Tips on how to Promote Merchandise on TikTok
By now, you've probably heard a lot about Gen Z's most popular social media app, TikTok.
TikTok is a video sharing platform that allows users to create and share dynamic short form videos (60 seconds maximum).
Users can add song snippets, special effects, and filters to their videos and then share them with a large global network.
There are more than a billion users on TikTok and the app is available in over 150 countries. It's ideal for brands targeting younger audiences as the majority of TikTok users are between 10 and 29 years old.
The development of this diverse market offers brands a lucrative opportunity. With the right TikTok marketing techniques, you can take advantage of this social network and open your brand to an exciting market of Gen Z members and millennials.
Below I will show you the strategies and tactics you will need to sell products on TikTok.
Why should you sell products on TikTok?
TikTok is the world's most downloaded social app. In 2020, TikTok was rated as one of the world's leading mobile apps, outperforming YouTtube, Tinder, and Netflix.
When you bring your brand to TikTok, you get visibility with millions of new users worldwide. These new customers have real purchasing power – together they affect more than $ 350 billion in annual US sales.
TikTok's unique algorithm means that even accounts with little to no followers on the TikTok For You (FYP) page can go viral.
Integration with Shopify and other powerful ecommerce platforms made it easy for brands to sell products directly on TikTok.
When you look at these stats, it's no surprise that brands all over the world are jumping on board and finding creative ways to sell products on TikTok.
How to set up an account in TikTok that will increase sales
If you want to sell products on TikTok, you need to guide your efforts with a strong strategy.
Your TikTok profile acts as your ecommerce home page. Hence, it is important that you tweak your profile before you start selling.
Here are some easy ways to do this.
1. Describe your brand in your bio
Your TikTok bio is your chance to introduce your brand and products to your audience.
Your bio is the first thing people see when they visit your page. So it's important to make a good first impression. It is also important to provide accurate information about your brand.
In a few words, describe your brand and what you do. Using keywords on your social networks is the best way to improve your SEO on TikTok.
2. Get creative with emojis
Remember, your target market on TikTok is mostly Gen Z, Millennials, and Generation Alpha.
That said, it is important to speak their language.
Emojis are colorful and eye-catching and serve as visual indicators of your products and services.
Using emojis can help increase conversions on your online store. So be sure to use them when selling products on TikTok.
3. Add a CTA
Your TikTok profile should guide users to actions they should take.
By adding a CTA to your profile, users will know exactly what to do next and can help increase conversions.
For example, you can use a CTA to direct followers to your ecommerce store, blog, or other social channel where you sell products.
You can also promote discount codes or sales on your TikTok bio.
How to Sell Products on TikTok
Once you've got your bio in place, it's time to create your strategy. Here are some tips to help you sell your products.
1. Use sponsor branded hashtags
If you want to sell products on TikTok, you need to introduce your brand to as many people as possible.
One of the most effective ways to do this is by sponsoring a branded hashtag that prompts users to create User Generated Content (UGC). TikTok calls this the Hashtag Challenge Plus and allows users to purchase products that are related to a sponsored hashtag.
Once you've set your challenge, you can create a paid hashtag with a specific landing page to alert your users of a sale. The challenge is shown on the Discovery page, which shows more views.
TikTok also enables in-app shopping for your hashtag so viewers can shop directly through the app.
Brands like Kroger have made effective use of this feature with campaigns like the #TransformUrDorm challenge. TikTok users were asked to create videos before and after their dorms were remodeled. From there, they were asked to buy dormitory items like toasters and popcorn makers directly from the TikTok app.
The award-winning campaign brought Kroger more than 800 million views and generated 304,000 UGC videos.
2. Use shoppable videos
In 2020, TikTok announced a new deal with ecommerce giant Shopify to bring Shopify's more than 1 million ecommerce retailers into TikTok's growing audience.
Shopify merchants can now connect their stores to their TikTok for Business accounts and sell products through TikTok directly through shoppable videos and ads in the feed.
This is a great way to grow your Shopify ecommerce store and TikTok followers at the same time.
3. Use TikTok for Shopify functions
The Shopify app itself has a number of built-in features that you can use to sell products on TikTok.
