We have noticed some restrictions, but TikTok still remains the place to connect. But what is really going on behind the hotly debated #TikTokBan?
Currently, a "TikTok Ban" is on everyone's lips, especially in the US. Montana recently became the first US state to talk about banning TikTok on personal devices. TikTok is suing Montana, arguing the ban violates the Constitution by limiting the company’s right to host and distribute user-created content. TikTok is asking the court for an injunction to block the ban, which, if granted, would allow the app to conduct business as usual in the state while the courts sort out the relevant issues. Additionally, five TikTok creators filed their own lawsuit against the state, arguing that the Montana ban violates the First Amendment.
Like the TikTok company itself, Kingfluencers is closely monitoring current events. While a ban is less likely to occur here in the DACH region, we’re exploring what it would mean.
Why is TikTok Being Banned?
The concerns driving TikTok bans are:
Accessibility of dangerous content
Personal data being transferred out of the EU
The Chinese government could access sensitive user data, like location info
China could use it to spread misinfo
In January, EU Commissioner for International Market Thierry Breton expressed concerns about the easy accessibility of dangerous content on TikTok, as well as journalists being spied on, and personal data being transferred outside Europe. Breton spoke with TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew and emphasized the need to comply with EU legislation including privacy laws and the new EU Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA, which will apply to major platforms on 1 September, is a set of sweeping rules that will require platforms to reduce harmful online content and combat online risks. “We will not hesitate to adopt the full scope of sanctions to protect our citizens if audits do not show full compliance,” Breton said.
Since TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, governments are concerned that may grant the Chinese government access to sensitive user data, like location information. The New York Times writes that these concerns are due to laws that allow the Chinese government to secretly demand data from Chinese companies and citizens for intelligence-gathering operations. TikTok has long denied these allegations. Governments are also worried that China could use TikTok’s content recommendations to spread misinformation. Chinese ownership seems to be the main issue, according to the New York Times. TikTok said recently that the Biden administration wants its Chinese ownership to sell the app or face a possible ban.
Where is TikTok Banned?
Numerous government bodies have recently banned the app from official devices, including the US federal government, Canada, the executive arm of the European Union, Australia, and the Parliaments of Britain and New Zealand. Again, these bans apply only to official government devices and have no impact on what private citizens choose to use on their own mobile devices.
India banned TikTok outright in June 2020, along with 58 other Chinese apps, to curb the perceived spread of Chinese influence in the country.
In late February, the Swiss Federal Chancellery told RSI that there are currently no plans to ban TikTok in Switzerland. The federal administration could ban the use of individual apps at any time, but at the moment such a ban is not intended for TikTok. Mauro Tuena, SVP national councilor and head of the security commission stated that the security of user data should always be the top priority, although a nationwide ban would go too far. Some elected officials believe a TikTok ban should be discussed if the platform repeatedly failed in protecting user data.
TikTok now has more than 150 million monthly active users in the US. With a total population of 332 million, that’s approaching half! Clearly, the app is popular with Americans, making a ban highly unpopular.
How is TikTok Responding?
If EU governments were to begin debating a ban, we would expect TikTok to adjust guidelines voluntarily in order to remedy the concerns and allay the need for a ban.
TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has fired four employees who illegally accessed the personal data of two journalists on the platform. The company has stated that it takes data security "incredibly seriously". Regarding the EU ban on TikTok on official devices, a TikTok representative said: "We are disappointed with this decision, which we believe is wrong and based on fundamental misunderstandings. We have contacted the Commission to set the record straight and explain how we protect the data of the 125 million people in the EU who use TikTok every month."
I do not believe that TikTok will be banned in Europe. European governments may apply pressure and they will come to an agreement in the end. Should TikTok be banned, there would be some eager replacements on the market very fast. While that would be exciting to see, I don’t think it will come to that point.
Brands value access to their target audiences as well as high engagement, and TikTok influencers deliver both. TikTok now has the highest engagement rates of any social media platform, 5.69% per post, compared to Instagram’s 0.47%. A TikTok ban would mean creators would lose the audiences and engagement they’ve spent time building.
Additionally, TikTok emphasizes discovery, enabling posts from users with a small following to go viral. This makes the platform an excellent venue for new creators to achieve success. A TikTok ban would of course be detrimental for creators and brands alike, although other platforms, such as Meta, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat, could benefit as audiences shift.
How Can Brands & Influencers Mitigate Damage in this Unlikely Event?
There are a few things creators can do to mitigate the negative impact.
Diversify Your Online Presence
Work to build an audience on other social media platforms. You can upload your videos to YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and Snapchat's Spotlight while continuing to make TikToks.
The content creator and food blogger Jey Cis (@cookingwithjey) also follows this strategy: "I generally try to spread myself across several platforms and have now also started a blog. Because in these fast-moving times, you never know what's coming next. You should always have a plan B at the start or diversify.”
Develop Various Income Streams
You can monetize your audience by selling physical and digital products or services such as Cameo.
Again, the ban seems very unlikely, but these steps can benefit creators in any case. Brands can also benefit by partnering with influencers who have engaged audiences on multiple platforms.
If it [the TikTok ban] should happen, then a change is also a new chance to develop and grow. But of course, it would affect and worry me, because a lot of love and hard work was invested to create such an engaging account and community. Even if many out there still think that I "only make videos".
TikTok is still THE place for brands to reach and connect with Gen Z and, but also older generations. Working with dozens of leading TikTok-centric content creators, our expert team delivers and implements high-performing TikTok ad strategies or influencer campaigns. Developing and implementing a successful TikTok strategy will generate multiple tangible benefits, today and in the future.
Finding the right TikTok agency that’s based in Switzerland can be a challenge.
So we’ve gone out and researched for you which agencies there are in Switzerland – and summarized them in the following directory of the top 10 Swiss agencies for TikTok content and advertising, sorted by city.
The directory is not complete, you’re welcome to tell us about other agencies that belong on this list and we’ll be happy to add them.
The 10 Best TikTok Agencies in Switzerland
Zurich and Basel are the two big Swiss cities offering TikTok agencies. While the amount of agencies you can choose from is not overwhelming, the world of TikTok marketing is growing and new ones are popping up all the time.
So let’s dive into the 10 best TikTok agencies Switzerland has to offer:
TikTok Agencies in Zurich
Kingfluencers AG
Kingfluencers is Switzerland’s pioneer of influencer marketing since 2016. Working with dozens of leading TikTok-centric content creators, our expert team delivers and implements high-performing TikTok influencer marketing campaigns but moreover, also offers unique TikTok strategies, “how to TikTok” workshops, community management and content creation for its clients . Developing and implementing a successful TikTok strategy will generate multiple tangible benefits, today and in the future. Even if Gen Z and young millennials are not your current customers, they are certainly your customers of tomorrow. TikTok allows you to get a head start in the constant race for market leadership.
Our TikTok expert team with in-house TikToker Julie Riess as well as our Chief TikTok & Trends Ramin Yousofzai are here to help you get ahead and win the race, also as a TikTok Partner Agency, we’re in direct contact with the platform itself. For our own TikTok approach, we’re additionally working closely with our strong partner KaltesWasser – THE TikTok agency from Zurich – to have more GenZ power right next door.
Kingfluencers holistic full-service agency is based at Hohlstrasse 188, 8004 Zurich, Switzerland.
Tings
Tings live and love TikTok. They’re as entertaining, funny and trendy as the platform itself. Their creative team has an eye for the optimal imagery. Their paid team brings your content onto your audience’s screens. 8 out of 10 team members have their roots in journalism – so storytelling is in their blood. And, as is customary for a TikTok agency, they’re on the platform 24/7 and know each corner and every trend.
Tings TikTok agency is based at Buckhauserstrasse 30, 8048 Zurich Altstetten, Switzerland.
