13 Brands on TikTok to Inspire Your Social Strategy

TikTok surpassed Google as the most popular website on the Internet. The short-form video channel has amassed 1 billion monthly users, and 2.6 billion app downloads, since its launch, and its growth trajectory is astronomical. It’s clear that social entertainment is here to stay.

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How you'll feel after making your first TikTok.

Why Brands Should Be Using TikTok

Before we get into how brands are using TikTok for business, let’s get some context with a few need-to-know figures.

• TikTok has 1 billion monthly users
• The app has been downloaded at least 2.6 billion times
• TikTokers open the app on average 8 times a day
• 60% of TikTok users are Gen Z
• TikTok users spend an average of 52 minutes on the app each day
• The majority of TikTokers ages range from 10 to 39
• 83% of users have created a video
• The majority of content is created in-app using native tools

What Great Brands on TikTok Have in Common

The early bird catches the worm. Brands that take the leap and start experimenting with content on new channels can ride the hype, learn the tricks of the trade, and grow in a less crowded environment.

Top Brands on TikTok

The early bird catches the worm. Brands that take the leap and start experimenting with content on new channels can ride the hype, learn the tricks of the trade, and grow in a less crowded environment.

The brands with some the biggest followings on TikTok include Flighthouse with 28.1m followers, The NBA with 14.6m, Nickelodeon with 12.4m, and Redbull with 6.5m. Interestingly, the NBA was an Instagram Stories pioneer, getting in early on the behind-the-scenes trend and using the ephemeral nature of Stories to its advantage.

TikTok Beauty Brands on TikTok

Fenty Beauty

Fenty Beauty was the best social media brand launch of all time. So it’s no surprise that the team took the rise of TikTok in stride, and quickly grew a following of over 1 million.

The Fenty Beauty team creates TikTok-first content, on-the-fly and always on point.

It’s the Fenty Beauty vibe we all know and love, with the funny and chill essence of TikTok dusted on as highlighter, and we’re here for it.

Kylie Cosmetics

We understand the Kardashian-Jenner allure. Where they will go, fans will follow. Kylie Cosmetics is one of the first of the family brands to be on TikTok, and you don’t need us to tell you, it’s going well.

Following in the footsteps of a successful Instagram Stories strategy.

Sephora

Sephora is another brand that dove straight into the exciting ocean of TikTok content.

Like many other brands, Sephora has a winning formula of product and personality, which results in engaging content that fans of the retailer love. Familiar faces bring viewers on a journey, and create a more meaningful connection with the brand’s content.

Publishers & Media Brands on TikTok on TikTok

Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan has somehow managed to embrace the don't-take-yourself-too-seriously nature of TikTok while still promoting content and staying on brand.

Radio Disney

TikTok is arguably the perfect channel for Radio Disney. Music? Check. Teen audience? Check. Dance trends? Check.

When Radio Disney goes viral on TikTok, it really goes viral, the above video has been liked over 400,000 times.

Automotive Brands on TikTok

Mercedes-Benz

We love seeing huge, established, household-name brands branching out into new channels. And Mercedes-Benz is just that.

BMW

From race wins to the Mentos challenge, BMW was one of the first automotive brands on TikTok, and now has multiple accounts on the channel.

Haircare Brands on TikTok

Bleach London

Bleach London has nailed its TikTok strategy. The brand is all about bright colours, oddly satisfying hair clips (we can’t stop watching the comb-in-dye videos), and ASMR.

Fun fact: The below video was played over 5.5 million times.

Food & Beverage Brands on TikTok

Chipotle

If you needed persuading that TikTok has no rules and that it’s all about what your audience cares about/will engage with, this video of guacamole being made was viewed 3 million times.

Redbull

Redbull has always taken a unique approach when it comes to the types of content it produces (watching Felix Baumgartner jump from space down to Earth was one of the coolest things we’ve ever seen) and the brand’s TikTok feed is a myriad of daredevil challenges and people doing extraordinary things. The engagement metrics speak for themselves.

Fashion Brands on TikTok

Pretty Little Thing

Pretty Little Thing has been experimenting and honing its TikTok strategy since the beginning, proving that it knows its audience, where they hang out (on TikTok and Instagram), and what kinds of content they like to see.

Unsurprisingly, content that performs well for Pretty Little Thing is lo-fi, funny, and relevant when it comes to TikTok trends.

Gymshark

Gymshark is activewear royalty on social media. The brand has always taken an agile approach to social media—they get it. It’s a fitness-meets-comedy feast for the eyes on the brand’s TikTok account.

Guess

Guess is winning the hearts of its younger audience on TikTok. Being present where its audience is already spending a considerable amount of time and creating fun, engaging content is creating a new stream of growth. This new creative outlet is bringing fans further into the world of Guess.

How to Become One of the Best Brands on TikTok

TikTok is not a traditional social media platform. It is an entertainment platform. It’s not about a polished, perfect piece of content (but your splicing and transitions better be tight), it’s about creating content that is going to resonate with people in funny, relatable ways that users may want to mimic. TikTokers love to take an idea and put their own creative stamp on it.

TikTok is not a channel for hyper-curated feeds. Post-production happens in-app, and TikTok ads consist of boost organic content, so they fit right in with the rest of your feed. The most entertaining content surfaces first, and the number of followers a brand has is less important, which is different from the other social media algorithms marketers have worked with until now. Entertainment is king, and it doesn’t matter if the TikTok took ten minutes or ten seconds to film as long as it’s interesting.

TikTok is all about relevance. Trending sounds can sweep through the platform in a matter of hours, and it’s up to brand marketers to decide what is and isn’t right for them to jump on board with. Marketers are used to social media being fast, always-on, and reactive—but this agile reality reaches new heights on TikTok. You'll need to develop a clear TikTok marketing strategy to jump on trends quickly, and utilize Dash Hudson’s robust suite of TikTok Insights to better understand what is working, and what isn’t.

FAQs

Why should brands use TikTok?

TikTok is one of the most popular social media channels in the world right now. It positions itself uniquely among its counterparts by being entirely video focused, as well as relatively simple to use. With many of the “viral” effects available within the native app, it’s easy for brands to hop onto a trend and get engagement in a moment’s notice. Brands have a real opportunity to stand out on TikTok.

Which brands are winning TikTok?

The brands that are winning on TikTok are the ones that leaped on the opportunity, learned from their results, and are having fun doing it. Some of users’ favourite brands on TikTok are the ones that are stepping outside of the box. TikTok has allowed brands that are typically seen as more professional, the opportunity to give customers a peek behind the curtain. Brands like Duolingo, Barkbox and Ryanair are prime examples of this.

How do you get verified on TikTok?

Similar to other social media channels, there is no follower threshold that you have to meet in order to be verified. However, there are a couple of things you can do to get closer to securing it. If you’re not already a well-established brand, it’s important for you to find your niche. This means posting consistent content that follows platform guidelines, resonates with your intended audience, and hopefully goes viral. Once your brand catches on, the channel will verify your account in due course.

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