TikTok usage has surged since its launch in 2016, and it has become one of the most popular social media platforms in the world. More recently, there has been an increase in brands using TikTok as a space to advertise and sell products. But authenticity is “king” on TikTok and users can quickly see a tone-deaf or crass sales approach a mile away. That’s where Creators come in. The channel has grown to 1.1 billion monthly active users globally, many of whom identify as “content creators.” KittyKat has more than 500 Creators in our Creator Network routinely creating high-quality and deeply engaging videos with brands and making the process for brands to collaborate with the best Creators much easier.
We’ve put together a list of reliable tips that ensure great collaborations and partnerships between brands and Creators.
1. Find the Right Fit
You have put a lot of effort into defining your brand and bringing it to life for your customers. You want to work with content creators whose personal brand aligns with your own. There’s no use in working alongside a creator whose personality and vibe doesn’t match your brand. The key to a successful partnership is finding a creator who aligns with your brand identity, has authentic connections with their followers, and creates great product content.
- How to find the right creators: The KittyKat Creator Network is 500 creators strong. Reach out to us and we can find the best fit for your brand and manage the entire process.
- What to look for in a creator: Look for creativity and imagination. Remember, “You can review the social channels of creators you are considering, paying attention to posts that catch your eye and ones that have a high number of shares, likes or other types of engagements.” Get tips for choosing creators in our “5 Tips on Choosing the Right Creator for UGC” post.
- It’s no longer as important to have big names or expensive influencers. Celebrity advertising is on the decline while creator content is on the rise. In fact, 64% of people prefer seeing ‘everyday’ people advertising products.
2. Be Clear and Collaborative
Establish what your goals and aims are; and work collaboratively with your creator to achieve the best outcome for your brand. Allow creators to be creative and independent - they know their audience, how to make engaging videos, and they know TikTok. Be ready to collaborate with them and be enthusiastic about their ideas and work.
- Deliver a plan: Provide your creator with guidelines or a creative brief that outlines what your brand needs. Check out our Marketer's Guide to Planning User-Generated Content for a complete approach to planning work with creators.
- Develop a collaborative relationship with your creator: Audiences can tell when a relationship is forced, and this affects the promotion of your products. When you work with creators, you need their input and suggestions on how they can integrate your product into content audiences will find valuable.
3. Be a Supportive Partner
In every working dynamic, there is a need for support between partners. If you want the creator to support your brand, then you show them your support. This can be done through simple efforts such as providing helpful resources and advice, and even through showing appreciation.
- Embrace the power of interaction: The whole concept of TikTok is built around interaction. Comments, likes, hashtags and duets are what help drive a video to the forefront of a ‘for you’ page. Show your support in a prominent way and publicly interact with your creator’s pages.
- Offer “shout-outs” to your creators: Think of your creators as great partners. You will want to work with them consistently over long periods of time. Use your own social channels to celebrate them. They, in turn, will likely comment or share any post where you mention them. It's a win-win for everyone.
4. Measure and Adapt
Monitoring your campaign performance through views and engagement is an efficient and effective way to ensure your brand advertising is headed in the right direction. By tracking your key metrics, you’ll be able to adjust and optimize where needed to have your content perform to the best of its ability.
- Monitor your metrics: How do you know that your work with the Creator is having an impact? The answer lies in choosing the right KPIs (key performance indicators) to monitor and evaluate. In general, you want to track reach, engagement, traffic and conversion KPIs. You can get a more complete idea of what to track in our “How Brands Measure User-Generated Content (UGC)” post.
- Measure your creator’s impact on your brand: According to TikTok’s Marketing Science Team, “Brand favorability (+24%), brand recommendation (+18%), and brand preference (+20%) all increased after watching ads that feature TikTok creators.” You can use TikTok’s brand measurement options to track this change. You can also keep a close eye on any comments your work generates with your brand’s or creator’s audiences.
By following these tips, you can turn creator partnerships on TikTok into powerful engines for brand awareness, engagement and marketing success. For some great examples of partnering with creators on TikTok, you can head over to KittyKat’s website and see how creators and brands are creating great work together.
