TikTok might be perceived as merely a platform for Gen-Z’s lip-syncing videos. Still, it encompasses a wide array of content, ranging from comedy skits and DIY tutorials to life hacks, dance routines, daily vlogs, sports clips, and e-commerce guidance—essentially, anything imaginable. Thus, “How do you sell on TikTok? ” becomes more relevant.
With over 1 billion monthly active users globally, including over 150 million in the US, TikTok’s quick-paced content and endless variety have made it incredibly engaging. Users dedicate an average of 95 minutes daily to browsing through videos. Whether you actively use TikTok or not, the platform’s extensive reach is undeniable.
TikTok has emerged as a transformative force in how vendors engage with a new wave of customers. This development signifies a blend of social engagement and fluid shopping experiences, altering the landscape of how products are presented, found, and purchased by an eager and extensive audience. With the launch of TikTok Business in 2020 and TikTok Shop in 2021, the platform has officially become a hub for dynamic commercial activities. When utilized effectively, the potential earnings from conducting business on this platform could exceed expectations. For newcomers to the scene or those uncertain about navigating sales on TikTok, Wyde.ai offers an in-depth guide in this article.
What is TikTok Shop?
Previously, brands would saturate TikTok feeds, hoping users would spontaneously navigate to their websites to explore their products. However, TikTok has significantly streamlined this process through its partnership with Shopify, introducing TikTok Shop last year.
TikTok Shop enables users to explore, select, and securely purchase products without leaving the app, offering a fluid e-commerce experience that’s quickly becoming popular on the platform. At the feature’s launch, Blake Chandlee from TikTok highlighted how the platform has revolutionized shopping into an activity centered around discovery, connection, and entertainment. This evolution gives brands unique opportunities to grab consumer attention and direct them towards immediate online purchases.
“TikTok stands at the crossroads of content and commerce, and these new features simplify the process for businesses of all sizes to create compelling content that guides consumers straight to the point of sale online,” said Chandlee.
You can effortlessly incorporate a shop tab on your TikTok page when you properly set up your TikTok account and meet the platform’s criteria. This integration lets users browse your online store’s offerings without exiting the app.
Since its debut last year, TikTok Shop has expanded beyond Shopify to include integration with Prestashop, Base, Square, BigCommerce, OpenCart, Ecwid, Shopline, and Wix eCommerce. Initially launched in the U.S., U.K., and Canada, TikTok Shop has since become accessible to users in most countries around the globe.
Should you create a TikTok account for your business?
The answer to this may be both “Yes” or a “No’ as it depends on your business strategy and marketing plans. While your social media strategy should definitely include established platforms like Instagram and Facebook, overlooking TikTok, especially due to its younger demographic, may lead to a missed opportunity.
As mentioned, TikTok boasts around 150 million monthly active users in the US and more than 1 billion globally. This not only indicates a vast audience but also highlights the platform’s high user engagement and interaction levels.
The type of products you offer on TikTok is less critical compared to how creatively you engage with viral trends. By adding a unique spin to popular Sounds, your content can significantly boost brand visibility, attracting the attention of thousands of prospective customers. Let us understand more about this by looking at the benefits of selling on TikTok
4 benefits of selling on TikTok
Since early 2021, TikTok Shop has established itself as an e-commerce platform for sellers, offering a direct and efficient way to reach a broad audience. With over 1.1 billion monthly active users, TikTok has evolved from a traditional social media app into a vibrant e-commerce space.
User engagement on TikTok is impressively high, with individuals spending an average of about 52 minutes daily on the platform. This wide-ranging appeal spans various age groups, making TikTok Shop an appealing option for sellers looking to market and sell their products.
The marketing potential of TikTok is notable. According to a TikTok for Business study, the platform achieved a 117% increase in ad recall and a 30% uplift in purchase intent over industry norms, underscoring the significant opportunity TikTok Shop offers for increasing visibility and sales.
With its recent rollout in the US market, following successful launches in the UK, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, TikTok Shop’s growth in a key market underscores its global e-commerce influence. The 4 benefits of selling on TikTok Shop are:
1. Broad User Base
TikTok serves as a cultural epicenter, with most trends in fashion, music, food, and more originating on the app. It boasts roughly 1 billion monthly active users worldwide, representing 20% of all internet users and one-eighth of the global population, although it’s lesser than Facebook but still TikTok is good platform for innovative products or those looking to make an impact, offering a prime opportunity for exposure.
