TikTok is gaining a lot of attention for its features that allow for quick video sharing, lively conversations, popular games, challenges and other entertainment tactics. Although the app is based in China, it now has over 1,000,000 active users every month from all around the globe. This means that just 20% of all internet users use TikTok. This is a huge collection of potential buyers that can be used to create an online store. It’s the reason so many brands use TikTok marketing strategies to sell their products.
This guide will explain TikTok basics, then we’ll discuss the most effective TikTok marketing strategies like advertising, partnering with influencers and creating #hashtag challenges.
Continue reading to find out all about TikTok’s marketing campaigns for ecommerce.
What’s TikTok?
We can also compare TikTok with the other social media apps available on the market to simplify things.
TikTok allows users to upload short videos. It’s similar to Snapchat. It is also used primarily as a mobile application like Snapchat and Instagram. You can access TikTok on a desktop but you get additional features and no annoying prompts to download TikTok’s app by using the app.
TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to share short videos. It is different than Snapchat Stories, Instagram Stories and Snapchat in that it keeps those videos on a shared feed for users to see later.
TikTok is unique because of this. Although users can delete videos from the past, that is not the point. TikTok saves videos on your wall, so you don’t have to watch them disappear on other platforms.
TikTok’s uniqueness lies in its community and the way that it interacts with specific content.
- TikTok users often post lip-syncing videos of music, clips from movies, or TV shows.
- Many users upload short videos that show them performing duets, singing or dancing to popular songs. There are many formats you can follow.
- TikTok users often participate in hashtag challenges. They are given a challenge to create a video, usually using an editing trick or a specific dance move. The challenge is then passed on to others.
These kinds of content are great for influencers in creator economies, as they can share their own challenges with followers and create buzz around their products, art, or own platforms. TikTok makes it easier for brands to reach younger audiences, as most of the content can be made quickly and easily.
Although most TikTok videos are under 15 seconds in length, it is possible to create longer videos and post them up to 60 seconds.
What other information should you have about TikTok’s social media marketing options?
- It started as a music/dancing platform. Comedy stars share their stories; gamers share their games; fashion brands share clips of shows.
- TikTok videos can be viewed without a login. Anyone can view public profiles online.
- You don’t have to follow anyone, even if you already have an account. TikTok has a Discover page that allows you to instantly start watching videos. TikTok still provides relevant content.
- You can follow your favorite brands, TikTok creators and friends.
- Influencers are prominent in many industries, including fashion, dance, comedy and music. This makes the platform ideal to influencer marketing
- TikTok is a simple advertising platform that puts your brand in front users.
- Brands often partner with influencers to promote their products.
What is the TikTok Demographic
TikTok was founded with the intention of targeting younger users (Gen Z) from the very beginning. TikTok also acquired Musical.ly, an app that primarily targets younger users (mainly Generation Z) in 2018.
TikTok’s early growth and the combination of these apps has meant that it remains a strong focus on younger generations, especially those below 30. About 47% of users are under 30.
TikTok has always been geared towards females. However, the site still boasts 60% females and 40% males. This gap is even more evident in the United States, where females outnumber males by 2:1 on TikTok.
What types of TikTok content are these users consuming?
We can conclude based on our views that these are the most popular types influencer content:
- Entertainment with more than 535 billion video views
- Dance: 181 million views.
- Pranks: 79 million views
- Sports and fitness: 57 billion views.
- Home renovations: 39 Billion views
- Beauty: 33 Billion Views
- Fashion: 27 Billion Views
- Recipes: 18 million views.
- Life hacks: 13,000,000 views
- Ten billion pet views
What can online stores do with TikTok?
Ecommerce businesses have many unique opportunities to profit from the TikTok craze.
Consider the following:
- Manage content creation for your brand with a company TikTok Channel. This could include tutorials, training videos and products in action.
- Work with industry influencers. This allows you to reach an established audience and makes it easier to bring brand awareness through social media. If the influencer is related to your brand, this works even better.
- You can advertise on TikTok for a fee. All you need is a creative video, and money.
These TikTok marketing strategies are a great combination for ecommerce brands. While we recommend advertising, it is a good idea to first partner with influencers and then to build your own following by collaborating with animated employees who are willing to create videos.
TikTok Marketing With Influencers
Although influencer marketing isn’t exclusive to TikTok it is one of the most powerful ways of marketing the platform. Because TikTok’s influencers are able to build trust with their users through entertaining videos, they have a lot of power.
Young TikTok users want authenticity and that’s what the influencers offer. Young people don’t want to be marketed to on a regular basis, but they are willing to hear about brands and entertainers that they like.
This is where influencers can play a major role in your marketing strategy.
You must first contact influencers that may be able to use your product. It wouldn’t make sense for a 20-year old female fitness influencer to promote your latest burger-grilling device.