Ramble
Would you like to reach the young target group with your company and get started with TikTok Marketing? As a TikTok marketing agency, ramble will develop a TikTok marketing strategy tailored to your brand. With creative approaches and a mix of organic content from the creative content team and paid ads, they get you to success. Because as TikTok says: Don't Make Ads. Make TikToks! In other words: Adapt your advertising to the target group and conquer the hearts of the young community with a creative approach.
ramble is based at Räffelstrasse 26, 8045 Zurich, Switzerland.
Tiktokmarketing.ch
Tiktokmarketing.ch’s goal is to support Swiss companies and marketers on all things TikTok, be it with the help of their informative blog or their various service offerings. As an "early adopter" of this new social network and an experienced agency in the field of digital marketing, they have the necessary knowledge to successfully position your company on TikTok.
Tiktokmarketing.ch is a branch of Yuzer Group S.àr.l., Auf der Mauer 2, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland.
FINNA
FINNA puts your brand, your company or yourself on TikTok. The agency creates your content, manages your community and helps you reach Generation Z on TikTok and all other social media channels. Get your business on TikTok - and not just with cats or challenges! FINNA makes it possible and works with you to develop formats optimally tailored to your ideas, or even comprehensive campaigns. The agency connects you with Generation Z and shows you what your community really wants on social media.
FINNA are based in Zurich and Baden, Switzerland.
xeit
The Swiss TikTok agency xeit creates and places TikTok advertising for your company according to your needs and goals. Whether you want to know how to integrate TikTok into the marketing mix, need help developing a strategy, or need a partner to help you with content production and/or community management, xeit is there for you. Xeit is based at Limmatstrasse 291, 8005 Zurich, Switzerland.
Suchhelden
Would you like to use the many advantages of TikTok and get started as a company with TikTok marketing and targeted advertising campaigns? Suchhelden support you as a competent and experienced TikTok agency in your project. As a full-service agency, they know what’s important in the social media world.
The agency is based at Hagenholzstrasse 83b, 8050 Zurich, Switzerland.
Rob Nicolas
Rob Nicolas, a TikTok agency from Zurich and Chur, Switzerland, will secure and create TikTok accounts for your business – even if you don't plan to enter the social network right away. They’ll work out the basis for your future TikTok strategy together with you in a workshop. Whether it's "Auction Ads" or "Reservation Ads": They’ll set up your TikTok campaigns and look after them from A to Z. Through their direct exchange with TikTok, you’ll benefit from current know-how on the subject. Rob Nicolas’ young team creates appropriate and entertaining content, tailored to TikTok.
The agency is based at Jupiterstrasse 49, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland.
FINNAKINGFLUENCERSTINGS
TikTok Agencies in Basel, Switzerland
Sidekicks
Sidekicks’ agency helps you to determine the target group and to record the targeting. They set up your TikTok campaign and constantly optimize it for optimal performance. For the Swiss agency, it is important that results and figures are understandable and that every customer has a contact person for all concerns regarding their TikTok campaign. Sidekicks helps to define the goals and target groups. A campaign can only be successful if there is clarity about this.
Sidekicks TikTok agency is based at Steinentorstrasse 19, 4051 Basel, Switzerland.
Mindstudios
An appearance on TikTok is not aimed at generating likes – at least it shouldn’t. Swiss-based agency Mindstudios works with you to develop a strategy that is fully aligned with the goals of your company. While private TikTok use is often characterized by spontaneity, they recommend comprehensive editorial planning for professional use, which guarantees the necessary consistency of content publishing. They’ll support you in this or take over the task completely in consultation with you. Depending on the nature of your business, the content may come almost automatically - or it may have to be produced in a targeted manner. Mindstudios agency’s TikTok experts create all kinds of content, always tailored to your target groups and your goals.
Mindstudios is based at St. Alban-Tal 43, 4052 Basel, Switzerland.
Found the right Swiss TikTok agency for you?
We hope this list helped you to choose the best agency for yourself!
Our clients’ success with TikTok marketing has shown that if you choose the right agency to partner with, it’s an amazing way to grow your brand and recruit new customers.To see what’s possible with the right strategy on TikTok, check out some of our TikTok success stories.
If you’re a casual observer of social media, you might believe the common myth that “TikToker” and “Gen Z” are synonymous. The myth is common among many marketers and brands and seems to be widespread overall. Googling, “TikTok Gen X” yields results about… Gen Z. (I had to confirm I’d typed in the right term!)
To be fair, the platform was initially more popular among the group born between 1997 and 2012, currently aged between 12 and 25. But the truth is that the popularity of the app is increasing among a range of demographics.
Being most popular among Gen Z is decidedly not the same as being not popular with other generations. The percentage of users might be highest in Gen Z, but plenty of others still love it.
Just because Gen Z may have led the way doesn't mean other generations haven't also moved to embrace TikTok.
TikTok is the first non-Meta app (and the fifth app of all time) to surpass 3 billion downloads. In 2021, the platform remained the most-download app globally, with 656 million downloads.
No app grows to this phenomenal level of popularity by having a narrow appeal.
For example, some popular Swiss TikTokers on the cusp of GenX and millennials include _ohheyvivi_, who posts about fashion, beauty, food, sports, and being a mom, and soleil_fatima, who posts about sports, women's issues, health, and fashion. Jonny Fischer shares his attempts at trends enjoyed by younger TikTokers, as well as amusing juxtapositions between youthful partying and his godfather role of Manu’s young kids aka his comedian partner from famous Cabaret Divertimento. Doris Flury posts healthy recipes, including vegan and gluten-free cookies.
Millennial TikTokers are among our “Swiss Influencers & Content Creators to Keep an Eye On.” Eric Lüthi creates comedy content on his own or with his friend T-Ronimo, where they often present two female characters, Bresha and Selina, in funny situations.
The hashtag #genX has 6.6B views and includes posts on parenting teens, nostalgic memories from the ‘90s, and aging. Popular GenX posters include Jack Black, a comedian whose WAP dance earned more than 5 million views. Finance expert Marie shares line dance tutorials and recreates ‘80s and ’90s dance moves with her friends and family, including her Gen Z and millennial kids.
TikTok Plays a Role in The Lives of Gen Zers
TikTok appears to be the go-to search engine for Gen Z. Prabhakar Raghavan, Senior Vice President who runs Google’s Knowledge & Information organization, said, “In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search. They go to TikTok or Instagram.”
Stanford scholar describes Gen Z as a highly collaborative cohort that cares deeply about others. Their social justice advocacy extends to TikTok. A coalition of top Gen Z TikTok stars is pledging to cease all work with Amazon until the company meets the demands of the Amazon Labor Union. The group of 70 TikTok creators boasts a combined following of over 51 million.
Different Generations Use TikTok Differently
Plenty of older people also enjoy dance videos, and who doesn’t love a silly animal video? My Gen Z son showed Gen X me this funny parrot one recently and I very much enjoyed it. AARP (formerly American Association of Retired Persons) outlined some ways in which use for older people may differ. “Some older adults join TikTok to bond with their kids and grandkids… TikTok is full of diversions that may help older folks, or people of any age, feel less bored or lonely.”
According to the Deloitte Digital Media Trends Survey 15th Edition, 84% of all consumers say they use social media platforms, although there are generational distinctions. 27% of Gen Z likes to watch TV shows and movies via social media, as does 23% of Gen X. However, only 25% of Gen X listens to music, whereas 44% of Gen Z does.
Older generations use social media differently than Gen Z… but they still use it.
TikTok, in particular, is used by 10% of Gen Xers, and 5% of baby boomers, according to a study conducted by Fortune and SurveyMonkey, but is rising fast. 40% of Baby Boomers view social media as an essential part of their lives. Engaging on social platforms is a top 3 entertainment activity for 17% of Gen X and 11% of Boomers. Kingfluencers has also worked with numerous influencers including and beyond Gen Z, such as CorEstilo Style, to build successful collaborations for L’Oréal.
