The key to successful online marketing is targeting the right audience. One way to quickly reach your target audience on social media is by leveraging influencer marketing. And, influencer marketing on TikTok has proven to work well for brands due to the high engagement level of the users and the audience base.
TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform offering a plethora of TikTok influencer marketing opportunities for you to explore. It is the most downloaded app globally, with more than a billion users. Today, TikTok might not have the same number of daily users as Instagram or Facebook, but its engagement and brand loyalty are something brands can count on. Since its launch in 2018, it has grown as an incredible platform for consumers, creators, and brands alike.
This comprehensive guide will help you understand TikTok influencer marketing in greater detail so you can leverage it to your advantage, boost your brand's visibility, and grow a loyal following. So, let's get started.
TikTok is a social video platform where users can create, upload, and share videos of up to 3 minutes. The videos often feature DIYs, recipes, pranks, comedy acts, lip-syncing, challenges, and dancing. The application allows users to add visual effects, audio, and filters, allowing them to get creative.
TikTok users create short-form video content with a TikTok account using the app features such as filters, visual effects, and music. The aim is to gain viewer attention within the first few seconds. Like Instagram and Twitter, the TikTok platform is guided by hashtags and trending posts that allow users to find content.
TikTok is a youth-oriented platform – usually used by millennials and Gen Z. People between the age of 16 and 24 make up 41% of the total user base. It makes the platform perfect when you want to target a younger population.
Like YouTube, TikTok is the video-sharing platform, but unlike YouTube, the videos shared on TikTok are short and filmed in a vertical format – the way people hold their phones. Pretty much any type of short-form videos works well on TikTok, such as:
According to a study by eMarketer, by the end of 2021, TikTok will have more Gen Z users than Instagram, and by the end of 2023, TikTok will have more US users than Snapchat. It would be ideal for any brand to create its TikTok presence if the target audience is under 25.
TikTok is a unique platform with an intelligent algorithm that can show the right type of content to the right type of people. It is mobile-friendly and makes user-generated content viral in no time.
Some of the reasons Why TikTok Makes for an Ideal Platform for Influencer Marketing are:
With the right TikTok influencers, brands can target people in their specific niche to grow their business.
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Spend some time on the platform. Familiarity with its functioning, its users and the possible engagement it can generate for the brand are crucial in the beginning.
Next, follow these steps before getting started:
Next, try to get a deep understanding of your target audience. You can find out:
What do you want to achieve with TikTok influencer marketing? Do you want to build brand awareness, generate sales, or drive traffic to your website? Be clear about your goals because it impacts influencer marketing strategies.
Your marketing funnel is critical for building your influencer outreach strategy and campaigns. The sales funnel generally include these stages:
The budget plays an important role in determining the type of influencer you work with and the campaigns you run. Some factors that influence the prices of TikTok influencers include:
On a broader level, TikTok influencers charge anything between $5 to $10,000 per post.
When choosing the right influencers for your marketing campaigns, make sure of the following:
The top three ways to ensure that you are partnering with the right TikTok influencers include:
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An impactful TikTok influencer marketing strategy needs to have essential elements ensuring the brand message gets to the right people and makes the right impact.
When you partner with TikTok influencers, try to control every aspect of the campaign. If you have chosen the right TikTok influencer for your brand, they know what they need to do. The best thing you can do is give them the creative freedom they need to create a splash.
Here's what you can do to build a successful TikTok influencer marketing campaign:
What is the end goal of the brand campaign- drive sales, encourage users to download the app, or sign up for a newsletter/trial? Have clarity about which KPIs you need to use to measure the outcome. Definite goals make it easier to measure the ROI of the campaign and the success of the overall strategy.
If you know what goal you plan to achieve on TikTok and who to talk to, it means that you know what type of influencer you need to partner with. The ideal influencer will be well-associated with your industry and have a loyal fan following of your ideal buyers.
Be careful while researching and thorough while vetting TikTok influencers. Don't partner with influencers solely based on their number of followers. Do your due diligence when finding TikTok influencers to ensure they are a good fit. Some things you need to look out for include:
Content should be authentic and relevant to your niche and target audience. Some of the types of content to consider for TikTok include:
After figuring out the type of content required, create something engaging that fits your niche perfectly. When you work with influencers, the goal is to create content that people want to watch. The brand association is an incentive. Some things to remember when creating content for TikTok include:
There should be no violation of the social media sponsored ads while executing the TikTok influencer marketing strategy. Be aware of these rules to avoid costly consequences and legal mess.
