social trends that are popular among the younger consumer group.
• TikTok has a global audience. The most popular region is Southeast Asia, followed by North America or Europe. Participating retailers can make connections with potential customers all over the world and use new commerce tools to help them sell internationally.
• Full-screen content is available in full-motion. TikTok’s core is video, which is an extremely powerful medium. More consumers use videos to make buying decisions. 73% of them say they are more likely to buy after watching product videos. TikTok also aims to make viewing distraction-free by giving each video command full control of the screen.
• Insta-perfectionism is unnecessary. TikTok videos can now be as long as 10 minutes. This is a significant increase from the previous limit of 3 minutes. However, most videos last for 60 seconds or less. Many of the most viral uploads are unfiltered and spontaneous, which is a stark contrast to Instagram where images are meticulously crafted, aspirational and polished. TikTok videos don’t require a professional production crew. You can also take quick shots with your cellphone camera.
• TikTok users aren’t content to scroll, they engage. TikTok engagement is the ultimate marketer’s dream. The average user spends 52 minutes per day on TikTok, and more users upload videos. 63% of TikTok users say they have “liked” another user’s content. Comparatively, commercial Facebook posts have engagement rates of 0.04% (on average).

The #TikTokMadeIt phenomenon

TikTok has a significant payoff potential. The hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt proves this.

This hashtag has been viewed more than 9.7 million times in recent years. And that number continues to rise at a rapid pace.

According to TikTok, one in four users have made a purchase or searched for a product on the platform. Not only are trendy new brands seeing results, but so are other users.

Bissell, the manufacturer of the Little Green Machine mini-vacuum has been selling it for over 20 years. The vacuum’s sales have miraculously doubled in the last 18 months thanks to a series of TikTok videos that show the product being used.

TikTok isn’t the only place where you can dream of virality. Businesses large and small, old and young, have the potential to go viral.

TikTok: How to Sell

Understanding how TikTok fits in to your overall eCommerce strategy is the first order of business. What are your goals with TikTok What content types are you planning on producing?

TikTok has a guide for businesses that includes tutorials and instructions on advertising and shopping programs. A information hubdedicated for small businesses can be accessed. It includes creator best practices and case studies.

These steps will help you ensure a successful TikTok debut.

01. Do reconnaissance

TikTok offers a unique platform that is worth exploring. This will allow you to allocate resources more efficiently, learn about new features, and plan content that produces high-quality results.

It may seem tempting to cut a TikTok video, but the channel’s ever-evolving trends, love of spontaneity, and love for creativity may make it difficult. If your sole purpose is to share posts without authenticity, you may find it difficult to engage viewers.

You should also consider which products are most popular on TikTok. Also, observe how these items are promoted and see what types of posts do well, organic or sponsored. Keep an eye out for how other users use TikTok in order to educate their customers and/or answer their customer queries.

TikTok can be used for a variety purposes, so it’s important to identify what is most important to you.

02. Start posting by opening a business account

After you have created a plan, you can download the TikTok App and create a business account. This account allows you to access both shopping and paid advertising. You can upgrade to a business accounts from the Account Manager screen after you have created a basic username.

You are now ready to start posting. This is where consistency is key. There are tons of guidelines out there, some of which suggest posting one to three TikToks per day. We recommend that your brand establish a consistent posting schedule. Do not burn yourself out too early.

Strategically test different types and styles of posts when you are just starting out. You can split your time equally between engaging with content and posting content to ensure you stay on top of the changing landscape of the channel.

03. TikTok Shopping allows you to create a storefront

TikTok shopping was launched in the second half 2021 and provides a wide range of business tools and solutions.

• Shopping tab-Add a tab to your profile that allows your products to be listed directly in TikTok.
• Product Links –Tag your products in your videos to make it easy for viewers to learn more about them.
• Live Shopping –Put live streaming shopping to the Test and Host live product demos, giveaways and other interactive events.
• Shopping Ads – Get more people to your product videos by using a variety of advertising types (more information in the next section).

Remember that you will need to edit your product descriptions when uploading your products for TikTok to create a unique user experience. Your titles should not exceed 34 characters. Your product descriptions should be tailored for Gen Z consumers. Additionally, links in your product description should be removed as they won’t work on TikTok.

04. You can boost products by investing money in them

Paid placements are a great way to get your videos moving in the right direction. They’re especially useful when you want to create momentum for a seasonal or new item. You can start by creating an Ad Manager account to explore TikTok’s many ad types.

• TopView This is TikTok’s “biggest billboard”. This is the first video users see when they open TikTok. It is also the most efficient ad type when it’s paired with Infeed Ads.
• Infeed Ads These ads are embedded within native, user-generated content. As with any other TikTok video, viewers can swipe, replay and share them from their “For You” pages. You can create or boost an existing post to your in-feed app.
• Branded Hashtag Challenge This ad type is in appreciation of the TikTok community’s love for dances and other trends. You can create your own movement and redirect users to a landing page when they click on your hashtag. Although this ad type doesn’t apply to your products it can increase brand visibility and encourage users to view your other videos.
• Branded Effects: Branded Effects lets you create stickers, AR filters and games that others can enjoy. You can keep your effects in the app for up to 10 days, but they can be more durable if you create videos.

You should pay attention to the targeting and placement of your ads, as well as costs, performance, just like any other advertising campaign. The prices for some of the most popular opportunities are rising rapidly. TopView ads cost more in the fourth quarter holiday season. A clear system for tracking your ROI can help you keep within budget.

05. Partner with an influencer

You can also create an Ad Manager account to access Tiktok’s creator Marketplace which lists influencers available for hire.

Creator Marketplace allows you to collaborate with influencers for a fee or as rewards. Each influencer must have at least 100,000 followers, meet other criteria set by TikTok and be eligible for rewards.

The Creator Marketplace is a great place to connect with influencers. However, you need to be aware of micro-influencers that are available on the app. Micro influencers are accounts with between 1,000 and 10,000 followers. These accounts are often close-knit and bonded by shared interests or geographical locations. Many micro influencers use the app daily and can spread the word much faster than if they were doing it on their own.

source https://www.wix.com/blog/ecommerce/2022/03/tiktok-selling