TikTok is About Communities & Connection
NPR recently wrote that Facebook is making radical changes to keep up with TikTok. "TikTok's got one fundamental thing that Facebook doesn't have, TikTok is cool. And it's very hard to recreate cool," said Matt Navarra, a social media consultant, and analyst.
As users continue to spend a lot of time on the app, TikTok promotes a variety of positive, uplifting activities. TikTok also offers extensive support to content creators - even those creators who author content that’s consumed outside of the platform. Most recently, TikTok has partnered with Barnes & Noble and their creator community to launch the #BookTokChallenge, which encourages people to read new books and authors, and then share their reactions.
Even TikTok ads are enjoyed by a wide audience. Kantar’s latest Media Reactions Report ranked TikTok #1 for “ad equity,” a measurement of the audience’s attitude and preference towards ads. “TikTok’s branded solutions aren’t perceived as just “ads” by audiences. In fact, TikTok tops the list for delivering branded content that actually resonates with online consumers.”
Building a Strong TikTok Presence
Back in May 2021, TikTok was insisting that no platform has that reach without “something for everyone” while pitching marketers and looking to shake up perception that it’s a Gen Z phenomenon. TikTok’s continuing growth in global popularity reveals just how untrue it is to claim the platform is the exclusive domain of Gen Z.
Kingfluencers works with brands to build a strong TikTok presence. Contact us to get started developing and implementing a successful TikTok strategy that will generate multiple benefits, today and in the future.
Especially with followers, more is not always better! With the phenomenon of social media and the increasing attractiveness of becoming an influencer, the number of “fake followers” is also increasing. For many people, the desire for more and more followers and a great reputation is huge. An even more tempting offer to help with the number of followers through money and follower purchases.
The problem: You run the risk of losing your credibility on social media. Then it’s as simple as that: You get nothing out of it. In this article, we would like to create a general understanding of why fake followers are bad, how to recognize them, how to remove them, and, above all, how to avoid them – because, unfortunately, no one is safe from them. Moreover, we’d like to clearly make the recommendation to never buy any fake followers.
What are fake followers anyway?
Fake followers are artificially created profiles that can look like normal profiles, but which do not represent a real person. Fake followers are not necessarily but often so-called “bots” that show no real reactions and therefore do not interact with any content. This virtually non-existent interaction can significantly reduce a person’s market value.
When appearances are deceptive
The first impression of a profile on social media may not always be what it claims to be. A high number of followers does not necessarily mean that you are a successful influencer. Fake followers deceive appearances and give a false picture of how "real" someone actually appears on social media or within their community. Basically, these influencers adorn themselves with numbers and profiles that don't actually exist. Anyone can buy followers, but that doesn't mean that you’ll automatically be successful on social media or in influencer marketing. Especially with the further development and the current situation in the creator’s business, the number of followers is no longer the decisive KPI for success, but above all the engagement and reach, along with credibility, connection to the community, and authenticity.
“Buying followers can be a booster, especially for the beginning, in order to push oneself or one's own brand further” – a claim often made. However, one should always keep in mind that these fake profiles will hardly ever like or comment on posts and therefore there is no real engagement. It won't take long for the community and potential brand partners to get behind the fake followers. This is a bad start for diving into the world of being an influencer. And the price you pay is high. Instagram, for example, recognizes more and more profiles with a high number of fake followers and automatically deletes them as soon as fake activities are detected. Not only do you risk having your account deleted, but you also risk becoming a victim of spamming and phishing attacks.
You should also be aware that you will be missing out on important and valuable feedback from an honest community. How are you supposed to know if what you share is well received, pleases your followers, and delivers added value if a large number of fake profiles are behind your account?
How do I recognize fake followers?
Luckily, it’s not too difficult to spot fake followers right away. Here are some things you can look out for:
No profile picture
No or very few followers
Follows many profiles
No or very few posts
Spam-like or cryptic usernames
Low interaction rate
#FollowerForFollower
If you notice a sudden increase in your number of followers, you may have become a “victim” of a fake following attack. This means that someone else has bought followers for you. Yes, that’s right – even random other accounts can buy followers and thus influence or even ruin you or your business. According to our Google research, we found that fake followers can already be bought at very low prices. Currently, 1,000 followers cost around 13 dollars. So unfortunately, this is not a big obstacle for people who want to harm an account.
A creator’s case study
Swiss content creator Margaux Seydoux was the victim of just such a fake following attack. She tells us: "One morning, I woke up and suddenly saw 5,000 new followers on my Instagram profile with the description 'new'. From then on, I immediately realized that these must be fake followers. Someone was buying me followers to harm my account." Margaux then reached out to us and set her account to private for quite a while. She also explains: "I waited a few days and even changed my username so that no new followers could be added. I had to manually delete one fake profile after another. That took forever."
Kingfluencers case
Unfortunately, we as an agency were not spared from a fake following attack either. At the beginning of July, almost at the same time as influencer Margaux Seydoux, our Instagram account suddenly had over 10,000 new followers overnight. This was the first time we had to deal with such a fake following attack internally.
Like Margaux, we set our account to private to avoid getting even more fake followers, because we knew it wouldn't be easy to get rid of them. After internal consultation and intensive research, our solution quickly became clear: from now on, fake followers have to be deleted manually every now and then, time permitting. So we created a guideline internally on how to recognize fake followers and based on this, they were then manually identified, blocked, unblocked, and removed.
As of today, we are almost back to the follower base of that time – thanks to the internal help of the Kingfluencers team.
Statement from Meta
Being faced with the problem of fake followers all over again, we contacted Meta and asked for a statement from their side. Daniel Kramer from Meta explains:
"We get the question about fake followers every day. Unfortunately, these cannot be prevented from the outset and experience shows that this comes with increasing success. In the meantime, however, there are well-functioning systems that can recognize these profiles. The fake profiles are then deactivated within a few days. It is also possible to deactivate individual countries if one notices that many followers seem to come from certain countries. Besides manual deletion, there is, unfortunately, no automated process yet", says Daniel.
So how do I get rid of fake followers?
The question remains: What can I do if I have become a victim of such a fake following attack? The safest and probably most time-consuming method is to manually check your account. You can remove all followers who have a spam-like username or who have no interactions. Fake accounts must first be blocked and then unblocked and finally deleted. It is important to remember that your own Instagram account should not have hundreds of blocked followers – hence the renewed "unblocking" after blocking the fake profiles. But beware: this process will take you a lot of time. Especially if the number of fake followers is in the hundreds or even thousands range.
Another hybrid method would be to use a tool or app that can easily filter out your fake followers. The problem is that these apps are not 100% secure with regard to privacy reasons. The advantage of this method, however, is that the apps can create a list that you can then manually go through yourself, making it easier to identify and delete your fake followers.
Here we have compiled a list of good and not-so-good tools:
Nindo shows you graphically how many fake followers your account has, but does not list the fake accounts. Nindo is also subject to a fee and you need a minimum number of followers to be able to use the tool.
Does not show fake followers, but only followers who do not follow an account back. Also an app with bad reviews and, in our opinion, not recommended.
Tips to avoid fake followers
As already mentioned, fake followers are bots. They usually follow an account by using the most popular hashtags to search for an account. We, therefore, recommend: Avoid using these hashtags. The following link shows you the most popular hashtags that bots could use. Among them are hashtags like #popular #instagram #trending #follow #like #instagood #explorepage #likeforlikes #followforfollowback #instadaily #famous #photooftheday #followme.
Unfortunately, you can't completely avoid fake followers. With increasing success, the probability of being confronted with the problem of "fake following" is simply higher.
Kingfluencers recommends:
Keep it real! Remember – people want authenticity. Real people, real profiles. You cannot achieve success by adorning yourself with the wrong numbers.
Therefore: Present yourself as you really are. Stand by your followers. If an attack of fake following should happen to you, don't hide it, deal with it transparently and share it with your customers and your community.
