Capitalising on online markets via ecommerce can yield incredible results for businesses. Nowadays, shopping has become integrated into social media – on apps such as TikTok – opening a whole new range of target audiences for brands.
Social media poses so much potential for ecommerce brands. In fact, according to Student Beans, 55% of users have made a purchase after seeing a brand on TikTok. By integrating your business into TikTok Shop, businesses can optimise their services and showcase their products on one of the world’s most used social media platforms.
However, getting started can be tricky. Thankfully, the team at TikTok Shop have provided some tips on how businesses can begin their journey as a seller in the digital marketplace.
Do your research
One of the most important things to keep in mind when selling through social media is the importance of research.
It’s vital that businesses selling on social media research their audience to understand their audience’s most used platform and interests.
This will portray the brand as customer-centric while allowing businesses to target products to better effect. Understanding your audience is the best way to tailor social media content to instigate.
Plan and select your line of products
Businesses must plan which products they would like to sell through social media platforms. When considering products, they should take into account the type of audience they will be targeting.
A marketing strategy might be created to boost the following of a specific demographic which in turn could boost sales and engagement. These are all factors that should be considered when choosing the type of products that will be sold on social media sites.
Leverage trends and collaborate with influencers
As mentioned above, marketing is a massive part of boosting sales through social media. The giant social media platform is known for its global trends and influence over music, creators and movements – this is an aspect that can be leveraged by businesses.
Jumping on trends is a great way to boost engagement and promote brand awareness while products can be integrated into the video allowing users to tap the advertisement and be redirected to, for example, TikTok Shop where purchases can be made.
Influencers are also a huge part of social media platforms with some creators building huge communities on the platforms. Businesses therefore have the ability to collaborate with these figures, allowing them to promote products to their massive followings.
According to statistics from BigCommerce, 49% of consumers depend on recommendations from influencers to purchase a product. This highlights the importance of collaboration and how it can truly benefit businesses with sales and overall brand awareness.
Constantly examine analytics and performance
For businesses operating in any industry, remaining concentrated on performance metrics is essential – but it’s also crucial when selling on social media platforms.
These metrics can help businesses understand the best-selling products, and how advertisements are doing in terms of reach and allow firms to strategise. It can also help plan future campaigns and which products to introduce.
The benefits of selling through TikTok Shop
In this last section, TikTok Shop has provided some key benefits to selling through the platform. Once set up, businesses can reap the benefits of integrating products on one of the world’s most used social media platforms. Let’s take a look at some of the benefits.
Growing brand visibility
TikTok’s massive user base is perfect for brands attempting to boost awareness and visibility. Demand Sage reports that there are currently 1.67 billion users and 1.1 billion active users, this means a wide scope of demographics and a huge pool of potential customers for businesses to target.
With such a huge number of users and high engagement levels, it only takes one viral campaign or collaboration for millions to recognise your brand.
Engaging with customers on a personal level
ikTok’s content is unique in the sense that it’s centred around short video content. It’s beneficial for brands looking to promote their products with quick engaging footage. The ability to join in on trends can humanise brands while promoting items that can be purchased without leaving the app.
Short videos also mean businesses have to put less effort into campaigns in comparison to other advertising such as TV ads.
The wealth of analytics available
As mentioned briefly, the benefits of a business account on TikTok come with a wealth of analytical tools allowing brands to stay on top of trending products, levels of engagement and track growth.
It’s so important for businesses to be able to track their performance on e-commerce platforms and TikTok Shop offers brands exactly that – allowing for clear strategic planning moving forward.
Conclusion
Overall, we hope the tips in this article, have helped educate you on the e-commerce side of the social media platform and how businesses can begin their journey selling through TikTok Shop.
While setting up is quite simple, building a following and increasing engagement is where businesses may have trouble. However, by following these tips, examining analytics and utilising adverts or influencer collaborations, brands can boost sales and visibility on the huge platform.
