Thinking about dropping some serious cash on professional video ads this holiday season? Hold that thought and keep reading. Do you know what platform eCommerce ads performed the best this year? TikTok.
That’s right. Your customers are begging for authenticity. And while we’ve always known about the intimate connection between authenticity and sales, authenticity is selling better than ever in 2020.
So why are TikToks killing it in the market? TikTok videos give extra contact, better touch, and more realness. These videos feel personal and because they look like “nothing special,” your customers are more likely to watch out of pure curiosity.
But how do you make TikTok work for you? These are some of the best tips and tricks to help you out.
1. Know Your Numbers
This is good advice for any digital marketing play, but it’s especially important when you’re trying out a new platform or marketing strategy. If you don’t keep track of your numbers, how will you know if it’s working?
Keep track of your numbers by setting up a dashboard in Simple KPI and monitor your stats on a daily or weekly basis. This will help you make logical decisions, rather than emotional ones. The absolute worst thing you can do is freak out over your ad spend and quit too soon. Instead, commit to a strategy and focus on your ROAS (return on ad spend).
And if you’re really serious about upping your digital marketing game in 2020, check out my Blackhawk System. We’ll help you figure out what data to track, what numbers matter the most, and how to crank everything up.
2. Post User Generated Content
Remember, eComm consumers are smart and getting smarter. They can spot an ad immediately and they know how to click away or zone out.
But if you can get their attention with testimonials and videos created by actual customers, you have a good shot at getting them to stick around for the pitch. So consider how you can incentivize users to post TikToks about your products.
3. Focus
When some eComm owners say that digital marketing “doesn’t work for them,” what they’re really saying is it didn’t work for them because they didn’t focus on it long enough to figure it out.
There’s a legendary story about Warren Buffet that someone once told at a dinner party. One day, Buffet was playing Bridge (his favorite game) online when a bat flew into his house and started flapping around his den. His girlfriend screamed, “Warren, there’s a bat in here!” But he was so focused on his game that he didn’t even look up. All he said was, “It’s not bothering me any.”
The lesson is successful people know how to focus deeply and when you’re trying to learn something new, the best thing you can do is focus.
4. Keep Spending Money
I’m always shocked when I hear eComm owners say that they want to scale back their ad spends during the holidays. In reality, you want to do the exact opposite. Why? Almost by definition, eComm stores earn more money during the holidays. And you always want to invest in what works. So when you’re selling the most, that’s when you want to pump up your ad spend.
Don’t be afraid to double down on your ad spend now because when Black Friday hits, you’re going to see a huge return. As long as you keep redefining the norms and know your numbers (I know I’m repeating myself), you can’t screw this up.
5. Get Ready For the Wave
Once you get that TikTok ad machine up and running, all you have left to do is get ready to ride the wave headed your way. Since you’re going to have all those users engaged more than ever, it’s extra important to get your distribution and shipping systems together.
My recommendation: hire when you’re at 70% capacity (maybe that’s right now). If you wait until your staff is totally overwhelmed with holiday orders, it will be too late.
There it is. My best tips and tricks to help you jump on the TikTok train. So, if you’re ready to have your best year ever, don’t make ads. Make TikToks!
