TikTok has reached in three years what took Facebook about eight: that is becoming a deciding actor in e-commerce, and not only as an advertising channel.
Video is the preferred type of content and has completely revolutionized the way in which brands approach their audience. And many businesses now sell their products on TikTok, in a completely new format. Because TikTok is taking over Social Commerce thanks to the rise of User Generated Content and a blurry zone that merges entertainment, educational and inspirational content.
That has allowed brands to express themselves without the corporate constraints of other environments. And that seemingly disinterested form of expression turned out to be a very effective sales and advertising channel.
In this post, we’ll go over the reasons why many brands are using TikTok to explore live selling, given its success in China.
Because you know how much Content2Sell cares for the latest trends.
The meteoric rise of TikTok
TikTok is a short video sharing platform that was born in 2016. Despite developing apps both for Android and iOS in 2017, it isn’t until 2018 that it became famous worldwide, after merging with musical.ly, a Chinese Social Media platform that allows users to create and share lip-sync videos.
TikTok was the most downloaded app in 2021. A shocking 656 million downloads largely surpassed Instagram, and despite being less than 2019 (693) and 2020’s (850), it reached the 3 billion downloads milestone.
When Instagram left Facebook behind, it proved Facebook doesn’t resonate with younger generations anymore. Partly due to the engaging power of images and video. Now, TikTok confirms video as a content format that entertains, educates, and sells at the same time.
So, what once was an app for younger generations to share videos and challenges rapidly became something else, and brands didn’t take long to see its potential to connect with consumers and communities. And now, adults are progressively accepting TikTok although it’s still far from Facebook or Instagram.
This would define what we now call Social Commerce, with about 1 Billion US Dollars spent by consumers according to SensorTower.
Benefits of using TikTok
A huge audience
Since 2018, TikTok has seen its users grow about 800%, 45% since July 2020, and it is expected to reach 1,2 billion active users during 2022. That’s about eight times faster than Facebook and Youtube.
And while communities are not as stablished as in other Social Media platforms, it isn’t hard to find them. Because people tend to gather around common interests, and algorithms have a very specific function: to help them find content that is relevant to them.
It allows growing other Social Media profiles
You have probably watched TikTok videos in several other apps and platforms. This is because TikTok allows sharing its content in other platforms.
Accepting the fact that users move around different platforms (especially the most active segment, 18-34) is a great strategic decision that benefits everyone. On the one hand, it helps brands gain followers and make their profiles grow. On the other, it consolidates TikTok as a powerful content creation and distribution platform.
Sales potential
Videos, and especially short videos, are very cheap to produce and have an infinite creative potential. Not only can they be shared among communities to increase brand awareness, but also provide solutions to the problems that take users to look for them in the first place.
Because User Generated Content provides the feeling of authenticity users seek when they explore brands and products. In the same way brands can’t afford exaggerated advertising, influencers and content creators can’t put their credibility at stake.
A quick and easy way to generate high-value content
TikTok is supposed to be an enjoyable app for its viewers, who are not looking for corporate content to sleep on. Instead, users want an authentic glimpse of who brands really are, what they stand for and what they do for it.
Understanding this makes it a lot easier for brands to create casual videos and show a somewhat more intimate side of them with affordable and yet valuable content.
Tips for live selling on Tiktok
Much has been said about the power of video and how it provides brands with higher value in less time. That, however, doesn’t necessarily require spending hours recording and editing videos. Because the goal to sell products on TikTok is to give a realistic and close look at products, not creating ads.
This being said, here are some of the key points to selling products on TikTok:
Storytelling
Like any story, live selling needs a plot – and not necessarily a complex one. A simple three-stage structure is enough to make a coherent story and deliver a clear message.
- Expose the problem your audience faces.
- Show the journey they follow to solve it
- Explain how your product solves it, along with a clear CTA.
Keep in mind that while video has a very high engaging potential, time is limited, the attention span gets shorter, and the slightest inconsistency can make your viewers simply pass by.
