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Since its launch in 2017, TikTok has taken the internet by storm with over 1.5 Billion downloads. It all started as an average video-sharing app in China, however, after merging with Musical.ly in 2018 it grew into the empire it is today. The promising future of TikTok lies in the interactive, collaborative, and addictive nature of the app. If you are new to TikTok, here is what you can expect: lip syncs of popular songs, memes, video challenges, karaoke clips, comedic skits, and dance numbers that will entertain you for hours. Given the success of the app, marketers have started to see the potential this social media platform possesses for social media influencers. With such a diverse and widespread audience, marketers are beginning to realize this is the perfect app for marketing. Each video posted on TikTok has the opportunity to be viewed by millions of active TikTok users. This is because TikTok’s algorithm is among the best this world has ever seen, providing every user with an equal opportunity to go viral. If you want to find a TikTok influencer but aren’t sure where to start, this blog is for you. In this blog, we will outline the steps of how to find TikTok influencers for your campaign!
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@mark_kagaoan_golf No I know where Michael Jackson got it from! #goingpro #MMMDrop #tiktokprom #fyp #featureme #foryoupage #golf #dad #dance
Step 1: Determine your niche
The first step of how to find TikTok influencers depends on what suits your brand! To begin, determine your brand’s niche. Are you a company selling products to photographers? If so, photography is your niche, therefore, you will need to look for TikTok’s top photography influencers. Once you determine your niche, you can find an influencer with ease.
@alex.stemp I asked this mother if I could do a Photoshoot with her daughter inside Neiman Marcus. Here’s how I did it!📸 #streetphotography #is #real @ssiimonne
Step 2: Find an influencer
Want to find the perfect TikTok influencer for you? Start by searching for videos and hashtags pertaining to your brand or niche. You know best who fits with your brand during your search for how to find TikTok influencers. When videos and TikTok users pertaining to your brand populate, keep an eye out for the highly followed users. Once you locate a few, take note of the hashtags they use, types of videos they post, etc. This will allow you to evaluate whether or not the influencers would be a good fit for your brand or not. For instance, if you are a brand in the food industry, you may want to find an influencer that posts videos pertaining to food, uses hashtags about food and cooking, and is well known for their success within their niche. Learn about TikTok’s top influencers.
@cookingwithshereen Who’s your MAC Mommy? #fyp #foryoupage #macncheese #macandcheese #quickrecipes #happyathome #cookingtips #recipe #tiktokcooking #keepingbusy #foodie
Step 3: How many followers does the influencer have?
You will find more success in campaigns with more popular TikTok users. To ensure your campaign is successful, pay close attention to the number of followers each influencer has. How to find TikTok influencers with a large following: look at other successful accounts. For instance, Charli D’amelio has over 55 million followers on TikTok. Every video she posts receives millions of views, creating a higher potential for visibility when it comes to marketing products on TikTok. Check out these TikTok stats to learn just how popular the app is becoming.
@charlidamelio EYELINER
Step 4: Assess how active the influencer is on TikTok
To assess how active the influencer is on TikTok, ask yourself the following questions…
- Do they have viral videos?
- Do they post frequently?
- Do they receive consistently high likes/views on videos they post?
These questions can help you navigate which influencers have the potential to maximize the success of your campaign.
@elliezeiler yeah my mom made me cut out the ending again… ahahah
Step 5: Do you think they are open to working with brands?
Do they have sponsored posts? Have they worked with brands before? Most TikTok influencers use the hashtag #ad when their post is sponsored, making it easy to answer the questions above. Searching #ad is an easy way to find sponsored posts and TikTok influencers. Influencers seeking brand deals will often put a business email in their bio, keep an eye out for that! Learn more about TikTok hashtags that will help you with how to find TikTok influencers and in planning your TikTok campaign.
@zachking When you get too caught up in the movie…🎥Watch Jumanji: The Next Level at home today! #ad
Step 6: Reach out!
Do not hesitate to reach out to influencers to question their willingness to work with your brand. Similar to other social media platforms, it is common for a company to reach out to a popular TikTok user and pay them a handsome amount of money for promoting their products or brand. Most TikTok users will have a business email in their bio to make contacting them easy. Whether you’re a brand trying to do it on your own, or looking to work with an agency who has the expertise and best practices, there are so many benefits to influencer marketing.
@dameliofamilyofficial Congrats @Dixiedamelio and Class of 2020! #TossYourCap w/ @TMobile to celebrate! 🎉 #Ad
♬ #TossYourCap w/ T-Mobile – “All I Do Is Win (feat. T-Pain)” – DJ Khaled
Step 7: Choose a campaign that suits both the brand and influencer
You have reached the final step of how to find TikTok influencers. Now that you have chosen an influencer, you are ready for a campaign. But where do you begin? Picking a campaign for your brand and influencer can be made simple by the following tips:
- Negotiate the terms and conditions with your influencer
- With your influencer, create a game plan
- Consider creating a hashtag for your campaign or brand
- Use a viral challenge or dance to increase visibility
- Allow your influencer to be creative, they are the experts!
Viral challenges are what create TikTok’s addictive and entertaining nature. TikTok users create trends, where they challenge themselves and others to dance routines, pranks, lip syncs, workouts, etc. Each challenge typically has a hashtag that TikTok users will post along with their challenge video in an effort to make their challenge video more visible, and potentially viral. For example, Jimmy Fallon’s #tumbleweedchallenge went viral on TikTok a few months ago. TikTok users all around the world posted videos of themselves dropping and rolling on the ground to some country music. The simple yet effective challenge amounted to over 10.4 million engagements! For brands, TikTok challenges are fun and engaging means of marketing. If a brand were to create a viral TikTok challenge, the engagements would significantly improve sales! Another example of a successful campaign is the EOS x Charli campaign on TikTok. In December of 2019, Charli D’amelio promoted EOS cosmetics in a series of video campaigns on TikTok through dancing. For more top TikTok trends of 2020, check out this blog!
