TikTok is one of the social networks that is growing the most quickly around the world.
In the past, Gen Z and content creators mostly used it to show off their skills by making short clips.
But now that it has more than 1 billion active users, it’s also a great way to market to a huge audience.
That’s also why online business owners have become very interested in the platform.
If you want to learn more about the world of TikTok eCommerce, you’re in the right place.
We’ll talk about why you should use TikTok for marketing, how to increase sales on the platform, and a lot more in this post.
So let’s start right away!
TikTok eCommerce
Why Should You Use TikTok for eCommerce?
TikTok used to only be popular with young people, but that is no longer the case. In 2021, the platform had a crazy 656 million downloads, which was more than Instagram.
TikTok is a great place to find new customers because it has a lot of different communities and niche interests. On TikTok, it’s much easier to make a name for yourself online than on other social media sites.
The reason is that if you make creative and unique content, there’s a good chance that TikTok’s algorithm will help you reach a huge audience.
This can even help small eCommerce businesses raise brand awareness without spending a lot of money.
And now that TikTok has a shopping feature, you can connect your Shopify store directly to your TikTok account. That will let people see your products and buy them without leaving the app.
Overall, the amount of exposure that TikTok gives to online businesses makes it a powerful tool for marketing and increasing your eCommerce profit margins.
eCommerce
How To Use TikTok for eCommerce Marketing?
There are many ways to start marketing online stores on TikTok. So let’s talk about a few of the most common ways:
Set Up TikTok Shopping
TikTok worked with Shopify to make TikTok Shopping, an innovative new feature. It lets merchants connect their TikTok accounts directly to their Shopify stores.
With this feature, users can look at products and buy them without leaving the TikTok app. This makes it easier for potential customers to find their way around and also makes it more likely that they will buy something on the spot.
The best part is that the feature is free to use, but for now, it’s only available for TikTok business accounts. Read our guide to making money on TikTok if you want to learn more about how TikTok Shopping works.
Invest in TikTok Ads
An important part of running a successful eCommerce store is spending money on online ads. TikTok also has different kinds of ads, so let’s take a quick look at them to see which one is best for your campaign:
Brand Takeover: These are the ads that show up when you open TikTok once a day. They only last a few seconds, but they can help you get people to know about your brand and make direct sales.
As the name suggests, in-feed ads appear between TikTok videos on the For You Page. These ads run for 9 to 15 seconds and end with a call-to-action to your landing page.
Topview Ads are a mix of Brand Takeover and In-Feed ads. They can be up to 60 seconds long and show up at the top of the “For You” page. The Topview ads will also play automatically in full screen mode with sound on.
Brand Hashtag Challenges: These ads feel more natural and can work better than sponsored ads. By doing certain things while using your brand’s hashtag, they can help you turn your customers into brand ambassadors.
Branded Effect Ads: This ad encourages creativity by having marketers make stickers, filters, and other content that is live for up to 10 days.
Want to know more about the ads on TikTok? In our TikTok marketing guide, we talk about them in more depth.
Partner Up with TikTok Influencers
Getting shoutouts from influencers is one of the most common ways to market on TikTok. This is also a popular way to market on Instagram.
But don’t be fooled: influencer marketing isn’t just about finding the profile with the most followers. Find an influencer who works in your niche. This should be your number one goal.
This will keep you from getting traffic that isn’t relevant and also increase your chances of getting people to buy from you. You should also keep an eye on how people interact with the influencers’ profiles.
If only about 5% of their followers interact with their posts, it makes no sense to pay them for marketing.
Create Engaging Content
This is a given, but if you want to build your brand on TikTok, it’s time to start making content that people want to watch.
TikTok’s algorithm is pretty forgiving, so you never know when your video might go viral.
We know that making content that is interesting is easier to say than to do. So, in the next part, we’ll talk more about how you can make that happen.
Host Contests and Giveaways
Last but not least, some businesses might think that giving away products is a bad idea, but hosting giveaways is a great way to bring in new customers.
You can do this in a variety of ways, like by holding different contests or giving away prizes to get people to take part.
Tips to Create Viral Content for TikTok Ecommerce Marketing
Want to know how to make content that goes viral on TikTok? Here are 5 suggestions you can use:
Keep It Short
The best thing about TikTok is that the short videos on it are fun to watch.
So, even when you’re making content for your eCommerce business, you should try to stick to the same formula. Your goal is to get people interested in the video in the first few seconds.
No matter how many long videos you already have, get rid of them. Most people watch and share videos that are between 20 and 30 seconds long.