Here are some notable features of TikTok for Shopify:
- TikTok campaigns: Merchants can create advertising campaigns, target audiences and track ad performance in one place.
- Video template tool: This tool allows you to create a video ad using a TikTok template and any existing photo, text, and logo elements.
- Addressing target groups: With TikTok, you can target ads based on location, demographic, and behavioral metrics.
- One click pixel: The TikTok Pixel allows you to track the performance of your campaigns. These analytics will help drive conversions in your future campaigns.
- Creative tools: Using TitTok's creative tools, you can turn Shopify merchant products into high quality TikToks. This is a great way to connect with this new audience.
If you are new to this integration, give it a try. As marketers, A / B testing is our greatest asset.
You will never know what works until you try.
How to Promote Your Ecommerce Store on TikTok
Once you have your business connected to your TikTok channel, you can start creating content that will promote your products.
Here are some effective ways to promote your Shopify store on TikTok to get more conversions.
1. Embed your TikTok feed on your website
Certain apps like Vop allow you to embed your TikTok feed on your sales website.
This way, your customers can see your products in action before they commit to a sale.
Having user-generated content regularly featured on your TikTok feed gives you access to real, digital word of mouth advertising. This can go a long way in improving customer confidence in your brand.
2. Use paid advertising on TikTok
Using TikTok's paid advertising features is a great way to enter this exciting new market.
To start creating ads you need to know what you are working with. TikTok content has certain specifications and parameters that you must follow.
- Image files: JPG or PNG only
- Video files: MP4, MOV, MPEG, 3GP or AVI
- Aspect ratio: 9:16, 1: 1 and 16: 9
- Image resolution: 1200 × 628 is recommended but is not required
- Video resolution: 720 × 1280 pixels, 640 × 640 pixels or 1280 × 720 pixels
- Video duration: 5 to 60 seconds
- Brand Name: The brand name you display in an ad must be between 2 and 20 characters long. When promoting an app, you can use 4 to 40 characters
- Advertising description: Your ad description must be between 12 and 100 characters. You cannot use emojis in your description
From there, the goal is to create engaging, creative, and fun ads that will grab the attention of TikTok's youthful demographic.
Be sure to use audio when creating ads. TikTok has always been an audio / video platform. So it's important to create content that fits into this area.
Voice-over, background music, and audio with special effects can all help make your ads more effective.
Get creative! Tiktok is a platform for content creators. Make your ads fun, fresh and exciting to attract new customers.
3. Paste your ecommerce link into your TikTok bio
You can add a website link with any TikTok bio.
Use this area to add a link to your ecommerce store or pages you want to drive traffic to, e.g. B. Relevant promotions or landing pages.
This tactic is a great way to guide users to the content they want to see and increase sales on TikTok.
How to Track and Analyze the Sales You Receive on TikTok
By installing TikTok Pixel on your website, e-commerce store and in advertisements, you can track events along your customer shopping paths.
For example, if someone views a product, completes a payment, searches for a product, or adds billing information to your checkout flow, you can track them.
You can also keep track of when a user downloads your content, clicks a button, or views a page.
This is helpful when you want to verify that your ecommerce link on your profile bio is in effect. Or if you want to know how many people are making purchases from your shoppable videos.
The more data you collect, the better you can understand your customer journey.
From there, you can determine what works and where to focus more resources.
How to Track TikTok Shopify Sales
The Shopify sales you make through TikTok can be managed right from the Shopify dashboard. This includes all ad creation, targeting, optimization, and tracking.
Merchants can use Shopify-specific apps such as the “Magic TikTok Pixel” to better track conversions in TikTok campaigns.
When you install the Magic TikTok Pixel you can:
- Track user event types B. Registration, browsing the product page, adding to cart and ordering.
- Track TikTok users who have made purchases. You can also analyze their data to determine future buying trends, such as: B. the total sales per product and the average order value.
- Re-target data and make sure your return on ad spend (ROAS) improves every time.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to sell products on TikTok, it's time to start experimenting.
TikTok is still evolving into a platform and we can expect more sales opportunities to emerge soon.
For now, it's important to start with the shopping features that are already available. This will help you get more ecommerce sales and attract a loyal audience.
If you want to develop a more comprehensive social media advertising campaign using TikTok, but need help with it, contact our agency.
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