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TikTok has, without a doubt, become a global phenomenon. In a nutshell, it’s an app that allows people to post and interact with short videos uploaded by other users.
“It’s a >Story format<, but this Story doesn’t disappear” seems to be the essence of TikTok.
There’s a deep ocean of brands on TikTok, so it may be hard to identify which particular ones to follow. To make it easier for you, we’ve decided to show you some of our favourite brands to follow for inspiration.
Who’s on TikTok?
Most of TikTok’s users are Generation Z reps, but the app is starting to attract more and more Millenials. The numbers speak for themselves: over 37% of users in the US are digital natives.
By the end of 2019, TikTok was downloaded over 738 million times in 141 countries, which made it the most popular iOS app in the World. What’s more, TokTok generated around 315 million installs during the first 3 months of 2020, making it the most downloaded app in any quarter in history.
Opportunities for brands on TikTok
The numbers above are also attractive to potential advertisers, since increasingly more brands want to try their best on TikTok. Although this app is free to download, it’s being monetized by paid marketing campaigns and sponsored posts. Furthermore, TikTok For Business provides new features for brands on TikTok.
Instead of using paid advertising, though, you could try to create a unique brand image with your videos since all video forms are gaining popularity. And that’s exactly what the brands on TikTok we’ve selected are doing.
What brands are on Tiktok and why should you take a look at their TikTok ideas? Let’s get straight to the list and see what the key to their TikTok success is.
Guess
Guess is a World-famous fashion house with thousands of loyal clients, yet that doesn’t stop it from trying to reach the youngest target groups.
Clients are becoming more self-aware, and they want to see posts that they can relate to. Guess responds to these needs by showing close to real-life content (or at least stylized this way). In their videos, Guess shares some ideas about how people can spend their free time, whilst wearing nothing but the brand’s products of course.
Although Guess posts clips featuring professional models, it combines them with content that has been generated by influencers. Some of them are known on other platforms, which also allows Guess to promote its TikTok ideas outside of the app. These include Instagram stars (Brent Rivera) and Youtubers (Eva Gutowski). To encourage fans of the brand to share their Guess purchases, it uses dedicated hashtags that clients can add to their videos. Sounds like a good example of perfect buzz marketing, doesn’t it?
TikTok ideas from Guess: use unique hashtags that your fans and customers can follow and add to their own videos.
Chipotle
What brands are on TikTok? It doesn’t come as a surprise that the FMCG sector is trying to tackle the platform.
Chipotle is one of the most well-known and appreciated brands on TikTok, which is definitely not a surprise having analyzed their TikTok ideas.
On Chipotle’s profile, you will find tutorials and hacks on how to eat their tacos or how to use their delivery boxes in a creative and fun way. They emphasize humorous content and willingly repost videos from followers. Chipotle aims to attract not only Gen Z interested in English speaking, listening, and reading exercises, but also those somewhat older Millennials. The brand also collaborates with chefs and people in the cooking industry.
TikTok ideas from Chipotle: repost user-generated content to create a real connection with your clients.
Netflix
It’s one of the most followed brands on TikTok: let’s check their TikTok ideas, then!
What you should learn from Netflix is that anything can become your content, as long as you can match its tone to the preferences of your audience. This platform uses clips of its programmes and creates memes from them. Making the most out of what it already has in stock enables Netflix to post frequently, promote its films, plus save time and money on generating new content. Netflix also does a great job by being able to laugh at its own productions and choose relevant context. Scroll through Netflix’s TikTok and you’re likely to get a ton of inspiration.
TikTok ideas from Netflix: don’t underestimate the value of the content that you already have – repurpose it and try to maximise its potential.
Asos
Asos is one of those brands on TikTok that use the platform to show their CSR actions. This is being done creatively, e.g. people using products from Asos in a way that directly refers to an actual event (for example through an official color scheme). Asos also collaborates with true TikTok stars, it makes try-on hauls and shares special tips. The company uses engaging CTAs, such as asking its followers to guess what products are presented in a particular clip. Asos also creates special brand music that fans can add to their own videos afterwards.
TikTok ideas from Asos: work with influencers who are known to and appreciated by your followers.
Sephora
Beauty brands are on TikTok: but not many of them can tackle this platform as nicely as Sephora does.
