Unless you’ve been hiding away on a silent retreat for the last few years, you’re likely all too aware of the existence of TikTok! But, have you ever considered leveraging the power of TikTok social selling? If that answer is no, you might want to reconsider. 

TikTok’s meteoric rise to prominence makes it a lucrative platform for small business owners and large brands alike and learning how to sell on TikTok Shop can open up a new world of opportunities. 

Need proof that TikTok social selling works? How’s this for a stat – the “TikTok Made Me Buy It” trend has amassed over 14 billion views globally.

Ready to explore the ins and outs of TikTok Shop to learn more? Then, buckle up and let’s dive in! 

What is social selling? 

Social selling is the modern way to make friends while doing business. Picture it as an online cocktail party where you mingle, chat and build relationships. Gone are the days of cold calls and cheesy sales pitches. It’s all about using social media to find and nurture potential customers rather than overtly pushing products. 

Over time, those connections turn into trust, converting casual viewers into die-hard fans who are more than happy to part with their hard-earned cash. 

How can TikTok be used for social selling? 

Spoiler alert: TikTok isn’t just for dance challenges. It’s a veritable goldmine waiting to be explored. The platform’s unique blend of creativity and engagement makes it a perfect playground for entrepreneurs looking to connect with their audience in fresh, exciting ways. 

TikTok demographics: Key statistics  

Just like with any other sales channel, you need to know who your potential buyers are (and who they’re not!) before you can create content to lure them in. So, before you go getting all excited about designing your TikTok social selling masterplan, let’s break down a few demographics so you’ve got a better idea of potential buyer personas. 

• User base: Over 1 billion active users worldwide, including over 121 million in the US. 
• Reach: TikTok is popular in over 150 countries, making it a truly global platform. However, it is banned in several countries, which could be an essential consideration for location-specific sellers. 
• Age: Over 70% of TikTok users are between 18 and 34.
• Interests: Users are into everything, from beauty and fashion to tech and DIY projects.

Platform features

Social selling on TikTok is supported by a range of hip features that increase engagement, entertainment and sales!

• Live streaming: Real-time interaction with followers facilitates organic product promos and Q&A sessions.
• Interactive tools: Polls, Q&A and duet options offer fun ways to keep audiences engaged.  
• Shoppable videos: The average length of a TikTok is just 34 seconds, so shoppable links are invaluable for allowing users to buy products without leaving your content. 
• Hashtags and challenges: Join trending challenges or create your own to boost visibility.
• Product showcase: Users can tap the bag icon or shopping tab to access a mini storefront where they can check out in just a few taps.
• Sharing content: TikTok encourages you to share user-generated videos, which is a great way to get high-performing content and build networks and relationships. 

What can you sell on TikTok Shop?

Honestly? Once you get your branding and communications on point, pretty much anything you want! That said, consistently high-selling categories include:

• Beauty and skin care
• Phone cases and tech accessories
• Health and wellness products
• Clothing and accessories
• Perfume
• Home décor

How to set yourself up for successful social selling on TikTok Shop

Sure, it’s a fun platform. But to make the most of TikTok social selling, you still need to get your business brain in the game. Here’s everything you need to know about getting started.  

1. Create a business account

Getting started with TikTok social selling is easier than you might think. Creating a business account is free and unlocks extra features like TikTok Analytics and TikTok Ads Manager. Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting set up: 

1. Download the TikTok app to create a personal TikTok account (if you don’t already have one), or go to the TikTok Business page and click ‘Get Started.’ If you already have an account, tap the three dots in the top right corner and select the “Convert to Business Account” option. 
2. Provide all the relevant info, including your business name, industry and website URL.
3. Upload the required documents, including your ID, proof of residency and evidence of business ownership.
4. Wait for the email confirmation of your business account.
5. Set yourself up for business by enabling features like video scheduling, analytics and advertising.
6. Familiarize yourself with TikTok’s various business tools and features, including:

• Creator Marketplace
• Ads Manager
• Creative Center

And that’s it. You’re ready to start selling! Well, nearly…

2. Optimize your profile

Your TikTok profile is your digital storefront, so let’s make it shine! Here are some tips for creating an engaging and informative profile:

• Profile name: Pick a short, memorable name that’s easy for users to remember and spell.
• Profile picture: Use a high-quality image of your logo or an avatar that’s eye-catching and representative of your brand.
• Bio: Craft a short, catchy bio that tells users what you’re all about. Be sure to sprinkle in some emojis and a call to action (CTA), keeping to the limit of 80 characters. 
• Link: Add a link to your website or shop for easy access.

