How to Build a TikTok Shop Affiliate Marketing Strategy in 6 Steps

TikTok has taken the social media world by storm. And now, it’s doing the same for the ecommerce industry with TikTok Shop. 

But how does TikTok Shop affiliate marketing work for ecommerce stores?

Simply put, it connects brands with content creators who will promote your products through engaging videos to get you more views plus sales. And whenever a viewer buys using their unique link or code, the creator gets a commission. 

It solves a major challenge for ecommerce brands—finding an effective strategy without sky-high customer acquisition costs.

While traditional marketing methods like ads can drain your budget, TikTok Shop affiliate marketing keeps your wallet happy.

In this guide, we'll walk you through six simple steps to build your very own TikTok Shop affiliate marketing strategy. Let's jump right in!

Why should ecommerce brands run an affiliate marketing program on TikTok? 

Running an affiliate marketing program on TikTok offers ecommerce brands an opportunity to tap into one of the most diverse social media platforms. Here are some compelling reasons why TikTok should be a key part of your affiliate marketing strategy:

• TikTok boasts over 1.5 billion monthly active users. Plus, its smart algorithm connects you with users who are most likely to be interested in your products.
• With an average engagement rate of 2.65%, the TikTok app leads all social media platforms. Your brand gets seen, shared, and talked about.
• TikTok provides detailed insights into your affiliate campaigns. You'll know exactly how to optimize your strategy.
• 55% of TikTok users have made impulse purchases on the platform. This presents a golden opportunity to boost your TikTok sales conversion.

These reasons make TikTok a powerhouse for affiliate marketing.

6 steps to build a TikTok shop affiliate marketing strategy 

Step 1: Define your goals (and pick the perfect plan!)

First things first, let’s focus on what you want to achieve with your TikTok Shop affiliate marketing. Are you aiming to:

• Boost your brand awareness?
• Drive more traffic to your ecommerce store?
• Increase your sales?
• Or maybe all of the above?

Whatever your goals, jot them down! Having a clear target will help you stay focused and measure your success.

Now, let's talk about TikTok Shop plans. These help you in achieving your goals:

1. Shop plan: A one-size-fits-all option with a single commission rate for all your products. Ideal for keeping things simple and hassle-free.
2. Open plan: With this plan, you can create specialized commission structures for specific products, while allowing all creators to promote them.
3. Targeted plan: This allows you to handpick creators to promote selected products. Perfect for running exclusive campaigns or working with niche TikTok influencers for ecommerce.

Tip ⛄: Don't hesitate to start with one plan and switch it up later. As you learn more about what works for your brand, you can always adjust your strategy.

Step 2: Narrow down your target audience

Now that you have your goals, it's time to identify your TikTok audience. Who's most likely to love your products? Teens? Busy parents? Or fitness enthusiasts?

Here are a few things you can do to find your ICP on TikTok:

• Analyze current customers and look at who's already buying. What do they have in common? 
• Based on that, picture your ideal customer. What do they like? What challenges do they face? How is your product solving that problem? Where are they from? 
• Once you have a good idea about them, check out popular trends and hashtags to understand what engages them. For instance, if you're targeting fitness enthusiasts, you might want to follow hashtags such as - #fitness, #homeworkout, etc, and take a close look at the kind of content they're posting or engaging with.

The more specific you can be about your target audience, the more effective your TikTok shop affiliate marketing strategy will be.

Step 3: Identify the right affiliates

Finding the right affiliates for your TikTok marketing strategy is like choosing the best players for your team.

When searching for affiliates, consider these key criteria:

1. Niche fit: Look for creators whose content aligns with your brand and products.
2. Engagement rate: High engagement often matters more than follower count.
3. Content quality: Their videos should be creative, authentic, and well-produced.
4. Audience demographics: Their followers should match your target customer profile as per the age group, location, gender (if needed), and more.
5. Brand values: Choose affiliates who share your brand's values and ethos.

Bonus tip ⛄: Don't overlook micro-influencers. They often have more engaged audiences and can be more cost-effective for your campaign.

Step 4: Negotiate terms and conditions

Once you've identified potential affiliates, it's time to provide clear, fair terms and conditions.

Here are key points to cover:

• Commission structure: Decide on a fair percentage or flat rate for each sale. Consider offering tiered commissions to incentivize higher performance.
• Payment terms: Clarify when and how affiliates will be paid. Will it be monthly? After a certain sales threshold?
• Content guidelines: Outline what type of content you expect. This helps maintain brand consistency while allowing creative freedom.
• Exclusivity: Decide if you want exclusivity or if affiliates can work with competing brands.
• Duration: Set a timeframe for the partnership. This allows both parties to reassess and adjust as needed.
• Performance expectations: Establish clear KPIs. What constitutes success for both you and the affiliate?

Remember, transparency is key. Clear terms prevent misunderstandings and set the stage for productive, long-lasting influencer partnerships.

Step 5: Equip your affiliates with the right resources

Set your affiliates up for success by providing essential tools and information. This helps them create compelling content that aligns with your brand and resonates with their audience.

Key resources to provide:

• Product information: Share details about features, benefits, and unique selling points.
• Brand guidelines: Offer clear guidance on tone, style, and messaging.
• Content ideas: Suggest themes, hashtags, or calls to action that have worked well.
• Visual assets: Supply high-quality images or videos for use in their content.
• Communication channels: Establish open lines for questions and feedback.

