Tiktok upset the codes of digital marketing. Long perceived as a platform reserved for adolescents and light content, the social network has turned into a powerful lever for entrepreneurs and brands. With more than a billion active users worldwide and a unique algorithm promoting virality, Tiktok offers a rare opportunity: touching a massive audience without spending a penny in advertising. But how to use this platform to effectively sell its products or services without using for sponsored campaigns?
Understanding algorithm: the nerve of war
The success on Tiktok is based on the understanding of his algorithm. Unlike other platforms, Tiktok does not favor accounts with a large base of subscribers, but highlights the content capable of capturing attention quickly. Each video is tested on a small sample of users: if it arouses a strong commitment (likes, comments, sharing, viewing time), it is then broadcast to a wider audience.
Entrepreneurs who succeed on Tiktok therefore know how to optimize their videos to maximize commitment from the first seconds. This involves impactful intros, short and dynamic formats, and direct interaction with the public. The French startup breathes, specializing in natural cosmetics, has been able to capitalize on this format by telling its story and showing behind the scenes of its manufacture, generating millions of views without advertising.
Make on authenticity and storytelling
Tiktok is not a classic advertising showcase: too smooth or too promotional videos are struggling to work. The audience of the platform is looking for authenticity and entertainment above all. To sell without advertising, it is therefore necessary to adopt a more human and immersive approach.
The successful brands are those that tell a story and share their daily lives. The creator of the French jewelry brand Lou.yetu has captivated her audience by showing behind the scenes of production, sharing her inspirations and involving her community in her design decisions. Result: accumulated loyalty and exponential organic visibility.
The “before/after” formats, the challenges involving users or customer testimonies work particularly well. The French Asphalt clothing brand has managed to use Tiktok to explain its concept of production on demand and encourage Internet users to vote for their favorite designs. A strategy that has made it possible to hire the community while generating traffic towards its site, without investing in advertising.
Exploit trends and viral challenges
Tiktok is a platform where trends are evolving at dazzling speed. Knowing how to spot them and exploit them at the right time is essential to maximize your visibility. Participating in a viral challenge, using fashionable music or adapting its content to the codes of the moment makes it possible to increase your chances of being put forward by the algorithm.
Many French brands have successfully used this strategy. Big Mustache, a startup specializing in shaving products, has taken advantage of a humorous trend by subtly integrating its products into funny and engaging videos. Result: thousands of shares and a significant increase in its audience.
Entrepreneurs must remain on the lookout for new trends and quickly adapt their content. Tiktok offers a section dedicated to trends where it is possible to identify the hashtags, music and formats that work best at a given moment.
Transform your subscribers into customers thanks to the natural CTA
One of Tiktok’s challenges is to convert an audience to buyers without going through advertisements. Unlike Instagram or Facebook, the platform limits external links, which obliges entrepreneurs to show creativity to generate sales.
The natural call-to-action (CTA) is the key: rather than encouraging the purchase directly, it is a question of creating engaging content which pushes the user to want to know more. An effective technique is to generate suspense by promising a series of a video, thus encouraging Internet users to follow the account or to go to the website.
Some brands also use comments to subtly redirect to their shop. The French Typology care brand regularly answers users’ questions by orienting them towards its products, thus creating an organic interaction which replaces traditional advertising.
Live Shopping: a powerful alternative to advertising
Tiktok has introduced a functionality that transforms the way to sell online: live shopping. Inspired by the tele -recipient, this format allows entrepreneurs to present their products live, to interact with their community and to answer questions in real time.
In France, some startups like Kamingadget, specializing in high-tech accessories, have generated record sales thanks to these live sessions, without ever investing in paid advertising. Live Shopping allows you to create an authentic connection with your audience and accelerate conversion by offering promotions limited over time.
Build a community to perpetuate its visibility
Unlike other social networks where the purchase of advertising can include a lack of commitment, Tiktok is fully based on interaction with the audience. Entrepreneurs must therefore focus on building a faithful community that will spontaneously relay their content.
Responding to comments, creating recurring formats, organizing competition games and collaborating with other content creators are all strategies that maintain commitment. Cabaïa, a French brand of bags and accessories, has been able to capitalize on its community by encouraging its customers to post videos of their products in real situations. This type of content generated by users (UGC) is particularly powerful on Tiktok, because it strengthens the credibility of a brand without advertising investment.
