Affiliate Marketing on TikTok – Is It Worth It?

Affiliate marketing on TikTok is quadrupling this very moment, as you read this post. 

TikTok is undeniably the “next big thing.” The app has grown in popularity in recent years. Despite difficulties with its ability to function in the United States, it appears to be here to stay. 

Moreover, affiliate marketing has risen in power and popularity lately, implying that clever marketers will be looking for ways to employ affiliate marketing on TikTok.

The intimate character of this social platform turns out to be great for increasing affiliate sales because it helps to create trust and authority. Using TikTok for product marketing is a definite method to increase your sales – if you approach it correctly.

In this essay, we’ll look at affiliate marketing and why TikTok is so effective at it. Then, we’ll look at four tactics for increasing affiliate sales on this video-sharing platform. So let’s get this party started!

What’s the big deal about TikTok?

Users can create and share videos on the TikTok platform. The app’s video makers upload amusing, interesting videos that make people laugh. TikTok had over 600 million unique app installs in 2019, making it one of the most popular apps at present.

TikTok began in China, where it quickly grew in popularity. In 2017, the app expanded beyond China’s borders. It currently has over a billion users (March 2020). Enough motivation to investigate TikTok’s marketing prospects!

What You Should Know About TikTok

Tik Tok is gaining traction, and more and more digital entrepreneurs, including affiliate marketers, are seeking ways to leverage it.

So, what exactly is TikTok, and why is it a good fit for business?

TikTok is a video-sharing platform that began in China in 2016. Users can utilize the platform to make short videos ranging from funny videos and memes to knowledge-sharing content. The app is on the increase, with over 800 million monthly active users (as of November 2020), making it the world’s sixth most popular app.

Here are some other TikTok facts that marketers should be aware of (according to Statista):

• As of April 2020, the total number of TikTok downloads had surpassed 2 billion.
• The app has captured the hearts and minds of teenagers all across the world, with more than 40% of its users aged 16 to 24.
• The number of adult Tiktok users is steadily increasing as well. From October 2017 to March 2019, the number of adult users increased from 2.6 million to 14.3 million.
• TikTok users spend more than 50 minutes each day on the app on average, and more than 90 percent of them use the app more than once every day.

TikTok’s audience makeup heavily influences which affiliate marketing niches are popular on the platform. According to Statista, the following niches are now thriving on the platform:

• Entertainment 
• Dancing
• Pranks
• Fitness/Sports
• Home reno/DIY
• Beauty/Skincare
• Fashion
• Cooking/Baking
• Life hacks/ Advice
• Pets
• Outdoors

TikTok, on the other hand, maybe used for business by practically any company in any niche. The goal is to use the platform to establish relationships with your audience rather than to hard-sell to them. Therefore, you must generate content that will resonate with your fans and add value to their lives.

Here are some examples of content that are likely to resonate with TikTok users and get a lot of attention:

• Memes
• Educational content. (TikTok is now putting in a lot of effort to promote the #LearnOnTikTok campaign in order to combat the impacts of the Covid19 pandemic and facilitate learning).
• Videos commemorating a special moment
• Cooking Instructions
• Quick hints or life hacks
• Content from behind the scenes
• Ideas for decoration
• Tutorials on beauty and fashion
• Social media challenges.

Why should you consider TikTok for affiliate marketing?

TikTok is as near to a perfect affiliate marketing platform as you’re going to find. As previously stated, it is immensely popular, with as many as 80 million active users. In the United States alone. Because of the enormous user base, your content could potentially be viewed and shared by a big and diverse audience.

TikTok’s short video format allows you to demonstrate products in real-time, or at the very least, visually exhibit them. As a result, the short videos may have a greater impact on viewers than merely reading about them in a blog article or watching a longer YouTube video. That being said, you can also include your affiliate links in video descriptions (if you have a TikTok Business account) so that users have the same ease of access as they would in a written format.

Because TikTok’s short-form videos are loose and casual, you may create a large amount of content for a modest cost. You only need a smartphone and a minute of your time. You can absolutely make your setup and prep work more elaborate. A professional environment and equipment, on the other hand, are not required for a successful TikTok video.

When you know what to search for, you may find examples of affiliate marketing all over TikTok. Many content providers inadvertently include product mentions or showcases in their normal channels.

There are, however, channels designed specifically for affiliate marketing. 

If you’ve decided to incorporate TikTok into your affiliate marketing strategy, the next step is determining where to begin. Let’s take a look at four-pointers for making the most of this platform.

1. Select your affiliate marketing products with caution.

Although TikTok has a diverse user base with a wide range of hobbies and lifestyles, the overall population is young. In fact, more than 60% of users are under the age of 30 — and half of those users are under the age of 20. Therefore, it’s a good idea to keep these age groups in mind when determining which products to promote.

We recommend sticking to products that appeal to Millennials and Generation Z for the best outcomes. Consider that these users are less likely to have a substantial amount of disposable income.

Because college students make up a sizable section of the audience, cost-conscious products may be worthwhile. On the other hand, setting your expectations for a bigger number of little sales may also work nicely.

2. Concentrate on building a solid TikTok channel.

The majority of affiliate marketing is a numbers game. It is critical to developing compelling content and offer products in an appealing manner. However, sales are frequently determined by the number of impressions your videos receive. The more people who view them, the greater chances you have of converting them.

