TikTok has quickly transformed from a site for dance routines and funny videos to an international marketplace where companies large and small can develop genuine, direct connections with audiences. What sets apart the successful businesses on TikTok is not just their eagerness to join, but their ability to utilize the platform’s distinct culture, features, and algorithms to boost interaction and expansion.
The Influence of Genuine Connection: Narratives Instead of Sales
En TikTok, la publicidad convencional suele no ser efectiva. Los usuarios prefieren el contenido que se siente auténtico y cercano, lo que implica que las compañías que actúan más como creadores que como empresas generalmente prosperan. Por ejemplo, Ryanair, una aerolínea de bajo costo, ha conseguido millones de seguidores al convertir la marca en un personaje con el que se puede identificar. Utilizando sonidos de moda, filtros graciosos y comentarios autocríticos sobre los retrasos de vuelos y las ansiedades de viaje, Ryanair transforma las quejas de los clientes en contenido humorístico. Esta táctica hace que la aerolínea sea percibida como accesible y humana, en lugar de ser solo otra empresa sin rostro.
Rather than direct product pitches, businesses winning on TikTok utilize story-driven content. Small businesses frequently showcase behind-the-scenes glimpses: how products are made, day-to-day operations, or candid reactions to customer feedback. The hashtag #smallbusiness has over 109 billion views, illustrating the appetite for this raw, unfiltered perspective. For instance, coffee shop owners like Kleins Coffee in the US narrate stories about their family recipes or showcase the “Coffee of the Day,” encouraging meaningful connections beyond the product itself.
Adopting Trends and Overcoming Challenges: Flexibility Yields Benefits
Virality on TikTok is driven by trends and challenges—formats that offer equal opportunities for brands no matter their marketing budget. Duolingo, a language-learning platform, exemplifies the promise of this approach. Their strategy revolves around the company’s green owl mascot engaging with trends, memes, and cultural happenings in a fun, sometimes cheeky manner. Duolingo’s TikTok account frequently garners millions of views by quickly reacting to popular sounds or viral humor, demonstrating that staying current and being fast are key advantages.
Esta adaptabilidad también se aplica al comercio minorista. Las marcas de belleza como Fenty Beauty y The Ordinary han logrado el éxito no solo a través de la promoción de productos, sino reaccionando a desafíos virales de maquillaje, respondiendo a las preguntas de los usuarios y compartiendo tutoriales novedosos que simplifican las rutinas de cuidado de la piel. Su disposición a otorgar el control creativo a creadores de TikTok, permitiendo que voces auténticas experimenten con los productos, incrementa su credibilidad y fomenta la viralidad.
User-Generated Content as Growth Engine
Another hallmark of successful TikTok businesses is embracing user-generated content (UGC). Brands like Chipotle intentionally create campaigns designed for replication, such as their #LidFlip challenge, which encouraged users to flip burrito bowl lids and showcase their own Chipotle orders. Such campaigns not only generate buzz but also allow the brand’s reach to extend organically as users remix, react, and reinterpret the original content.
UGC also bolsters community-based marketing for smaller companies. For example, Bala Bangles, a fitness accessory brand, gained significant popularity when TikTok influencers showcased inventive exercise routines using their products. This exposure led to a ripple effect, with the brand’s sales increasing as trending videos encouraged numerous replications and favorable feedback.
Utilizing TikTok Shopping and Collaborations with Influencers
The rise of TikTok Shop and seamless shopping integrations has further shifted the landscape. Companies that adopt TikTok’s native e-commerce tools benefit from reduced friction between product discovery and purchase. For example, fashion retailer ASOS utilizes try-on hauls, “get ready with me” videos, and live shopping events to showcase products authentically, driving immediate conversions within the app.
Collaborations with influencers continue to be crucial too. Companies such as Glow Recipe partner with skincare influencers whose genuine product evaluations and demonstrations ignite viral trends and ongoing discussions about ingredient transparency. This open, peer-to-peer marketing is especially powerful among Gen Z and millennial age groups.
Diverse Sectors Finding Success
The successful approach isn’t limited to just one field. A variety of industries are flourishing:
Learning: EdTech companies like Study Smarter along with science communicators such as Hank Green simplify intricate subjects into engaging and easy-to-understand insights, transforming education into an enjoyable and shareable experience.
Economics: Creators focused on financial education cooperate with fintech companies, breaking down the fundamentals of investing or clarifying how credit scores work through engaging sketches, transforming a typically dull topic into practical guidance.
Food & Beverage: Both neighborhood bakeries and global brands flourish by showcasing recipes, conducting flavor trials, and sharing customer feedback videos that entice audiences to make online purchases.
Data and Case Analyses: Assessing Influence
Data supports TikTok’s role in business success. According to TikTok’s 2023 “What’s Next” report, 38% of users globally have purchased a product after seeing it on the platform. A notable case is Little Moons, a UK-based mochi ice cream brand, which saw a 700% increase in supermarket sales after a viral TikTok video pointed users to where the product could be found. The “TikTok made me buy it” phenomenon exemplifies the platform’s capacity to catalyze commercial trends overnight.
Another investigation conducted by Marketing Dive found that campaigns utilizing influencers on TikTok achieved almost twice the engagement compared to those on Instagram or Facebook, particularly in the sectors of beauty, fashion, and food. The common factor: Successful businesses synchronize their messages with the dynamic, creator-focused environment of the platform.
The business of tomorrow
Enterprises thriving on TikTok are the ones who understand and adopt the platform’s environment of sincerity, quickness, and community involvement. They view each video as a chance to tell stories, rather than just to promote products. By combining innovation with adaptability and prioritizing authentic interaction over traditional advertising, these firms engage users in a shared, ever-changing brand story. Achieving success on TikTok focuses less on capturing attention and more on collaboratively shaping significance with an engaged and enthusiastic audience.
