TikTok is getting serious about e-commerce. The recently launched new TikTok Shop feature places products before users’ eyes, entertainingly blending infomercials with small-screen live streams. The result is an enticing, close-up connection between the seller and customer. TikTok’s in-app shopping and live commerce feature combine interactive videos and real-time interactions between sellers and consumers. Livestreaming is one of the most effective types of promotions for sellers as they can communicate directly with potential customers. The directness and immediacy shared between sellers and (possible) buyers provide an experience that marketplaces (with infinite aisles for browsing) cannot reproduce. TikTok has the unique advantage of its wealth in content that yields high engagement rates, giving this platform opportunities to turn users into buyers.
How to start using TikTok for your business
As the fastest-growing social media platform right now, using TikTok for e-commerce is a smart way to reach new audiences. Any business with a consistent range of products to sell can capitalize on TikTok’s rich and diverse content to engage a widespread and active audience and possibly even build a community around their products. You can leverage TikTok as a successful e-commerce marketing tool by creating fun content, launching hashtag challenges, partnering with creators in your niche, and taking advantage of TikTok advertising.A breakdown of different advertising options for e-commerce businesses:
- Hashtag challenges encourage TikTok users to create their content around your brand’s campaign theme. Rather than trying to make a hashtag challenge go viral on your own, using promoted hashtags can help you get more engagement and drive user interaction. Launching a hashtag challenge is a great way to take brand awareness to the next level. If you are looking to start using TikTok to promote your business, this is a great place to start.
- Top view TikTok ads appear when users first open the TikTok app. These full-screen, audio-on, premium video ads grab the user’s attention for up to 60 seconds and then appear at the top of the user’s newsfeed.
- Brand takeovers allow brands to create images, GIFs, and videos with embedded links to landing pages or hashtag challenges. These full-screen ads also appear on user screens when they first open the TikTok app but last just a few seconds.
- In-feed native content ads automatically play in the ‘For you’ feed of relevant TikTok users. These videos can be up to one minute long, and allow users to like, comment, follow, share, or use your ad’s music to create their own video. This type of ad supports multiple features like website clicks or app downloads and is a great way to engage with new audiences and build a following.
- Branded effects are a fun way for brand-focused e-commerce sellers to build awareness and visibility. As TikTok users love creating videos, giving them branded stickers, filters, lenses, and effects to use with this visual form of promotion can be a great way to boost user-generated content, uniting users worldwide with visual languages that can span time, place, and culture.
- Collaborating with relevant and popular creators in your industry is a great way to elevate your TikTok marketing strategy and drive brand awareness. However, to get results from TikTok influencer marketing, you need to make sure the influencer’s audience matches your target audience. Look for authenticity within their videos and their interactions with followers when identifying creators in your niche. TikTok’s Creator Marketplace allows you to view important metrics associated with influencers in your industry, including audience age, gender, and TikTok usage.
About the author:
Octavian Nastase is passionate about internet marketing and he is the KEY27’s website conversion optimization specialist. With over a decade of experience in the field, he has helped businesses getting more clients from the online world and convert more of their website visitors into customers. Octavian is known for his creative approach to solving problems and his ability to break down complex concepts into simple, actionable steps. In his free time, Octavian enjoys reading, traveling, and being part of his children’s lives.
If you’re looking for someone who can help you get the most out of your website, Octavian is the person you want to work with.
