More and more brands are realising the power of TikTok and the influence it can have over key markets – but carrying out a successful campaign on the world’s most popular short-form video app isn’t as easy as jumping on the latest trend.

TikTok has a unique feel, and that can be difficult for some marketers to replicate across corporate content – which is why brand collaborations with influencers can be so powerful.

A study carried out by the platform has proven the value of brand and creator collaborations. And, before you roll your eyelids at yet another bit of ‘research’ that presents a conclusion favourable to the entity that paid for it, it’s worth taking into account that this study examined nearly 3,000 partnerships. 

Marketers can, and should, take value from this study. It’s looked at how different organisations make the most of its app, and has distilled its findings into four main creative takeaways that brands can use to light a fire under their advertising efforts.

TikTok for Business

“We want brands to understand how to maximise their marketing efforts by producing creative specifically for our platform, using native formats, and collaborating with independent TikTok creators to develop and promote branded content.”

So, without further mucking about, here are the four main takeaways from the study.

1. TikTok-specific branded content in collaboration with creators drives real results

TikTok says that video views, engagement and brand recall can all be improved by using TikTok-specific branded content in partnership with creators.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, content not created specifically for TikTok performed the worst while campaigns that used established creators did the best.

Ads that featured TikTok creators saw 6-second views increasing by 91% compared to ads that didn’t contain creators. The study also showed that ads made in collaboration with creators achieved higher engagement, and were responsible for stronger brand recognition.

No surprises there, then, but the full report does provide solid numbers that can be used to make data-driven decisions – or reassure marketers that they’re on the right path. It also shows that taking advantage of current trends and mimicking user behaviour can lead to solid results.

2. Partnering with creators boosts view rates for In-Feed Ads. Partnership with creators in ads boosts view rates and helps brands get noticed

As your ads are more likely to be seen when you work with creators, it’s best practise to prioritise adverts that feature your products. TikTok found that this is especially useful in the beauty category.

Adverts with content created for TikTok and partnering with creators had a 112% higher two second view rate compared to other ads, and a 193% higher view rate for six second views. They also increased their engagement rate by 93%.

TikTok for Business

“Creator Beauty content is especially effective at promoting brand recognition. Beauty content saw the strongest aided and unaided brand recall from the TikTok-specific branded content when collaborating with creators.”

3. For beauty brands, prioritise comedy and videos showing product use

If you’re involved in the beauty space, use ads that priortise comedy and show your product in use. These are essential if you want more people to watch your ads until the end.

TikTok for Business

“The result is a 24% view rate for ads showing the products in use or featuring comedy.”

4. And remember, just creating TikTok-specific ads or partnering with creators isn’t necessarily enough to ensure lift in all metrics

TikTok says your content still has to include all the right messaging and have a strong call-to-action if you want to secure those all-important conversions or increase brand awareness.

Be creative

TikTok is probably the home of some of the most creative storytellers on the internet, so you need to harness all of your creativity for campaigns.

Good, creative adverts that partner with creators improve ad recall and can improve a whole host of other metrics that were discussed in the sections above.

Success does vary between different industries. Beauty content works best when partnered with an influencer (72% recall vs 27%), but fashion (50% vs 8%), CPG (55% vs 7%) and luxury (42% vs 5%) all do well.

Brand objectives matter

Working with influencers is not a silver bullet. If your brand objective is to drive video views and engagements, then it’s likely that working with creators will help you to meet those goals. However, if it’s to drive sales or clicks to a website then you can’t just rely on the power of the creator. Your messaging and advert also has to be spot on.

It’s easy for brands to hook up with creators on TikTok. Marketers should head to TikTok Creator Marketplace to find eligible creators that are the right fit for their brand – while tools and support can be found over at TikTok for Business.