Build your community naturally. Regular, qualitative, and authentic content will help with this. Don't ignore your community. Get feedback, respond to requests and criticisms, and interact with your followers. This will not only increase your engagement rate, but also the likelihood that even more people will see your posts.
If you need help building a community, increasing your reach with organic content, or you're just not sure whether you’ve become a “victim” of a fake following purchase, feel free to contact us. We can help you with community management, social media content, all things TikTok, Instagram, and Co., or general questions about digital influence.
Author: Tijana Simic, Marketing Support @Kingfluencers
As TikTok is driving a new wave of entertainment, is the platform reflecting culture or creating it? Or both? The worldwide ubiquity of TikTok has myriad impacts, including fascinating and unexpected benefits to society.
Here are a few insights into the Swiss audience
1.7M monthly active users
5.2M monthly creations
8.7B monthly video views
70 minutes spent daily
16 daily open times
There’s No Denying the Significance of TikTok
Overall, TikTok has been downloaded more than 3.5 billion times. It is the first non-Meta app (and the fifth app of all time) to surpass 3 billion downloads. In 2021, the platform remained the most-download app globally, with 656 million downloads. The second-place app, Instagram, is rather far behind with 545 million downloads, making TikTok downloads more than 20% higher than Instagram. In the first fourt months of 2022, TikTok was downloaded more than 175 million times. TikTok is available in over 154 countries and has over 1 billion monthly active users, who spend an average of 52 minutes per day in the platform.
TikTok is Conquering the World
TikTok trends proliferate worldwide – and quickly.
Globally, TikTokers are united in their enjoyment of these new trends, driving a sort of global unity. Are people worldwide benefitting from this connection?
TikTok takes credit for the impact the platform makes globally. “Beyond music, our platform and community impacts culture and generates trends that start on TikTok and permeate everywhere.” On 5 December 2021, The New York Times echoed this sentiment, referring to the platform as, “2021’s central vehicle for youth culture and online culture generally.”
But more recently, on 3 June, 2022, The New York Times published, “a lot of stuff posted on the platform is so goofy and weird that searching for meaning in it can feel downright idiotic.” To declare the platform as both goofy and idiotic, while also serving as a central vehicle for youth culture doesn’t bode well for the future. The scope of opinion on the platform is clearly broad, and there’s also no shortage of controversy surrounding it.
Trends – Conformity + Originality
Trends typically refer to changes towards a prevailing tendency. What’s “trendy,” is popular and becomes widespread. More people adopt the latest trend, from low to high rise jeans, verbal expressions, or types of social media posts.
Many creative influencers put their own unique spins on the latest trends. The trend merely serves as an inspirational jumping-off point. As Hootsuite writes, “Users putting their own spin on trends is the best part — and they often get rewarded (by the algorithm) for breaking conventions.” From moving moments, to experiences up to comedy and recipes, TikTok sets constantly emerging trends in various directions. Currently, the song by Lana Del Ray - young and beautiful is a trend, to which people on TikTok share fulfilling and beautiful moments with their community, whether it’s experiences from trips, vacation days at the beach, or good times with their loved ones. But also yummy recipes have made it into the trends, currently a recipe with pasta, butter, lemon and parmesan in particular is also going viral. But next to TikTok’s originality, it’s the inspirational side we do really like the most about TikTok, don’t we? It’s so much more than a trend machine, but really offers deep, meaningful, touching and emotional (in a good way) content.
TikTok’s All-Knowing Algorithm
It’s important for social media platforms to have an appealing interface and deliver an excellent user experience. A critical mass of users and content creators are also vital to keep users coming back.
But the algorithm is a massive source of differentiation.
For good or bad [or both] algorithms are powerful tools that drive the impact of a platform and shape users’ experiences. TikTok is no exception. Arguably, TikTok does a better job of this than all other platforms, as evidenced by its popularity.This all-knowing algorithm has also led to some interesting outcomes, including one social media manager who wrote, The TikTok Algorithm Knew My Sexuality Better Than I Did. Smart brands are able to harness this power and leverage the platform to connect with their audiences.
The Vital Role of Creators
TikTok has been strategic in recruiting and compensating content creators, knowing that they’re key to the success of any platform. In July 2020, TikTok launched a $1 Billion Creator Fund, through which “creators will be able to realize additional earnings that help reward the care and dedication they put into creatively connecting with an audience that's inspired by their ideas.”
TikTok has grown to be an authority on what’s hot. From songs and artists to fashion and products, the platform serves as a popularity stress test. And rewarding the creator community with creator funds is another way in which other platforms have followed TikTok’s lead, including YouTube Shorts, Meta, Snapchat, Twitter Spaces, and Pinterest.
70% of TikTok users say they feel like they’re part of a community. Beyond posting videos, creators can build and enhance community atmosphere by engaging with their audiences through tools like Stitch, Duet, Reply, and comments. Among our list of “Swiss Influencers & Content Creators to Keep an Eye On” is TikToker Julie Riess, who posts “Get Ready With Me” videos and shares with followers her decision-making process putting together outfits.TikTok promotes a variety of positive, uplifting activities. TikTok offers extensive support to content creators- even those creators who author content that’s consumed outside of the platform. Most recently, TikTok has partnered with Barnes & Noble and their creator community to launch the #BookTokChallenge, which encourages people to read new books and authors and then share their reactions.
How TikTok is Changing Marketing & The Value for Brands
As we wrote in, “Influencer Marketing vs. Legacy Advertising,” traditional ads are a deviation from the content audiences want to consume, whereas influencer marketing fuses ads into the desired content. Recognizing this, TikTok has long advised, “Don’t make ads, make TikToks.”
Many brands have been following this sage advice and achieving excellent results. Kantar’s Media Reactions Report ranked TikTok #1 for ad equity. “Ad equity measures the audience’s attitude and preference towards ads across media channels and premium media brands. In other words, TikTok’s branded solutions aren’t perceived as just ‘ads’ by audiences. In fact, TikTok tops the list for delivering branded content that actually resonates with online consumers.”
According to Kantar, “TikTok ad formats have the highest positive sentiment among consumers. This means that users are more receptive to TikTok ads than other media platforms.” “Of the 13 major digital platforms that Kantar compared, TikTok is credited for offering the least intrusive and most innovative ad formats.”
According to a TikTok-commissioned study conducted by Kantar, 72% of those surveyed agree that ads on TikTok are perceived as inspiring. “With innovative ad formats such as the Branded Hashtag Challenge, brands on TikTok now have the tools to become part of culture, enabling their audiences to create trends based on branded sounds, actions, effects or brand-related storylines that can travel freely across the TikTok community and beyond.”
Kingfluencers TikTok services help brands harness this value with our unique holistic approach combining social media services, influencer marketing, and performance marketing.
First off, know that while older generations are starting to adopt the platform, a quarter of TikTok’s users are under 20 years old – only 11% are over 50. TikTok is a great marketing channel, and we recommend you get into it. Just be aware that most of its users are Gen Z and Millennials – so if your product or service caters to an older population, TikTok might not be the best platform to market your brand. (Exploding Topics, 2023)
2. Research Your Competitors
You’ll want to know what your competitors are already doing on the platform so you can come up with the best strategy for your own TikTok marketing. If you see they’re investing into TikTok content, this validates that you’re about to tap into a receptive market. You can start by checking out what kind of videos the big players in your industry are creating.
Search for industry terms
TikTok’s search function also lets you find lesser-known brands trying to break out. By searching for different terms around your brand’s niche, you can gain insights and find inspiration from these competitors – who can often be more creative with their content than the big players.
Learn from their popular posts and hashtags
What makes your competitor’s top TikToks more popular than others? If you can find out their winning elements, you’ll know you can be successful with similar content. This doesn’t mean copy their videos – but you can get learnings from which formats are working, put your own spin on them, and then implement them for yourself.