Your videos should remain short (somewhere between 10-30 seconds), fun and simple. Still, don’t be afraid to be creative. After all, TikTok is about showing the personal, casual, and informal side of brands.
Provide value
Focus on what your viewers will get from your video. First off, your viewers must be at the center of your video, for they must relate to it. Your brand should go at the end, and always be topped with a clear CTA.
TikTok is where entertainment, education, and inspiration meet e-commerce, and videos should always keep one – if not all those elements.
Emotional and relatable
One of the most important features of video is that it takes products to relatable situations, and that should be taken advantage of. Emotions are a strong trigger, and marketers know. But, again, TikTok happens to be quite disruptive in marketing as we know it. Because TikTok is not about advertising but about communities.
Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t advertise your content. In fact, there are enough reasons to pay for advertising, although it might be quite expensive for small brands.
If you’re just getting started on TikTok, it’s probably a safer bet to start with simple branded videos to highlight your brand or products in an original way.
Branded, casual and personal approach
Just like people, brands have a personal identity behind their official and public presentations. And people love to get to know who they interact with.
For decades, there’s been a huge social distance between brands and consumers, also characterized by a one-way form of communication that rarely considered what people had to say. While Social Media and Community Managers have given communities a voice – with a critical weight, TikTok has paved the way for brands to reduce the social distance between them and their customers and show their human face.
Influencers and external collaborators
User Generated Content has become a very good ally for brands to penetrate hidden niches and reach potential customers through communities. It works for unboxing videos and product reviews as much as it does for promotional content.
Explore external collaborations from influencers and microinfluencers who can help increasing your brand’s visibility, and maybe giving deeper explanations about your product.
As of today, the pool of Creators (official influencers in the TikTok marketplace) is over 100000, 65% of which post about brands and products. In fact, 35% of TikTok users discover brands and products through creators.
Reason enough, isn’t it?
Challenges
Challenges are probably what has most viralized the use of TikTok, for they have it all: a challenging situation, the emotional feeling of achievement, and the possibility of public recognition.
Challenging your followers can be a very effective form of promotion and advertising,
Standalone content
TikTok videos can be up to 10 minutes long, although only very specific videos should be that long. Moreover, the most consumed videos on TikTok are short. Very short. Even further, it is not recommended to make a series of videos, but independent pieces with a clear beginning and a clear ending.
Livestreaming
Social Commerce and live selling are growing trends that go hand in hand with DTC e-commerce. Because live interaction is what consumers want before deciding whether a product will solve their needs or not. Answering questions, and linking videos to catalogs like, for example, Amazon Live does, will provide real expectations, increasing sales and reducing returns.
Sounds and music
Sounds are one innovative addition to selling products on TikTok. Trending songs from a large database can be added to TikTok videos and help them go viral when chosen right. The app’s simplicity even allows controlling and balancing the volume.
A single fact sums it all up: 93% of the top-performing videos in 2021 use sounds.
In a nutshell
- Make your content emotional and relatable
- Show the most personal and casual side of your brand
- Be bold and creative. Don’t be afraid to show your brand’s personality
- Use sounds and music wisely
- Use your products to put your brand in value
- Keep it simple and fun
- Your content quality is more important than your number of followers
- Do use livestreaming
Since TikTok allows linking profiles to websites and catalogs, the informal content that is uploaded needs to be complemented by an official and formal brand presentation to provide a consistent customer experience. With higher competence and the rising cost of ads, a wise move is to update your product content across platforms.
TikTok can be a very effective way to promote products and broaden audiences, but it’s hard to rely exclusively on it. While a phone is enough to create videos that actually help brands sell products, they don’t work by themselves. Because brands are much more than casual, amateur-looking videos, and need professional content to back their products’ value.
You can schedule a call with us and get your content AUDITED FOR FREE before exploring TikTok. Because poor quality content can be a real drawback.
