TikTok has rapidly evolved from a platform for dancing teens and comedic sketches to a global marketplace where brands of all sizes can cultivate direct, authentic relationships with audiences. What distinguishes businesses that are winning on TikTok is not simply their willingness to participate, but how they leverage the platform’s unique culture, tools, and algorithms to drive engagement and growth.
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.
Instead of straightforward product promotions, companies thriving on TikTok create content focused on storytelling. Smaller enterprises often share sneak peeks of their operations: the production process of items, daily activities, or genuine responses to client feedback. The hashtag #smallbusiness has accumulated over 109 billion views, highlighting the demand for this candid and unedited viewpoint. For example, café proprietors such as Kleins Coffee in the US tell tales about their family traditions or spotlight the “Coffee of the Day,” fostering deep connections that extend beyond the products.
Embracing Trends and Challenges: Agility Pays Off
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.
Content Created by Users as a Driver for Expansion
Another hallmark of successful TikTok businesses is embracing user-generated content (UGC). Brands like Chipotle intentionally create campaigns designed for replication, such as their #LidFlip challenge, which encouraged users to flip burrito bowl lids and showcase their own Chipotle orders. Such campaigns not only generate buzz but also allow the brand’s reach to extend organically as users remix, react, and reinterpret the original content.
UGC also bolsters community-based marketing for smaller companies. For example, Bala Bangles, a fitness accessory brand, gained significant popularity when TikTok influencers showcased inventive exercise routines using their products. This exposure led to a ripple effect, with the brand’s sales increasing as trending videos encouraged numerous replications and favorable feedback.
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.
Collaborations with influencers continue to be crucial too. Companies such as Glow Recipe partner with skincare influencers whose genuine product evaluations and demonstrations ignite viral trends and ongoing discussions about ingredient transparency. This open, peer-to-peer marketing is especially powerful among Gen Z and millennial age groups.
Various Industries Achieving Success
The successful approach isn’t limited to just one field. A variety of industries are flourishing:
Education: EdTech firms such as Study Smarter and science communicators like Hank Green break down complex topics into snappy, digestible insights, making learning entertaining and shareable.
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: Both neighborhood bakeries and global brands flourish by showcasing recipes, conducting flavor trials, and sharing customer feedback videos that entice audiences to make online purchases.
Data and Case Studies: Measuring Impact
Data supports TikTok’s role in business success. According to TikTok’s 2023 “What’s Next” report, 38% of users globally have purchased a product after seeing it on the platform. A notable case is Little Moons, a UK-based mochi ice cream brand, which saw a 700% increase in supermarket sales after a viral TikTok video pointed users to where the product could be found. The “TikTok made me buy it” phenomenon exemplifies the platform’s capacity to catalyze commercial trends overnight.
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.
