Recently, TikTok has overtaken FB as the world’s most downloaded social media app. And no, it’s not just kids sitting here (it’s unlikely you’ll see them in the feed at all).
TikTok’s recommendation algorithms and ability to gain an audience for free are enticing more and more brands, bloggers, and corporations who are tired of paying for ads and losing coverage on other social networks. TikTok is a young platform. There’s not much business there yet, so the competition is low.
You, too, can find a way to present your product on this platform.
What kind of content to shoot?
A store from any niche can come to the social network and grow 10,000 subscribers a month for free. TikTok will be useful for all merchants, the main thing is to come up with interesting content. Here are the niches that are actively growing right now.
Handmade and assembly. The audience at TikTok loves “sticky” content. If you make handmade toys, you can post accelerated workflow videos. The same idea can be applied to furniture retailers. Film yourself assembling a cabinet or table. We get videos of us cutting fabric, uncoiling rolls. Other stores film the packaging of items for customers before shipping
Clothing and bags. Accounts that sell clothing can gain more than 100,000 subscribers in a month. For this, it is enough to shoot a video for 30 seconds in the format of tips from the stylist. For example, “What shoes will be popular in 2022. There are many similar accounts in TikTok, the topic of advice catches the audience.
Lingerie. Accounts in this niche are growing fast, too. But remember that social network management is against sex content. If your content is too explicit, the account will be blocked. Therefore, it is better to shoot lingerie in an unboxing format, not on a person.
Cosmetics. Here they publish short videos about how to take care of your nails, face, and hair. And also short video reviews of products or macro shots.
Who is not suitable for TikTok.
B2B. If you sell high-value products for other businesses, industrial equipment, or work through tenders, you’re unlikely to need TikTok. A person who buys parts for a combine is not making decisions like a cosmetics store customer.
You’re short on time. The audience here likes a fast pace. I publish three videos a day, and I do half a day of TikTok exclusively. If you feel you don’t have enough time, and a manager is not affordable, you shouldn’t start a TikTok.
How to promote your store in TikTok
Brands can promote their products and services on TikTok using different types of advertising. Here’s a look at each.
Branded Hashtag Challenge
Challenges have proven to be an effective way to create branded content and increase reach and engagement. TikTok allows brands to sponsor their own Challenges to place them on Interesting for 3-6 days.
What is a branded hashtag challenge? You invite users to participate in your challenge, and all videos created for it are aggregated on the hashtag page in Interesting. According to TikTok, the average engagement rate for such challenges is 8.5%.
Brand Takeover
Brand Takeover is a full-screen banner that is shown to TikTok users when they sign in to the app. It can be displayed as a static advertisement up to three seconds long or as a video up to five seconds long.
This ad can direct users to a third-party site, the App Store/Google Play, or an internal TikTok page. Only one brand can rank in its product category each day.
In-Feed Native Video
These are full-screen, auto-playing videos that can last up to 60 seconds and appear in your recommendation feed along with other content. These videos can be accompanied by a call to action, link, or hashtag.
TopView
TopView is a full-screen video up to 60 seconds long with automatic playback and sound that are displayed when you open the app.
You may have noticed that these ads are similar to Brand Takeover, and you’re right. The difference is that with TopView, you can use a regular video up to 60 seconds long as an ad, whereas Brand Takeover only allows you to advertise an image or a gif.
Branded effects
Filters, masks, and stickers are much more fun and effective than regular ads. All of these can be used as a way to promote your brand.
Custom branded effects allow users to interact with the brand with their filter, mask, or sticker. This kind of content can be used for more than just entertainment — let’s say, if you sell hair dye, you can suggest trying different colors with a branded effect on TikTok. But don’t forget about copyrighted content and copyrights. You’ll need a law firm to handle the copyrights, and you should make sure that it’s done by the professionals like the best lawyers in Dubai who tackle the most complicated tasks to win the case.
How to set up a profile on TikTok
Profile Name. Here, it’s best to write not the name of the store, but the products you sell. After all, these words are involved in searches on TikTok.
Nickname. This is your TikTok username. Let it be the same as the site address. Then people will be able to enter the site by typing in the address manually.
Instagram button. In your profile settings, add a link to Instagram. This will help to transfer traffic from one site to another.
Description. Here it is better to detail about the products. And I also advise you to add calls to action: go to the site or Instagram.
Link. In TikTok, you can register as a business or as an author. I advise you to choose the first option. When I worked as an author, the link to the site disappeared from my profile. Later, my comments with the link were not displayed to other users. In addition, the business account allows you to add a link to your site immediately, not after the first thousand subscribers
The most common mistakes
Videos from stories. You shouldn’t pour Instagram stories into TikTok. Remember that these are different platforms with different specifics, target audiences, and internal rules. Instagram formats don’t go well with TikTok.
Publish videos irregularly. My advice for the first month is to post three videos a day. After that, you can take small pauses – 1-2 a day. But if you stop publishing content, views and reach will drop.
Lots of hashtags. I advise you to leave 1-2 targeted hashtags under each video. They should be different in each publication. If you’re selling appliances, don’t write #domestic_equipment everywhere, it won’t work that way. Hashtags are not used to promote an account or to get videos out to recommendations, but to navigate.
Mixing with personal content. You don’t want to pour a video of your child’s matinee into a business account. It throws off TikTok’s algorithms and you lose reach. The system shows the video to your target audience, it doesn’t go in, and it looks for other users for the next posting.
Horizontal videos. If you filmed something for the site or on YouTube, don’t pour it into TikTok. Prepare a separate vertical video, because the horizontal format annoys site users.
No description. In the description of the video, you can leave room for intrigue: “Which of the outfits was better?” So people will want to see the video to the end.
Start promoting your business in TikTok
Here’s what you can do right now to start promoting in TikTok:
- Create an account and try making fun of silly videos. You can make a personal account first to practice. Then it’s on to the company.
- Collaborate with popular TikTok bloggers — find them yourself or through the TikTok Marketplace.
- Use different types of advertising to promote and sell through TikTok.
- Follow updates to be the first to use useful new TikTok features.
If you’ve read to the end, it means you’re really interested in the TikTok promotion. Share your thoughts about the platform with us: are you already registered or just planning to? Maybe you have some advice for newcomers? We’d be happy to discuss ideas in the comments.
Author’s Bio
Ellie is a digital marketer with more than 10 years of experience. She is contributor to Content Marketing Institute and she is regularly quoted as an expert in large media outlets. Her job is to make your business known all over the Internet.
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