Video advertising is on the rise. But not just any video content. We\u2019re talking \u201cfun,\u201d \u201cthinking out of the box\u201d kind of content. The point is that people like short trendy videos and companies are ready to pay big bucks for their ads to appear next to those, even for a few seconds. This is where TikTok comes in – a superb alternative that allows you to promote affiliate offers and connect with ultra-engaged users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Before going on with the essentials, we should evaluate TikTok and understand why it\u2019s such a popular platform. Digital consumers nowadays spend most of their free time on their mobile devices, along with a meager attention span. Videos<\/a> are a great medium to keep your audience engaged and increase conversions. Customers today prefer watching a two-minute video instead of reading a two-page long article. Social media has reduced the attention span of human beings. Pinterest<\/a> has lots of \u201cbuying\u201d traffic that\u2019s always shopping and researching products\u2014the perfect place for affiliate marketing. Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube cater to mainstream audiences, while TikTok has already proven to be the choice for users that seek micro-entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TikTok allows users to send short videos that are 15 to 60 seconds in length. In most cases, users share news about their day, fun content, and other video content types designed to entertain their followers. It\u2019s the perfect platform for content publishers that want to generate a profit from their viewers, if you think about it. But, developing a strategy for affiliate marketing on TikTok isn\u2019t easy, so you need to learn as much as you can about your audience and the techniques at your disposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first thing we have to deal with is the misperception that TikTok is a social media app \u201cjust for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So this isn\u2019t just a blip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Roughly 40% of the overall TikTok audience is between 16 and 24 years of age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This means the average affiliate marketer has a potential target audience of 300-ish million people to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of whom spend at least 50 minutes online per day watching videos on the app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that\u2019s when they\u2019re not uploading their own 15 \u2013 60 second videos for friends and other users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just remember that your affiliate offers\/niches need to appeal to this younger demographic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As in, you\u2019re probably not going to have much luck pitching retirement plans or home loans, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fashion, lifestyle, gadgets, and consumer products are what TikTok app users spend their disposable income on. And, of course, web hosting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now let\u2019s take a look at how you can use TikTok for affiliate marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TikTok affiliate marketing is when you upload videos to TikTok but with the end goal of monetizing your audience via affiliate links in your videos or on an external blog or social platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That all sounds pretty similar to affiliate marketing on any other social network, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what makes TikTok stand out from the crowd is how new it is \u2013 the app launched in 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Facebook has been around for almost 17 years now, and Twitter for 14 years. Even Snapchat is almost a decade old. Youngsters might usually use TikTok, but its popularity gathered a lot of adults too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most common and \u2013 to be fair \u2013 reasonable concerns about TikTok is that it is still behind other video-centered apps, like YouTube and Snapchat. But does it mean that it should be neglected?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s throw in some more numbers. As of 2018, more than 54% of users preferred video content over other marketing materials. Here, with its nearly 2 billion monthly active users (MAUs), YouTube is the king. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another statistic suggests that almost 65% of users only watch up to 90 seconds of video content thrown at them. The clear dominance of mobile traffic makes apps dedicated to short video content the best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s where Snapchat (301 million MAUs) comes in. In fact, TikTok should feel much more threatened by Snapchat than Youtube when it comes to direct competition. And yet, TikTok somehow manages to keep its little head high and proudly rise through the ratings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Can you make money on TikTok? The simple answer to that question is yes, but knowing the audience is crucial for success. TikTok has roughly 800 million monthly active users, making it one of the top 10 most popular social networks globally in terms of usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By November 2019, the video-based social media network had amassed 1.5 billion downloads, and most of the platform\u2019s uses were aged 24 and under. The majority of the platform\u2019s user base is in Asia, but it\u2019s also growing in popularity in the US, Europe, and South America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As far as country tiers go, About 22% of TikTok users are located in tier-3 countries, while tier-a and tier-2 make up about 44% of the platform\u2019s user base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before going over the steps on how to monetize TikTok traffic, it\u2019s important to understand the different nuances that influence your campaign\u2019s performance. Some of the elements you need to keep in mind include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although it\u2019s clearly a popular platform that some consumers absolutely adore, TikTok has shortcomings compared to YouTube and other social media channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, you can\u2019t upload videos longer than 60 seconds, which means that this network isn\u2019t ideal for promoting complex products that need to be covered more thoroughly. That said, TikTok also caters to consumers\u2019 preference for mobile, interactive content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most TikTok users are younger than 25, so it\u2019s safe to assume that these consumers have limited acquisitional power. For this reason, you should evaluate the verticals you\u2019re promoting, ensure that they have a high chance of engaging younger users, and make sure that these products are within budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many different ways to promote offers on TikTok, but paid ads offer an easy and effective alternative to reach relevant users. TikTok ads are still relatively affordable, and you can choose from 5 different formats, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for advertising costs, it\u2019s worth noting that TikTok isn\u2019t as competitive as other platforms. Before June 2020, the platform had strict regulations that only allowed a handful of companies to promote their services. Since then, the social network has opened up its marketing features and allowed marketers to launch their campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because it\u2019s still relatively exclusive, TikTok advertising costs are a bit higher than similar platforms. That said, the platform allows you to engage with hundreds of millions of users who haven\u2019t been bombarded with ads, increasing your chances of building a successful campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s worth noting that TikTok offers basic click and conversion tracking, but any respectable affiliate will need to implement a third-party tracker to monitor their ads\u2019 performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The