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TikTok is a social networking app that is growing at a rapid rate every year. It had 1.2 billion monthly active users in Q4 2021 and is expected to reach 1.8 billion by the end of 2022. These statistics combined with additional business tools and the possibility of reaching a targeted audience provided, TikTok has created ample opportunities for eCommerce enthusiasts to market and build their business through visual content and engagement.
It is also a fantastic medium for dropshippers who want to maximize their reach.
This article will give you an inside on everything you need to know about dropshipping with TikTok as a beginner!
The importance of TikTok for dropshipping and eCommerce
TikTok is a trend-driven social media app for creating, sharing, and watching short video clips, that since its launch back in 2017 has gathered a staggering 689 million monthly users. TikTok live is also a great drop shipping tool! For both independent content creators, businesses, and brands, TikTok is a great platform to promote their work, products, personalities, and ideas in creative and entertaining ways to a global audience. It should be obvious that using TikTok for business is a MUST do!
How easy it is to create, share and interact with the audience combined with the common celebrity sightings, the smart algorithm, and the focus on localized content makes TikTok a win-win place to promote your dropshipping business.
Should you do dropshipping with TikTok?
“Should I start dropshipping with TikTok or should I stick to Facebook and Instagram?”
Well, the answer to that question is really - it depends!
It depends on the product you are selling, the kind of business you are, how well you know your audience, and your adaption to the platform you will be advertising on.
Keep in mind that roughly half of the users on TikTok are aged between 18-to 29 years old, making them not powerful buyers.
So it won't be reasonable to advertise high-price products.
Whether advertising products on TikTok is successful or not heavily depends on your choice of product, target audience and marketing strategy.
You will need to optimize your marketing efforts according to things that are currently trending among Millennials and Gen Z, but to find the ideal buyer person you can use different tools like Facebook dropshippers use Facebook audience builder.
This will help you maximize your reach on the platform and also increase the likelihood of generating profit.
Some businesses will have more success on that with Facebook and Instagram, while others will be able to run successful marketing campaigns on TikTok just by carefully selecting their right buyer persona, hence - the right platform.
How do you find products on TikTok to dropship?
Regardless of how many ad campaigns you run and money spent, if your products aren’t right for the audience, all your efforts will go in vain.
Here is how you can do some valuable research on products suitable for TikTok dropshipping:
1. Browse Hashtags
The easiest way to find products on TikTok is by going to the search bar and browsing through the hashtags and analysing how many people are talking about those products.
You can either dropship the same products, or find a similar niche that isn’t targeted by many dropshippers.
2. Search for eCommerce Platforms
Use the search filter of eCommerce platforms where you’ll find hundreds of thousands of videos of people sharing different products. Do some research on how people promote, advertise and present products. Also, you can find what is trendy.
3. Look for Latest Trends
As we mentioned above, TikTok is widely used by people in their 20s. So look for trends and experiences that appeal to the younger generation. Your choice of products doesn’t have to be sophisticated or unique but rather something that resonates with a younger crowd.
Common Tiktok marketing strategies for dropshippers
There are a couple of main ways of advertising products on TikTok. Each of them is fairly similar to other marketing methods you may be familiar with, such as Facebook Ads, Instagram influencers, and such. Here is how can make use of these common marketing strategies to make sure your TikTok dropshipping business becomes more noticeable:
1. Hosting Livestreams
TikTok’s algorithm works an odd way and you never know what video may get picked by it. So hosting consistent live streams can be a great way to capture the attention of the audience. Just make a plan on what you will be doing to keep the audience entertained.
2. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is one of the most effective ways to promote your dropshipping business these days.
If the influencer has a huge fan base and a lot of followers. They can help you promote your products and get you instant traffic, by producing produce quality content. It might even be better than running an ad campaign.
Moreover, influencers know how to grab the attention of the audience and help you make your brand more recognizable.
3. Giveaways & Contests
Giveaways & contests are an evergreen method to capture the attention of the masses, I mean…Who doesn’t like free stuff?!
Combine exciting giveaways with hashtag challenges and you have a recipe for going viral.
Your TikTok giveaway entry guidelines should be kept simple. Discuss the rules in your TikTok video and briefly address them in the video captions. Typically, a contest may request that people follow you, use your hashtag, comment on your video, tag someone, or duet or stitch your video. You will also need an entry deadline with the end time and time zone.
Paid ads
The TikTok paid ads are a fairly new advancement in their offerings but with a simple set-up process and familiar interface, you'll be able to get your brand in front of our one-billion-strong audience in no time. And you can set up, run and manage your ad campaigns.
According to TikTok’s website, users can benefit from the following benefits:
- 5-60 second, full-screen vertical video with sound-on
- Optimize for traffic and conversion objectives; app installs and events
- Precise targeting options include interest, event-based behaviours, custom, lookalike audiences and more
- Range of billing options, CPM, CPV, and CPC
How to build a TikTok dropshipping profile
TikTok offers - a Pro account and a personal account.
A TikTok Pro account enables you to see statistics on your posts, overall performance and not just that...
Following are some of the many benefits a TikTok Pro account offers:
- Ability to check views on your videos;
- Video and content trend status;
- Geographical information of your audience;
- Detailed audience insights, including their gender;
- The overall growth of your account;
- Pre-packaged with TopView to drive maximum reach;
- Six days of in-app promotion on their Discover page;
- Integration of soundtracks into campaigns to add sonic identity;
- Branded Effects;
- TopView - a day takeover with 100% share of voice, premium, brand-safe placement and more
When registering a Pro account, users can choose a creator account (Which actively pays video makers for their work) or a business account.
If you want to take advantage of all the benefits of the Pro account, you should switch to it.
Final Thoughts
TikTok has lesser competition in comparison to other social media platforms, making it the perfect time to start dropshipping. Now more than ever, it has become easier to create, distribute and promote.
Grab that chance!
We hope this article has answered some essential questions as well as guided you on how to get TikTok working to engage customers and encourage them to visit your dropshipping account, converting those visits into actual sales!