Connect with the Audience
Keep in mind that even though adults are using TikTok more and more, 60% of its users are still Gen Zers.
So, you need to focus on making content that your audience can relate to. Try emphasizing the things about your products that will make people want to buy them.
Make your content interesting and show that you’re helping your customers solve a problem.
Stir Up Fresh Ideas
Being real is the most important part of making video content.
You can get ideas from other eCommerce businesses that do well, but don’t just copy and paste their content and pass it off as your own.
Instead, try to come up with your own new ideas by putting your heads together. And most importantly, don’t keep writing the same boring content over and over again.
Follow Trends
If you don’t know what to post, you can get ideas from what’s popular on TikTok.
So keep an eye out for new music trends, memes, and other things that could go viral and try to use them in your content.
If you want to find videos about a certain type of trend, all you have to do is type the trending hashtag into TikTok’s search bar.
Who knows, when you’re looking for new trends, you might even find some products that do well on TikTok that you can sell.
Stay Consistent
Last but not least, know that not every video you make will go viral. But you shouldn’t give up just because of that.
Try to post new content at least once a day and stay consistent. You’ll have to get creative, but it can help you get more people to know about your brand and follow you over time.
TikTok vs. Other Social Media Platforms
There are many social media sites, and keeping up with all of them takes a lot of time and effort. So let’s figure out where TikTok fits in and why you should use it.
TikTok vs. YouTube
YouTube is the world’s second most-used search engine.
Since both TikTok and YouTube are places to share videos, you might wonder why you shouldn’t use YouTube.
Well, the problem with YouTube is that its homepage and suggestions only show a few videos.
The platform is hard to get into, and most of the time, if YouTube’s algorithm doesn’t favor you, your videos won’t get more than a few hundred views.
On top of that, YouTube videos are often longer than other videos. A report says that the average length of a YouTube video is 11.7 minutes.
This is obviously much longer than the 30-second clip you have to make on TikTok. Also, from a marketing point of view, making long videos can also take a lot of time and money.
Also, it’s much harder to come up with new ideas for longer videos. This is why TikTok is a much better platform for eCommerce marketing than YouTube.
TikTok vs. Facebook
Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world because it has more than 2.9 billion active users every month.
But then, who in their right mind would use TikTok? You think Facebook will help you reach more people? Well, that’s not always true.
Facebook is popular with many different types of people, which makes it hard to market on the site.
Competition is tough, so running Facebook ads, which are not cheap, is pretty much the only way to reach your audience.
TikTok, on the other hand, is great, especially if your main goal is to reach younger people. Competition is also lower than on Facebook.
TikTok vs. Instagram
TikTok vs. Instagram is a tough eCommerce matchup because both platforms are a lot like each other.
On Instagram, you can also post pictures, videos, stories, and a lot more. Also, it was there that the “influencer shoutout” strategy got its start.
As you may have already guessed, the main difference is that TikTok is only for videos. This doesn’t change the fact that TikTok is a better place to go viral.
Also, many brands already use Instagram, and TikTok has a more open playing field compared to Instagram.
FAQs about TikTok eCommerce
Is TikTok Free for Ecommerce Marketing?
By making and posting new content every day, you can use TikTok to promote your business for free.
But if you want your business to grow faster, you might have to spend money on paid advertising campaigns.
Why Is TikTok Great for Ecommerce?
TikTok is great for eCommerce because it has a huge audience and it’s easier to go viral on the platform.
Can You Sell Ecommerce Products Directly on TikTok?
Yes, you can set up a TikTok Shopping store and sell things there. It’s a new feature that lets people look at and buy products from your Shopify store without having to leave the app.
Do You Need Ads for TikTok Ecommerce?
Like any other social media site, you don’t have to pay for TikTok ads for your eCommerce store. But running paid ad campaigns can help you reach a lot more people and get in front of a bigger audience.
Is TikTok Right for My Ecommerce Brand?
Whether or not TikTok is a good fit for your eCommerce brand depends mostly on who you want to reach.
If you only want to reach people in their 50s and older, it might not be the best platform for you.
But if it’s younger than that, it can give you all the exposure you need without much trouble.
Your budget is another thing to think about. Facebook, Google, and other platforms cost much more than TikTok to run ads on.
Final Thoughts
TikTok, unlike most other social media sites, hasn’t reached its full potential yet.
A lot of business owners still don’t know how useful this social networking app can be.
So, now is a good time to start an online business and check out TikTok eCommerce.
