Margie Barkley: TikTok How to Sell (Almost Anything).

TikTok is the right platform if you are targeting Gen X, Millennials or Gen Z. TikTok is a great platform for sales if you know the formula.

Here are some tips to make TikTok a great place to sell just about anything.

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TikTok’s Cash Registers are Ringing

TikTok has everything you need for ecommerce: jewelry, cakes, lip balms and jewelry, as well as dresses, cars and laptops.

35% of TikTok users are likely to buy something they see on their TikTok feed. 37% of TikTok user households earn more than $100,000 annually. People spend approximately six hours per week on TikTok.

E-commerce companies spent more than $29 million on TikTok advertising in 2022. This was just one quarter.

Information source
17.2% of TikTok’s users are open to purchasing a product if they see it in their feed.

TikTok Prohibited Items

Like all social media platforms there are certain items that you cannot sell on TikTok. They won’t tell what you can sell, but they will tell what you can’t.

TikTok won’t let you sell what you don’t want

Items that are prohibited include:

Firearms and weaponsToxic substancesFireworksHuman body parts (Scary that this is on the list! Specific animal or plant productsAdult content, products and servicesIllegal drugs

These are obvious items to ban. But the following items may surprise you.

Food additives, food processing enhancers, micronutrientsCaffeine (TikTok classifies this as a drug. )Gambling products such as scratch cards, lotteries and slots

Before you sell on TikTok, make sure to review this list. This list doesn’t only cover prohibited products, it also covers forbidden words and sale methods.

Did you know that #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt is viewed by billions of people every day? It is used by both e-commerce companies and TikTok users to show off the products they have purchased.

We’ve covered the basics. Let’s now get to the meat.

Five Rules to Sell on TikTok Successfully

TikTok Rule #1: How to Sell

TikTok accounts are automatically considered personal when you create them. You will need to change to a business account if you wish to sell on TikTok.

TikTok business accounts offer many benefits. One of these is access to important ecommerce insights. It is easy to switch to a business account.

You can do it in your own settings.

how to set up a business account on tiktok to sell stuff

After you have switched to a business bank account, you should:

You can also update your business profile by adding links to your website, email and other social media accounts. You can also add hashtags or emojis to your business profile. Manage your orders, inventory, creator partnerships, customer service inquiries, and promotions from one place.

Include direct links to your products in the bio of every video that you upload. This will increase sales. A smooth checkout is possible with fewer clicks. My agency Contentworks Agency doesn’t sell any TikTok products so this is our bio.

example of tiktok shop

Clinique’s ecommerce bio will include a link to a shopping cart.

how to sell anything on tiktok from clinique

LinkTree is used by some brands to add shopping links to their TikTok bios. Visitors can click on one link and access a variety of links.

Jamie Oliver has provided an example. LinkTree can be used on all your social media platforms. It is also a great tool for selling on TikTok.

how to sell anything on tiktok

Did you know that TikTok has partnered with ecommerce platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce to help ecommerce sellers connect their online shops to their social media platforms?

For 2023, Power up your TikTok Strategy

TikTok Rule #2: Tell authentic stories to sell

TikTok encourages authentic storytelling. This is one of my favourite things about it. Your caption, music, voiceover and background should all tell a story.

TikTok’s authentic storytelling has many benefits:

In less than 30 seconds, solve a problem or share an experience. This is great for your account ranking. Your brand should be trusted, authentic, and relatable. This will help you build a loyal fan base and increase engagement.

Yorkshire Tea, a British brand of tea, posts hilarious and relatable videos such as Life Hacks with Brian (HR) In just 15 seconds, short, funny and true stories. These posts receive a lot of comments, which shows that people are interested in this kind of content.

Yorkshire Tea has an ongoing series where you can dip biscuits in your cup of tea. They rate the biscuits based on their taste and durability. You’ll find 30 seconds of pure loveliness.

@yorkshiretea… Does it Dunk? #YorkshireTea #doesitdunk #stemdrop001 Made You Look – Meghan Trainor

You could also take a whimsical approach, like Gucci in The Clock. Gucci is one of the most well-known brands. They have large marketing budgets. Do not compare your business to a giant like Gucci.

@gucci Every one of us has a story. @madelaineturner #AlessandroMichele #ExquisiteGucci #Gucci ExquisiteGucci – Gucci

Did you know that your TikTok stories do not need to be longer than 10 minutes each time? As audiences have short attention spans, the longer your video is, the more views you are likely to receive.

TikTok Rule #3: Provide value

You can forget about the endless promos, pushy ads and “5 reasons why you should buy my product” messaging. TikTok’s best way to increase e-commerce sales is to offer value.

Five ways you can add value to TikTok

Demonstrate how your product works. Share related tips. If you sell makeup, share a tip for applying makeup to your skin. You can also share money-saving tips. You can post money-saving tips, such as how to get discounts or offers on your product or how to make it last more. Send funny videos. Your viewers will laugh and feel better about themselves.

