The short-form video-sharing app TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform around at the moment. It has truly taken the world by storm, with over 1 billion users worldwide. In the United States alone, TikTok is the most downloaded app on both Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store, and as an eCommerce business owner, you may be wondering how you can use an eCommerce TikTok strategy of your own to reach more customers and grow your business.
In this blog post, we discuss some tips on how you can create, promote, and engage your eCommerce TikTok strategy.
Why do you need an eCommerce TikTok strategy?
While the TikTok app is designed for entertainment, it is also used for marketing purposes and has been playing a key part in retail social commerce. In the US, this industry is expected to be worth over $80 billion by 2025.
What makes TikTok so relevant to eCommerce businesses is that its users engage in social shopping. In fact, in a survey that was carried out by TikTok in 2020, two-thirds of those who took part in the survey noted that they would shop on the platform.
The hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt is a solid example of how the platform encourages users to engage in online shopping and has generated over 11 billion views since it was created. The hashtag continues to be used by merchants, the public, and partners who are looking to discover new products and make sure they are ahead of new trends.
Why should you use TikTok for eCommerce?
TikTok can be an asset to your eCommerce business for several reasons:
- It’s a great way to reach a large audience: there are over 1 billion users on TikTok, which allows you to reach an extensive amount of people.
- You can connect with potential customers: TikTok provides you with the chance to connect with potential customers who may be interested in your products or services.
- You can create engaging content: Since TikTok is all about using creative content, you can use this to your advantage by creating engaging and unique videos that promote your products or services.
- It’s cost-effective: TikTok is a very cost-effective marketing platform, as it allows you to create videos which reach large potential audiences without spending a lot of money.
The beauty of TikTok is that it brings together a variety of key elements that sets it apart from the plethora of other social media platforms out there, especially Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter:
- Short and sharp: First and foremost, the content created on TikTok is short in length and makes it easy to binge on. People love consuming this type of content
- It’s focused on trends: TikTok places a great deal of focus on what is popular or impactful right now. This adds to its cultural relevance and makes it concomitant with contemporary trends
- It appeals to a broad demographic: Unlike other social media platforms, TikTok has an expansive demographic. The split across the 10-19, 20-29, 30-39, and 40-49 age groups are fairly equal
- Not overly sales-orientated: TikTok is popular because it usually presents more authentic, relatable, and light-hearted content than other platforms
Six ways to create your eCommerce TikTok strategy
Here are six effective ways that you can create, promote, and engage your eCommerce TikTok strategy:
Create fun, authentic content
This may be the most crucial aspect to consider when you’re promoting your eCommerce business on TikTok. Your content needs to be creative and engaging, or else users will scroll right past it.
Be sure to show off your products in a creative way that will get users interested. Keep your content light, fun, and authentic. Be yourself while you get creative and most importantly – have fun!
Get your brand viral
The best way of promoting your eCommerce business on TikTok is to get your brand name out there and create a surge of attention around it. Such a spike in the spotlight usually leads to an increase in sales.
There are several ways to achieve this, such as creating viral challenges that users can take part in or partnering with influencers who have a large following on the platform.
Engage with your community
As you start to build a following on TikTok, you must continue to engage with your community.
Reply to their comments, run giveaways, and show that you care about your customers. There are communication features that allow you to build meaningful connections with viewers.
One such example is the Q&A feature, which allows your audience to ask you questions directly through your profile.
Build your eCommerce TikTok strategy by partnering with influencers
Partnering with influencers is a great way to promote your eCommerce brand on TikTok and can have a big impact on your business.
Find relevant and popular influencers who align with your brand and have them promote your products to their followers. This is made easier by TikTok’s Creator Marketplace, a sort of matchmaking service that pairs up brands with the right influencers.
Utilise TikTok ads or promoted posts to gain brand traction
If you want to reach a wider audience on TikTok, you can create ads or promoted posts. These are paid placements that will ensure that your content is seen by more people.
You can create campaigns based on YOUR objectives, and then track their performance to get a sense of how many viewers your promoted posts are reaching.
Use affiliate links to gain promoters and partners
Issue affiliate links to allow promoters and partners to generate awareness of your products on TikTok. These are special links that give users a discount on the product or service when they use your link and they allow you to track the sales attributed to the promoter.
Affiliate marketing is a great way for those who know TikTok to earn while also helping your brand gain more followers and, more importantly, sales.
Grow your eCommerce business with ParcelPlanet
As an online business, you need to stay ahead of the trend when it comes to contemporary social media platforms. There is a social shopping revolution taking place, and TikTokers are right at the forefront of that revolution.
With some careful effort and watchful monitoring, you can increase both your eCommerce sales and brand through the medium of Tiktok. The platform also presents you with the opportunity to create content that is not only fun and engaging but also relevant to your audience.
Furthermore, with increasing sales as a result of an improved TikTok eCommerce strategy, you’ll need a trusted fulfilment partner to make sure that your products get to your customers quickly, correctly and with that WOW factor.
At ParcelPlanet, we’ll manage everything for you, from warehousing and order processing to shipping and returns.
eCommerce businesses trust and depend on the experienced ParcelPlanet team to handle their order fulfilment so that they can focus on growing their business. Contact our experienced team today to set your business up for eCommerce sales success.
