Selling products, services, and merchandise - TikTok for Business Creators Video Tutorial | LinkedIn Learning, formerly Lynda.com (2024)

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- By now, you know that TikTok's not just for fun. It has serious business potential too. This phenomenon is especially true as it applies to shopping, the urge to buy on TikTok is so well documented that the hashtag, TikTokMadeMeBuyIt was born. Let's investigate some of the ways you can sell your products, services, and merchandise on the app, and you don't need millions of followers in order to start. Together, we'll look at four approaches to selling on TikTok including using integrated e-commerce platforms, using paid advertising on TikTok, creating sponsored hashtags, and selling your services off the app. That way you have flexibility and choice to do what works for you. When it comes to e-commerce, you can use TikTok shopping, a suite of solutions, features, and advertising tools that help you sell your goods. This full service setup helps you manage everything from product upload to point of purchase, shipping and fulfillment all within TikTok. And not to fear, if you already have an e-commerce partner. Through partnerships, TikTok allows you to connect your product catalog through Shopify, Square, or other partners on the platform. There's also a TikTok shopping API, which will allow businesses to integrate their product catalogs directly into TikTok and include those products in their organic content. Here's an example of a beauty brand called Glow Recipe that did this. They set up a shop on TikTok by integrating their product catalog into a shopping tab that lives on their business profile. Now think of how you could use eCommerce to maximize your business, whether a retail item, a service, or a digital download. Paid advertising on TikTok is another powerful mechanism for getting the word out about your business. According to TikTok, 83% of users say that ads on TikTok are enjoyable and one in four have bought a product after seeing it on TikTok. While there are a few ad types, I'll focus here on in feed ads, these blend in so well with typical content, users see your ad sandwiched between other content focused videos they're consuming, and by landing in your audience's for you feed, you capture their undivided attention. Ads require you to set up an account through the ads manager. One success story comes from Momentary Ink which specializes in custom temporary tattoos. Not only did their ad campaign hit 14 million video views, in a post-purchase survey, 60% of buyers said they discovered the brand on TikTok. A branded hashtag challenge is another advertising option. The idea here is that you can spark a new trend or cultural movement by issuing a challenge for people to participate in, for example doing an athletic feat, recreating somebody else's video, or performing a trick with a branded object. And because it's interactive, branded hashtag challenges are four times more memorable than mobile ads. One example comes from an Italian company called PhotoSi, which turns photos into prints, albums, calendars, and keepsakes. They challenge TikTok users to recreate a photo from their childhood memories and share it, reaching over 12 million people and leading to a 25% purchase rate. Cool, right? You can access this feature in ads manager. Last, you can sell your product or services off the app by including a link and call to action in your profile, you can send people to an external site of your products. Comedian Elyse Myers does this, listing an external site on her profile where she sells clothing. If this is how you plan to boost awareness, drive engagement, and build a bigger fan base, I'm all for it. But I encourage you in your videos to bring these products to life. For example, empathize with a problem and share how your product offers a solution or show your product in a video. In other words, a link is not enough, be a good promoter and articulate how your product fills a gap. By using one or a mix of these methods, you can spike your TikTok performance and get seen. It's never been a better time to jump in.