TikTok is just not a social media app for thoughtless entertainment. For creators, this platform can also be utilized as a tool to generate income. There are different methods to make money, but if you want to earn money in cash, one of the simplest ways to sell products is on TikTok. With more than 1 billion monthly active users, the short-form video app can support you in increasing sales, whether you are selling digital downloads or physical goods and services.
In this blog post, we will discuss some essential ways to sell products on TikTok to make money successfully.
What is TikTok?
TikTok serves as a social media platform that grants users the ability to produce, view, and distribute brief videos, with a maximum duration of up to 3 minutes, encompassing a wide array of content spanning sports highlights, lip-sync showdowns, and humorous memes. These videos can be customized by including music, sound effects, text overlays, and filters, fostering creativity. Users can collaborate by creating split-screen “duets” with other videos or crafting “stitch” responses to existing content.
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Tips to Sell Products on TikTok
If you’re aiming to sell products on TikTok, it’s essential to kickstart your endeavors with a robust strategy. Your TikTok profile essentially functions as your eCommerce homepage, making it imperative to fine-tune your profile before commencing your sales activities. Here are some straightforward methods to achieve this:
Determine Your Niche
TikTok’s primary user base comprises teenagers, followed by individuals aged 20-29 and those aged 30-39. This demographic breakdown offers valuable insights for tailoring your marketing efforts. However, it’s essential to note that this doesn’t preclude reaching older audiences if that aligns with your objectives. Specificity plays a pivotal role on this platform, so it’s crucial to acquaint yourself with the app and its diverse communities. For example, if you’re interested in promoting a reading light, immerse yourself in the #BookTok hashtag to understand the types of videos shared by the app’s book enthusiasts. You can engage in conversations more seamlessly and authentically by grasping their vocabulary and interests.
Set Up Your Business Account
Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the digital landscape, it’s time to set up your TikTok account for success. Whether you’ve already registered or are starting from scratch, ensuring you have a TikTok for Business account is essential. A seamless process is achieved by opening “Manage Account” and selecting “Switch to Business Account.” You’ll want to enhance your account by including all pertinent brand information and imagery. Afterward, the next step is seamlessly integrating your eCommerce platform, with instructions typically available on your chosen eCommerce platform’s website. Once completed, your TikTok page will feature the TikTok Shopping tag that showcases your products.
Create Content
Once your account runs, it’s time to dive into the enjoyable part of creating TikTok videos. Here’s where you can truly showcase your brand’s personality. Unlike Instagram and similar visual platforms where polished, curated content shines, TikTok users prefer authenticity and unfiltered content. While the ultimate goal is to promote your product and boost sales, it’s essential to come across as something other than overly sales-oriented. TikTok users can easily spot this and may scroll past your video. Instead, strive to captivate the user’s attention to the extent that they want to watch your video again and share it with their friends. Remember that you have a maximum of 3 minutes to engage your viewer, but capturing their interest in even less time is better.
Tag Your Videos with Products
One of the most straightforward and essential steps in this process is correctly tagging the items in your videos. The TikTok Shopping feature allows you to tag a product with just a tap effortlessly. This plays a vital role in maintaining your brand’s visibility and enables you to promote products discreetly. Your videos can take various forms, and the products you showcase will remain tagged, providing an excellent opportunity to subtly incorporate product placement for users who take pride in avoiding traditional advertisements.
Utilize Influencer Marketing
If you’ve ever perused Instagram or YouTube, you’re well-acquainted with influencer marketing. Influencers, particularly those who align with your target demographic, can play a significant role in helping you connect with fresh customers and significantly boost your brand’s recognition. With 49% of consumers relying on influencer recommendations when purchasing, this marketing strategy should be considered. To discover a TikTok creator within your niche, consider searching for keywords or phrases related to your product and explore the top videos to identify potential influencers who align with your brand.
Promote User-Generated Content
Collaborating with influencers and using unique hashtags could spark a wave of user-generated content (UGC). This sets the ultimate snowball effect in motion, granting your brand an unparalleled global reach. UGC can take various forms, from a viral TikTok challenge or meme to a single video that captures widespread attention. You might actively encourage it as a brand or seize an organic opportunity as it arises. By creating your own hashtag or challenge to inspire your audience to share videos featuring your products, you gain cost-free advertising for your business, effectively raise your brand’s profile, and familiarize people with your offerings.
Explore Other Selling Options
In addition to natural and user-generated content, you can integrate paid advertisements into your marketing campaign. TikTok provides a range of ad types and tools for targeting specific audiences. There are two primary ad categories to consider. The first is Self-Service Ads, which appear on a user’s For You page like any other TikTok video, seamlessly blending in without feeling overly promotional. The second category includes Ad Manager options such as branded hashtag challenges, brand takeovers, branded filters, and Top View ads, which display videos five seconds after users open the app. You can use TikTok’s Video Creation Kit to produce your video ads quickly.
Final Words
Selling products on TikTok can be a highly lucrative endeavor when approached strategically. With a vast and engaged user base, TikTok offers numerous opportunities to showcase your brand and connect with potential customers. By defining your niche, setting up a business account, creating engaging content, tagging your products effectively, utilizing influencer marketing, promoting user-generated content, and exploring paid advertising options, you can maximize your success in selling products on this dynamic platform. Embrace TikTok’s unique culture, be authentic in your approach, and stay attuned to your audience’s interests to achieve successful product sales on TikTok.