TikTok’s popularity has increased dramatically within 2020. As of February 2021, over 34 million people worldwide were using the app every day. In the beginning, brands were often frowning upon TikTok, thinking it’s no more than just a one-day social media hype for dancing kids, fooling around, but now they see it as a promising marketing platform. And not only they see it — big brands have acted on it and are reaping astonishing results.
Has your brand become part of this craze yet? If your answer is yes, we’re here to share some TikTok video ideas with you.
- Start a branded hashtag challenge
- Make the most of trending hashtags
- Show your product in use
- Focus on lifestyle
- Share some backstage videos
- Broadcast a part of your event
- Share a tutorial or an educational video
- Use your mascot
- Collaborate with influencers
- Appeal to the senses of your audience
- Hit the news
- Apart from TikTok
Start a branded hashtag challenge
A branded hashtag challenge is actually one of the first ad formats available on TikTok. Hashtag challenges go viral, helping businesses build brand awareness. Also, they show high engagement rates — 8.5%, including likes, comments, and shares.
The mechanics are simple: just record a video or a couple of videos, add a branded hashtag, and invite users to create content on the topic you’ve offered.
This TikTok idea is suitable for any brand.
How to shoot: For your challenge, choose an action that can be performed easily, but in many different ways. Thus, you provide creators with opportunities for self-expression and creativity. Also, it’s better to choose something that doesn’t require a lot of video editing so that even users without special skills can take part in your challenge.
Here are some examples of what your challenge could be:
- a simple dance or other basic physical activity;
- singing or lip-syncing;
- drawing;
- a makeover;
- reconstructing movie scenes, pictures, etc.
Example: #AirPodsJUMP challenge by Apple.
The brand invites users to grab their jump rope and have some fun, but creators can also express themselves by transforming the rope into something playful.
Make the most of trending hashtags
If you’re searching for good TikTok ideas and don’t feel like starting a challenge, create a video to support a trending hashtag instead.
This TikTok idea is suitable for any brand. However, when picking out hashtags to shoot videos for, make sure they align with your brand’s image and values.
How to shoot: Be natural and informal and remember to stick to your brand’s tone of voice. You might also include your product in the video, but only if it looks natural and appropriate; don’t impose it on the audience.
Example: Cosmopolitan’s video for #BlackCreatives.
The hashtag was started to support black creators who might be suppressed by the algorithms of the social media app. Cosmopolitan, as a beauty magazine in the first place, presented the problem from their point of view and devoted a video to black beauty creators.
Show your product in use
If you have the opportunity, prioritize showing your product instead of just talking about it. Showing your product in use will help you demonstrate its quality and functionality.
This TikTok idea is suitable for any brand that sells food or physical goods, such as makeup products, gadgets, and others.
How to shoot: To attract more attention, don’t just expose your product — add some drive and drama. Here are a few good TikTok ideas for brands to do that:
- carry out a crash test of your product;
- make up some funny scenario, using metaphors: imagine how things would go if your product were, say, a human;
- think of an unusual way to use your product.
Example: NYX’s #SHINELOUD lipstick torture-test.
The brand asked two beauty influencers to test the coverage of their lipstick while eating, drinking, and kissing.
Focus on lifestyle
From time to time, you need to give your audience a little break from your product. So, instead of how-tos and reviews, try to show your viewers the lifestyle they can have with the help of your product.
This TikTok idea is suitable for any brand, especially those offering products that are expensive and have a long sales funnel.
How to shoot: Make sure your video is really captivating. You can even not include your product, but the viewer should understand that this lifestyle is impossible without it.
Example: extreme lifestyle videos by BMW Motorrad.
The brand shows more than just motorcycles on their TikTok account: they show a life full of speed and adrenaline.
Share some backstage videos
It’s a good practice to let your audience get behind the scenes — it helps brands build trust.
This TikTok idea is suitable for any brand. For example, food and beverage companies can show their kitchens. Apparel brands can share how their designers’ and sewers’ workdays are going. Streaming platforms and film distributors can publish additional scenes not included in the final cut or interviews with the cast and crew.
How to shoot: Make sure that everything looks natural as if there were no cameras. But do not go into much detail to avoid boring your audience.
Example: backstage videos from Chipotle.
The restaurant chain unravels some of their recipes in their TikTok videos. One of those videos is devoted to making chips: the viewers can see which ingredients, tools, and technologies are used, how the staff abides by hygienic rules, and more.
Actually, Chipotle gets those TikTok video ideas from their audience — they ask Chipotle to show how to cook this or that dish.
Broadcast a part of your event
Because of COVID-19, we have got used to online concerts and events. So if you lack TikTok video ideas, broadcast a part of your offline event. Let your audience be a part of it without having to risk their health.