3. Hone in on your target audience

Start creating content that aligns with your target market, then research how well you’re doing and make changes and optimizations accordingly. Here’s how to do it:

• Monitor comments, likes and shares to see what’s hitting the mark and what’s not.
• Check out a few ideal customer profiles from your followers list to see what hashtags and keywords they’re using.
• Regularly check your Followers tab to learn more about who you are reaching. You can view info about:
  • Gender
  • Location
  • Interests
  • The hours and days your audience is most active.
• Use TikTok analytics and insights to dig deeper and fill in any blanks.
• Jump on a live Q&A to get direct feedback about what your followers want to see from you.

Crafting engaging content for your TikTok Shop

If you want to master how to sell on TikTok like a pro, you’ll need to get down and dirty with the various top-performing content types, fine-tune your storytelling technique and jump onboard a bunch of TikTok trends and challenges. Here’s a quick rundown of all the need-to-know info. 

Content types

While variety is key, there are a few specific types of content that work particularly well for TikTok social selling:

• Tutorials: Showing your audience how to use your products with quick, informative and practical tutorials can position your brand as an expert.
• Behind-the-scenes: Give followers a sneak peek into the magic that goes on behind your videos to humanize your brand and build trust.
• User-generated content: Encourage your customers to create videos featuring your products and share them as testimonials to build a loyal community.
• Product demos: Highlight the features and benefits of your products in action with short, engaging and entertaining demos that effectively showcase what you offer in a unique way. 

Storytelling techniques 

In the crowded world of TikTok social selling, it’s the unique way you tell your story that sets you apart from the crowd. Want to shoot for the number one spot? Then your storytelling skills need to be on fleek! Here’s some top tips on how to weave storytelling into your content. 

• Narrative Arc: Think of your video as a mini-movie. Start with a bang (the beginning), build up the drama (the middle) and wrap it up with a satisfying conclusion (the end) to keep viewers hooked.
• Relatable Scenarios: When people see themselves in your story, they’re more likely to remember and love your brand. So, show your audience how your product adds value to their lives by swooping in like a hero to solve everyday problems. 
• Emotional Appeal: Play with emotions like a maestro. Whether you’re making people laugh, gasp, or feel warm and fuzzy, tapping into viewers’ feelings makes your content more impactful.

Trends and challenges

Keeping your finger on the pulse of TikTok’s hottest trends and challenges can significantly increase your visibility and reach. Plus, it’s heaps of fun! But, what’s hot and what’s not can change faster than you can say “viral,” so you need to be quick to jump on the bandwagon and ride on the tailcoats of the most popular themes.

Using a trend or challenge as a backdrop for your content helps throw your brand personality out there and adds a unique spin to make you more memorable. Here’s a few examples of viral challenges that have taken the TikTok world by storm:

• Flip the switch – Pairs flip their light switch and swap outfits to the sound of Drake’s “Nonstop.”
• The Wednesday dance challenge – Creators emulate Jenna Ortega’s trademark dance from the outrageously popular Netflix show. 
• The blinding lights challenge – Groups make silly dance moves to the infamous song by The Weekend.
• The lip sync challenge – TikTok’s extensive library of dialogues and sound clips means the opportunities here are almost limitless.

How to leverage TikTok social selling features

Not really one for dusting off your dancing shoes or vocal skills? Don’t panic! There are plenty more features you can use to supercharge your strategy for social selling on TikTok. Check out these (somewhat more traditional) business-boosting tools. 

Hashtags and captions

Incorporating trending and popular hashtags makes your content more likely to appear on that all-important “For You” page on your viewers’ feeds. But remember, relevance is key! So, be sure to combine popular options with niche-specific tags to strike a balance between broad reach and targeted exposure.

Similarly, a well-written caption can encourage interactions and make your post stand out in the sea of content. Top tip: Always include a clear call to action, like “Shop now” or “Tag a friend who needs this!”

TikTok ads

In a break from the norm from most other platforms, TikTok Ads run on a bidding/auction style model. Essentially, that means you can keep tight control of your purse strings by choosing what you pay for each video view, click, or impression. However, do bear in mind that there are some minimum budgets:

• $50 USD per day for campaign-level budgets.
• $20 USD per day for ad group-level budgets.

Live streams

Live streams are a dynamic and interactive way to build rapport and make an impact on customers in real time. Here’s a few awesome ways to utilize live streams and get people clicking on your ‘buy now’ button in their hoards:

• Showcasing the problems your products solve with live demonstrations.
• Answering commonly asked questions and objections. 
• Offering exclusive deals for instant purchases. 

How to collaborate with influencers for your TikTok Shop

Influencer marketing is huge and we mean, HUGE, in the TikTok social selling game! But don’t worry, you don’t need A-listers to win big because 72% of TikTokkers find ordinary content creators more interesting than celebrities. 