2. Cost-effective Engagement
The TikTok algorithm facilitates widespread content discovery with a lesser CPM as compared to other platforms. Users gravitate towards creative, straightforward, and humorous content, allowing brands to gain recognition without a hefty budget or large team. The platform champions content democracy, often promoting videos to the For You Page.
3. Community Building for Trust
Building a community on TikTok can significantly enhance customer loyalty and trust. It provides an ideal environment for brands to interact with users, spark discussions, and cultivate a sense of belonging. Engaging content, challenges, and user participation help create a supportive community that advocates for the brand, leading to increased loyalty and brand trust.
4. Diverse Advertising Options
TikTok introduces various innovative ad formats, including In-Feed Ads, Dynamic Showcase Ads, Catalog Listing Ads, and Video Shopping Ads. These formats allow for engaging and diverse advertising campaigns tailored to the TikTok audience. Experimenting with these ad types can help sellers identify the most effective approaches to captivate their audience and drive sales. You can understand the costs associated with different types of TikTok ads here.
How to sell on TikTok?
Before the advent of TikTok Shop, users had the ability to indirectly promote sales through pinned websites or affiliate links in their profile. However, TikTok Shop’s rollout has now made it possible for viewers to effortlessly buy products featured in videos directly within the app, eliminating the need to navigate away.
We’ve explored how marketing on TikTok can open up avenues to new audiences and expand your clientele, yet the app’s capabilities extend well beyond these initial benefits. By mastering the nuances of the platform, you can discover how to effectively sell on TikTok through 8 straightforward steps.
1. Create Your Account and Optimize Profile
Download TikTok, opt to create an account, and if you already have a personal one, consider a separate account for business purposes. After entering your details and choosing a consistent username across social platforms, start enriching your profile with essential details such as your website, email, and social media links, ensuring your bio is succinct yet reflective of your brand’s ethos. Also, you can utilize keywords to enhance searchability.
2. Upgrade to Pro
TikTok provides three account types: Personal, Creator, and Business. Personal is the default, whereas either Creator or Business are Pro accounts that unlock valuable benefits.
- Creator account: It is suited for active posters seeking growth, offering analytics and access to the Creator Fund for those meeting the follower and view threshold.
- Business account: It is optimal for brands aiming to maximize their presence, offering comprehensive analytics, the ability to add contact information and website links in the bio, and advanced advertising tools.
According to us, opting for a business account early on facilitates greater selling potential through bio links and easier verification, alongside a compelling call to action that guides your audience effectively.
3. Link Your Shop to Your TikTok Account
After updating your profile, you’re ready to begin showcasing your products and linking your business websites to your TikTok account. You have the choice between a full shopping experience within the app or directing final purchases to your external site, allowing you to select the method that best suits your business model and customer preferences.
TikTok provides handy plugins for Shopify and WooCommerce, making it easy to connect and synchronize your product catalog. This feature simplifies the process of presenting and marketing your products to TikTok’s extensive audience, broadening your reach and potential customer base with ease. Notably, this integration lets sellers promote their products even without initiating sales directly through TikTok Shop, granting more freedom in advertising strategies.
4. Establish a Connection with TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop allows you to enhance your profile with a product catalog and incorporate shoppable tags in your live streams, enabling direct sales from TikTok. Access to TikTok Shop requires you to be at least 18 years old and have a minimum of 1,000 followers, or you can simply opt for a Business account. To begin selling, join TikTok Shop through the Seller Center and complete the registration with:
- Basic personal information
- Your store’s business details
- Documents for verification (such as business registration information)
After your application is reviewed by TikTok, you can start listing products in your TikTok Shop. Ensure each product listing includes:
- A clear and brief title
- A detailed and engaging description
- The product category
- Your brand name
- High-quality images and videos
- Contents of the package
- Package dimensions and weight
- Key selling features (like size, color, and pattern)
- Price of the product
This setup allows you to manage sales directly on TikTok, offering functionalities similar to Shopify, Shopee, or Amazon, including payment and shipping options.
5. Craft Engaging Content
Create content that highlights your products in a creative, engaging manner without overt sales pitches. The goal is to entertain and engage, increasing the likelihood of your videos being shared and featured. As you begin to receive views, likes, and feedback, participating in comments is crucial. Also, maintaining a consistent video posting schedule is equally important, you should be aiming for at least one post a day to increase the chances of your content going viral. A few content creation tips are listed below:
- Keep it Light: Aim for light and entertaining content that avoids hard sales tactics. Your goal is to engage viewers enough that they wish to watch again or share your content. The more engagement your content receives, the more likely it is to be recommended to other users by TikTok.