It’s a good idea to focus on channel building to achieve the views needed for an effective affiliate marketing campaign. We advise you to:

• Keeping up with and capitalizing on emerging trends
• Using hashtags correctly
• Taking advantage of viral content to get traction

Encourage engagement on your videos and communicate with your followers and viewers whenever feasible. As your account grows in popularity, it will rise in TikTok’s algorithm rankings, allowing you to reach a wider audience.

TikTok’s live-streaming functionality is also great for building a fan base. Of course, to allow live streaming on your account, you must have a certain amount of followers. However, once you’ve reached that point, going live is an efficient approach to communicate directly with your followers.

3. Work the product naturally into your videos.

If you spend any time on TikTok, you’ll notice that many content creators include commercial products in their videos. Creators frequently place the objects prominently and, at times, do not openly acknowledge them. Instead, they are merely in the video’s frame.

Because the placement is designed to be organic and discreet, new TikTok users may not notice them immediately away. However, as time passes, it becomes more common to see specific companies and products appear on a regular basis in videos from a variety of creators.

The water bottle is frequently seen in completely unrelated videos, sitting unassumingly on a desk or piece of furniture in the backdrop. It is rarely if ever, acknowledged by name.

However, after seeing it several times, the product may catch your interest enough to make you want to learn more about it (or perhaps even buy one). This method can be beneficial if your content does not lend itself nicely to more conventional affiliate marketing.

4. Consider paying for TikTok ads.

TikTok, like most social sites, allows users to pay for promoted content. Therefore, a fixed amount of impressions are guaranteed with promoted content. While these impressions do not guarantee the desired results (more sales), they certainly raise the chances.

TikTok provides various sorts of promoted content, including in-feed ads, branded hashtag challenges, and ‘Branded Takeovers.’ The latter are ads that appear as soon as users launch the app. Prices can vary greatly depending on the type you select.

TikTok, in fact, is one of the most expensive social sites to advertise on. While the company does not publicly publish rates for most ad kinds, we know that regular in-feed ads require a minimum expenditure of $50 per campaign and $20 for each ad group. The more complicated varieties, such as Brand Takeovers, are, however, far more expensive.

In actuality, the high price point implies that most affiliate marketers and smaller firms will stick to simple in-feed ads — which is perfectly great. However, standard ads are a wonderful way to expand your reach and get additional impressions for your content.

TikTok Ad Formats

Many people see TikTok as an ideal platform for the next generation of influencers to build their network before transitioning to more developed platforms. While this is correct, the app’s capabilities are not restricted to follower mining.

In general, TikTok advertising falls under the category of “Advertisement,” as the product owner’s objective is to match the ad to the general feed of the target audience. Fortunately, robust tracking makes this not only practicable but also rather simple.

The primary challenge here is deciding on the type of ad in which to invest.

TikTok has 5 major ad types:

• Native advertising is used in the form of in-feed videos. Each ad pretends to be an important part of the overall feed. It’s easy to navigate, it’s not too bothersome, and it’s quite straightforward to track performance.
• The brand takeover is a full-screen immersive ad that is undoubtedly the most disruptive sort of TikTok ad. It is typically displayed within the initial few seconds of starting the app and, unlike the rest of the ads, maybe a basic image, an animated gif, or a video.
• TopView can be thought of as a cross between a brand takeover and an in-feed video. These ads appear as soon as the app is started, yet they blend in with the user’s feed. As opposed to in-feed videos, the top view takes up the entire screen, allowing the viewer to focus solely on the promoted content. There are no distractions.
• Branded lenses and effects are another technique to increase product brand recognition. Larger brands invest in the creation of customized brand-related lenses and effects that users can use to create their own creative yet branded content.
• The hashtag challenge is essentially UGC at its finest. The brand must create a video with a unique aspect (e.g., dance or audio), tag it with a branded hashtag, pay a sponsor or directly to the TikTok marketing team, and then sit back and watch people go crazy creating variants of the original.
• This past year’s #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt hashtag, which was relevant to campaigns ranging from American Eagle to Ocean Spray juice, was a prime example of this.

Affiliate Marketing on TikTok: Pros and Cons

TikTok may be a goldmine for practically any business, including your affiliate endeavor. However, the app, like every social media platform, offers pros and disadvantages for affiliate marketing.

Pros

• TikTok content is simple to create.
• The platform has a large and rapidly rising international audience, so it has a lot of money-making potentials.
• TikTok focuses on video content, which has been shown to be the most popular and effective type of content for any type of marketing.
• TikTok is wonderful for collecting user-generated content.
• Because of the hashtags features, the platform makes it simple to reach your target audience and increase engagement.
• The platform is still gaining traction, and competition is limited. Make sure you get in before it becomes too crowded.

Cons

• TikTok advertisements can be pretty expensive.
• TikTok videos cannot contain clickable links because the platform does not support them.
• Not all TikTok accounts have the option of including a link in their bio.
• TikTok is dominated by young people aged 16 to 24. As a result, if you are targeting older demographics, you may squander time and money.

Conclusion – How to Use TikTok to Promote Affiliate Programs

TikTok offers a plethora of revenue-generating alternatives for affiliate marketers. So, if you want to win big on the platform and unlock its monetization potential, start early and follow the latest trends. Of course, you should also promote your affiliate offers on TikTok using both organic and sponsored content. However, the trick is to create a creative and engaging strategy for affiliate marketing that will resonate with the TikTok audience and deliver you long-term business benefits

Last Updated on May 24, 2023