Jana Weinstein is the Director of Social Commerce at Blue Wheel, an omnichannel marketing and operational agency. As a sales leader, she specializes in TikTok Shop, business development, go-to-market strategies, and creator and affiliate marketing. Before Blue Wheel, Jana was the Director of Partnerships for TikTok Shop at Pattern® and managed TikTok Shop partnerships at TikTok.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [3:47] Jana Weinstein talks about the TikTok ban and its impact on creators and businesses
• [6:56] The challenges of capitalizing on emerging social commerce
• [11:17] How to launch products and build a presence on TikTok Shop
• [17:30] AI and tech tools for launching and managing brands on TikTok Shop
• [21:50] Partnering with agencies to scale on TikTok Shop
• [28:12] The investment and pricing strategies required to launch on TikTok Shop
• [33:08] Advice for breaking into social commerce

In this episode…

TikTok's role in social commerce has rapidly evolved, presenting both opportunities and challenges for brands. Recent uncertainties, including a Supreme Court ruling on a potential ban, have raised questions about the platform's future. Despite these challenges, TikTok's innovative approach to engaging content has made it a dominant player in the space. How can brands leverage TikTok Shop to boost revenue?

Social commerce expert Jana Weinstein emphasizes the importance of long-term strategies over short-term gains. Large enterprises often struggle to adapt to TikTok’s fast-paced environment due to complex approval processes, while smaller brands excel by responding to trends quickly. Jana highlights the need for personalized approaches, from testing various products with creators to aligning promotional tactics with TikTok’s unique ecosystem. She also warns against relying on heavy discounts, instead encouraging brands to focus on creating engaging content and exclusive offerings to sustain growth.

In this week’s episode of The Digital Deep Dive, Aaron Conant chats with Jana Weinstein, Director of Social Commerce at Blue Wheel, about TikTok's impact on social commerce. Jana shares insights from her experience launching TikTok Shop in the US, the role of AI in scaling content, and the platform’s influence on competitors like YouTube and Meta.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Aaron Conant on LinkedIn   
• BWG Connect  
• Jana Weinstein on LinkedIn
• Blue Wheel

Quotable Moments:

• "Social commerce is definitely the wave of the future and something that brands really need to lean into."
• "The platform is growing so quickly, and things are changing. We shift our strategies, and, sometimes, it's dramatic."
• "If you're not going to truly lean into the social, then social commerce isn't the right space."
• "Brands have to be ready for what's next. You have to continue to build on that momentum."
• "It's our job as the agency to be the social commerce expert and own that for the brand."

Action Steps:

1. Embrace creator collaborations: Partnering with creators is essential for brands entering social commerce platforms like TikTok. Creators are crucial for reaching and engaging with a broad audience, and their endorsement can significantly increase brand visibility and sales.
2. Leverage campaign periods: Participate in high-value campaign periods offered by social platforms, such as TikTok's tentpole events. These moments bring increased attention and boost awareness and sales without resorting to deep discounts.
3. Focus on consistent content creation: Regularly posting engaging content is necessary to remain relevant on platforms like TikTok. Consistency helps in maintaining audience interest and leveraging the platform's algorithm to increase visibility.
4. Understand and adapt to market trends: Stay informed about trending content and consumer preferences on social platforms. Reacting quickly to these trends enables brands to maintain relevance and capitalize on viral opportunities.
5. Test and learn with product offerings: Use social platforms to experiment with various products and identify which resonates best with audiences. This approach allows brands to refine offerings based on direct consumer feedback and preferences.

About BWG Connect...

BWG Connect provides executive strategy and networking sessions that help brands from any industry with their overall business planning and execution. We network and knowledge share together to better understand and adapt to the newest trends, strategies, and pain points shaping growth in the digital space. BWG Connect, in conjunction with BWG Strategy, has built an exclusive network of 125,000+ senior professionals and hosts over 2,000 virtual and in-person networking events on an annual basis.

In addition, we have had 1x1 conversations with over 5,000 brands and have a real-time pulse on what digital strategies are successful and why. This in-depth knowledge allows our team to operate on the cutting-edge and provide our clients with best-in-class guidance on how to win in the digital world. We have provided free consultations and strategy sessions for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to Fortune-100, to enable growth, resolve issues and make curated service provider introductions that can impact your digital footprint.

We have held to the philosophy of providing high-level insights and actionable knowledge with no sales pitches in order to provide to our network the ability to listen, learn and act to improve themselves as well as their organizations. Our ultimate goal is to be the resource out there to help digital executives find the research they need to excel in the modern marketplace.

If you are interested in getting involved with any of our current or past events, you can find them here. If you are looking for help & would like to set up some time to chat with our team, you can schedule a time or reach out directly to Aaron@bwgconnect.com or Tiffany@bwgconnect.com.