Though it just emerged onto the social media scene in 2016, TikTok has already cemented itself as a staple in digital pop culture. It boasts an active user base of over 150 million in the U.S. alone, and on a global scale, its users collectively watch over one billion videos every day. Due to the platform’s popularity, TikTok influencer marketing might naturally be on your radar. And if you’re looking to work with popular influencers, it’s one of the best options available, especially if you’re targeting younger demographics. 

But before you get started, you need to know how to successfully team up with TikTok personalities and leverage their reach to build your brand on the platform. Let’s get started. 

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What Is TikTok Influencer Marketing?

TikTok influencer marketing involves working with individuals who have large or engaged followings on the app. These users will promote your products or services using their presence and reach by creating organic and paid content. In exchange, you’ll either pay them a marketing fee, provide free products, assign them an affiliate link they can use to earn a commission for their work, or a combination of the three. 

Benefits of TikTok Influencer Marketing

TikTok influencer marketing offers plenty of perks. Some of the top benefits of influencer marketing include:

Viral Content Potential

Arguably, one of the most significant benefits of TikTok marketing is its potential to make any post go viral. The TikTok algorithm promotes engaging content regardless of the creator’s follower count, which means even accounts with a modest following can achieve massive success.

Working with influencers can lead to the creation of captivating content that spreads like wildfire, getting your brand in front of tens of thousands of consumers in practically one fell swoop.

Access to a Younger Audience

Over one-third of TikTok’s current users are between the ages of 18 and 24, so if that’s an audience you need to connect with, TikTok influencer marketing can be a great strategy. Influencers on the platform have built trust and loyalty with their followers, making their recommendations highly effective. Teaming up with them allows you to authentically connect with younger consumers, even if they aren’t familiar with your brand yet. 

Innovative Content Formats

TikTok gives your brand plenty of opportunities to experiment. Your influencer partners can create everything from dance challenges and lip-syncing clips to life hacks and tutorials, depending on your brand and the video creator’s style. These creative formats can help your brand stand out and resonate more with viewers. 

How Does TikTok Influencer Marketing Work?

At its core, TikTok influencer marketing is all about collaboration. But before you team up with people on the platform, you need to set clear goals and identify suitable partners. Prioritize individuals whose audience aligns with your ideal consumer base. 

From there, you’ll need to create a campaign strategy that identifies the kind of collaboration you’re looking for, whether that takes the form of challenges, product reviews, or sponsored posts. Don’t limit yourself to one type of content, either. Diversifying your posts will maximize your reach and return on investment (ROI). 

After you know what you want to achieve and who you’d like to work with, start reaching out to influencers and discuss potential partnerships. Negotiate terms, including compensation, content guidelines, and campaign timelines. While you need to give your partners the freedom to be creative, support them with marketing resources and content where necessary. Ultimately, the entire agreement and process should remain collaborative.

Finally, carefully measure the results of your campaign once it kicks off, identifying what works and fixing what doesn’t. While you may not master the art of TikTok influencer marketing overnight, being proactive about optimizing your campaigns will help maximize your ROI in the long run. 

Best TikTok Features for Influencer Marketing

TikTok offers several features that can enhance your campaigns, such as: 

Hashtag Challenges

Hashtag challenges are a popular feature on TikTok where users create and share videos based on a specific theme or activity using a branded hashtag. The influencer you partner with can kickstart these challenges and encourage their followers to participate and create their own versions, effectively spreading the word about your brand through engaging content. 

Duet and Stitch

TikTok’s Duet and Stitch features allow users to interact with existing videos by creating split-screen or follow-up responses. Influencers can use these features to collaborate creatively with other users or your brand’s content. 

Branded Effects

Branded effects include things like custom filters, stickers, and other special effects that users can apply to their videos. These effects can be designed to reflect your brand’s identity and encourage users to incorporate them into their content. 

In-Feed Ads

In-Feed ads appear in users’ “For You” Feeds and blend seamlessly with native content. You can include calls-to-action (CTAs) such as “Shop Now” or “Learn More” in these posts, which drive traffic to your website or product pages. Partnering with influencers to create these ads can make them more authentic and engaging. 

TikTok Live

Going live on TikTok gives influencers the chance to stream content to their followers in real time. They can use these opportunities to highlight your product launches, host Q&A sessions regarding your partnerships, and much more. 