Check competitors’ comments
By monitoring how people are responding to your competitors’ content, you can get valuable information as to what works for them – and where they might be falling short. You can then make your own TikToks better in the areas their audience thought could be improved. Their followers’ comments also often give you new ideas for different styles or content angles you could try.
3. Get On the Latest Trends
If you can join an emerging trend on TikTok, it increases the chance of your content going viral, which can be a big win in your marketing efforts. With TikTok’s algorithm, it’s possible for you to get hundreds of thousands views on a single one of your videos, even if you just started your account – simply by riding the wave of a current trend.
Research trending audio
On TikTok, sounds are part of the fun, and there’s always certain sounds going viral. Figure out which those are, add them to your videos, and TikTok’s algorithm is likely to show your content to a wide audience.
Caveat: As a business, you’re only allowed to use the copyright-free music from TikTok’s ‘Commercial Library’ – unless you purchase rights from the publisher. But even free sounds can go viral!
Hop on hashtag challenges
Hashtag challenges are huge on TikTok. People love to participate in them, and a good hashtag can spread quickly. If your brand can hop on that train, you’ll benefit from the organic exposure.
To stay up to date on popular hashtags, make sure to frequently browse the app: Go to the For You page and look for trending videos and their corresponding hashtags.
TikTok Content Ideas for Brands
4. Study Examples of Successful TikTok Marketing
You do want to be creative in your TikTok marketing. But – it’s okay to draw inspiration from what’s working for others. In fact, if you have some great creative input to work with, it’ll raise the quality of your own work.
Fun is #1 on TikTok. Find fun angles to your content that show your sense of humor, making your brand appear relatable to your followers. It’s good to push the boundaries a bit. But in general, choose an approach that fits with your brand image.
Mondelez and Warner Bros. promoted the new Batman movie and Oreo’s cookies by creating the ‘Batman x Oreo’ campaign. It became popular and users joined the challenge, making their own Batman & Oreo themed TikToks.
5. Start Your Own Branded Hashtag Challenge
Start your own hashtag challenge: Release a TikTok video that shows you doing a specific action involving your product or tying back to the service you’re marketing. This could be a dance, sports movement, conversation, style of make-up.. there’s many possibilities for creating a viral hashtag challenge.
Now, encourage your followers to take part in the challenge. If it resonates, you’ll reach a large new audience and gain brand awareness – which will convert to more sales down the line.
6. Get Your Fans Involved in Your Brand’s Account with User-Generated Content
A great way to create loyal fans and brand advocates while marketing your business on TikTok is to intimately involve your followers in your own content. TikTok’s app makes this easy for you with two unique features: Duets and Stitch.
Duets
With Duets, your fans can choose to play their own video next to yours in the same frame – like a real-life duet. This is exciting for them, because they can appear next to you or your brand ambassadors. And it gives you free organic reach to their followers.
StitchIf you enable TikTok’s Stitch feature, users can use up to 5 seconds of your video in their own TikTok, and then add their own content before or/and after it. By encouraging fans to get creative while using your branded content, you’re creating a more loyal audience for yourself and helping spread the word about your business.
7. Use TikTok Influencer Marketing
Influencers are the cornerstone of TikTok marketing: They’re experienced at creating high quality TikToks, people look up to them, and they’re in a unique position to promote your products and services to a receptive audience.
There’s different ways you can use influencers in your TikTok marketing:
Send your product
Showing your product yourself vs. having a trusted influencer creatively involve your product in their content makes a difference. Striking a deal with an influencer where you send them your product for free and make them an affiliate so they earn a percentage of each sale can both be profitable and give a boost to your brand awareness.
Collaborate on a video
You can also come up with ideas you can act on together with your influencers. For example, them working in your business for a day, you appearing in one of their videos, or simply showcasing your product together in a creative way.
Partner on a new product line
How do you get many relevant eyeballs on your new product as possible? By picking an influencer whose followers match your target audience, and having them introduce it to their TikTok fans. The reach, status and trust they’ve built up will help drive awareness and sales for your new product or service.
Once you’ve done your research and created your strategy, it’s time to make your TikTok videos. To do this, you can choose between different formats for your content:
Showing off products. Can you make a funny, engaging TikTok in which your product plays a role? This would entertain your audience while creating demand for your offer at the same time.
‘Day in the Life’ videos. By showing your personality and giving a real, down-to-earth look into what goes on behind the scenes, you’ll make your followers feel more connected to your brand and identify with your more. Over time, this leads to great engagement on your TikToks and your followers turning into brand advocates.
Dance challenges. If your team is up for it, joining or even starting a dance challenge is one of the most fun and creative ways to gain brand awareness. Should your challenge catch on and go viral, you’ll have generated hundreds of thousands of free impressions on your brand’s content – while having fun creating it.
9. Post regularly
TikTok is the fastest-moving social media app. To stay top of mind, you should consider posting somewhat often. You can start with 1-3 TikToks per day – this should already grow your following at a good rate.
Bigger brands who are investing more heavily into TikTok marketing are posting up to ten times per day. You don’t need to do that at first – but do aim to up your game as you go, because TikTok is such a valuable marketing channel right now.
10. Engage With Your Audience
Engagement is key for TikTok’s demographics – and it’s expected. But don’t think of this as a chore to be checked off: Going back and forth with your followers can be fun, build a deeper connection, and most importantly teach you invaluable lessons about what your target audience wants.
11. Track Your Engagement with Analytics
To know what’s working in your marketing strategy, be sure to track engagement metrics on your TikToks. Your TikTok business account shows you a wide range of different metrics, from likes, comments and shares to average watchtime and trending video growth.
Discard or change the content ideas that didn’t work. Identify the winners. Then you can double down on what your audience wants, to grow your following most effectively.
12. Consider TikTok Advertising
TikTok ads are a new feature of the platform. It lets you display your own videos or your influencers' videos as sponsored content in the feeds of users identified by the algorithms as your target audience.
13. Don't Be Afraid to Experiment
Creative content that surprises the viewer – and is also being fun and nice to look at – wins on TikTok.
So don’t worry about following any formula or marketing template to a T. Be guided by your natural creativity, go after what’s exciting to you, while keeping in mind current trends and what your target audience likes, of course.
As you get more experienced creating TikTok content, you’ll carve out your unique style, zeroing in on content that works for your audience and your business goals.
Work With a TikTok Marketing Agency
That’s a wrap on TikTok marketing you can use to grow your brand! You can now have your team follow these strategies and use your TikTok presence as a profitable marketing channel for your brand.
If you’d rather spend your time and energy on other high-level tasks in your business, you could also consider hiring an experienced TikTok agency to do the work for you.
You then gain access to their proven processes for creating sound strategies, content creation, tracking metrics, and collaborating with influencers.
At Kingfluencers, we’re pioneers in influencer marketing since 2016. If you choose to work with us, you’ll benefit from our 3000+ strong network of vetted influencers, as well as our expertise that has gotten great results for prominent brands using TikTok marketing.
Influencer marketing is an important marketing strategy that continues to grow. It is no longer limited to a select few businesses or agencies, but has become a marketing channel accessible to all brands.
More brands recognize the power of influencer marketing and seek out influencers who can help them generate meaningful connections with their target audience.
That means more opportunities for influencers – for you – to make money!
If you're looking to become an influencer, you've come to the right place. In this article, we'll go over the steps of becoming an influencer one by one. Keep reading to begin your journey to becoming an influencer.
Table of Contents
Is becoming a social media influencer the right choice for you?
Ask these questions before you decide to become an influencer
How to get started as an influencer
How to brand yourself as an influencer
How to establish authority as an influencer
How to work as an influencer
How to grow and remain popular after you’ve become an influencer
How to get paid as an influencer
Conclusion
Is becoming a social media influencer the right choice for you?
Becoming a social media influencer sounds like a great career choice – let’s find out if it’s really the right one for you.
Are you excited about making a difference?