As the cool kids at the TikTok party, influencers wield an immense power to amplify your message and introduce your products to a whole new audience. But, as much as they have the potential to make your brand, choosing the wrong influencer could also break it. So, how do you go about finding the people to team up with? Here’s how:

• Do your research: Look for influencers who align with your core values and target audience. Check their engagement rates, content style and audience demographics to ensure a good fit.
• Make friends: Engage with influencers by liking, commenting and sharing their content to build rapport before you make your pitch.
• Be personal: Craft individual messages outlining why you’d like to collaborate and what’s in it for them and be 100% transparent about your goals and what you’re offering in return.

Think you’ve found the perfect pairing? Awesome! But the hard work isn’t over just yet, because influencer campaigns don’t just strategize themselves to generate overnight success out of thin air. It’s up to you to manage the relationship, plan, create and launch the content, then analyze the results and make tweaks for optimization. Key metrics to monitor include:

• Video views
• Profile views
• Likes
• Comments
• Shares
• Shop visits
• Purchases

Engaging with your TikTok audience

As you’ve likely already established, mastering how to sell on TikTok isn’t just about posting content. It’s also about actively engaging with your audience. Consistent interaction is essential, meaning you’ll need to keep an ever-vigilant eye over your channel to foster a sense of belonging. Best practices include:

• Posting regularly – TikTok guidelines recommend one to four times daily. 
• Responding promptly to comments and messages.
• Asking questions and inviting feedback to keep the conversation flowing.
• Offering exclusive content or early access to new products for loyal followers.
• Giving discounts, freebies, or shoutouts to users who create and share content related to your brand. 
• Creating your own TikTok challenges.
• Sharing user-generated content to inspire others to share yours.

Analyzing and optimizing performance

Once your TikTok social selling strategy is up and running, it’s time to play detective and uncover what’s working and what’s not. Here’s how to keep tabs on your performance and make the tweaks needed for ongoing success: 

• Track critical metrics, including engagement, follower growth, click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates to ensure your content is resonating and your CTA’s are getting the love they deserve.
• Utilize TikTok Analytics, third-party platforms like Hootsuite and Sprout Social and Google Analytics (if you’re driving traffic to an external site or online store) to access detailed insights into your content’s performance.
• Regularly review your competitors to see what they are doing well and fine-tune your strategy accordingly. That’s not cheating, by the way. It’s just solid business sense. After all, all’s fair in love and Tiktok! 
• Continuously mix things up by exploring new content formats, styles and themes.
• Stay on top of trending topics, hashtags and challenges in your niche. 
• Solicit customer feedback at every opportunity to keep learning, improving and growing. Yes, we know this bot can be scary. But trust us, your bank balance will thank you for it! 

Managing ecommerce operations on TikTok Shop

Ready to turn your TikTok social selling dreams into a well-oiled machine? Here’s our top tips on how to handle the nitty-gritty of TikTok Shop operations with finesse.

TikTok Shop inventory management 

Staying organized is essential in such a fast-paced selling environment. So, you’ll need a robust inventory management system to track stock levels, manage orders and avoid overselling. Thankfully, Linnworks has a solution. 

Our TikTok integration comes complete with all the features you need to streamline processes in real time. Examples include:

• Easy listings creation and pricing updates.
• Automated order downloads and inventory updates.
• Multi-channel inventory mapping.
• Effortless in-channel order cancellation

Shipping and fulfillment 

Efficient fulfillment keeps your operations running smoothly and customers coming back. Automating your fulfillment process using tools like Linnworks can save you a heap in time – and costly errors. Fulfillment and shipping features include:

• Fully synchronized payment mapping.
• Efficient order dispatch with tracking numbers and shipping service details.
• Fully synchronized postal services shipment mapping.

Returns management

When you utilize a comprehensive inventory management system like Linnworks, tracking returned items to maintain accurate stock levels and minimize losses becomes child’s play. Plus, 360-degree reporting and insights help you track the KPIs that matter most – including returns. By identifying patterns and potential issues early, you can address them promptly to improve product quality and reduce return rates.

Customer service 

This bit you’ll need to manage on your own. After all, these are your followers and it’s you they want to hear from and connect with. So, a generic bot-based approach is unlikely to cut the mustard. Check out these best practices for managing TikTok Shop sales and customer interactions:

• Personalize customer interactions by addressing followers by name.
• Be responsive to questions and queries, providing clear and concise answers that ensure a positive buying experience.
• Ensure every communication is prompt, professional and positive, from initial inquiries to post-purchase follow-up. 
• Keep customers informed about their order status, shipping updates and any potential issues.
• Encourage feedback and act on it to keep building your brand and community. 

Final thoughts

And so concludes our whistle-stop guide to TikTok social selling! 

Ready to embrace TikTok Shop and take your ecommerce sales to the next level? With Linnworks by your side, the sky’s the limit when it comes to streamlining your processes, staying ahead of the trends and watching your business soar. 

Check out our complete list of marketplace integrations today, request a demo, or contact our expert team to discuss your ecommerce needs and see how we can help.