Salla, the Future of E-commerce: An Easy Platform to Start Your Business

Within a short period, TikTok has shone brightly among internet users. If you want to know how to invest this powerful tool to promote the success of an online store, we invite you to follow this article..

September 2016 witnessed the birth of the new social platform TikTok, to be added to the list of social media platforms that attract 3.96 billion users worldwide.

With fast and steady steps, TikTok occupied a unique position among other platforms, as its number of users jumped to more than 1.1 billion users as of (February 2021). The TikTok app was downloaded more than 2.6 billion times worldwide, according to Sensor Tower in December 2020.

If the target audience for your e-commerce store includes any user between 13 and 60 years old, then you must have thought about using TikTok ads to market your store by now..

If you do not have an online store yet, we invite you to start your journey in the world of e-commerce with Salla platform..

What is TikTok?

It is a social networking service focused on video sharing with users. This social platform is specifically used to edit a variety of short videos, in different fields such as music, comedy, education, etc., ranging from fifteen seconds to three minutes, with the TikTok app attracting young audiences in particular.

Morning Consult ranked TikTok as the third fastest-growing brand of 2020, behind Zoom and Peacock.

Some Figures and Facts about TikTok

• According to a digital report, there are 689 million monthly active users on the platform.

• TikTok users love the app, spending an average of 52 minutes per day on the platform.

• 60% of TikTok users are Gen Z, who are trendsetters.

• TikTok is now available in 154 countries worldwide (and in 75 different languages).

• Nine out of ten TikTok users use the app multiple times daily.

• TikTok Creator Marketplace is a platform run by TikTok, featuring thousands of content creator profiles. Brands can search the marketplace for creators whose audiences fit their campaign's target market.

• TikTok ads can drive users to your online store, your app page in the app store, or promote your hashtag challenge on TikTok.

• Brands can create branded AR lenses, filters, and stickers for TikTok users to insert into their video content.

• TikTok is working on formatting a new AR ad feature which should be available soon.

• 30% of marketers are interested in learning more about TikTok.

Features of TikTok for Brands

• This most trendy social network at the moment has a dedicated feature for professional pages. As with other social platforms, TikTok allows brands to place their ads; if evaluated of good quality, they will appear in the user's feed.

• The majority of active TikTok users are young. The platform is an effective tool for businesses targeting this type of audience that craves fun and creative content. You should also know that content is visually engaging and entertaining, therefore, some creativity is required. This platform is not suitable for formal, sleek videos and serious presentations.

• To promote your brand, products, or services, creating fun videos on TikTok is a great option, especially since it is simple and inexpensive. But before launching your content on TikTok, study this social platform well and make sure its use aligns with your business style.

Understanding TikTok's Strategy

Initially, in order to adapt your ad format to the performance of the TikTok platform and TikTok ads, and to make the most of your digital strategy on TikTok, get to know its features. It is important to understand the details of TikTok to develop coherent marketing strategies. Why is it so popular among social networks? What makes it different from other social networks?

• The nature of the content is what distinguishes this platform, as it features the ability to publish videos ranging from 15 seconds to one minute in length.

• For users, there are many in-app options, including filming themselves, recording, and then editing the produced content, sometimes using filters and/or backgrounds. Users can also like, comment, react with emojis, and even talk to each other. One reason for TikTok's growing popularity is the ability to place music or songs, which are often the most popular at the moment, over the recorded video.

It is necessary to know that TikTok users are not like the users of other social networks like Facebook and Instagram. TikTok is a very comfortable platform where people are not afraid to be silly, and therefore expectations are not the same as on other platforms.

How to Succeed in a Marketing Strategy with TikTok Ads?

• Before setting up your digital strategy for TikTok ads, define your goals. Analyze how this platform works to see if it can help achieve your goals through TikTok ads. Speaking of which, you will notice that approximately 90% of TikTok users are under 35 years old.

• As with all other social networks, a communication strategy on TikTok can be implemented through your business account, with the help of influencers, or by advertising with TikTok ads. The latter offers different ad formats including "Campaign Heater" which allows you to redirect to a landing page, and "Fanbase Booster" to recruit subscribers to your TikTok account.

• Music videos dominate the content on this social platform. It is important to adapt to this type of tool to arouse the curiosity and interest of consumers. As with other social networks, bet on authenticity.

• To grab attention, find the ideal frequency to broadcast your content, and to engage your community of followers, interact with users.

5 Tips for Success in TikTok Ads

Here are the most important tips to succeed in your TikTok ads strategy:

1. Start Your Own Hashtag Challenge

It is all about getting people to create content and include your brand's hashtag. This challenge is fun and very effective in promoting your online store, and it also boosts your audience's engagement.

2. Work with TikTok Influencers

Using influencer marketing on TikTok is an effective way to build brand awareness. Influencer marketing strategy allows you to quickly increase your visibility on the social network and expand your community in record time. In addition, you can easily track the audience engagement rate.

However, make sure beforehand that the influencer's community matches your target audience. For best results, choose a professional specializing in a topic relevant to your online store's niche.

3. Leverage TikTok Ad Formats

TikTok ads help you reach a huge number of users. This social platform also offers highly precise targeting, making it easier for you to reach your audience.

Advertisements on the platform are divided into four formats, so make sure to diversify:

In-Feed Ads: Similar to Snapchat and Instagram ads, native content on TikTok takes website clicks of brands and app downloads into account.

Brand Takeover on TikTok: This type will make your ad appear as soon as the app is opened. Companies can create images, GIFs, videos, etc. on the platform. To generate more traffic, insert your online store link or any other high value-added content into your post.

Hashtag Challenge: It is not always easy to go viral. The ideal option is to use popular hashtags (hashtag tags).

Branded Effects: These are similar to Snapchat's 2D and 3D lenses for faces and images.

4. Diversification is Key

Often, your first instinct is to repeat your campaigns to get more views, but this is not the best idea for this platform. On TikTok, it is essential to diversify your videos as much as possible. This means that users who follow you on TikTok will have regular content that meets their expectations, while those who follow you on different platforms can see you from a different perspective.

5. Get a Large Number of Views

TikTok, like all of its other competitors, uses artificial intelligence to insert content into the timeline. The app evaluates content quality and popularity. If a lot of users watch your video but their watch time is very low, it means the post is not successful and may fall behind other videos. To become popular, you must get a high number of views and an average watch time equal to the duration of the video.

Everything must be done to ensure that people watch your videos to the end, giving them a better chance of appearing in the timeline of as many people as possible. Other variables are also considered to evaluate content quality, such as likes, comments, and shares. In short, TikTok uses a lot of data and calculates whether a video is popular or not, so it is necessary to take this into account in your TikTok ads strategy.

A Final Thought..

By offering well-designed content centered around entertainment and humor, brands stand a good chance of succeeding in TikTok ads. Another great strength of TikTok ads as an influencer marketing tool lies in its ability to discover the immense viral potential of the videos you publish to promote your online store..

On Salla platform, we help online store owners design more impactful marketing campaigns through a range of marketing tools, including integration with TikTok Pixel, to help them find new customers, optimize their campaigns, and measure the performance of TikTok ads.