If you become an influencer, you have an opportunity to leave your imprint on the world. You decide which causes to support, be it sustainable brands or charitable businesses. You can use your influence to spread your positive values to the world.
Would you love to have a community of people who rally around you?
If you have no problem standing in the spotlight and taking responsibility for your loyal followers, becoming a professional influencer could be perfect for you.
Would you like the financial freedom of working for yourself?
To not be tied down by rigid work hours or office dress codes, or having to stay in one place all the time?
Becoming an influencer can allow you to turn something you are passionate about into a career, basically getting paid to make content about something you enjoy.
Sounds like a good plan! That’s the promise that becoming an influencer holds.
But…
Ask these questions before you decide to become an influencer
Of course, all these benefits do not simply appear because you’ve decided that you’re going to do this.
Understand that if you become an influencer, you are turning yourself into a business. If you are serious about earning the benefits, you have to be serious about the work, too!
So, before you start, please ask yourself the following questions:
Are you willing to do what it takes?
As an influencer, you’re going to have to do a lot of tasks:
Creating your strategy
Dressing up
Filming your content
Editing
Writing captions
Scheduling your content
Publishing
Engaging with your audience
Promoting and managing your brand
Networking and reaching out
and much more. All this will take you a lot of time!
Are you willing to make that investment?
Will you have the patience that’s required to grow your brand?
Again, it will take time to grow your followers and build up an empire – your piece of the web – as an influencer. That’s where you’ll need the patience to keep executing your strategy and keep publishing, even when your audience is not yet as big as you want it to be.
Do you have the passion and motivation to keep serving your audience?
If you want to be an influencer who is successful long-term, you need to find a way to stay motivated – you owe it to your followers.
You can do this if you have passion for the topic you’re making content about and you genuinely want to help and entertain the audience.
Ask yourself: Is that you?
What will it take for you to make enough money to be able to make this a full time gig, or at least a solid side hustle?
Be realistic and set a sensible goal – and you won’t be caught off-guard later when the numbers don’t match what you were hoping for right away.
(This is if you have several thousand engaged followers who love you, and you manage to connect with brands who feel that your content is a good fit.)
Now you can do the math and see how much work it would take to make the income that you’re aiming for. Of course, as you grow your reach and your authority, you will be able to command higher rates.
What type of influencer do you want to be? Nano, Micro, Macro, or Mega?
In influencer marketing, bigger isn’t always better.
Brands are starting to see the value of smaller influencers – they have higher engagement and the trust of their followers.
This means that even as a smaller influencer, you will be able to get brand deals that make you good money.
“The findings of four experimental studies show that micro-influencers (those who have 10,000 to 100,000 followers) are more persuasive than mega-influencers (those who have more than 1 million followers) because endorsements by micro-influencers (versus mega-influencers) bestow higher perceptions of authenticity on the endorsed brand, which ‘rubs off’ from the perceptions regarding influencer authenticity.” https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913367.2021.1980470
The different sizes of influencer you could become are:
Nano-influencer: Under 5k followers. This is where you will probably start out. Examples: Debora Sarai in the DIY and home niche. Alenis Lima in the beauty/fashion and lifestyle niche.
Micro-influencer: 5k-100k followers. Examples: Adela Smajic in the Beauty/fashion, lifestyle and travel niche. Alayah Pilgrim in the sports, health and fitness niche. Carlo Janka in the sports, outdoors and family niche.
Macro-influencer: 100k-1m followers. As your following grows, more opportunities will come in, but it will also take more time and effort to manage your brand. Examples: Kevin Lütolf in the fashion and technology niche. Zoë Pastelle in the fashion and entertainment niche. Zeki aka Zekisworld in the comedy and automotive niche.
Mega-influencer: Over 1 million followers.
These are typically actors, musicians, and other A-list celebrities.
Your content might never get you into this category (and maybe you don’t even want that), but if you do, hey, good luck! Also, you might make up to $1 million per sponsored post!
Have you answered these questions to clarify what lies ahead on your path to becoming an influencer on social media?
Then you’re ready to get started!
We’ve created this roadmap to help you on your way, and to get you to the point where you can call this your job! Maybe you’ll even end up working with us in the future. Let’s dive into your journey.
How to get started as an influencer
Find your niche
We recommend that when you start your career on social media, you pick a niche. It makes sense to narrow down quite a bit.
What does that mean?
Especially in the beginning, you want to be known for your work in a specific space. That way, your audience will associate you with this space as you post more about it.
People are more likely to follow you if they know what to expect from your content.
Focus and fine-tune your niche, and it will be much easier to grow your followers and be seen as an expert in that niche.
Now, what niche should you pick?
Passion & Knowledge
If you have an existing passion – maybe even a good level of experience and skill – you could pick that to give yourself a head start and be more motivated to create content around that niche.
Popularity and Monetizability
From a business standpoint, it makes sense to find a niche that is trending or at least growing steadily and in which brands are willing to spend money to advertise.
We have compiled ten of the most popular and profitable social media niches for you below:
1. Technology
2. Fashion
3. Health & Fitness
4. Food & Cooking
5. Business & Making Money
6. Lifestyle
7. Beauty
8. Parenting
9. Pets
10. Travel
Find the one that aligns with your interests and knowledge, is popular and monetizable, and has an audience that you could engage with long term.
Choose the right platform to start
Which platform should you become an influencer on?
We recommend you start on just one platform – preferably the one where your audience spends the most time – so that you can focus and grow your following most effectively.
Of course, you can expand your business later and join multiple other platforms!
Try to understand who your audience is first:
Which age group are you targeting with your influencing campaign?
What’s their average income level?
What’s their gender, percentage-wise?
What’s their family situation?
What are their hobbies and interests?
Which circles and communities are they in?
The answers to these will guide you towards the platform you could start out on. As an example, if you’re in the knitting niche, you could start posting on Pinterest. If you’re a gamer, start a Twitch account. Model trains, Facebook. Etc. This information changes over time, and there are many factors to consider in selecting the right platform.
Following is a quick snapshot of which platforms make the most sense for you to be on as an influencer, depending on your niche:
Facebook: Widest adoption among all demographics, but is trending older, and a wealthier audience. Good for niches that have a middle-aged audience.
Twitter: Good for more intellectual niches such as writing, business, and self-improvement.
LinkedIn: The #1 platform if you want to become an influencer in the world of business and money making.
Pinterest: Mostly female audience. Perfect for arts & crafts, among others.
Instagram: A very visual platform that is perfect for many niches, including fashion, travel, food, and pets. The audience is slightly younger.
TikTok: Has the youngest audience. But the platform is now also becoming more interesting for older generations. Best if you are focused on your specific audience, and you are able to capitalize on trends.
Prepare your profile
After you’ve picked your niche and the platform you’re going to start out on, you'll need to create and optimize your social media profile.
Switch to a business account
If you want to be an influencer, you should upgrade to a business account because it gives you a lot more possibilities – namely for analytics and monetization. You can create a business account in the profile settings of most networks, such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Create a fantastic bio
When someone visits your profile, the first thing they see is your bio. You want to make sure you’re making a great first impression!
Your biography should explain your narrative in a compelling way. It should also include all relevant information about you, such as your full name, address, phone number, and areas of expertise.
Add a profile pic and banner/cover photo
You should also include a profile photo and a cover photo, as these are crucial components of your own brand identification.
People frequently recognize a social network profile by its profile photo, so choose one carefully. Also, make sure your face is visible, and the photo is high quality.
How to brand yourself as an influencer
What is your influencer personality? You should be able to pin-point the qualities and characteristics that set you apart from others in your niche on social media. People like to follow someone who has a strong and interesting personality.
It doesn’t mean you have to invent a new personality for yourself.
Ideally, you authentically express what’s interesting and special about you. Of course, with social media, you will want to emphasize the most compelling aspects of your personality, but you should never be fake.
Simply go more into what already makes you special naturally.
Your personal brand
You also want to be thinking about creating your personal brand. This means you take your influencer personality and your angle on content and turn it into a recognizable brand.
