It’s been a while since a new social media platform has hit the scene the way TikTok has. The platform, which boasts over 560M monthly global users—a number that is rapidly expanding—first gained steam at the end of 2017, when it acquired popular lip-syncing app Musical.ly. But it wasn’t until this year, as more people turned to their screens seeking community and human connection, that TikTok established itself as a social media force to be reckoned with. 

With its rapid rise and unique user base, TikTok is a new marketing territory to expand brand awareness and reach new audiences (in other words, a marketer’s dream): 43% of TikTok users do not use Instagram, while 45% do not use Facebook. However, the platform is highly unpredictable: the content that works on Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook will most likely not work on TikTok. To help brands looking to navigate this new marketing territory, and develop a TikTok strategy that leverages the platform’s popularity, we’ve boiled down the key principles for successful marketing on TikTok. We’re covering a few of them in this post, but be sure to download the full TikTok Marketing Playbook to access all the insights!

TikTok Content: What You Need to Know

TikTok’s stated mission is to “inspire creativity and bring joy” to its users, meaning both content creators and the wider audience. This means:

There Is No Formula for Success With TikTok Marketing...

Though probably the most frustrating, this first principle is arguably the most important: what works on TikTok is constantly changing, meaning there exists no consistent formula for success on the platform. Content trends can take over one day and are gone the next. TikTok rewards creativity, meaning that brands will likely have to step outside of their digital marketing comfort zone and not be afraid to try new things. 

...So Brands Must Adopt a “Test and Learn” Strategy

Tied directly to the first principle is the importance of the “Test and Learn” approach brands should use when developing and evolving their TikTok marketing strategy. TikTok campaigns should be quick to plan, execute, and evaluate, because the app’s trends move rapidly and it’s important that your campaigns align with these trends. Instead of the multi-pronged, months-long, higher-budget campaigns your brand may be developing for Instagram, you should view TikTok as a marketing playground. Focus on developing several quick, low-budget, creative, and timely campaign ideas (always with the TikTok basics in mind!), then implement and figure out what pieces of the campaign audiences are responding to, and build from there.

These are just some of the several takeaways from our full TikTok Marketing Playbook. Be sure to download the (free!) report to learn the ins-and-outs of developing your TikTok marketing strategy, including real-life examples from the brands already killing it on the new platform. Additionally, check out how Tribe Dynamics’ customers utilize our TikTok tracking software to manage and execute their TikTok marketing campaigns.