{"id":12002,"date":"2020-07-23T13:08:43","date_gmt":"2020-07-23T17:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/?p=12002"},"modified":"2021-01-28T15:10:38","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T20:10:38","slug":"how-brands-are-winning-on-tiktok","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/blog\/how-brands-are-winning-on-tiktok","title":{"rendered":"How Brands Are Winning on TikTok"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <strong>How Brands are Winning on TikTok<\/strong> panel discussion, the latest in <a href=\"https:\/\/brainstation.io\/events\/online\">BrainStation\u2019s Digital Leadership Event Series<\/a>, took place on July 22nd, and thousands of professionals tuned in to learn how leading brands have adopted the world\u2019s fastest-growing social media platform.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can watch the full panel discussion here:<\/p>\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/440998240\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n<p>In Q1 of 2020, TikTok was downloaded more than 315 million times worldwide, which is the best quarter ever recorded by any app.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The platform is known for its unique style of video \u2013 including dancing and voiceover comedy \u2013 and has become a key channel for digital marketers to reach Gen Z customers. Much of its growth is down to its simplicity \u2013 it is arguably the easiest social media platform to use when it comes to video editing, using music, and adding filters \u2013 and the fact that\u2019s impossible to put down; TikTok\u2019s algorithms quickly learn user preferences by capturing likes, comments, and time spent on each video.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But as with any new social media platform, there is a steep learning curve for brands hoping to create content that feels natural and engages users. And when attempting to connect with the most media-savvy generation in history, this can be trickier than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some of the ways leading brands are building their brand on TikTok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Create for TikTok<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Chipotle was the first restaurant to partner with TikTok in the U.S., and the brand has been praised for its use of the platform through campaigns like the #GuacChallenge and #ChipotleLidFlip.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The latter was a \u201cchallenge\u201d that asked TikTok fans to dance to a song by Dr. Jean about guacamole. The campaign was successful because it felt organic and natural to the platform, mixing music, dancing, pop culture, and a sense of silliness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe were the first restaurant brand to do a hashtag challenge, and 59 thousand people ended up doing the lid flip,\u201d said Candice Beck, Senior Manager, Social and Digital Marketing at Chipotle, explaining that the brand has also run TikTok-specific campaigns on National Burrito Day, among others. \u201cWe often find pretty big success when we can align a brand moment with a cultural moment like that,\u201d she said.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chipotle\u2019s efforts have paid off; they now have more than 800 thousand followers and 11 million likes on TikTok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe get so much more engagement on TikTok than other social channels. It\u2019s by far a priority channel for us,\u201d said Beck, explaining that her team has daily 15-minute meetings to discuss content for the platform.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPeople are really coming to TikTok right now for happy content. I go there to get some of that uplighting, fun, user content that\u2019s been necessary to bring a bit of joy recently&#8230;we\u2019re using our channels pretty similarly. We\u2019re not using organic presence for PR so much, even driving new products. We\u2019re taking insights that we\u2019ve learned from the platform itself and applying that every time we share a new piece of content.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jason Berk, Head of Social and Digital at Sid Lee, believes this is the best approach when it comes to developing a content strategy for TikTok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat I constantly tell [clients] is you cannot repurpose your content from other platforms on TikTok. Not only will not work; it\u2019ll backfire. It needs to be quick, relevant content as well. There needs to be a willingness to move fast,\u201d he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Understand What TikTok Is<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You might think TikTok is nothing but teenage girls lip-syncing in their rooms, but according to Berk, you would be mistaken.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTiktok is not a singular platform with a reputation, it\u2019s a lot of different communities and a lot of different people talking in a lot of different ways&#8230;I think that\u2019s the reason why it\u2019s become this de-facto trend factory. Once something goes big in a community, it catches fire and everyone supports that,\u201d Berk said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kaleb Ruel, Head of US Consumer Marketing at Spotify, explains that this trend-setting ability makes TikTok stand out from other media platforms.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cTikTok is a place where we go to participate in that cultural narrative, and success looks a lot different in that sense. We\u2019re not looking at the same media metrics and bottom line impact on the business,\u201d he said, adding that Spotify has seen success mixing organic and paid media.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe biggest lesson for us is that when you have a TikTok challenge alone it\u2019s fantastic, but when you have a challenge that\u2019s coupled with other harder driving media, like larger ad placements that are more marquee, that\u2019s when we see the highest impact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Focus on Authenticity&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another way TikTok has stood out from the crowd is for the supposed \u201crealness\u201d of its content.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cInstagram is hyper-filtered and the content that brands partner with there tends to be as well. TikTok tends to be the complete opposite. I\u2019d say authentic and raw are common terms that I hear,\u201d Ruel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Berk agrees.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of realness on TikTok \u2013 like the LGTBT community coming out and talking about their stories. That creates solidarity and it\u2019s a little more serious, it unites a community,\u201d he said, adding that this creates an unvarnished, safe place. \u201cOn Instagram you have to look your best, you have to be the prettiest, you have to be the envy of your circle of friends. On TikTok, it\u2019s a little safer to show some of your fears and concerns and losses and some of these universal emotions.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>TikTok may, therefore, feel riskier than other platforms from a brand\u2019s perspective.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think every brand belongs on TikTok. I think you really have to know your brand ethos and what you stand for and how you stand for it. The ones that do a good job are unapologetic about being there,\u201d Ruel said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most successful brands on TikTok are also vigilant about keeping up with trends.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe team is constantly mining for UGC about Chipotle, new trends, new insights, specifically on TikTok&#8230;we\u2019re looking for any new posts from other users that we can comment on or anything we should repost or a trend we should consider. So, we\u2019re in deep,\u201d Beck said, adding that this shouldn\u2019t scare brands away.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGet on there experiment, see what your followers like. [&#8230;] Don\u2019t be intimidated by creating the perfect video; we\u2019ve found a lot of success with some of our comments on other people&#8217;s posts about Chipotle. It\u2019s not about creating the perfect TikTok that meets Gen Z\u2019s liking.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For Berk, it all comes down to remembering what you\u2019re trying to do: make videos to connect and have some fun.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMake the channels and start putting videos out. A lot of people on my team have become pseudo influencers&#8230;It doesn\u2019t cost a lot to make these kinds of videos, so I would say just do it.\u201d <br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Q1 of 2020, TikTok was downloaded more than 315 million times worldwide. Here are some of the ways leading brands are building their brand on TikTok.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":12004,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[783,169,510,1276],"tags":[136,137,506,1286],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v18.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Brands Are Winning on TikTok | BrainStation\u00ae Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Q1 of 2020, TikTok was downloaded more than 315 million times worldwide. 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