How To Get the Most Out of TikTok Trends
If you want to be relevant, TikTok is the key.
According to Statista, TikTok is currently the most downloaded app worldwide, and in 2021 it reached about 50.3% of the American public. Which means brands have no other choice but to download the app and participate.
If used properly, TikTok is an amazing tool to grow your brand. Adult Swim, an adult-oriented nighttime cable channel, grew about 1,787% as the fastest growing brand in the app (Statista).
The only way to ride the TikTok wave is to join in on the trends. Here is some advice on how to get your brand to do just that.
1. Be Brand Authentic
When choosing what trend to participate in on TikTok, authenticity is everything. Match your trend with what you’re selling – not the other way around. Finding the one trend with the right fit sounds like a difficult task, but there are many TikTok trends going viral at once. So, you’re bound to find one that fits perfectly with your brand.
One mistake many companies make is adjusting their brand to trends instead of making the trends fit their brand. If there is an aesthetic trend, don’t force your brand to be a part of it. Analyze the aesthetic and see if your offer fits the bill.
A great example of this was the “coastal grandma” aesthetic trend, which is inspired by the breezy-chic look of East Coast Grandmas. Brands that already had “coastal grandma” items just promoted them more. Meanwhile, brands that don’t offer “coastal grandma” items sat this one out, because by the time they would have the products available, the trend would have already become irrelevant.
2. Act Quickly
TikTok trends are lightning fast. The social media app fuels microtrends, which are trends that rapidly become popular and decline even faster. The app’s fast scrolling nature, short videos, and spur-of-the-moment attitude are all microtrend gasoline. According to a Business of Fashion article, these trends have a life cycle of 90 days. This makes it crucial to hop on the trend rapidly because irrelevancy can come as soon as tomorrow.
The #itscorn trend is a great example of how quickly jumping on brand-appropriate trends can reap high results. During the summer of 2022, an interview with a little boy talking about his love for corn was turned into a sound and quickly gained virality on TikTok. Brands like Chipotle were quick to hop on it and reaped high results. It is one of Chipotle’s most liked and engaged posts. Chipotle was smart to act quickly because as of November 2022, the trend is now nowhere to be found.
3. Be Organic
On this platform, it’s important that your content blends in as much as possible – while also standing out. Ideally, the viewer should feel like they are watching any other organic post, not an ad. If your brand makes a TikTok post branded as an ad or sponsored, odds are your audience will likely scroll past it. Out of all the other social media apps, TikTok makes it the easiest for the viewer to avoid branded content.
The NBA is a great example of a successful organic TikTok account. The basketball league doesn’t post game results or commercials, but rather focuses on giving a behind the scenes look into their player’s lives and personalities. For example, one of their latest posts of an Utah Jazz player wearing a superhero costume to match with his son gained the account thousands of views, likes and comments.
4. Keep it Exclusive
Remember that TikTok trends come and go and one day your product might be in and the next out. To survive beyond the TikTok trend hype, keep your product exclusive. Trust that if it trends, TikTok will sell it out. Brands remain exclusive by releasing products in “drops”, which means to release small amounts of your products in hopes that it will sell it out. People love owning an item that everyone wants, but not everyone can get, and that’s how your product can live past its momentary TikTok hype.
The perfect example of #TikTokmademebuyit that lives outside its trend period is the Skims Sculpting Bodysuit. It was all anyone could talk about in TikTok for weeks because of its alleged “magical” properties (making you look a size smaller). TikTok did what it does best and the bodysuit sold out quickly. Skims learned from this, and now only releases the bodysuit in drops, which creates exclusivity.
5. Start Your Own Trend
Are you struggling to find a trend that fits your brand? Then take a risk and start your own trend. Everyone in the app wants to be entertained, and what’s more entertaining than original content? People love newness, making never seen before content the best weapon at getting people’s attention.
Adult Swim grew by 1,787% in 2021 by creating its own trend. Last year, Adult Swim started a trend of TikTok users creating their own Adult Swim advertisements. Users got super creative and Adult Swim enjoyed some free advertising. It was the kind of win-win only possible on TikTok.
The key takeaway is that TikTok trends are the one of the best social media marketing tools. Trends are a great way to keep your brand relevant, meanwhile reaching new audiences. People love to see brands appeal to them.
