TikTok is the hottest platform right now, with Gen-Z leading the way. Everyone else, ranging from Millennials to Boomers, is also flocking to the app. After seeing so many individuals, businesses, and megacorporations succeed on TikTok over the past year, your small business may want to jump on the rocketship.

Let’s take a few steps back and think about what that means.

Is TikTok the right place for your brand?

Many businesses have found their niche on TikTok. From lawyers to real estate agents to restaurant owners and museum curators, there’s a ________-Tok for everyone. However, it takes more than showing up to make a splash on the platform, and TikTok’s paid advertising is not always well-suited to smaller budgets. So what should your company be posting that’s going to differentiate you on the platform?

It takes a willingness to create engaging and exciting content that wraps a personality around authentic moments for your business. Creating quality content can, but doesn’t have to be, a heavy lift for your team. like with all new things, it’s essential to evaluate your digital presence and figure out how to best allocate your resources.

Content, Content, Content

The TikTok algorithm is a ruthless enigma. Every guide will tell you conflicting information on how to get your content in front of the right people, and everyone is both wrong and right in some ways. With that said, the only guarantee that someone will ever see your business’ content is to actually create content. TikTok is a platform where there is no such thing as posting too much. And the more your content is viewed, the longer people watch it, and the more people interact with it―the better chance it has of being seen by new audiences.

But what exactly are you posting? There are endless options, but an easy place to start is to showcase your business and what you do. If you produce a product, give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the development and production process (including the successes and failures). If you’re shipping items, pack orders on a video and explain what that person is getting (bonus points if you have attractive and creative packaging).

@candymeup

What would you put inside?! 🍭 #slaps #cachetada #slapscreation #mexicancandy #dulcesmexicanos #candymeup

♬ original sound – CandyMeUp

If you work in a field that provides people with services, give some tips or “hacks,” show your workplace, and take your viewers along with you for a “day in the life.” Overall, we know it’s effective to humanize your business. Introduce your team, show them going about their day, and whatever you do―stay genuine and don’t force it.

@lawbymike

Bet you didn’t know this life hack! #LearnOnTikTok #TikTokPartner #psychology #tips

♬ Law X Mike By Chase Hattan – Law By Mike

Personality

Posting TikToks that showcase your business, its people, and your products and services are excellent. But don’t forget to also show off your personality! Before posting any content, take some time to figure out your TikTok brand voice. Is your account going to be funny, punny, wholesome, or self-deprecating? People don’t want to simply watch a production line; they want to hear what’s happening and engage with a story in a creative manner.

@izolas

Happy Wednesday #izolas #hinesvillegeorgia #nearsavannahgeorgia #scoopthatmac #foryou #fyp #lovewins #FtStewartGeorgia

♬ original sound – Izola’s

It’s a Community

TikTok is a very interactive community, and comments are a great way to interact with your audience. Don’t feel pressured to interact with every single comment, but make sure to like a few, reply, and if someone posts a question, reply with a video. This allows you to show your expertise, humanize your brand, and generate more content.

There’s also a rich creator community on TikTok. Interacting with others is a great way to grow your following. Connect with similar businesses and creators that post related content or someone who has a great TikTok presence that you can add something to.

https://www.tiktok.com/@wishescandleco/video/6978982642645601542?lang=en&is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6979663120851863046

There is No Right Way

Some of your TikTok efforts will succeed and some will most definitely not. Don’t rely too heavily on early analytics and metrics, as some of what you consider to be your best content may flop, and your worst content can go viral. Finally, don’t expect a smash viral hit or a massive boost in sales. On TikTok, being creative and having fun is part of the learning process.

How can YMC help?

If you’re interested in learning more about TikTok, social media marketing, and influencer campaigns, we’re here to help. At YMC, we specialize in connecting brands with Gen-Z and Millennial consumers, and we’d be happy to share our wealth of knowledge with you. Contact us today!

Why Your Brand Should Be at Spring Break

Every year, hundreds of thousands of college students flock to a handful of Spring Break destinations throughout the United States and Mexico. The students who travel to Spring Break are influencers back on campus and online, and this presents an incredible opportunity for brands to reach Gen-Zs via Spring Break marketing.

For decades, forward-thinking brands have identified Spring Break marketing as a unique and irreplaceable opportunity to drive awareness, acquisition, and conversion. Imagine having unfettered access to the most influential students at campuses across the country, and finding them all in one place at the same time. By establishing a presence at Spring Break, marketers are able to not only reach this key demographic, but also root their brands into the positive memories students create on their vacations.

Spring Break has grown up over the years. From its roots in the party atmosphere of the 90s, it’s transitioned into a sophisticated, multi-dimensional daytime and nighttime experience for these sought-after consumers. As a result, Spring Break marketing has also evolved. Successful brands have adapted by wrapping their brands around the Spring Break experience in an authentic manner, rather than trying to force Spring Break to conform to their brand.

