Quick Guide for TikTok Influencers - How to Attract Endorsements

The number of monthly users on TikTok has shot past 1 billion and it’s expected to grow even more in the coming months and years. This only makes the hunting ground ideal for influencers and wannabe influencers.

Becoming an influencer will require creativity, time, and judicious use of third-party apps and services. But you already know all of that and you have a level of following that classifies you as a TikTok influencer. That’s awesome! And this write-up wants to help you raise the bar up a notch.

As you’re about to find out, many of the tips that help TikTok influencers will also help those who want to become an influencer.

Understanding What Marketers Want

The best way to attract endorsements is to figure out what marketers and brands are looking for. As you know, TikTok users on average are younger than those on all other major platforms, which means that you don’t want to appear too salesy.

You should be very careful about the endorsements that you choose to accept and always come up with a creative way to promote whatever you’re promoting. Gen Zers, for example, make up a major part of all TikTok users and they don’t care for things that remind them of traditional advertising, to put it mildly.

This all means that you have to focus your efforts on developing a style that sets you apart. This works twofold. As you work on creating likes and content that appeals to your audience, you’re also creating a framework that marketers can tap into.

Match Made in Heaven

Unless your followers match a brand’s target market, you’re just not going to get an endorsement. That’s what everyone learns in Marketing for Dummies.

However, companies are always looking for ways to expand their market. Your audience may just match the market segment that a company is looking to expand to.

On the other hand, even if an endorsement is to land on your lap, you may still want to consider if the brand matches your audience. Think about it. What will your audience think if you promote something that runs counter to their interest? Will they think less of you?

The way it works is that you’re more likely to attract endorsements from brands that have to do with the running theme of your TikTok profile. There’s always an option to run an outreach campaign and try to attract sponsors you’d like to work with. It’s a way to be certain that the sponsor has something both you and your followers can benefit from.

Influencer’s Edge

Companies have plenty of marketing options on TikTok and influencer marketing is only one of them. It is also not so easy for an influencer to build a loyal following of the right demographic.

That said, there are great services that you can use to purchase followers, shares, and likes. But remember that you also have to engage with that audience and entice them to buy. With influencer marketing, there’s much less shopping friction. An influencer’s creative input can contribute to the success of a campaign.

When reaching out to or negotiating with potential sponsors, you can emphasize this if it’ll help to secure a deal. You may be able to help a brand to reach a customer pool that was previously out of their range.

Relevance vs. Reach

In the eyes of marketers and brands, relevance will always be more important than reach. Marketers rarely choose an influencer for the size of the following.

When growing your followers, be it organic or paid, you need to aim for the same. Becoming an influencer isn’t a numbers game, even if it might appear as such. You’re on the right track if you make it the impact or influence that you have over your audience.

Focus on that and keep an eye on all the interactions, comments, and questions received. This is how you can gauge what makes your followers tick, which can give you immense bargaining power over potential sponsors.

And as previously mentioned, you should only look to form a partnership with a brand or sponsor that’s beneficial to all the stakeholders. These would include your followers. What’s in it for them?

Perhaps a discount or special offer on whatever you’re promoting. Even better if it’s exclusive.

Influencer Campaign Tactics

The dynamics of a TikTok influencer campaign requires more strategizing than the same on Facebook or Instagram. This is a good thing as it’s an upselling opportunity.

To explain, a campaign may include posting product images and creating stories and/or videos of you using the product. As shown in Guess’s highly creative 2018 campaign, the company’s use of influencers netted more than 40 million views.

This only goes to show that your chances of attracting endorsements go up with your creativity. And when you land one, there are plenty of ways to extract the most value out of it. You can even have multiple tiers of endorsement packages, depending on what a company is trying to accomplish.

Content Is King

Whichever way you look at it, your content is what drives endorsements your way. The videos that you upload must be share-worthy. They should showcase your talent and your desire to please and entertain, and not just for the fun either.

Your ability to add an innovative twist is what brands and sponsors are looking for. For example, to promote customized denim earlier in the year 2020, Levi’s partnered with the most talented influencers. What followed was a series of videos that more than doubled the visitors to Levi’s online store.

Get Ready to Rock

As of recently, companies have been flocking to TikTok. As an influencer, it shouldn’t be too hard to find the right sponsor for your page. The competition may be getting tougher but you now know how to shape your strategy to stand out.

And truth be told, it’s really okay to purchase followers. Just don’t allow the new followers to sit around and collect dust. Nurture those followers and you can get closer to a new endorsement deal.