TikTok’s user base has grown massively since its inception, and the trend is only expected to continue. Notably, it’s primarily younger demographic has significant potential for brands: Gen-Z users make up roughly 40% of TikTok’s audience. Their combined purchasing power? A whopping $143 million.
With this comes a huge opportunity to to gain exposure to consumers by using novel brand strategies on TikTok. On the platform, content is the king and ads can be shown more naturally, without interrupting viewers’ experience. This represents a big advantage in a world where traditional, aggressive marketing models no longer work. As evidence of this, TikTok is now the second-largest app in consumer spending globally.
How can you capitalize on this opportunity for your own brand? Here are several consumer brand strategies on TikTok from the top consumer brands, which you can leverage in your own campaigns.
Strategy #1. Consumers showcasing/reviewing the product
Product reviews are an effective way to demonstrate a product’s ease of use, tell a story around the brand or simply have fun with it. “Unboxing”-type videos are very common on YouTube, but the shorter format of TikTok creates more punchy, creative content that draws viewers in without aggressively selling the product.
Examples
Why this works
The videos provide fun and entertainment to viewers, whilst promoting a product. Viewers love this type of content because that’s why most of them are on the platform: to be entertained first and foremost, not directly sold to. When they see the product being tried out and commented on by another consumer, social proof kicks in — a powerful driver of purchase intent. Balanced videos with both pros and cons appear more genuine and are more likely to resonate with viewers – just what you needed from brand strategies on TikTok.
Strategy #2. Top influencers using the product
Talk is cheap; actions are louder than words. Having their product used by mega-influencers is a way for brands to gain exposure to a larger following.
Examples
Why this works
Mega-influencers with followings in the million+ range bring huge social proof. This kind of peer influence encourages others to follow suit. Followers will have built rapport with these influencers over time, and trust them as a result. Followers of top influencers likely admire them and are open to the idea of using the same products as they are. Buying the product then feels much more natural — like buying off of a recommendation from a friend — than traditional advertising methods.
Strategy #3. Celebrity founder promoting the product
Getting an influential founder to promote their own brand’s product is also a smart way to engage TikTok’s audience. According to TikTok data, over a third of top-performing ads on the platform are based on someone directly talking to viewers. That’s because ads, where the influencer is addressing the viewer, have the highest view-through rates. Presenting a product in this kind of brand strategy on TikTok is an authentic way to engage.
Examples
- Kylie Skin (cosmetics and skincare)
- Kylie Cosmetics (cosmetics and skincare)
Why this works
Having a brand founder talk about why and how they built a product is highly engaging for viewers. They get to hear the backstory behind the product, straight from the horse’s mouth. This can be particularly powerful in the run-up to new product launches.
This strategy is also an effective way for the founder to build a relationship with viewers who appreciate their brand. This relationship can be nurtured over time.
Strategy #4. Providing domain expertise
Domain expertise simply means viewers recognize your brand as an authority in its field.
It usually comes from demonstrating technical know-how about the products and their applications.
Examples
- We’re Not Really Strangers (card games)
- Homesick (candles)
Why this works
Showcasing expertise about your domain area is a clever way to build credibility. When viewers associate your brand with credibility and domain authority, they’re more likely to trust its products — and therefore, to consider buying.
In the first example, the product is placed at the heart of consumers’ lives. The video creates a sense of playfulness that viewers will associate the brand with, driving purchase intent.
Strategy #5. Soothing/ASMR content
OK, this one’s a little weird, but hey, it seems to work.
ASMR, or Autonomous sensory meridian response, uses soothing sounds, low tones and whispers to relax the listener.
The effect? A tingling sensation running through the spine and back, apparently.
Examples
- Glossier (cosmetics/skincare)
- Florence By Mills (cosmetics/skincare)
Why this works
Sounds and tones can be used to trigger specific emotions in the listener, who will then associate this sensation with the brand or product. Research has shown that sound has “the ability to influence consumers in either a subconscious or a conscious way…ultimately influencing their buying decisions and behavior in either a positive or a negative way.” Sound can not only drive purchase decisions and brand awareness but also strengthen a brand’s uniqueness in consumers’ minds. Specific sound effects, voices and jingles can be used to make your brand more memorable — leading to a higher recall. According to several studies:
“Music and voice that are aligned with the brand persona generate more favorable responses and increase memorability.”
Additionally, congruent sound and video have been proven to increase the emotional impact of visual communication by as much as 1207%. This may be why lip-syncing videos are so popular on TikTok.
Strategy #6. High-Production Value Videos
Videos with higher-quality content are another powerful way to gain viewership. In a longer format, brands use them to build awareness through story-telling around their products and unique identity.
Examples
- Black Rifle Coffee (beverages)
Why this works
High-production videos create a different kind of experience for viewers: they go much more in-depth and immerse than shorter, lower quality clips. Such content adds theatre around the brand and is great for telling stories. In some cases, the product doesn’t even have to be physically present.
In the example above, the story doesn’t show the product but purely provides entertainment value (which remains the main reason for using TikTok in 2021). Indirect selling based on entertainment value is one of the powerful brand strategies on TikTok. Polished content with larger budgets can do this with a professional feel that short amateurish skits simply can’t replicate. This could be a way for your brand to stand out from the crowd.
Wrapping up brand strategies on TikTok
TikTok is the platform you want to be on to engage existing and potential consumers in new ways.
To tap into the platform’s full potential, you can use any of the following brand strategies on TikTok when planning your next campaign:
- Have existing consumers review and showcase the product
- Work with mega-influencers to reach a wider audience
- Have a founder with an established social media presence talk to viewers about their brand
- Produce content that conveys your brand’s domain expertise
- Use specific sounds to drive positive brand associations and higher recall
- Produce longer-length, higher-quality videos for powerful storytelling viewers will love
TIKTAL is an influencer agency that specializes in connecting TikTok influencers with top brands worldwide. Take the hassle out of finding the right influencers to promote your brand by working with us. Find out more here.