How do you create your personal brand and make it stand out?
Convey a similar vibe with images and videos: They are created in a similar way, use the same filters etc.
Purposely use your own, consistent color scheme in your profile and your marketing materials.
Have your own way of talking and addressing your followers in your content and captions – brand tone is consistent
Have a special name for your followers
Create a logo and slogan that people recognize instantly
And most importantly, your personal brand is telling a story – one that is compelling and resonates with the audience.
Here’s what Antonella Patitucci, Actress, Presenter, Coach and Content Creator, had to say about how important it is that you tell stories as an influencer:
“The value is in telling your own story and putting emotion behind it. Give the product a face so people can relate. Share your unique story and opinion. A product alone is a picture, but with you and your story, it’s like a movie.” We couldn’t agree more. So start telling a unique story, and you will start creating a strong personal brand for yourself that people will want to follow.
How to establish authority as an influencer
You’ve picked your niche, you’ve thought about your branding… now it’s time to build your expertise! Your goal should be to become an authority on the topic you’re making content on. You want your audience to look up to you, trust what you’re saying about the topic, and follow your recommendations.
How are you going to build your authority?
Study your niche
Start by researching everything that’s out there on your niche on the internet to get a good overview of what you’re going to make content about. Subscribe to relevant podcasts. Read any available books and print publications around the topic.
Establish your web presence
In addition to your social media profile, consider setting up your own website as well. This will give you another chance to advertise your personal brand and show off your portfolio. It’s a signal that you are a professional and will give you even more authority as an influencer.
Start networking in your industry
Go to conferences. Reach out to other influencers in your niche. Communicate, find peers and mentors, and collaborate with others. Not only will this make you an insider with even more knowledge about your niche, it will also increase your status
How to work when you’re an influencer
Now, how do you go about your daily work as an influencer? How do you know what to post, when to post it, and how often to post?
To keep up with creating content and to make sure that you have an awesome social media profile that keeps growing, we recommend that you first create a content strategy.
Your content strategy
First, establish a posting schedule. Decide how often you’re going to post in order to keep your followers engaged – while not burning yourself out. Keep in mind how much time creating just one social media post can take!
Then, decide on the types of content you’re going to be posting regularly. This can, and maybe should, be different types of posts on different days. Depending on the platform, you have the choice between:
Videos (short-form, long-form, stories)
Pictures
Audio
Infographics
Text
Finally, the content topic: What topics are you going to cover? What angle are you going to take with your content? Note all these things down in your strategy document. Now you know exactly what to post each week.
Study your analytics
Executing on the publishing strategy you just created is a great start – but it’s not everything. You should also learn from each post you make. Do this by studying your analytics. With a business account, you will have access to those statistics.
Each week, look at how your posts have performed.
How many people saw your post?
How much did they engage with it?
How many likes did it get?
If it was a sponsored post, did it resonate with people?
What could you do to make even better content next time?
How to grow and remain popular after you’ve become an influencer
Apart from your short-term strategy, be prepared to stay on top of the game in the long term.
How do you do that?
Nurture your community. Do this by running special campaigns, like challenges, surveys, and giveaways; fun initiatives that keep your audience on their toes and excited about hearing from you.
Know your audience intimately. Keep studying your followers. What are their goals? Their deepest desires? What makes them tick? Know all this… then try to satisfy those desires with your content!
Stay ahead of trends. If you always keep your personal brand relevant to the times, you won’t have to worry about people becoming bored with your content and unfollowing. On the contrary, you will keep them engaged with fresh stuff and your following will only keep growing!
Always engage & be present. You should treat your followers like your tribe, maybe even like a second family. This means you’ll always be there to reply to their comments, answer their questions and offer support.
“It’s easy to get blinded by vanity metrics such as big numbers of views and followers. It’s not about the number of followers you have. What matters is the quality of the connection you make with your audience.” - Marvin Sangines, Personal Branding Advisor at Kingfluencers
How to get paid as an influencer
We saved the most exciting part for last:
How you’re going to get paid and hopefully at some point make a full-time income as a social media influencer!
In most cases, this will mean that you’re going to be working with brands and promoting their products in your content.
How are you going to find those brands?
The first option is to make a list of brands you would like to work with. Then research their marketing department and email them about working together.
The other option is to apply to an influencer marketing agency, who usually has a large network of brands they work with. They’ll take on the work of contacting the brands that are the right fit for you. This should be at no cost to you, because the agency will get paid by them and not you. It’s a good option if you want to spare yourself the extra stress of having to find and pitch brands, on top of all the other tasks you have to do as an influencer.
How many followers do you need to start getting paid?
This differs, depending on your niche and other factors. We usually advise you to build your brand to at least 2500 followers and then apply for your first brand deals.
Let’s do it!
Is being an influencer worth it? We say absolutely yes – now that you know what goes into becoming one and how to do it, you can decide if it’s for you. Keep in mind that getting results is a process that takes time and effort. As a result, you shouldn't expect to become a social media influencer overnight. However, if you continue to follow these guidelines, you will be able to become an influencer and earn money doing it.
In the Evolution of Social Media - Part 1, we looked at the established giants as well as emerging players. In part 2 we’ll cover the various fronts in the ongoing battles for dominance.
Change is the only constant in social media. We realize that by the time we finish proof-reading and uploading this article, things will have changed. For the brands and content creators, this means new opportunities emerge often, such as new platform green fields to earn followers. New challenges also pop up, like the need to climb learning curves. Don't forget to follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram to stay up to date.
Explore New Platforms & Stay Open-Minded
Just because a platform is the latest and greatest, doesn’t mean you have to jump on it. On the other hand, just because it’s new and trendy also doesn’t mean it’s a passing fad for kids and you should ignore it. Among constant change, some things remain prevalent, such as ongoing growth of total users. Even with such growth, each social media platform must still compete with the others for users’ time and attention.
Stability Followed by Volatility
The oldest established giant, LinkedIn, officially launched in 2003. Facebook launched next in 2004, followed by YouTube, Reddit, Twitter, and finally Instagram in 2010. The platforms innovated, such as both Facebook and Instagram launching live video streaming in 2016. But overall, the social media landscape remained stable for several years – that is until TikTok became available worldwide in 2018.
In the end, all the platforms want eyeballs – more eyeballs and for longer – since that drives more revenue. We’ve broken it down into 5 important specific battlefronts in which leading platforms are currently trying to take the leader position.
1. Battle for Innovation
When I envision a “battle,” I think of opponents facing one another, each trying to outperform the other. But social media platforms competing to innovate are most accurately described as spying on one another and chasing behind. A consistent trend among social media platforms is to copy good ideas.
SnapChat is known for FOMO-inducing content which disappeared, then Instagram launched “Stories,” described as a Snapchatty feature.
In April 2016, Facebook launched Facebook Live, a live video streaming service. Instagram launched live video November 21 of that same year.
TikTok is credited with having taken advantage of Vine’s departure. Vine was a very similar app which eventually fell due to difficulty monetizing videos.
Instagram released “Reels” in 2019, described as a direct competitor of TikTok.
On 25 Feb 2021 Twitter announced paid Super Follows, which let users charge their followers for access to additional content. Other platforms with direct creator payment include Facebook, YouTube, and even GitHub.
“YouTube Shorts,” considered to be a rival offering to TikTok, launched in the US on 18 March 2021
Launched in late 2018, “Lasso” was widely regarded as Facebook’s TikTok clone. However, Facebook shut it down after only a year and a half, making that a swift surrender.
Twitter Spaces is a “Clubhouse-like” live audio feature
Getting dizzy yet? These are just a few examples but there are countless more, and new examples are appearing ever faster and more frequently as time passes and competition in the social media landscape sharpens.
Whatever new functionality and user experience any social media platform launches, they can expect copycats. Still, there are fresh approaches, such as Facebook leveraging the Oculus VR platform to beta-test a virtual world that allows people to explore, connect with others, and play games.