TikTok seems to be a perfect make-up brush for Sephora, since the app highlights every angle of Sephora’s products. The brand works with some so-called beauty gurus, who are idols for make-up geeks. Influencers share their beauty routines and show textures of Sephora’s products, which are often zoomed in. Such a trick can familiarise the audience with the texture of a product despite not being able to touch it, which may have a great impact on generating online sales.
As a result, their videos are no doubt visually appealing. Although you can’t smell through the internet (yet), Sephora creates challenges where people show off perfumes that match their outfits or mood. The brand keeps experimenting with new formats and ideas, for example giving their TikTok followers special promo codes.
TikTok ideas from Sephora: create special promo codes for your followers.
Crocs
Brands are on TikTok because of various reasons, but they should always check Crocs TikTok account and interactions before they pursuit their strategy!
Product placement on Crocs’ TikTok profile is probably the most obvious out of all brands on TikTok mentioned in this article. Crocs show off their shoes in almost every video, yet it’s still not too pushy or off-putting. For them, TikTok is also a place where they can announce participation in social projects or donations. The brand also shows its pins as emojis to fit the online community. It uses another simple trick to attract youngsters, which is having animals appear often in their content. Generation Z and Millenials just especially love watching and sharing videos with pets, and who doesn’t love animals?!
TikTok ideas from Crocs: show your CSR actions in a creative, but not too obvious or distinguished way.
The National Basketball Association
Sport is a field where unity is often prioritised. The NBA knows how to engage its fans well, even when games have been banned for safety reasons. The organization uses TikTok as a reminder to fans by sharing match schedules and asking if they will watch the game. The NBA are also masters of making compilations of funny moments that have happened during matches. They post frequently in order to keep in touch with their audience (who tend to be truly hungry for the game) and share some backstage content. Team mascots are the flagship heroes of many videos, and they may make the NBA stand out from the crowd of the brands on TikTok.
TikTok ideas from NBA: use your brand hero or consider creating one to make your brand more easily recognizable.
The National Football League
The NFL has created the self-made image of a leader, by calling itself the ‘CEO of [American] football’ in its TikTok bio. It posts flashbacks from past games with short comments and catchy music, which makes videos more amusing. On TikTok, the NFL also shows what players do after work and passes on information about the humanitarian aid actions that team members undertake. What else can you find on the organization’s account? Check out their published off-site conversations between players.
TikTok ideas from NFL: don’t stop posting videos with information about upcoming events and upload funny flashbacks from previous ones to keep your audience in the loop.
Liverpool FC
Can we get enough of sport brands on TikTok? Let us list just one more example: Liverpool FC.
On LFC’s TikTok profile, you will find sneak peeks of transfers, training and other important events connected to the football club. Liverpool uses popular trends and virals to make sure that its videos are up to date. You can also watch some clips that were created by footballers who were training at home to stay in shape. To keep in touch with fans and engage them, LFC’s footballers are also taking part in challenges that aren’t necessarily connected to sport. Most of them are of course, though, since the club’s followers are most interested in this topic.
TikTok ideas from Liverpool FC: take part in challenges and trending actions.
San Diego Zoo
What brands are on TikTok? We’ve listed some sport, fashion and beauty brands, but that’s not all we’ve got for you. Can a Zoo be one of the most beloved brands on TikTok? Definitely!
Although it’s not quite the same to see animals online compared to in real life, videos posted by San Diego Zoo are a perfect addition to the overall experience. It’s a well-known fact that content involving pets melts the hearts of many people, and this is what San Diego Zoo benefits from on TikTok.
Its profile shows life ‘behind the scenes’, such as animals playing with the staff and what they do after the park closes. The zoo doesn’t post often, but when it does the content is engaging. They create videos with popular music in the background to make their content heart-warming and shareable. Posting such content may benefit those who, for various reasons, are not able to visit the Zoo themselves. What’s more, it might encourage people to add a stop on their journey if they do pop out in San Diego.
TikTok ideas from San Diego Zoo: when suitable, add some amusing content with catchy music in the background of your videos to soften your brand’s image and get straight to the hearts of Gen Z and Millenials.
Over to you
Even if your brand doesn’t need a TikTok account, it can still be used as a simple tool for creating short videos. According to this research, people find videos engaging and are more likely to interact with them than other types of content, so TikTok videos could spice up your content strategy and save you some time.