Related: TikTok Video Ad Specs & Placements Guide

Types of TikTok Influencers

In the world of TikTok influencer marketing, bigger isn’t always better. Instead, it’s best to focus on identifying a partner who is a good match for your brand. That might mean reaching out to a personality with over a million followers or forging a few strategic partnerships to connect with more niche audiences. With that in mind, TikTok influencers are generally categorized into the following four types: 

Mega or Celebrity Influencers

A mega-influencer has a following of more than one million people. Their videos get tens of thousands of views in virtually no time at all, which means partnering with them practically guarantees maximum exposure. 

However, borrowing their reach comes with a premium price tag, meaning these influencers may not align with your budget. Besides, given their diverse audiences, there’s no guarantee you’ll reach the right people anyway. Similarly, celebrity influencer partnerships are generally best for brands with a national or international presence and a (very) healthy marketing budget. 

If you truly intend to generate buzz on a massive scale and get more TikTok views, consider a mega-influencer. Otherwise, turning to someone who fits into the smaller influencer categories below will be a better fit. 

Macro-Influencers

Macro-influencers have between 100,000 and one million followers. Their audiences, which are still quite large, are slightly more niche-specific than celebrity TikTok personalities. And though they demand a premium for their services, they are much more budget-friendly than mega influencers. As such, if you’re looking for a good mix of value and reach, consider a macro-influencer. You’ll be able to significantly increase your visibility while also attracting new customers. 

Micro-Influencers

Micro-influencers have between 10,000 and 100,000 followers. They are great partners for connecting with niche groups and specific market demographics while also providing budget-friendliness and flexibility. Some micro-influencers may be open to brand partnerships that include free products and affiliate-style commission plans, but many micro-influencers have set fees for their content. 

Nano-Influencers

Lastly, there are nano-influencers, which have an active following of less than 10,000 users. Nevertheless, teaming up with a nano-personality on TikTok offers a few key advantages, including cost-effectiveness and the ability to interact with highly engaged users. You might even find yourself in a partnership with an up-and-coming nano-influencer who’ll eventually have a much larger following. In that case, you’ll enjoy a rapidly growing reach as they build their following. 

TikTok Influencer Marketing Best Practices

Before you start collaborating on TikTok, it’s important to brush up on a few established best practices, namely:

• Choose the right influencers: Select people whose audiences align with your target market and who share your brand values 
• Set goals: Set tangible objectives so you can determine whether a campaign is a success
• Think outside the box: Allow influencers the creative freedom to produce content that feels natural and authentic 
• Monitor and adjust: Don’t be afraid to tweak your campaign, especially if early metrics indicate your content is falling short of expectations

Most importantly, remember that an influencer marketing strategy is centered around partnerships. Treating your influencer collaborators respectfully will go a long way in fostering long-term relationships. 

Related: When Is the Best Time To Post on TikTok?

TikTok Influencer Marketing Examples

Here are some notable examples of successful TikTok influencer marketing campaigns: 

Beats by Dre

Beats by Dre worked with singer and rapper Ashnikko to promote their Powerbeats Pro summer colors when they first launched. By using #BeatsDaisyChallenge, Ashnikko and the Beats by Dre brand invited users to create and share their own videos. Ashnikko kicked off the campaign with her video, and fans certainly kept the trend going. As of July 2024, the hashtag has been included in more than 1.7 million captions. 

Mucinex

If you are worried that your brand isn’t active enough on TikTok to partner with an influencer, don’t be. Mucinex, for instance, didn’t let their relatively niche nature stop them from racking up over one billion views and more than 100,000 videos with the hashtag #TooSickToBeSick. The original campaign featured influencers dressed as zombies being transformed into partygoers after taking Mucinex. 

Sweetgreen 

Sweetgreen worked with Teyana Taylor, a multi-hyphenate artist, model, and creative, on a series of products and content to promote the brand. For the campaign, Teyana put together a signature plate at the restaurant (which was only available for a few days), visited a store during the campaign, and took part in a photoshoot with the products. Through this campaign, Sweetgreen was able to connect with Teyana’s fans, encouraging them to head in-store to try the limited time offering. 

Don’t Forget — You Need Great TikTok Videos!

Whether you’ve already found the right TikTok partner for your brand or are just embarking on your influencer marketing journey, the success of your endeavor hinges on one thing: the quality of your video marketing content. If you don’t have the video production skills you need, we’ve got you covered. 

Teaming up with QuickFrame will give you a competitive edge. Our video production platform can help deliver fresh, creative content to engage your audience while streamlining your campaign. 

Ready to get started? Contact us today to learn more about TikTok video production.

TikTok Influencer Marketing: Final Thoughts 

As you begin to harness the power of influencer marketing, TikTok stands as one of the most influential brand-building tools out there. Even if your brand is new to the platform, you can get noticed and reach consumers by connecting with the right influencers and sharing quality video content.