This TikTok idea is suitable for businesses that host or attend shows, conferences, or parties, even from time to time.
How to shoot: Choose the most spectacular part of the show, prefer action to long speeches. Make sure users can understand what’s happening on the screen without context.
Example: Prada’s fashion show.
The brand shared a part of their fall-winter 2021 fashion show on their TikTok.
Share a tutorial or an educational video
TikTok is not only about fun — but there is also room for education. Of course, it cannot be any kind of university education, but short how-tos, explainer videos, DIYs, and life hacks are all appropriate.
This TikTok idea is suitable for: any brand, especially those offering complex products. For example, furniture and hardware companies can share tutorials on assembling furniture and using tools correctly. Apparel brands can share their knowledge on how to pick clothes that match. Food and beverage brands can share some recipes or kitchen hacks, say, on how to keep food fresh longer.
How to shoot: Aim to be informative, but do not go into too much detail. Remember, you have no more than one minute — but it’s better to fit into 15 seconds. If your video has to be long, split it into several parts.
Example: educational videos by Headspace app.
The app is designed to help people learn how to meditate — and to make this task simpler, Headspace shares tips on daily meditation on their TikTok account.
Use your mascot
Using your mascot in your TikTok videos can be a breath of fresh air. Since not many brands have mascots, you can stand out from competitors and become memorable for the viewers.
This TikTok idea is suitable for brands that have mascots or celebrity ambassadors.
How to shoot: Stick to the character of your mascot — create video scripts based on that. But whatever your mascot is, make sure that, in general, it provokes positive emotions.
Example: Burger King videos starring their king character.
The fast-food giant, Burger King, shot several videos with a masked actor dressed as a king to announce their BK PS5 Sweepstakes campaign in October 2020. These videos are not very creative — generally, the actor unpacks and plays Sony PS5 game console — but they stand out from the rest of the videos on Burger King’s account and thus attract more attention.
Collaborate with influencers
If you’re eager to build loyalty and trust towards your brand, nothing works better than personal recommendations.
This TikTok idea is suitable for any brand. For example, fashion brands can ask influencers to create different looks using their clothes; food and beverage brands can challenge TikTok chefs to make food using only their products.
How to shoot: Trust the influencer you collaborate with — they know their audience better than you do. Usually, they do unboxings, reviews, or test drives, but it’s possible for a brand to come up with their own good TikTok ideas. To better understand the preferences of the influencer’s target audience and adapt your content, you can analyze it with a free tool, Popsters.
Example: Walmart collaborations with makeup artists and stylists.
Influencers create announcements, reviews, and shopping guides; they also try on new makeup products or clothes available at Walmart.
Appeal to the senses of your audience
Videos that awaken our senses of touch, smell, and taste are getting more popular on TikTok. For example, one of the top video categories in Korea is Mukbang — online eating shows, where the host eats huge amounts of food. Also, TikTok adopts ASMR videos, relaxing videos including monotonous activities such as whispering, crinkling wrapping paper, chewing food, steam ironing, tapping a keyboard, and so on.
This TikTok idea is suitable for any brand. For example, beauty brands can shoot unboxing videos, including a magnificent rustling noise while unwrapping the packaging and the sound of opening a new tube of lipstick. Food and beverage companies can show some mouthwatering videos co-starring stretchy melted cheese and soda drinks filling an icy glass.
How to shoot: Slow down and concentrate on details.
Example: Chipotle’s mouthwatering video about their new quesadilla.
The camera focuses on a tortilla with juicy, goldish meat bits on it, the cheese falling, and then melting and stretching — and all of that is in slow motion. After that video, it’s hard to resist the temptation to drop by a Chipotle soon.
Hit the news
According to the recent TikTok Trend Report, news is one of the fastest growing categories. So why not to try newsjacking?
This TikTok idea is suitable for brands that are not afraid to joke; whose marketing strategy allows provocative moves.
How to shoot: You need to be fast and exquisite. Do not dig deep into sensitive topics such as politics, inequality issues, and the like.
Example: Funko’s ironic video about the Suez Canal blocked by a huge container ship.
Funko, a brand that creates and sells vinyl figures and other stuff devoted to pop culture heroes, made a funny video about the ship Ever Given that blocked the Suez Canal in March of 2021. The main hero of the video was a Funko-styled figure of the captain.
Apart from TikTok
TikTok isn’t enough for you? Consider video email marketing: it can bring you up to 88% in ROI, bring you loyal customers, and help you generate more sales.
With SendPulse, creating emails with videos is a piece of cake: our drag-and-drop editor allows you to insert a video into an email easily. After the email is sent, you can get detailed analytics on your subscribers’ activity, data about sent and delivered emails, clicks, and much more.
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