Are you looking to start selling your t-shirts on the hottest new social media platform? TikTok was downloaded over 650 million times last year, making it the most downloaded app. That's a lot of potential customers to target with your awesome clothing brand!
Many people consider TikTok a teenager's app for making dance videos and little comedy routines. While it's true that the platform is perfect for viral clips, it's also great for catching the attention of eager consumers. And, it's not just kids on TikTok.
Your t-shirts designs can make a big impact if marketed correctly on this platform. Read on to learn how to sell t-shirts on TikTok.
Why Use TikTok For Marketing
Because Instagram is designed for sharing images, most t-shirt brands immediately incorporate it into their marketing ideas. Entrepreneurs that aren't as familiar with TikTok sometimes overlook the mass potential this platform offers their brand. But what exactly is TikTok, and why is it important for marketing your t-shirts?
TikTok is a video content platform. This is great for businesses because when their ads get showcased on the app, they don't jar the viewer as different content from their scrolling feed. Your clothing brand video blends seamlessly with other consumable content.
Can You Sell Products on TikTok?
TikTok has incredible consumer reach. Like any social media campaign, to get the most out of your brand's content, you need to establish your target audience. What's ideal about TikTok is the algorithm isn't based on followers or friend groups.
Instead, TikTok's algorithm works by pushing content based on a user's interests. So if you create a marketing video with a viral song or sound clip, it gets pushed to users who like similar content. The algorithm is designed for the largest reach, which means it takes less time to build a following to start selling on TikTok.
Steps To Sell T-Shirts on TikTok
Creating videos that people don't think twice about sharing is the key to selling on TikTok.
It doesn't really matter what your product is. What matters is the content the product gets featured in is catchy. This means choosing funny clips or songs that set a mood to backdrop your t-shirts.
Step One on How To Sell T-Shirts on TikTok
The first step for any marketing campaign is research. Research your target audience and ideal customer. How does your brand appeal to your target audience?
By determining who you want to market to, you can start brainstorming the marketing tactics that are appealing to this demographic. For example, are you creating t-shirts for females between 18 and 25? Research what kind of music is trending for this age group.
Step Two To Start Selling on TikTok
Download the app and create a business account. If you have a personal account, take the time to start fresh with a business-only profile. Keep your username consistent with your other social media handles.
TikTok allows you to connect other social media platforms to its platform. This makes an easy transition to start pushing your TikTok content to your followers that already know your brand.
Switch your new account to a Pro Business account. This lets you add a link to your t-shirt brand's website and access analytics of who is engaging your content. The Pro Business account offers half a million royalty-free songs to use as you create amazing content to showcase your brand.
Step Three To Sell Products on TikTok
Now it's time to start creating shareable content for your profile. While starting from scratch may feel daunting, especially without a marketing degree, TikTok is super user-friendly. Take some time to explore the Discover tab in the app to see what other brands are doing.
Using the knowledge you've compiled about your ideal customer, integrate your brand into the hot video trends on the app. Start a hashtag for your brand and encourage followers to use it. A great way for brands to kick off their TikTok account is by creating a welcome video or FAQ clip.
Step Four To Sell T-Shirts on TikTok
Like all the other major social media platforms, TikTok allows for a paid ad to push content to users. There are a few different ad formats on TikTok that are beneficial for a t-shirt brand. Here's a brief run-down on these ad types:
- In-Feed Videos: Like on YouTube, these ads run before a user-selected video begins
- Top-View Ads: Ad that appears at the top of the feed when a user opens the app
- Branded Hashtag: Sponsorship in the Discover tab that runs 3-6 days
- Lenses: A filter that other content creators use in their videos
- Brand Takeovers: Fullscreen ads when the app gets opened
Step Five To Sell Products on TikTok
Once your brand account is set up and you're ready to start a strong promotion push, it's time to hook up with some influencers. Influencers are brand spokespeople who do the hard work of creating content that showcases your products.
Before approaching an account to represent your brand, make sure you've done your research that this person appeals to your brand's image and target audience. Some companies provide a database of influencers that are available for work, which saves you time and energy on this end of marketing.
How To Use TikTok Shopping?
Launched in August 2021, TikTok Shopping allows for Pro Business accounts to feature a shopping tab and link their catalogs to their profiles. Your t-shirt brand can sell products on Tiktok directly by tagging them in your videos. This feature is a partnership with Shopify, so brands that already sell on that platform have an integrated way to market their t-shirts.
Start Selling on TikTok Today
TikTok may not be the first place new businesses think of to start marketing their t-shirt brand, but it should be! Because the platform is set up for creating memorable and high-quality video content, it's perfect for creating solid brand awareness.
It's easy to sell t-shirts on TikTok with royalty-free, fan-favorite songs or movie soundbites to grab your consumer's attention. Use this guide to get you started. And for more t-shirt business articles, check out the rest of the All Day Shirts blog!
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