[Guest post] How to successfully market your brand on TikTok

You have to be patient to win followers! Generation Z does not use TikTok to track the brands it likes or ‘like’ posts as it does on other social networks.

Even if Ralph Lauren has over 375,000 views for its last three videos, the brand has an average of only 2,300 likes and is followed by 2,500 Tiktokers. This may not seem like much in this field, however, the number of subscribers on TikTok is not as important as it is on other networks. While a young brand quickly reaches 10,000 subscribers on Instagram, it is extremely difficult to reach the 1000 subscriber level on TikTok. What counts on TikTok is the video’s content, meaning retailers can no longer rely on their brand’s reputation to reach a wide audience… it’s imperative to go and get it.

TikTokers expect content that is real, light, funny, creative and above all, that is aimed at them! That’s because everyone is the star of this network! What makes TikTok so strong is that it highlights the importance of its users. As proof, the platform’s algorithm does not only highlight the most followed accounts or those that generate the most commitment. Everyone has the chance to appear on the home page, to see their video become viral, or to become the KOL (Key Opinion Leader) of tomorrow.

So, how can brands find their place on the platform?

The challenge is an essential passage getting started on TikTok. Challenges allow you to announce your arrival on the platform by getting the community involved, meaning they are the perfect way to attract users’ attention. A challenge is identifiable by its hashtag (#) and offers TikToks to post videos around a given theme or game. It can generate a reward, but it is most often followed for entertainment’s sake.

Challenges on TikTok are very effective in generating content around your brand, at a low cost and over several days. The content will be viewed by a potentially very large audience as it will reach all participants’ subscribers. Moreover, it will automatically obtain a certain legitimacy since, even if the challenge is proposed by the brand, the videos are produced by TikTokers for the TikTokers.

The famous shoe brand Crocs has perfectly mastered its entry on TikTok by launching the #ThousandDollarCrocs challenge, encouraging TikTokers to demonstrate how their Crocs would look if they were worth $1000 by customizing them. The challenge was a great success from the beginning with a slight natural drop in euphoria, but it persists in its success and does not seem to be running out of steam for the moment. A successful challenge for Crocs!

The #eyeslipsface challenge from the cosmetics brand Elf is also a continuous success.

Bear in mind that with challenges, it is still important not to neglect your own account and to ensure that you post content regularly. For a given challenge, it is essential to create videos to inspire and encourage TikTokers to follow the movement.

Large-scale production is not essential here, as the content must be reproducible by TikTokers. We recommend using the many effects and filters available on the platform and to always choose the same music so that the challenge is recognizable. In general, whether in your account videos or integrated ads, it is preferable to follow the aesthetic codes and trends of the network: choreography, transformations, fun and a hint of provocation.

Another way to create a buzz on TikTok is to work with an influencer to promote your brand. This system already works very well on Instagram and has a bright future ahead of it on TikTok. Just like TikTokers, influencers are also usually very young. They have grown up with social networks, know how to use them and understand how to deal with brands.

The French influencer @leaelui is the most followed on TikTok with almost 10 million subscribers at only 18 years old. Every video she posts becomes viral, every dance move she creates is then taken up by all her fans.

The partnership with the influencers on TikTok is not yet democratized in France, but it is already very successful in the United States and is proving very successful in China, where the KOLs are particularly important. They represent more than half of the content creators on the Douyin platform, the Chinese version of TikTok where in-app e-commerce is already developed. An influencer can, therefore, promote a product that the consumer can buy immediately. Stores on Douyin are usually associated with a Taobao account. In a very short time, the platform has become the preferred shopping channel for young adults. It is also preparing to generate very large numbers of transactions by 11th November.

Known as “11.11”, 11th November in China is the day when Chinese consumers spend the most money: 16.3 billion euros in 2018! Originally it was known as Single’s Day–while on Valentine’s Day, it’s advisable to offer a gift to your other half, for Single’s Day it is a matter of spoiling yourself! The Douyin network also benefits very strongly from “11.11”. In 2018, accounts with an e-shop sold up to 100,000 products, generating more than 25 million euros. Let’s see how Tiktok follows his older brother’s e-commerce path!