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June 2nd, 2023

TikTok Made Me Buy It! Part 3/3

Opinion TikTok

TikTok through the eyes of a content creator…

In the final part of our 3-part series, we look at how content creators are maximising brand shoppertunity on TikTok.

Catch up on Part I and Part II here.

This time we’re hearing from Paul Sheldon, Senior Art Director and our very own TikTok creator (nearly at 5k followers!) He’s curious about the platform’s tools and how they allow creatives to be well… just that! Paul also loves playing around with filters and Augmented Reality (AR) to create meaningful connections with his community.

Here he talks filters, innovation and how to maximise shoppertunities in the crazy world that is TikTok.

I felt I was quite late to the TikTok party…

When joining TikTok some time ago, I didn’t quite feel the mix of dance challenges and memes were really for me. I can’t dance for a start. But since then I’ve really changed my tune, because that ever-evolving mix of content has finally won me over.

The almost psychic algorithm serves me all the interests I love. I’m discovering communities focused on learning, sharing and inspiring. As a professional creative in what is a traditional industry, I felt adopting a creator mentality and attitude would make me more adaptable, imaginative and closer to what makes people TIK (sorry). So I set myself the challenge of becoming a creator on TikTok. It may be early days, but I’ve been building Augmented Reality filters and posting my own themed content. Some of these have even gone viral! One of the AR filters I built hit 10 million views in just a month!

Here are a few things I’ve learnt in my time as a TikTok content creator.

Be timely, be relevant and target a specific audience

Celebrated by billions of people across the world on the first new moon of the calendar, the Lunar New Year is a big deal.

So what did TikTok do?

They planned their 3D “moonlighting filter” to land just beforehand. Specifically made with the intention that people could own the filter at that point in time.

The result was an extremely relevant filter that people could use to personalise their message, its already won over a million likes!

So, how does this translate into shoppertunities?

The AR software used by TikTok – Effecthouse – is still in beta (so not officially released), but the analytics and tools offer great insight. These reveal that for many people, AR filters are seen as a novelty.

BUT it can be a powerful tool that creates rich user generated content (UGC) for brands. Think growth and engagement, ‘try before you buy’ for products and even competitions mechanics.

 

Whilst I was building my own AR filters, I’ve been watching how brands show up in the space to engage and sell.

The sweet spot is found when brands mix entertainment and social selling.

Some do it well, embracing the spirit of it, whilst others miss the mark completely. Throwing a promotional ad up just highlights the fact they’re out of touch and don’t understand the platform.

 

I’m happy to admit TikTok inspired a few purchases of mine. They weren’t spontaneous or cheap purchases either. So why is TikTok an important platform to use for maximizing shoppertunity potential?

To answer that, I’ll tell you about an innovative TikTok feature called live shopping streams. I was greeted by the streamer when I joined, encouraged to ask questions and interact, offered exclusive discounts for being there and was able to see a product feature in real-time.

Now we talk a lot about social being your shop window, but this is another level. Here you feel as if you’ve been instore for a better look. Call it innovation or good old fashioned customer service (or a combination of the two), you certainly feel closer to what you want to buy. And that is the power of TikTok in maximizing shoppertunities.

The (social) proof.

TikTok’s social selling opens up even more opportunities for brands. Content creators with over 1,000 followers have the option to join monetised creator schemes and promote posts for likes, links and followers through specific audiences. As a creator, you can also showcase associated products to buy that reflect your content as a revenue stream.

When you’ve hit 10,000 followers, you gain the prestigious title of ‘Micro Influencer’. Through the creator marketplace you get paid to create and connect with brands. You can even apply for and receive support through the creator fund to help you make more of the content you love.

TikTok has much more of a focus on these micro influencers, rather than big names. By doing this, content can extend its reach through the many subcultures that thrive on TikTok, helping to drive impulse buys around hyper-targeted audiences.

A useful TikTok creator feature is a newsletter that charts the biggest trends, including music, AR filters, challenges and posts topping the list. Used properly, it gives creators a great insight into how to plan content, promotions and what to share. So as you can see, shoppertunities are pretty much built into TikTok…

AND THAT’S ALL FOR NOW FOLKS!

We really hope you’ve enjoyed our TikTok Made Me Buy It series, and that it’s given you plenty of food for thought, as well as a hint of light entertainment. TikTok is ever-evolving (as are plenty of other social channels) and we’ll be sure to keep our fingers on the pulse of more potential shoppertunities and dissect them in future.

Want to chat TikTok and how it could work for your business with us? Why yes, we’d love to!

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