- Engage Quickly: Capture attention swiftly, within the first few seconds, to prevent users from scrolling past your video. Utilize hashtags like #smallbusiness, #smallbusinesscheck, and #entrepreneur for inspiration on how to promote your brand effectively.
- Be Original: Embrace originality by adding your distinct flair and brand identity to your content. TikTok values authenticity over perfection, encouraging frequent posting—ideally 1-3 times daily—to maximize your viral potential.
- Start your own Challenge: Initiate a brand-related challenge with a unique hashtag to engage your audience actively. For instance, a hot sauce brand could launch a #hotsaucechallenge, urging followers to try the sauce with unconventional foods.
- Use Sounds: Incorporate music or custom sounds from TikTok’s Sound Library into your videos. Popular sounds can significantly increase your content’s virality.
By following these strategies, you can create engaging and original content that resonates with the TikTok community and enhances your brand’s visibility.
6. Implement Effective Ad Campaigns
TikTok provides a versatile advertising platform with various ad types and targeting options from In-Feed Ads for brand exposure to Branded Hashtag Challenges for community engagement, allowing brands to showcase their products or services to the right audience effectively.
- Self-Service Ads: Include in-feed video ads that blend into users’ For You Page as they scroll, looking similar to regular TikTok content and less like traditional advertisements.
- Managed Ads: Feature options like branded hashtag challenges, official brand takeovers, TopView ads, and branded effects are managed directly by TikTok’s ad team.
To launch ads on TikTok, brands must register for a TikTok For Business account, granting access to TikTok’s Ad Manager to orchestrate campaigns. Here, objectives are set, whether for reach, brand awareness, website traffic, or sales, with targeting options mirroring those of Facebook Ads, such as age, gender, location, and interests, to precisely reach intended demographics.
7. Leverage TikTok Affiliate Marketing
Partnering with influencers on TikTok offers a strategic way to elevate your brand’s visibility. Influencers, with their large and engaged followings, can introduce your products to broader audiences in a way that feels authentic and seamlessly integrated with their content rather than appearing overtly promotional. Moreover, influencer collaborations can extend your reach, provide social proof, utilize product review trends, tailor content to fit your brand’s narrative, and bolster trust amongst the consumer. Now, a question comes up how can you get these influencers, don’t worry; we have that covered as well –
Finding Influencers on TikTok
To discover influencers who resonate with your brand, use TikTok’s search function with keywords related to your industry or product. For instance, searching “beauty” can help locate beauty influencers whose content aligns with your brand’s offerings. Moreover, TikTok’s Creator Marketplace serves as a dedicated platform for connecting brands with influencers. It provides analytical insights into their reach and effectiveness, assisting in crafting targeted influencer marketing campaigns.
With the introduction of the “TikTok Creator Marketplace API,” the process of identifying influential partners has become more accessible for brands and marketing agencies. This new API grants access to detailed demographic data, performance analytics, and the best-performing content, streamlining the selection of influencers who can genuinely amplify your brand’s presence on TikTok.
8. Promote User-Generated Content (UGC)
Numerous products achieve viral status on TikTok through genuine engagement from regular users. When people showcase a product in their videos, whether they’re using it or sharing why they adore it, they can catapult it to viral fame. Interestingly, many of these viral videos aren’t sponsored ads; they’re authentic content from customers expressing their appreciation for the product. Motivate your customers and followers to create their own TikTok videos with your product. Initiating a challenge, as previously suggested, is an effective way to do this.
By following these steps, you can effectively harness TikTok’s platform for marketing and selling your products, tapping into its vast, engaged user base for increased brand visibility and sales.
Final Word
While rapidly growing, TikTok is still refining its in-app purchasing capabilities. A comprehensive TikTok Marketing Strategy is crucial for effectively marketing your products on this platform. Navigating TikTok doesn’t have to be complex, especially with the right strategy and partnerships.
TikTok ads offer a potent solution to maximize sales during key shopping events. The holiday season presents a prime opportunity for sellers to capture consumers’ interest in the ideal gifts. Leveraging TikTok ads during these peak times can make a significant difference, engaging users more effectively and ensuring your products reach the intended audience. Therefore, investing in TikTok ads is advisable to enhance your sales strategy during these crucial moments.