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With TikTok still reigning supreme as one of the most popular digital platforms out there with over 1 billion active users, there’s no reason why brands shouldn’t be utilizing influencer marketing on TikTok.
Gone are the days of brands buying a billboard to promote products. Nowadays, brands are focusing on the trending influencers of the day and paying them to showcase and sell the products to their followers.
Influencer Marketing on TikTok
Since the launch of TikTok in 2016, the platform has exploded in popularity, making it the most popular social media site for teens and young adults. As a result of the platform’s boom, influencer marketing on TikTok has dominated for a number of reasons like tracking ad performance metrics, creating your own community, and targeting younger demographics.
One reason that influencer marketing is so successful on this platform is because of the authentic connections viewers create when an influencer promotes a brand. The videos are more relatable to your audience, rather than just an ad with a simple picture (and no soul or feeling).
The algorithm on TikTok’s for-you-page, and its ability to reach more users, is another reason influencer marketing is successful on this app. A user doesn’t have to already follow an influencer in order to see a brand video they may have posted. Instead, if the brand targets a certain type of individual (ex: someone who loves fashion), the influencer’s video may just appear on their for-you-page.
Best Practices for Influencer Marketing on TikTok
So, how can your brand make the best out of influencer marketing on TikTok? Read on to learn more.
1. Utilizing Authenticity Within the Campaign
The facts show that users love when they feel close or can relate to the person they are watching. When a follower feels like they can relate to an influencer or video, then they are more likely to be influenced by what that person buys or says. On the flip side, when a video or influencer feels way too out of touch, then followers are more likely to be turned off by the campaign and influenced in the opposite direction for the products they may be promoting.
For example, when the brand Eos utilized authenticity promoted influencer marketing ads on TikTok, their number of sales and site traffic skyrocketed. In one of their campaigns, they had Carly Joy, a fitness influencer, do a tutorial on how to shave “bump free” with Eos shaving cream. Not only did the audience relate to the influencer, they even got to feel like they were a part of her routine by purchasing shaving cream from the partnered release.
@killljoyy #sponsored #ad i’m back w/ more @eos shaving content and showing how i do #eosvagnastics ♬ original sound – killjoy
Trust is another super important aspect of authenticity that is important to keep in mind when conducting influencer marketing. Trust drives sales. So when looking for influencers to be a part of a campaign, make sure they have credibility and trust from their followers.
Read more about the emphasis on authenticity in the influencer spacehere.
2. Finding the Right Influencers
The user demographics on TikTok range from 10 years old all the way to people over 50, but over 60% of TikTok users are Gen Z, according to Wallaroo. Luckily, the TikTok algorithm does a pretty good job of placing videos based on a user’s preference. However, the most successful influencer marketing campaigns understand their target consumer, so that they can pick the best influencer for their campaign.
The most strategic influencer marketing on TikTok targets influencers who are also going to want to use these products for themselves off-camera. These influencers need to fit in with the demographic of the brand’s target audience.
@chael.dot oH MY GOD I AM LITERALLY OBSESSED BRO IM NOT EVEN GETTING PAID TO MAKE THIS VID YALL NEED TO TRY THIS IT SMELLS AND GOES ON LIKE INNISFREE #LIPTINTS I USED TO LOVE!! IT LOOKS SO CUTE ON MY KEYCHAIN PLS GET UR GIRLS THIS #VALENTINESDAY IM FCKN CRYIN GG #koreanmakeup #DUPE #kajabeauty @kajabeauty #makeupfaves #fyp #makeup
Before searching for the best influencers to promote your brand, it’s first important to understand what you are selling and who you are selling to. Start by asking yourself a few questions:
- What demographic are you targeting?
- Where does your target audience live?
- How does your target audience communicate?
- What hobbies or interests does your target audience have?
All of these questions can help you determine not only your target consumer but also the type of influencers you want to connect with. Another way to narrow the right influencer down is to see if any of their posts relate to what issues your brand cares about.
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3. Let the Influencer Have a Say in the Product
Out of all the social media, TikTok prides itself on being an app that has the ability to create a higher level of connection between users on the app. Similar to how Vine grew successful, TikTok rides that success (and authenticity) from their short clips rather than photos.
Brands can create an even greater impact on their audience if they allow the influencer to have some say in the product they are promoting. This strategy can help create more of a connection between the brand and the influencer because it ties the influencer into the company and makes the consumer feel like the ad is more real.
In 2020, Dunkin’ Donuts partnered with Charli D’Amelio to help increase its brand awareness and target a younger audience. Charli D’Amelio is an 18-year-old teenage girl from Connecticut who rose to fame after posting dance videos to TikTok. She quickly gained a following and became one of the most famous influencers in the world. She currently has 149.7 million followers on TikTok, several brand name partnerships in her portfolio, and a docuseries with her family in the works.
In this DunkinXCharli partnership, Dunkin’ gave Charli her own drink called “the Charli” that fans could order at any of their locations. Dunkin’ worked to create an influencer-centric campaign, Charli’s fans felt connected with her by ordering this drink, and in return significantly increased Dunkin’s sales. Statistics showed that after the launch of “the Charli,” there were hundreds of thousands of those drinks sold within the first few days, and Dunkin’s app traffic increased by 57%.
Allowing an influencer to have their own product within the company, or at least some say in the production, helps consumers feel like the influencer really loves the item they are advocating for and isn’t just using it to gain money.
@charlidamelio dc @Olivia Alboher
Check out some other great practices on our site to help with influencer marketing campaigns and ensure your brand goes viral.
4. Create a Unique and Trending Hashtag
Hashtags are a great way to boost brand recognition, especially on TikTok. There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people out there that use every hashtag in the world to try and obtain more views and followers. While this may seem silly, creating an influencer marketing campaign with a hashtag that becomes “trending” can help increase brand recognition and boost sales significantly.
However, be aware that not all brands should jump onto trends in order to go viral.
In 2021, the hair product brand K18 launched a massive TikTok campaign to promote their newly started brand. They started to onboard many different types of influencers rather than just hair and beauty influencers, to be a part of their campaign. Once this took off, they created the hashtag #K18hairflip which received over 9.5 billion views.
@yoleendadong Transforming this holiday season into my alter ego #k18hairflip @K18 Hair reverses hair damage in 4 min. #k18partner #k18hair #k18results
After obtaining a larger platform, K18 went even further and created another campaign with the hashtag #k18hairflipchallenge, which produced $13.1 million of K18 Hair’s total $16.1 million IMV in the month of December (Glossy).
In conclusion, TikTok provides a unique opportunity for businesses to reach a new generation of consumers through influencer marketing. By following these best practices, companies can effectively engage with their target audience, build brand awareness, and drive conversions. Whether you’re just getting started with influencer marketing on TikTok or looking to enhance your existing strategy, these tips will help you achieve your goals and stay ahead of the competition. Remember, the key to success is collaboration and genuine relationships with your influencer partners. By fostering these relationships, you can create impactful and memorable campaigns that will resonate with your target audience and drive real results for your business.
