What do Sylvanian Families, hot juicers, angry owls and global geopolitics all have in common? They are all totally viable and successful TikTok tactics that we can learn a whole lot from (duh!).
Here is a quick listicle of 6 TikTok accounts that are killing the game:
As we move towards a social media landscape governed by Gen Z, careful brand curation is thrown out the window in favour of creative chaos. A key pillar of this chaos is the ability to enact some form of brand self-deprecation and awareness. Yes, it’s scary – but the payoff can be more than worth it: see Ryanair.
With 1.6 million followers, Ryanair is not afraid to play with the public’s general conception of the brand and its services. From TikToks about the lack of TV screens on seats to lofi content poking fun at their garish blue and yellow colour scheme; Ryanair has cracked the code when achieving just the right balance between self-deprecation and showing off.
TikTok has repeatedly pushed the rhetoric of making TikTok’s and not adverts, and so many ‘average user’s’ TikTok profiles spend a majority of their space utilising a consistent undertone of making fun of themselves. Re-telling date horror stories, reenacting school-time embarrassments and even pointing out their visual flaws in a comedic manner – these are all common forms for content found on the app. This should be no different for brands – turn your ‘weak points’ or common complaints into jokes to develop a humanised voice that increases relatability, and ultimately engagement. But a word of warning – do be careful as the Internet can be a very harsh place as Im sure you all already know. But seriously, people are mean.
Look, we are just going to say it – there’s a lot of hot people out there. Whatever your type, it’s a universal experience to be scrolling and then suddenly stop in your tracks when a drop-dead gorgeous content creator appears on your feed (don’t try to deny it). In the world of social, we always talk about thumb-stopping visuals, and sometimes you have that right under your very own roof.
A brand that understands this better than anyone is Joe and the Juice, who utilise their ‘juicers’ in a very clever way. Don’t be afraid to make your TikTok a tiny bit of a thirst trap – it’s what the app is for.
They have a recurring ‘cast’ of employees who bring in the numbers from their sheer charisma 😉. Showing off the team also put humans front and centre of the account – which is great as users enjoy knowing that your branded content is made by humans and not corporate monsters. It’s a chance to humanise your brand and make people feel extreme FOMO.
If social media proves anything, it is that sense is out the window in favour of the fantastic and strange. Chaos is so hot right now. It’s worth noting that this isn’t just the case on TikTok – from those weird Gen Z memes to the short 3 second videos on ‘stan twitter’, nothing makes sense anymore and that’s okay. Embrace the chaos.
It’s fairly obvious who we are going to use as an example here: the famous Duolingo. Found at the top of every ‘best TikTok’s’ list last year and universally enamoured due to its wacky output, Duolingo shows how embracing the fast-paced and non-sensical nature of social media has the potential to skyrocket brands into TikTok stardom.
We are not sure there is much point in dissecting these TikToks, they kind of speak for themselves:
Remember Sylvanian families? Those cute mice, and other rodents, in frilly dresses and victorian dollhouses? Well, TikTok did its usual magic and created a micro-trend around the toys having all kinds of Kardashian-esque drama. It was strange, to say the least.
Not many brands jumped onto this trend – because it was niche, short and snappy and ultimately – very very strange. However, it can be rewarding to hop onto these niche smaller trends. Companies like Duolingo and Ryanair are often very quick (and successful) to utilise globally trending sounds/topics. So searching for smaller microtrends can be a very useful tactic.
Being part of a smaller number of brands that utilise smaller user driven trends for themselves will sometimes increase your engagement a bit more than being the 10,000 brands to post a ‘things that just make sense’ TikTok – although there are pros and cons to both. In fact, the best bet is to try a bit of both. This is something British streetwear brand Lazy Oaf do well – for example utilising the Sylvanian Families trend to mirror work party drama (produced by the user who started the trend):
Yes, our Mums always used to say if we spent too long staring at the screen our eyes would turn square and our brains would rot. And sure, staring at TikTok for hours can lead you into some sort of weird dissociative state, but there is also more to TikTok than watching dolls beef or someone prancing around in a giant bird costume.
People (and brands) often forget that social media is the perfect platform for knowledge sharing – and this can hook people in on a timeline saturated to the brim with memes and trend-driven content.
Sometimes it is worth taking a step back and thinking about what specialist knowledge you have to offer such a space. For example, it’s worth taking inspiration from The Washington Post’s TikTok which very cleverly breaks down complex things such as geopolitical conflict or the findings of the coveted Sue Gray report.
Whilst we are not advocating for your brand’s TikTok to become a space to talk about topics such as these, the style of content produced could easily be remixed and fit snugly into your brand’s expertise – whether that be cars, chocolate or cereal. Everyone has some sort of knowledge to share that the TikTok userbase will find interesting.
You have caught us – we have saved the best TikTok account until last so you read the whole blog post. We are serious about TikTok, and with our team of in house experts, we make sure we practice what we preach (no hypocrites here).
By utilising our amazing (and charismatic 😉) team, advocating for creative chaos and teaching easy/accessible TikTok tricks – Spin’s TikTok account truly is our magnum opus. Don’t be afraid – go have a look.
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