Bobbi Brown is one of my favourite beauty brands on TikTok. Bobbi Brown’s TikTok tutorials not only show the product in action but also include the name and description of the product being used. This is crucial if you plan to sell on TikTok. You’ll be wasting all your hard work if you don’t. Make sure you write the product name exactly how it appears on your ecommerce store.

@bobbibrowncosmetics Let your shine shine! Watch @bobbibrownmakeup artist Lucia Russo apply a metallic smokey look to your eyes that lasts throughout the day and night with our 24-hour Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick. GET THE LOOK

Did you know that using only flawless models to market your products on TikTok will likely alienate large numbers of potential customers. In your TikTok content, you should include a variety of skin types, body shapes and physical abilities.

TikTok Rule #4: Feature Unboxings

It’s the act of watching someone unbox a product, that makes us want to buy it! A product unboxing video can increase viewers’ likelihood of buying by up to 85%.

Consumers now routinely unbox videos before buying. This is also why #unboxing has attracted 57.9 million views on TikTok.

The Fear of Missing Out emotion can be triggered by watching someone else open beautiful gifts. How many of us have purchased gifts for ourselves while we were shopping for others? Similar concept applies to product unboxings via TikTok.

How does an unboxing video of a TikTok device look?

A package will be presented to the TikTok founder. The package will be attractively presented so that the creator can admire it. Partner affiliates often use unboxing in their sales strategies. They will usually include an affiliate code to these links.

The product unboxing showcase features tech and electronic products. #iPhone14unboxing has become one of the most viewed hashtags on TikTok. All products, including cosmetics, clothing, toys and household items can be unboxed. It is important to create excitement, show the product and offer a way for viewers buy it.

TikTok’s product unboxing videos can really help you increase your e-commerce sales. According to 39% of TikTok users, “lifting their spirits” was a major factor in buying a product. Use music to bring out the happy side of TikTok and make your viewers feel happy and ready for purchase.

Learn how to add music, sounds and effects to your TikTok videos.

Did you know that Swarovski hires top influencers such as Bella Hadid, who unboxes and promotes their products? For a sponsored post, Bella would require you to pay over $100,000. This is for a single post and not for a video.

@swarovski Create your own magic using #SwarovskiJewelry. #Swarovski #OpenTheWonder#IgniteYourDreams Original sound – Swarovski

Why not partner up with a top micro-influencer for unboxing videos? You know that micro-influencer marketing is a powerful way to sell products. So why not make an agreement with your ambassadors for some samples or merchandise in return? hbspt.forms.create({ region: “na1”, portalId: “8477337”, formId: “9f558a81-81e1-4724-b0a9-c2a071c60c8d”>

TikTok Rule #5: Use the correct hashtags to sell

TikTok hashtags are important, unlike Facebook. You can use hashtags that are specific to a campaign, like Nissan USA did in this TikTok#NewFrontiers funny video

@nissanusa *Googles Carson Palmer’s O Line* #NewFrontiers Original Sound – Nissan USA

Or, as fashion brand GAP does. GAP used #gapkidsbelong throughout all their social media channels when they ran their inclusivity campaign.

You can tap into campaign-specific pickups, engagements, and even ROI analytics by using one campaign hashtag across all your social media channels.

@gap Everyone belongs back to school We’re celebrating children coming together this fall — just like themselves, just like they are. Heather Avis, Author of “Everyone Belongs” was a great help. Here’s how a group kids came together to shine. Join #gapkidsbelong for the original sound – gap

You could also use multiple hashtags that are related to your product, instead of one hashtag for a campaign. This will increase your reach and generate more TikTok impressions.

TikTok’s hashtag challenges are a great way to increase your views and followers. All ecommerce brands can join a TikTok hashtag challenge to increase their visibility on the platform.

Trends that start with one brand or person but go viral if they catch on quickly, as more people want to participate, are called TikTok hashtag Challenges. TikTok hashtag challenges could be about any topic: cooking, makeup or transformations.

The top TikTok hashtag challenges for 2022

In 2022, I will…Simple recipe for Birria Ramen noodles The Learn Something ChallengeThe Empath TikTok ChallengeThe Journal ChallengeHot pot Sauce Challenge@justpearlm Please don’t judge. I know there are a lot green onions. I have to brush twice #hotpot #sauce#hotpotsauce#recipe #chinesefood#foodtiktok DARARI – ondu

TikTok hashtag trends can help you increase your videos’ engagement, which can lead to more sales. You can monitor trends and come up with creative ways to join the party. They don’t have to be always promotional.

TikTok: What we’ve learned about selling

You could also use paid ads to sell anything on TikTok, and increase your ecommerce sales. But I recommend you start your channel organically.

You can find your niche, refine your video style, use the platform’s tools to streamline your ecommerce journey.

Use the right hashtags to reach your audience and engage them with fun, useful, and authentic content that offers value.

Post your video, but don’t forget about it. It is crucial to monitor popular content and track interactions and comments.

Agorapulse makes it easy to do all of that. Agorapulse allows you to schedule content and publish it, manage comments and generate reports for various social media platforms including TikTok.

To learn more about TikTok and how it can be part of your marketing strategy, schedule a free demo.

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