The year 2020 will be remembered as the year of the pandemic – or the year of the TikTok. The social media platform, formerly known as Musical.ly, is the trendy short-form mobile videos being shared across the internet.
Although the app is primarily used for entertainment, that doesn’t mean you can’t use this platform to your advantage as an affiliate! Our goal here as an affiliate should be recognition and directing viewers to your blog or YouTube channel, where conversions are higher! Here’s how we can do this.
Before we get started, let’s go over some basic notes for TikTok:
- Videos can only be 15 seconds long
- Not everyone has an option to add a hyperlink to your bio (we will go over this later)
- The longest video duration can last 60 sections long by connecting multiple clips
- You can only upload from the app on your phone (or tablet)
- You can upload videos from your camera roll
- You can insert text into video
If you’re completely new to the app and need more guidance, I recommend watching this beginner’s guide on YouTube that’s less than 15 minutes long.
Robbins Interactive created a resource on how to use videos for affiliate marketing that can be found here. These notes can also apply to TikTok and will be helpful as you create your own content and navigate through the app.
Creating the Perfect TikTok and Standing Out
According to Oberlo, there are around 800 million active Tik Tok users worldwide. So it’s important to stand out. Use music, sound effects, and text captions to your advantage here. Short videos are helpful for shorter attention spans but that means you have less time to get your point across. Also, make sure to take advantage of what’s currently trending by creating a version of your own.
- Always aim for for good quality audio and video
- Practice editing transitions together so the TikTok flows smoothly
- Get creative and make sure to spotlight the product you are mentioning
- Highlight your custom coupon code for the right amount of time
- Try to incorporate a TikTok challenge
Maximizing Engagement
Hashtags. As with most social media platforms, they’re important and beneficial for engagement. Hashtags are going to influence who sees your TikTok via it’s algorithm. Speaking of algorithms, TikTok has a feature called FYP (For You Page) where the algorithm works it’s magic and places videos that it assumes will interest you. Here, you can hashtag #fyf in an effort to make it on someone else’s FYP.
Drive Traffic to Your Blog
After doing some research, it’s become clear that not everyone has the option to place hyperlinks in their bio. A few theories across the internet suggest that you must have at least 1,000 followers before you have access to that feature. We’ll have to jump over that hurdle for now. Here’s what else we can try:
- Keep your bio updated with your other social medias
- Spell out your url in your video and your bio. It does not need to be a hyperlink
- If available, use a custom affiliate coupon code that tracks without a link
- If you do have access to the bio hyperlink, use a tool like Linktree, where you can showcase all of your links in one place for easy access
Hopefully this can aid you in using TikTok for your affiliate marketing ventures. It’s also essential to always remember the general social media guidelines when promoting products. A simple way to follow the FTC’s Disclosure rules is to add the hashtag #ad at the end of your posts’ captions. Have fun with it and best of luck ?
