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TikTok has become a key driver, not just of reach and awareness, but also conversions and sales, which is seeing it take a core role within brands’ ecommerce strategies.
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By Megan Tatum
Since it first launched in the UK four years ago, the reach and influence of TikTok have grown at an exponential rate.
TikTok has over a billion monthly active users browsing its constantly updating feed of video content, from viral choreography to beauty tips to experts sharing practical advice on psychology and wellbeing.
Even more crucially for marketers, the evolving role of entertainment as a core way in which to influence and engage potential shoppers has seen the platform rapidly accelerate the traditional path to purchase.
One in four TikTok users globally say they have either researched a product or made a purchase after watching related content on the platform, according to the platform’s newly launched ‘Marketer’s Guide to TikTok’ aimed at retail and ecommerce brands. The same proportion have commented on a brand’s account after making a purchase, and have shared content raving about a brand they bought after seeing it on the platform.
In short, creating content that appeals to TikTok’s vast group of highly engaged users can help brands achieve unrivalled reach and, done right, a lift in product consideration and direct sales. But what’s the secret to maximising the effectiveness of TikTok advertising?
Critically, three quarters of users say they click onto the platform to be entertained, according to the new marketing guidebook, making it a platform to be watched actively rather than checked passively and periodically.
“With TikTok, you’re given a piece of someone’s entertainment time. That time is precious for that individual, and it’s an honour to be able to show up on their phones, in their home,” says Taylor. So “earn that slot”, he advises.
“Tell them a story that’s relevant to their lives or what they’re going through – that’s what makes the platform thrive, it shouldn’t matter whether that content is coming from a brand or an organic user.”
Taylor says 47 Skin’s biggest success story on the platform to date is testament to that: the personal story behind the business as told by its founder. “It’s bitesize, it's raw and honest, and I think people resonate with the authenticity.” The second key component of a successful TikTok strategy is agility. With millions of new videos uploaded on the platform daily, the type of content that resonates is constantly changing, requiring brands to adapt quickly.
“TikTok requires you to continually create new and bespoke content – which provides almost instantaneous feedback on what the audience is responding to and what is not working,” says Bex Clune, senior performance manager at apparel brand AllSaints. “It has encouraged us to be more responsive, creating content quickly, rather than briefing it weeks or months in advance.”
Ads need a ‘native’ feel
Why brands are putting TikTok at the heart of their ecommerce strategy
The first piece of advice from Nic Taylor, founder of skincare brand 47 Skin, is: “Make TikToks, not ads.”
TikTok integrates ad content into its ecosystem in a seamless way, placing an emphasis on advertising that looks and feels native to users, and that doesn’t disrupt the flow of their experience on the platform. That’s why it’s critical that content meets the demands of those scrolling through.
“[TikTok] has encouraged us to be more responsive, creating content quickly, rather than briefing it weeks or months in advance.”
— Bex Clune, AllSaints
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This includes using it as a vehicle for raising brand awareness and driving sales around key seasonal shopping periods, with 79% of users saying TikTok played a role in helping them purchase gifts during the holidays, according to the Marketer’s Guide.
One brand case study from TikTok’s publication is fashion brand Lounge Underwear, which used TikTok’s native ad format Spark Ads to promote its products around Black Friday and saw a 72% increase in completed payments. During the same period, jewellery brand Omolola used simple product-driven creatives, achieving 1.8 million impressions and over 20,000 clicks over the so-called Cyber Weekend.
This level of cut-through does require brands to be well prepared ahead of key seasonal opportunities, advises Samer Ragheb, lead on product marketing for commerce solutions at the platform. "My top tip for advertisers looking for commerce success on TikTok is to have all the right advertising parameters in place ahead of a busy shopping season,” he says, “from building learnings following event signals, to product feed integrations, to ensuring a steady supply of creative ready to go for profitable performance. Building a deeper integration and platform-specific content with TikTok will deliver stronger results."
That content needs to be carefully tailored to TikTok users is a piece of advice echoed by Clune too. “We’ve found that it isn’t sufficient to simply repurpose content that has been used across other media platforms,” she says. “This was one of the earliest lessons of the partnership.”
The team has focused on “personalised, fun and quirky content” as a result, featuring members of the business and showcasing a more personal approach to the brand. It paid off, says Clune; not only was engagement with its native content “significantly higher than traditional, polished studio shoots”, but so was ROI, with a cost per follower 49% below the industry average.
Thirdly, though creativity and entertainment should be the primary aim for marketers to strike a chord on TikTok, using the platform to shorten the sales funnel should be front-of-mind too. There are some easy ways to do this. Brand content that includes a clear call to action (CTA) achieves 152% greater conversation rates than videos that lack this CTA, according to TikTok’s guide. Punchy captions reiterating the brand message and discoverable hashtags are also important ways to ensure content on the platform converts.
Be patient with tracking TikTok content against traditional KPIs though, advises Clune. “It is tempting to compare KPIs against other marketing activity, but like any new partnership, it takes time to understand what works for your brand on TikTok and build a successful marketing strategy.
“And remember that users are there to be entertained - brands should utilise trends and remain authentic to the platform.”
With the right approach, though, TikTok can grow to be an invaluable part of any marketer’s toolkit – including those who may have previously dismissed it as only relevant to those brands targeting generation Z. “Initially, we were drawn to the platform’s ability to help us engage with a younger audience, who may not be present on other social media platforms,” admits Clune. “However, as the app has grown in popularity, it has actually given us the opportunity to reach users of all ages, at every stage of the marketing funnel.”
“[TikTok is] the single most important part of our marketing tool kit – in fact it’s our total marketing tool kit,” sums up Taylor at 47 Skin. “We have a team of seven people now whose sole task is to come up with entertainment-based storytelling.”
The brand’s TikTok-first approach “has tripled the effectiveness of our ads”, he says. “It’s an absolute gamechanger.”
And one that no marketer can afford to miss out on.
Tips for ecommerce conversions
Learn how you can maximise your retail and ecommerce presence with the Marketer’s Guide to TikTok.
