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
On TikTok, traditional advertising often falls flat. Users gravitate toward content that feels organic and relatable, which means businesses that behave more like creators than corporations tend to flourish. For example, Ryanair, a low-cost airline, amassed millions of followers by transforming the brand into a relatable character. By using trending sounds, humorous filters, and self-aware commentary on flight delays and travel anxieties, Ryanair turns customer complaints into comedic content. This approach positions the airline as approachable and human, rather than just another faceless corporation.
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.
This agility extends to retail. Beauty brands like Fenty Beauty and The Ordinary have succeeded not by pushing products, but by reacting to viral makeup challenges, responding to user questions, and sharing creative tutorials that demystify skincare routines. Their willingness to hand creative control to TikTok creators, empowering authentic voices to experiment with products, enhances credibility and drives virality.
User-Generated Content as Growth Engine
An additional feature of thriving TikTok companies is adopting consumer-created content (UGC). Companies such as Chipotle purposefully design initiatives aimed at duplication, like their #LidFlip challenge, which invited participants to flip burrito bowl lids and display their personal Chipotle meals. These types of initiatives not only create excitement but also enable the brand’s influence to grow naturally as users remix, interact with, and reimagine the initial material.
UGC also supports grassroots marketing for smaller businesses. For instance, Bala Bangles, a fitness accessory company, surged in popularity after TikTok creators demonstrated creative workout routines featuring their products. This peer-driven exposure resulted in a cascading effect, with the brand’s sales spiking as viral videos inspired countless imitations and positive reviews.
Leveraging TikTok Shopping and Influencer Partnerships
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.
Influencer partnerships remain pivotal as well. Brands like Glow Recipe align with skincare influencers whose honest product reviews and demonstrations spark viral trends and sustained conversations about ingredient transparency. This transparent, peer-to-peer marketing is particularly potent among Gen Z and millennial demographics.
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: Local bakeries and international chains alike thrive with recipe demonstrations, taste tests, and customer reaction videos that tempt viewers into placing online orders.
Data and Case Analyses: Assessing Influence
Data emphasizes the impact of TikTok on businesses. TikTok’s “What’s Next” report for 2023 reveals that 38% of its international audience has bought a product after viewing it on the app. A significant example is Little Moons, a mochi ice cream company from the UK, which experienced a 700% rise in sales at supermarkets following a viral video on TikTok directing users to buy the product. The “TikTok made me buy it” trend highlights the platform’s ability to ignite sales trends swiftly.
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.