It's futile to run a campaign and not monitor its performance. Know the general benchmarks of successful campaigns. Measure TikTok KPI metrics such as engagement rate, profile views, followers, likes, shares, and comments.
Constantly test and optimize your TikTok influencer marketing strategy. Adjust the posts and ads to perform better if your campaign does not meet the standard benchmarks of a strong performance.
Make the most out of TikTok by pairing your TikTok influencer marketing strategy with TikTok advertising tactics. It will boost your brand presence and overall TikTok marketing efforts.
The TikTok marketing ecosystem is relatively new, yet it is potentially engaging and has gained a loyal following much quicker than most other social media platforms. Brands have been exploring their advertising opportunities and executed their TikTok marketing strategies in several ways, including:
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Consider these tips when writing a brief for TikTok influencers:
Below are some great examples of big brands that have realized the potential of TikTok in helping them reach their target audiences.
Sony Music ran a TikTok influencer marketing campaign across Italy, Spain, and Argentina to promote the Nicky Jam x Sch song, Atrévete. The music company collaborated with twelve influencers to create 12 TikTok videos. With these influencers, the campaign reached out to 8 million engaged users, an average engagement rate of 6%, 1.2 million likes, and 10,300 user-generated videos.
Sony Music ran another TikTok campaign for the US band, AJR Brothers. They partnered with TikTok duo Max and Harvey for this campaign. The campaign created a challenge for users to meet the band during their London show. First, Max and Harvey uploaded an introduction video explaining the challenge. Then, they used the song 100 Bad days in a funny video that collected 230,000 views and 40,000 likes.
With word of shutting down in 2018, Calvin Klein faced a downfall until the brand introduced its new spring TikTok campaign in 2019. The first video of the campaign themed #mycalvins featured model Kendall Jenner, actor Noah Centineo, singer Shawn Mendes, and musician A$AP Rocky, who promoted clothes and underwear.
This campaign was the first of any fashion brand on TikTok and a brilliant example of connecting with the younger target audience. Catchy choreography with meaningful storytelling and impactful product placement was at the heart of the strategy. Within 24 hours of its launch, the #MyCalvins TikTok campaign became Calvin Klein’s most viewed digital marketing campaign. It received 10 times more engagement than the TikTok campaign Calvin Klein had done with Justin Bieber in 2015 spring.
Red Bull's influencer marketing campaigns are trendy and innovative. And, Red Bull’s TikTok marketing examples are usually low-sell influencer marketing strategies. It means Red Bull’s ads make no apparent effort to sell its product or highlight product features. One of Red Bull’s recent TikTok influencer marketing partnerships with user Keeoh is a perfect example of this.
Keeoh shared a video on TikTok claiming to perform a magic trick with Red Bull, where he pours Red Bull into a travel mug. He then upturns the mug to show it is empty. Where has the drink gone? Just then, one of Keeoh’s friends pops up from behind the table. It seemed from the video that Keeoh had been pouring Red Bull directly into his friend’s mouth. It was a comedy video, and Red Bull was just a prop here.
This campaign is an example of Red Bull following an existing trend of trick videos of somebody pouring a drink into something other than what the audience expects. What a smart way to leverage TikTok trends without directly advertising a product!
TikTok is a terrific platform - we know that now. We also know that TikTok influencer marketing campaigns will work beautifully for brands that want to reach a younger audience. But, what we should keep in mind is that learning about the platform, knowing its how-to's to truly understand that true potential and maximizing the ROI of your TikTok influencer marketing campaigns is crucial.
Also, with influencer marketing becoming mainstream for most brands in all niches, you can leverage the expertise of influencer marketing platforms like Affable.ai to run successful influencer marketing campaigns. Affable.ai takes care of everything for you – from finding the right influencers for your campaigns to reaching out to multiple influencers simultaneously, managing various campaigns, tracking results and metrics to help you analyze – it does it all. Take it for a spin yourself with a free demo, and see what a difference it can make for your brand!
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