Bonus tip: Incorporate user-generated content to increase interaction and engagement with your material.

Step 6: Choose the right affiliate marketing tool

As your TikTok Shop affiliate program grows, managing it manually can quickly become overwhelming. 

A good affiliate marketing tool for TikTok streamlines operations improves tracking, and enhances overall performance.

When selecting an affiliate marketing tool, consider these key features:

• Seamless integration: Works smoothly with TikTok Shop and your ecommerce platform.
• Real-time analytics: Offers detailed data on performance and ROI.
• Customizable commissions: Allows flexible commission rates.
• Reliable payment system: Provides secure, automated payments.
• Safe links: Generates unique, single-use discount codes to prevent coupon abuse.

Remember, the right tool should align with your specific needs and goals. 

3 Best TikTok Shop Affiliate Marketing Programs

1. Sweet Dreams

Sweet Dreams, a brand selling sleep supplements, watched its profits shrink as ad costs soared. They needed a fresh way to reach customers without breaking the bank. 

Here's how Sweet Dreams turned things around:

• They built a squad of content creators experienced in the ecommerce space. And with Social Snowball onboarding these affiliates was a breeze, saving Sweet Dreams countless hours of admin work.
• They automated all the day-to-day operations with Social Snowball and freed up their team's bandwidth to focus on strategy instead of spreadsheets.
• Social Snowball's analytics helped Sweet Dreams track which creators were bringing in the bacon. This meant they could double down on what was working and cut what wasn't.
• They didn't just throw content at the wall to see what stuck. Sweet Dreams set up their top performers on retainer, ensuring a steady stream of high-quality, brand-aligned content.

The results:

• 25% of their total revenue now comes from creators.
• Their cost per acquisition dropped by 40% compared to Facebook ads.
• They're seeing a whopping 9x ROI on their creator program.
• In just five months, they added $300,000 in extra revenue.

2. SooSlick

SooSlick, a shapewear brand, identified that launching a Tiktok Shop affiliate program can help them reach their target audience without being overly promotional. 

Here’s how SooSlick brought their vision into reality:

• They partnered with TikTok creators and encouraged them to create content that feels genuine and entertaining, and helps connect with a broader audience without being salesy.
• They uploaded their entire product catalog to TikTok Shop, giving creators more choices and allowing them to feature more products in their videos, which consequently increased their sales.

The results: 

• Over 200 million video views on TikTok, leading to viral brand exposure.
• $1 million in incremental sales within the first 30 days.
• Highest-ever sales volume, customer reach, and revenue.

3. Tabs Chocolate

Tabs Chocolate is a brand that sells sexual pleasure-boosting dark chocolates. Due to the market, they were facing a unique hurdle—their product wasn't permitted to be advertised on popular social media channels. With influencer marketing as their best shot at success, they needed a way to manage a massive group of creators efficiently and track their performance with room for zero errors.

Here's how they did that:

• They consolidated all their influencer programs under one roof, making it easier to organize and track campaigns.
• They signed up for Social Snowball to generate and manage one-time use discount codes at scale (also called Safelinks), which is crucial for tracking micro-influencer campaigns and avoiding any coupon code leaks.
• They set up a team of 100 micro-influencers in a Discord group, giving them access to Tabs' top-performing videos for inspiration.
• Tabs Chocolate used our bulk-payment feature to distribute payments on time to all their creators, saving tons of admin time and keeping their creators happy.

The results:

• 17% increase in influencer marketing revenue.
• 9.8x ROI on their influencer campaigns.
• Over 22M monthly views on creator content.
• 10+ hours saved weekly on admin work.

Conclusion

From setting clear goals and choosing the right plan to identify your target audience and selecting the perfect affiliates, you’ve got the blueprint for building a successful TikTok Shop affiliate marketing strategy.

Now, when it comes to managing everything, why go at it alone? Social Snowball simplifies the whole process. From recruiting affiliates to handling payouts, the platform takes care of the heavy lifting so you can focus on scaling your business.

Want to see how Social Snowball can streamline your TikTok Shop affiliate program? Book a demo and get started!

Frequently asked questions 

1. Why do brands use affiliate marketing as an acquisition channel?

Brands use affiliate marketing as an acquisition channel because it's cost-effective and low-risk. With affiliate marketing, brands only pay when a sale is made, which helps control marketing costs. It also allows brands to reach new audiences through trusted influencers, increasing brand awareness and credibility.

2. What are the two types of sellers on TikTok?

The two types of sellers on TikTok are:

1. Individual sellers: These are typically content creators or small businesses who sell products directly through their TikTok accounts.
2. Business sellers: These are established businesses, often with their own ecommerce platforms, who use TikTok Shop to expand their reach and sales channels.

3. What documents are required for business sellers' verification?

For business sellers verification on TikTok Shop, typically the following documents are required:

• Business registration certificate.
• Tax identification number.
• Government-issued ID of the business owner or an authorized representative.
• Proof of address (utility bill or bank statement).
• Bank account information for payments.

Please note that exact requirements may vary depending on the country and specific TikTok Shop policies. It's always best to check the most current TikTok Shop seller guidelines for the most accurate information.