Remember that you only need to use your product in video. Maybe talk about how they like it. Then explain to followers where they can get a promo code. It’s that simple.
Influencers are the best at marketing products without sounding forced. You can offer different types of partnerships such as having them wear clothing that features your logo or having them unbox a product for their followers.
TikTok influencers are likely to know more about their users than you. High production values are not something young TikTok users seem to be as concerned about. Because they are used to watching videos on a smartphone, it is important not to direct the influencer to much. Because they have built this following, they are more likely to understand what people want. TikTok is all about authenticity and having fun. It’s better to let influencers have that fun than trying to make it a commercial for your brand.
In your TikTok marketing strategy, ask for customer-generated content
Brands may ask users to create videos with their products, sometimes using user-generated content. A kitchen utensil manufacturer might ask for videos of customers cooking. A fitness brand may request videos of customers using their products at home or in the gym.
Seven-Eleven, for example, encouraged user-generated content by asking TikTok users take a video of themselves eating a Seven-Eleven pizza with Paqui Ghost Pepper Chips. Users are encouraged to finish the meal with Liquid Death water. It’s basically a spicy food-eating challenge. It’s all Seven-Eleven. It’s great fun and you can share it with your friends using the hashtag @oneslicechallenge.
This content category is unique to the younger generation. They prefer immersive experiences to watching TV. They enjoy engaging with brands and sending their videos in, as well as challenging others to do so.
The #targethalloween hashtag allows for a simpler form of user-generated content. Target asks users to share photos of their costume and all Target products they have purchased. It’s even more attractive because almost every #targethalloween post uses the same music.
This is a challenge to TikTok users to upload videos showing them using your products. This is a great opportunity to combine influencer marketing, hashtag challenges or advertising. You could announce the user-generated contents challenge using a hashtag, which is great for sharing, and then have an industry influencer make the announcement. You might then consider advertising some money.
TikTok and all social media platforms offer Hashtag Challenges
Although hashtag challenges aren’t exclusive to TikTok they have gained a reputation for being a social app that uses hashtag challenges. It’s an integral part of TikTok’s community.
TikTok users love to accept, view, and make challenges. Although you may have seen extreme cases in the media, most of these challenges are completely harmless.
Hashtag challenges are created when users think of a creative or funny challenge they can do at home or with their friends. These challenges can range from lip-syncing competitions to video editing challenges. Many include silly dances like Jimmy Fallon’s #tumbleweed challenge.
Another example is Dwayne Johnson’s #faceoffchallenge. He asks users to share what someone has said or done to encourage them in their lives.
Many hashtag challenges do not have any brand or product attached. Instead, they are about making the community more social and having fun.
Brands are more than welcome create a hashtag challenge that includes your product. User-generated content is a great way to get people to respond to the challenge. If your following isn’t large enough, you might consider reaching out and demonstrating the challenge to an influencer who has a lot of followers.
You will also need to choose a catchy phrase or word. Attach a #-tag at the beginning of the phrase to allow people to tag it in future and make it more famous on TikTok.
Consider TikTok Ads
Advertising is the final and easiest way to make TikTok marketing work. As you can see, TikTok users use TikTok for entertainment, fun and cleverness. It’s not as easy as creating a video explaining the benefits of your product. That comes across as a traditional advertisement that TikTok users don’t want to see.
For greater effect, combine the TikTok marketing strategies previously mentioned.
You could partner up with an influencer and offer a brand-takeover day. They would manage your TikTok account, interview employees, and try out your latest products. You could also create a hashtag challenge to spread the word and spend some advertising dollars. You might also consider creating your own videos using some of the TikTok features such as 2D lens filters, buttons and stickers.
TikTok’s advertising tools are much easier to use than those found on Facebook. You have access to great editing tools, uploading tools, and solid metrics. No matter how you approach advertising on TikTok, don’t make a traditional ad. This is the easiest way for TikTok users to forget about your company.
Conclusion about TikTok Marketing
It’s not surprising that TikTok is a household name in the social media world thanks to the growth of the creator economy. It’s a great place to reach younger users. Influencers are making a lot of money by monetizing their brands. Online stores can also contact some of these influencers through their partnerships.
TikTok marketing techniques such as hashtag challenges, TikTok influencer market marketing, and user-generated contents all help to ensure you aren’t committing any TikTok sins such as boring feed ads, catering for older crowds, listing product features, or running boring feed advertisements. These are all bound to cause failure in the TikTok Community.
We wish you all the best with your TikTok journey. If you have any questions regarding TikTok, we’d love to hear from you in the comments. If you have any, please share your experiences with partnering up with social media influencers. This is often the best way for online shops to reach customers via the platform.
