Despite its reputation as an entertainment platform, Tiktok can be a powerful tool for marketing your eCommerce store.

In this guide I will cover how to use TikTok for eCommerce effectively, including just what makes this social media platform so popular in the first place.

Whether you want to build an organic following or advertise your products, TikTok is one of the best places online to invest your time and money if you want to reach potential shoppers and scale your business.

New to TikTok? Here’s the Basics

TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users.

With TikTok’s large user base, it’s an ideal platform for Businesses to market their products and services, especially if your audience skews younger.

The platform originally became popular due to a combination of addictive viral-ready short-form video formats and ability to pair popular songs with video content right in the app.

Since then the app has added any number of different filters, effects, and video editing tools that make creating fun video content effortless.

Tying all of these features together is a powerful AI algorithm that is known as one of the best in the industry.

If you have never tested the app out for yourself, you might be surprised to learn just how effective TikTok’s algorithm really is. The app has the uncanny ability to feed users content that they will watch and engage with.

TikTok’s organic algorithm rewards good content and consistency, which allows businesses that want to grow a following to scale their marketing efforts rapidly.

While TikTok has the organic side of things covered, it has also made great strides on the advertising front as well.

The huge user base coupled with seamless ad formats and great targeting options means that TikTok is also becoming one of the most effective advertising platforms too.

The Gen-Z Search Engine?

TikTok is truly its own ecosystem. Combing some of the best features of Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, and even Google, TikTok has become incredibly hard to ignore.

Many even use TikTok as a search engine.

Since the platform uses a title and description system much like YouTube and Pinterest, alongside hashtags, geotargeting, and other options, it has become a very dependable search engine in specific niches.

When marketing your business on TikTok, it’s important to understand all of its dimensions. It’s not just another social media platform – not an Instagram clone or anything like that. The app has a lot to offer, both from a brand-building standpoint as well as on the PPC front.

How to Use TikTok to Increase Followers and Sales

While posting on TikTok is similar to all of the other platforms out there, you don’t want to just dive in and start posting random stuff.

Here are some of the most important factors to consider when learning how to use TikTok for eCommerce growth purposes:

First, Understand the TikTok Algorithm

Before you can effectively use TikTok for eCommerce, it’s important to understand how the platform’s algorithm works. The TikTok algorithm is designed to show users content that is relevant and engaging to them. The algorithm considers several factors, such as the user’s interests, past interactions with content, and the popularity of the content.

To use TikTok for eCommerce, businesses need to create content that is engaging and relevant to their target audience. By understanding how the algorithm works, businesses can create content that is more likely to be seen by their target audience.

Create Engaging Content

The key to success on TikTok is creating engaging content. Businesses should create content that is visually appealing, entertaining, and informative. TikTok is a platform that values creativity, so businesses should be willing to experiment with different types of content to see what resonates with their target audience.

For eCommerce, businesses can create product demos, tutorials, or highlight the benefits of their products. They can also create content that showcases their brand’s personality and values.

Use Hashtags

Hashtags are an important tool on TikTok. Much like on Instagram, Twitter, and elsewhere, they help users discover content that is relevant to their interests. Businesses can use hashtags to make their content more discoverable and reach a wider audience.

Hashtags have fallen out of favor across most social media platforms but are still heavily relied on within the TikTok ecosystem. Before marketing your brand on TikTok, consider the different hashtags you will use that will help get you noticed within your niche.

Utilize TikTok Ads

TikTok offers several advertising options for businesses. These include in-feed ads, branded effects, and sponsored hashtags. Businesses can use these advertising options to reach a wider audience and promote their products.

When creating TikTok ads, businesses should ensure that their ads are visually appealing, informative, and engaging. They should also target their ads to their ideal audience to maximize their ad spend.

Encourage User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is another powerful marketing tool on TikTok. Businesses can encourage their followers to create content related to their brand or products that looks and feels natural. UGC can help businesses reach a wider audience and build a community around their brand, because the content itself is more relatable than typical marketing content such as video templates.

@aeropostale

Get ready in reel time! Excuse us while we steal @vanessafaga’s style #WearAero

♬ original sound – Aeropostale

To encourage UGC, businesses can create challenges, contests, or offer incentives for users who create content related to their brand. eCommerce businesses should also engage with their followers and repost their content to show their appreciation. This is a tried and true marketing technique on Instagram that works well on TikTok too.

Even big name brands (like Aeropostale above!) use and share UGC to promote their products. If you aren’t able to get any genuine UGC, it’s OK to create your own content that “looks” like UGC but is created in-house.

Utilize Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing is a popular marketing strategy on TikTok. Influencers have a large following on the platform and can promote products to their followers. Businesses can partner with influencers to promote their products and reach a much wider audience than they ever could alone.

When selecting influencers to work with, businesses should consider the influencer’s niche, engagement rate, and audience demographics. It’s important to choose influencers that align with the brand’s values and target audience.

Monitor and Analyze Performance

To effectively use TikTok for eCommerce, businesses need to monitor and analyze their performance. They should track metrics such as views, engagement, and conversions to determine the effectiveness of their content and advertising.

TikTok offers a built-in analytics tool that businesses can use to monitor their performance. They can use this tool to track the performance of their content and advertising campaigns and make adjustments as needed. Adjusting throughout the life of any marketing initiative is essential for continued success.

Using TikTok Effectively

Like any social media marketing campaign, the details matter. Don’t just post a couple videos per month and expect great results.

Here are some important musts if you intend on building a following on TikTok:

• Brand yourself correctly. If your target market is young and trendy, the last thing you want is a brand that comes off robotic and sterile.
• Be consistent. Post at least a few times per week, and on the same days and times.
• Use trending sounds and templates. This will greatly increase your chances of being seen.
• Don’t sweat it if some of your videos completely flop. Move on and try something different. TikTok is partly a numbers game, as long as you post consistently you will get noticed.
• Don’t be too salesy, even in your ads. In fact, we recommend making your TikTok ads as natural as possible. Show, don’t tell.
• Engage with other accounts, as well as your followers. The more you engage, the more engagement you will receive.

This covers all of the basics for getting started with TikTok. For businesses that really want to grow, it’s pretty clear how effective this platform can be.

If it all seems overwhelming, the best thing to do is just create your account and get started. Even if you first video is just a panning shot of one of your products or a cheesy meme, at least you will have something to show in case someone clicks onto your profile.

As you continue to post, you will get an understanding of what works on TikTok and what doesn’t. Then you can layer on an advertising campaign to start getting traffic and sales to your eCommerce store.

The important thing is to just get started! If your audience is on TikTok, you want to be there too.

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