If you’re looking to step up your ecommerce marketing game, look no further than TikTok, the video app that took over the world when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. People of all ages downloaded the app on their phones to help the time pass and shine some light into an otherwise very dark time in our society.
Although the pandemic is winding down (for the most part), TikTok is more popular than ever, and it’s not just for casual browsing — businesses are also getting in on the action.
Why you Should Market your Ecommerce Business on TikTok
If you know anything about marketing, you know that it’s tough to capture your audience’s attention. It’s a never-ending battle to find the platform your target audience prefers, learn that platform, and then create engaging content. However, there are a few statistics that help paint a clear picture of why TikTok is the platform to master in 2022:
- TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform ever, with 689 million active users worldwide.
- Its users are truly engaged. TikTok users spend an average of 52 minutes per day on the platform, surpassing YouTube in viewing time per user.
- Probably the most convincing reason your ecommerce business should be on TikTok is that it ranks as the second-biggest app in consumer spending. So jump into marketing your ecommerce business on TikTok, and you’re almost guaranteed to increase your revenue.
How to Market your Ecommerce Business on TikTok
In short, you don’t want to create mediocre content — you want content that converts and increases your sales. If you’re not super familiar with TikTok, you might want to consider learning the ins and outs of the app first before you dive into marketing. Then, once you’re a TikTok expert (it shouldn’t take long!), you can get started using the app to promote your business.
Below outlines how to create action-driven TikTok content that reaches and engages your audience:
1. Use your first three seconds wisely
First impressions are essential in driving click-through rate (CTR) on TikTok. The first three seconds of your videos are crucial in influencing whether users watch the video or continue scrolling.
TikTok research finds that over 63% of all videos with the highest CTR highlight their key message or product within the first three seconds.
Use this knowledge to your advantage and keep your videos and ads short and direct. Then, get straight to the point on TikTok.
2. Use storytelling to sell your products.
As marketing professionals, we always learn the value of storytelling. Get your consumers hooked on a story, and you can sell them anything, right? Well, the same goes for video narratives on TikTok. It’s just a different way of telling a story.
TikTok wrote “9 Creative Tips to Drive Performance” to help marketers understand how to get the most out of the app. TikTok writes, “Embed your message into a narrative your audience can relate to and that they would expect to see on TikTok.”
The best marketing is when consumers don’t even know they’re being marketed to in the first place. Below is an excellent example from REI:
@rei ##REIpartner @julesacree wearing all things REI (Luna, too!)
♬ original sound – REI
3. Tell emotionally appealing stories
It’s not enough to just tell stories. TikTok users also want emotionally appealing stories, which means keeping them relatable, authentic, and honest. TikTok shares, “Great TikTok content often includes an undertone of light-heartedness and positivity.”
To hook your consumers, tell emotionally appealing stories that feature your products. For example, you could tell an example story about how your ecommerce products improved someone’s life.
Overall, get creative in your video storytelling, and don’t hesitate to hire a professional if you have the means to do so.
4. Create content that blends in with current visual trends
Spend time on the app and learn what sounds are trending and what users expect and enjoy, and then create content that blends in. This may seem counterintuitive since you want your business to stand out, but at the same time, you want your content to reflect the style that TikTok users are looking for when they watch videos.
Try to make videos that look authentic yet slightly more polished. Think of them almost as if they could be user-generated content, but just a bit more professional than that.
An easy way to make this happen is to use influencers to create engaging videos that blend in with user-generated content yet still get your products sold. Nearly 86% of marketers have used influencer marketing to generate sales and brand awareness.
Plus, for influencers, their entire job is to create engaging content. You’re outsourcing the work at this point to someone who knows what they’re doing, so you can spend more time doing your other business tasks.
Below is an example of a start from the hit show The Bachelor using her platform to sell fall decor:
@jaderopertolbert Amazon Fall Decor link in my bio to shop all of my favorites for this season. ##falldecor ##fall ##amazonfinds
♬ Autumn – Study Beats
5. Follow the latest song trends
TikTok’s unique For You Page (FYP) puts videos on your page from accounts you’re not following. So, for example, if you’ve interacted with a specific sound, they’ll put more videos on your page with that same sound.
This concept also goes along with creating content that blends in. Use the trending sounds on TikTok, and use them in a way that users would expect, and you’re golden! Of course, you have an easier chance of going viral on TikTok versus other apps thanks to the FYP algorithm, but for this to happen, you have to use sounds (or songs) that are popular.
Below is an excellent example from Owlet Baby Care – the song doesn’t have much to do with babies or parenting, but it’s trending right now, so they made it work:
@owletbabycare Smiling because someone slept through the night (thank you Dream Lab) 🙌💤 ##sleep ##babytiktok ##owlet ##momsoftiktok
♬ original sound – Yo
6. Embrace vertical video.
The TikTok app is all about vertical video. While you can share horizontal videos on the platform, vertical videos on TikTok have a 25% higher watch-through rate. That’s six more seconds per video that a user will spend watching your TikToks.
Those six seconds can make all the difference when it comes to whether or not your consumers convert. To engage your audience, embrace vertical video. Capture 100% of the screen space by shooting in 9:16.
7. Include a clear call-to-action (CTA)
Where would the marketing field be if the CTA was never invented? But, unfortunately, when it comes to creating marketing content, you have to tell your consumers precisely what you want them to do, and it’s no different on TikTok.
Maybe you want your audience to browse your ecommerce website or portal, or you want them to fill out a landing page. Whatever action you want your viewers to take, tell them clearly!
Keep your CTA short, and use personal language. You can use a CTA even if you aren’t creating an ad. For example, your ecommerce enterprise could end your video with on-screen text saying, “Link in bio!” Make your CTA easy to fulfill, and TikTok users won’t hesitate to follow your command.
Below is a perfect example from the travel company, G Adventures:
@gadventures Travel Europe in about 45 seconds! ##fypage ##travel ##europe ##gadventures
♬ original sound – G Adventures
Final Thoughts
As a marketing professional, you may feel uncomfortable when it comes to TikTok. But the truth is that marketing on TikTok has the same fundamental rules as marketing on any other app or platform.
Now that you know how to market on TikTok, the next step is to learn how to sell on TikTok. You’ll be using the app to drive up your sales in no time!
