TikTok is a brilliant platform for word-of-mouth marketing. Creators are its lifeblood. Not just mega-influencers (although they can be powerful creators for brands), but niche creators with smaller followings too.
The most effective content on TikTok is TikTok specific and features TikTok creators
Figures released by TikTok show how effective unique content can be for brands when combined with creator collaboration.
TikTok users report a 27% higher ad recall for brand collaborations than for branded content that’s not native to the platform, or that doesn’t feature a TikTok influencer. TikTok influencer content also get a 91% higher 6-second view rate, and 83% higher engagement.
Smaller TikTok creators can have a big impact
There are a handful of TikTok influencers with massive followings (in the multiple millions), who are hugely successful. Charli d’amelio, for example, has earned around $17.5m from the platform. Her recent TikTok featuring her preparing Takis to eat on Super Bowl Sunday racked up 6.6 million views and 1.3 million favorites in just one day:
Addison Rae is another hugely influential TikTok creator and is partnered with jeans brand American Eagle. Her most recent American Eagle post received 3 million views and 400,000 likes in three days:
But creators with smaller followings can have a big impact too.
Hannah Schlenker (with more than 866,000 followers) created a TikTok where she wore Aerie’s crossover leggings, which resulted in an increase in searches for “leggings” on the brand’s site by 700,000, and a 200,000% spike in Google searches.
Niche creators with small followings can also be amazingly influential. Beauty brand, Doe Lashes, sent its product to 20 TikTok creators and then chose to work with those who created the best TikTok posts. According to NextBrand, Doe’s most successful creator relationship was with a creator who had just 200 TikTok views (her views increased to 500,000 after working with the brand).
By partnering with micro-influencers, brands can help them create a larger presence on the platform – possibly one that suits their brand far better than a mega-influencer would.
What is the key to a great brand / TikTok creator partnership?
According to research by RealEyes, successful collaborations between brands and influencers tend to have four elements:
- Shorter videos tend to be better at capturing people’s attention. Aim for under 30 seconds.
- Brand storytelling, product interaction and placement is important. (The creator needs the creative freedom to be able to showcase the product in a way that suits their style).
- Work with creators who match the style of the brand.
- Like other social platforms, smaller influencers can have better levels of engagement than those who have millions of followers. Working with them can create powerful ways to connect with TikTok users.
TikTok is a great platform for brands, if you work with the influencers who reflect your brand’s values. The right partnerships can make your brand (or product) shine.
