“TikTok Made Me Buy It”: How to Promote Your Ecommerce Brand and Sell on TikTok

You know you want to buy it, but you’ve been holding off on checking it out because it’s hard to find justification for spending beyond your budget for something you can live without.

You’ve exercised all control but what’s funny is, you only need that one friend to tell you:

“Hey, you deserve it.”

Similar to how flipping a coin makes it clear what you truly desire, your friends will most likely tell you what you want to hear.

They know what you want because they themselves want the same things. Maybe you’ve all seen that item from somewhere, at the same time, on the same social media platform; one of your friends or relatives has it; or you’ve been talking about it for months now.

Simply put, your social circle and environment dictate your spends.

The effectivity of social influences is what has set influencer marketing and social commerce up for success.

Of course, you also want to scale up a bit and aim for a lifestyle that’s beyond the dictates of your social circle. That’s when another part of your social influence comes into play: influencers.

Now, this holds more weight than your friend’s pep talk. For example, you’d be more convinced that it’d be good to try a particular liquid foundation because Jeffree Star swears by it.

Brands take advantage of this by collaborating with online influencers with a significant number of following and credibility, to promote their products and services (i.e. influencer marketing).

It is similar to how companies utilize celebrity endorsements but different at the same time, as it takes on the form of word-of-mouth publicity. Thus, it appears more native than sponsored.

With the success of influencer marketing, brands were finding ways to simplify the shopping experience for customers. Thus, came social shopping, which blurred the line between eCommerce and social media.

Brands took eCommerce to the social space and made it possible for their audience to see their products, find information, talk about and influence others about them, and make the purchase within social media.

How Social Shopping Differs on TikTok

Social shopping is not a new concept and TikTok is in no way its pioneer. In fact, it is a newbie joining the ranks of Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook.

But what sets it apart from the more seasoned players?

1. Every user is a willing influencer.

It’s easier to get people on board with new trends through challenges and dance crazes, which makes sourcing user-generated content less complicated.

2. It gives you the perfect camouflage.

Because of the quirkiness, fun, and unprofessional vibe on TikTok, sponsored content can easily blend in and feel organic, rather than paid. This makes it the perfect place for content seeding.

3. It’s interest-based, rather than social-based.

You can hide an Easter egg on Google’s page 2 but not on TikTok. Once you post that embarrassing video, there’s no turning back.

TikTok analyzes how users interact with content rather than with friends, so in a sense, it’s more of an interest club than a social media app.

This algorithm makes it the ideal space for brands to leverage because they don’t need to focus much on expanding their fan base or following, in order for their content to reach their target audience.

4. It takes social commerce to another level through shoppable media.

We’ve seen Facebook do this through Marketplace but it pales in comparison with TikTok Shopping, a feature allowing businesses to create a shop within the app.

You can add products and manage your shop, inventory, orders, promotions, creator partnerships, and customer service, all in the seller center, without leaving TikTok.

Selling on Tiktok

Get more than what you bargained for with these strategies in promoting your eCommerce brand on TikTok.

Yes. That’s the first step to building your brand on TikTok.

Users on this channel crave authenticity more than anything. They want to see something relatable and break off of the sleek, glossy, and unachievable life Instagram and Pinterest project.

Identify your brand personality and humanize it. The corporate and formal fluff won’t cut it. Loosen up, be funny. Even your grandma is on TikTok, dancing, so there’s no reason you can’t.

They may not be your intended audience but it’s important to be on the lookout for this generation.

Gen Z is this age’s trendsetters and are highly influential in their households and circles. Where they’re headed is usually where the next big thing will be.

Part of the reason why social shopping is a thing, is social media’s use for brand research. Data shows that it has become the second most used channel for online brand research next to search engines.

This demonstrates people’s inclination to make informed decisions, so they’re now less likely to buy on impulse.

If you can’t start a trend, join one. Take advantage of current trends by utilizing hashtags and sounds.

What’s interesting about TikTok’s format is that sounds work similarly to hashtags. If you incorporate a particular sound clip that’s used on popular videos your audience engages with, there’s a high chance your video will be shown to them too.

You can also create an endless string of discussions about your brand and products by utilizing TikTok challenges. Users are constantly looking for new content ideas and by providing these for them, you will effortlessly earn user-generated content.

The key is to keep it simple so users can easily join in and put their own spin to the content. Here are some popular and highly engaging challenges and trends which you can use as reference.

• Dance Challenges
• Glow-ups
• What I Ordered vs. What I Got
• Tell Me Without Telling Me

Don’t forget to embed product links on your videos for a one-click access to your product catalogue where they can make purchases without leaving the app.

If you meet all of the following requirements, then it’s time for you to level up and create your TikTok shop:

• Account is in good standing;
• Earned over 1,000 followers;
• Have over 50 views in the last 28 days;
• At least 18 years old; and
• Posted a video in the last 28 days.

TikTok Shopping does more than just organize your products and provide in-app purchase, it also lets you manage the entirety of your store including inventory, orders, and customer service. You can also host livestream shopping events and sell through in-feed videos.

Final Tip: Stretch the social experience.

Social commerce has taken flight and the key to getting more than what you paid for is to “stretch the social experience.”

According to Hootsuite, the key to nailing social commerce runs deeper than just smacking a “buy now” button on your post. To win, brands must “create a thoughtful path that leads to and extends far beyond the point of purchase on social.”

This means the job does not end when the customer checks out an item, it is only then that another cycle of the journey begins.

This article was written by our marketing affiliate and contributor, Brand House Marketing. Reach out to them today, for creative and marketing solutions that are custom-tailored for your brand.