good news is that TikTok connects with a huge variety of third-party tracking tools, including Appsfluer, Tune, AppMetrica, Kochava, Adjust, myTracker, and many others. Plus, if you\u2019re working with a provider that\u2019s not on their list of supported partners, contact the TikTok support team to learn more about your options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we\u2019ve discussed the platform\u2019s crucial features, it\u2019s time to go over the steps on how to make money on TikTok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The exact steps required for success are different for every affiliate, but the TikTok traffic monetization process requires a few additional steps compared to conventional affiliate ads. This is because TikTok doesn\u2019t allow the placement of direct affiliate links on your ads. You can still promote offers by sending users to a landing page containing your affiliate links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In essence, the TikTok monetization process takes place over three different stages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For starters, you need to implement a plan to rack up more followers consistently. To attract more users to your account, remember to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As with search engines, social networks are ruled by algorithms, and TikTok is no different. Posting frequency is one of the variables that the platform takes when determining how many people see your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Generally speaking, the more content you post, the better for your following. The good news is that it doesn\u2019t take much time to develop new TikTok content, thanks to the app\u2019s intuitive video designer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TikTok doesn\u2019t allow you to share images or text posts, but you can leave comments and interact with content that\u2019s relevant to the niche you\u2019re working with. As a matter of fact, interacting with relevant content is another great way to increase your own materials\u2019 reach, so don\u2019t be afraid to spend some time watching and leaving comments of your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you already have other social profiles you use for affiliate marketing, connect these to your TikTok to amplify your content\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you have a decent number of followers, it\u2019s time to start tracking down the right offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In case you don\u2019t have a specialty already, this is the best time to pick a niche. Just make sure to choose a vertical you\u2019re passionate about, whether it\u2019s sports accessories, makeup, or spiritual content. If you\u2019re actually passionate about the industry, researching and developing content will not be as tedious as working with verticals you\u2019re not interested in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Running ads on TikTok is expensive, so it\u2019s common to see tempting offers with high payouts. But, working with these can be a huge mistake unless you\u2019ve got the experience and resources to develop large-scale campaigns. In other words, make sure to stick to your expertise levels and work with programs that align with your current knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When choosing an offer, you have the option of working directly with an advertiser or joining a network. The main difference is that a network gives you access to multiple offers from various advertisers, giving you more control and flexibility in almost every sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, TikTok doesn\u2019t allow you to place affiliate offer links on your ads nor your content, so you need to capture contact information using a form on a landing page to generate leads. Depending on the type of offer, leads are nurtured until they complete the steps to become conversions or sent to advertisers for certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To collect information from as many users as possible, you have to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The quality of your content will directly impact your campaign\u2019s effectiveness, so make sure to invest resources into developing superb materials before posting. This will help increase engagement and ensure that your ads were developed with your final objectives in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consumers, especially those from younger demographics, love instant gratification. And, in these cases, simply providing a checklist or tips won\u2019t cut. Instead, you need to offer a discount code or a similar reward for users to provide their information in exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are dozens of variables within a single ad that can influence the performance of your content. Finding the best combination from the very beginning is next to impossible. You can always conduct extensive testing to find the ideal mix of creative and written elements based on results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, can TikTok be used for affiliate marketing? Partially, yes, but it should be one of many channels you leverage for your affiliate marketing business. Not just TikTok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no way to add affiliate links directly to your videos, leaving you to rely on a bridge\/landing page. That makes affiliate marketing there more difficult than it should be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And affiliate marketing doesn\u2019t need to be awkward or tough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TikTok is literally giving traffic away for free. You can redirect that traffic to any number of external platforms, like Instagram or your blog. TikTok is more of a traffic source than anything else. One that you can make use of right now while accepting that it won\u2019t be around forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s an interesting platform that\u2019s currently enjoying its moment in the sun, and you should take advantage of that as an affiliate marketer.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy TikTok?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Is TikTok Affiliate Marketing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
TikTok Vs. YouTube Vs. Snapchat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Analyzing TikTok Usage Statistics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What You Need to Know About TikTok Ads<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
TikTok vs. Other Video-Centric Social Media Channels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
TikTok User Demographics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Types of TikTok Ads<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Advertising Campaign Cost<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tracking and Optimization<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Use TikTok For Affiliate Marketing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Build Your Audience<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Post Regularly<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Interact with Content Relevant to Your Niche<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Connect Other Social Media Profiles to TikTok<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Select an Affiliate Program for TikTok<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Choose a Niche You\u2019re Passionate About<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Stick to Your Expertise Level<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Work with Reliable Offer Sources<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Capture Contact Information with Lead Magnets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Develop Quality Content<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Provide Instant Gratification<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Test Out Different Variables<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Should You Start Doing Affiliate Marketing On TikTok?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n