Throughout March, companies like AXE and Victoria Secret Pink infiltrate Spring Break, sponsoring events and placing ads on everything from elevators to pillowcases. AXE built a custom cube structure that allowed consumers to freshen up during a hot day on the beach. This activation was smartly timed with the launch of their new line of face products. Victoria Secret Pink threw massive pink-colored pool parties at warm weather destination across the country, driving brand awareness and generating content.

spring-break-marketing

There’s a wide breadth of opportunities and channels available at Spring Break—your imagination (and budget) is the limit. How can you best reach spring breakers? Here are some options:

Daytime beach, pool, hotel/resort lobby, and ski events
In-room branding and product placement (shower curtains, pillow cases, etc.)
Interior and exterior hotel branding (signage, elevator wraps, pool vinyls, projections, branded hotel room items, lounge chairs, etc.)
Interactive stage contests
Sampling street teams roaming the beach, hotels/resorts, and nightlife areas
Celebrity- or influencer-fueled events like concerts on the beach or in nightclubs
Nighttime events, concerts, and parties

When deciding how to spend your marketing budget, consider that Spring Break offers the following:

Domestic and international destinations with 40,000–250,000 influential college students in attendance
National reach for your brand that allows you to build an experience in one location, instead of trying to have a presence across the country
Consumer mindsets that are relaxed, fun-loving, and eager to engage with new experiences—perfect for brands looking to drive authentic interactions
Beautiful backdrops of beaches, ski mountains, and resorts, providing a blank canvas for creative and unique brand activations
A scalable and efficient marketing engine that caters to brands across all consumer categories

One of the main questions brand marketers ask about Spring Break is, “What kind of KPIs can we affect and how successful will they be?” Fortunately, campaigns can be built to achieve a variety of different goals:

Awareness – expose hundreds of thousands of college students to your brand, products, services, and messages
Engagement – generate incredible interactions with hosted experiences, contests, sweepstakes, and social media content moments
Acquisition – grow your customer database, create a new consumer through sampling or trial, and drive downloads or usage of a mobile app, product, or service
Conversion – capture the attention of new consumers and convert them into repeat and loyal customers
Viral Spread – create an army of super fans and advocates who will spread your messages back on campus following their Spring Break vacation
Research – get real-time insights on product development, UX/UI, market feasibility, generational trends, and much more

At the end of the day, Spring Break marketing is one of the most incredible opportunities to reach valuable Gen-Z consumers at scale. Your success will be based largely on how you translate your brand into the Spring Break experience, and how prepared you are to execute a flawless campaign.

Want more? Check out these blogs:

How can YMC help?

Whether you have the perfect campaign already conceptualized or you’re considering Spring Break marketing but have more questions, finding the right partner is key. Here at YMC, we’ve been helping brands connect with consumers at Spring Break for two decades and would be happy to share our wealth of knowledge with you.

How to Run a Product Sampling Event on Campus

Sampling is one of the most effective ways to ensure that your product gets into the hands of potential consumers. Although sampling can be a great way to gain product exposure, it must be done strategically. Through a brand ambassador program, brands can leverage their ambassadors to host product sampling events on campus, specifically targeting key potential consumers within the collegiate market.

Here are five tips to running a successful sampling event on campus:

1) Relevance & Theme

Sampling events are typically straightforward—you distribute samples, students sample the product, and students (hopefully) convert. What turns sampling into conversion within the collegiate market, is relevance. Relevance can be created by activating and creating a theme for your product sampling event around key collegiate moments, including back-to-school, Spring Break, or graduation.

For example, a cosmetics company with a wide range of bronzing and body products may want to host a sampling event pre-Spring Break. By hosting the event pre-Spring Break, students will have the opportunity to sample the brand’s relevant warm-weather products such as bronzers, self-tanners, and moisturizers. The event’s proximity to Spring Break will help keep the brand top-of-mind while students are making their travel skincare and makeup purchasing decisions.

2) Product Selection & Size

This may sound obvious, but sampling events should always distribute sample size products. Some brands opt to distribute full-sized products in the hopes of building deeper brand loyalty, however this strategy can ultimately hurt sales. By distributing full-sized product, students are are less likely to head in-store and purchase—and why would they? They already own it!

In addition, selecting sample size products that fit into your event’s theme increases brand relevance and purchase consideration. Going back to the Spring Break example, distributing TSA-approved samples indicates to students that your travel-sized line is perfect for Spring Break.

3) Track Your Success

Through the use of various digital platforms, brands are able to track the success of their sampling events. Coupons are a great way to incentivize students to purchase full-sized product. When creating a coupon, it’s important to make redemptions trackable and unique to your specific program or event. In addition, you’ll want to make sure that the coupon is incentivizing enough—at least a 20% discount—and that it doesn’t compete with any better online or in-store promotions.

Most often, the best indicator of event success will be the sales generated. If you had an event at American University, check to see if there was a sales lift at nearby stores. By tracking the sales of your event, you will be able to determine if your sampling strategy was successful, or if not, how you can change you strategy to ensure future success.

4) Include an Acquisition Element

Students love samples and are typically willing to give personal information in exchange! If your goal is to collect more emails for future email marketing campaigns, an online sweepstakes is an easy way to organically collect those emails. Simply encourage students to sign-up for the sweepstakes in order to gain a sample. Alternately, if your brand is looking to increase their following on social media, implement a “Follow for a Sample” exchange. Both acquisitional tactics have proven successful at sampling events and will provide your brand added value.

5) Location, Location, Location & Time

Keep in mind that each campus you activate on is different! The best way to ensure that your event location and timing works for each unique campus is to ask students or have your brand ambassadors inform your decision. The ambassadors know what days and times are busiest on campus and which locations harbor the most student traffic. Work with your ambassadors to secure the event location and time at least two weeks prior to the event.

The last piece to consider? Hire passionate brand ambassadors and your sampling event will practically run itself!

WANT MORE? CHECK OUT THESE BLOGS

HOW CAN YMC HELP?

Want to get your product into the hands of Millennials and Gen-Z? Finding the right partner is key to your success. Here at YMC, we’ve been helping brands connect with 15- to 29-year-old consumers for two decades—we’d be happy to share our wealth of knowledge with you. Contact us today!