2. Battle to Capture Creators
Content is still king. Each platform would be nothing without creators sharing content that draws users. For example, my favorite local gourmet deli only posts their specials on Facebook. For that alone, I must keep my account. No wonder Facebook has been focusing on the small and medium sized business segment to sustain current and future business revenue and growth.
Creators are key to success in the social media world, since their unique, engaging content gets audiences hooked longer and coming back faster and more often. Recognizing this, TikTok was strategic at recruiting and compensating content creators. “TikTok has recently created a $1 Billion Creator Fund. This money will be paid by TikTok directly to its creators in an effort to further solidify its relationships with influencers.” TikTok describes an additional creator bonus, “The LIVE gifting feature allows viewers to show their appreciation to their favorite creators by sending them virtual gifts which will be taken into account by us in the calculation of the reward for the creator who is hosting a LIVE stream.”
TikTok’s algorithms also serve users the content they like, whether the platform makes money from it or not. Whereas on platforms like Instagram it might be more difficult to grow one’s audience as the platforms algorithms seem not to favour content creators to the same extent as others do. The expectation is that we might see changes in this positioning from Instagram in the future however.
Twitter announced paid Super Follows, which let users charge their followers for access to additional content. Kayvon Beykpour, the head of consumer product at Twitter, stated, “For Super Follows, our goal is not for Twitter to make money. Our goal is for creators to make money.”
Described as an “answer to Substack Local,” Facebook will spend $5 million paying local reporters to join its news platform in an effort to maintain a strong content flow and appeal to the content consumer.
Digitalisation has been speeding up the rate of content consumption by users and at the same time content shelf life is ever shorter. As a result all platforms and media providers are experiencing this ever growing need for content and thus the content creators who help provide it, and as such are experimenting in how to establish a strong creator pool and sustainable content flow.
3. Battle for Engagement
Among the 4 key reasons TikTok will grow and broaden its appeal in 2021, it’s the easiest platform algorithm for users to train to feed them content they love. Additionally, TikTok users are also 31% more likely to engage with brands than users of other platforms.
"TikTok's average monthly time spent per user grew faster than nearly every other app analyzed, including 70% in the US and 80% in the UK - surpassing Facebook. TikTok is on track to hit 1.2 billion active users in 2021."
Engagement is the new currency. Although engagement on its own might not be 100% key for users, it does indicate the degree to which users like the content and thus how the platform is succeeding in delivering content that users appreciate. In turn, this will be a driver of long-term success.
However, for brands the story around engagement is a little bit different. Engagement is one of the main metrics a brand should measure to evaluate the success of its marketing efforts. More engagement means more people have actually taken the time to absorb your content and who have thus heard your brand’s message. Therefore, the platform that provides more engagement becomes more interesting to invest time and effort in from a brand perspective.
4. Battle for Spending and Social commerce
Platforms want both consumers to make purchases and brands to spend advertising money. Of course, these objectives are inextricably entwined, since the latter won’t happen without the former.
Many platforms are actively courting brands and helping them succeed. TikTok launched new tools to help SMBs use the platform to their advantage, including new promotions, ad tools, and education sessions. A TikTok announcement on May 4 states, “Business owners can also share their experience and give us a peek into their world. From packing orders and behind-the-scenes tutorials to business advice and motivation for the tough times, we are excited to see more business owners and their supporters interact with each other on TikTok."
In the summer of 2020, TikTok gave small businesses $100 million in ad credits and launched TikTok for Business to help them connect with communities.
Facebook has been betting on small and medium sized business (SMBs) to drive growth and revenue generation. In late 2020, Facebook launched a “Season of Support” initiative which included free training, marketing support and insights to help small businesses capitalize on the holiday shopping season. The program also included support for Instagram.
“70% of consumers search for products they need to buy on Instagram and Facebook. More than 50% of Millennials would buy through social media, figure that rises even faster for generation Z consumers.”
An even more important evolution is the growth of social commerce. Social commerce capabilities are another way platforms are working to help businesses drive revenue, as well as generate revenue for themselves. In 2021, 52% of socially-engaged shoppers have already made one or multiple purchases through a social platform. Instagram and Pinterest provide the most relevant social commerce experiences for brands today, but Facebook, Snapchat, and TikTok are all expanding their offerings rapidly, investing heavily to try take the lead and capture a bigger share of this rapidly expanding business model, with (online) shopping expected to shift increasingly towards social commerce in coming years. Social commerce capabilities and features are evolving and advancing fast as a consequence. With Instagram Shoppable posts, you can sell products directly from shoppers’ feeds. “TikTok has invested more heavily in commerce capabilities, recently introducing tie-ups with retailers including Walmart that allow consumers to purchase products without leaving the app.” Social commerce accounted for about 44% of Southeast Asia’s $109 billion e-commerce market last year, according to Bain & Co. Meanwhile the number of US social commerce buyers accelerated 25.2% to 80.1 million in 2020 and will grow another 12.9% to 90.4 million in 2021. Total US social commerce value is expected to be over $ 36 billion in 2021.
5. Battle for Screen Time
While platforms must continue to compete with one another for users, they’ve collectively succeeded at winning over traditional media. Time spent on mobile devices now actually surpasses time spent watching TV. According to App Annie's State of Mobile 2021 report:
"The average American watched 3.7 hours of live TV a day, whereas they spent 4.0 hours on their mobile device in H2 2020."
Of course, competition remains, such as the current battle to dominate audio streaming.
So, What Next?
While these developments can be fascinating to observe, it’s tough to stay up to date when things change fast.Following Kingfluencers can help you stay current.
According to Statista, TikTok’s user base in Switzerland amounts to around 1.7 million users in 2021 and is growing fast. The platform is known to be the place for brands to reach and connect to Gen Z audiences. We’ll cover best practices and what successful brands are doing.
What is TikTok?
Considering TikTok was the most popular and most downloaded app globally in 2020, and so far in 2021, you’ve probably already heard of it. TikTok was originally released in the Chinese market in September 2016 and became available worldwide after merging with another Chinese social media service, Musical.ly, on August 2, 2018. As the world’s most downloaded app in 2020, TikTok is available in over 150 countries and has over 1 billion users. TikTok users are younger, with 60% being Gen Zers. About one third, 32.5%, of U.S.-based TikTokers are 10-19 years old.
TikTok has been strategic in recruiting and compensating content creators, knowing that they’re key to the success of any platform.
TikTok has recently created a $1 Billion Creator Fund. This money will be paid by TikTok directly to its creators in an effort to further solidify its relationships with influencers.
TikTok’s Swiss Audience
The Swiss "import" most of the content they consume. Swiss creators account for only 23% of all video views in Switzerland.
Why TikTok for Brands?
TikTok empowers brands to communicate with younger generations in a way that captures their attention: through creative short videos. TikTokers are highly engaged.
Some good news is that the high engagement rates include brands as well. Incoming engagement on brands’ social posts has increased during the pandemic, and TikTok users are increasingly active when interacting with brands online. The following average increases have occurred across all networks and industries:
44 more engagements received per day
7.3 more engagements per post per day
TikTok users are also 31% more likely to engage with brands than users of other platforms.
TikTok‘s unique algorithm allows it to tailor content to the users‘ preferences in a detailed and accurate way. Among the 4 key reasons TikTok will grow and broaden its appeal in 2021, it’s the easiest platform algorithm for users to train to feed them content they love.
Some excellent news is that not only are people present and active on TikTok, they’re not shying away from ads. According to Adweek,
Fortunately for advertisers, Gen Z doesn’t mind being advertised to—as long as campaigns demonstrate inherent entertainment and brand values they can get behind.
Not a day goes by that TikTok isn’t in the news. TikTok is also growing substantially, having grown 37.5% in the year 2020. The social media powerhouse is constantly releasing new features and functions.
What Can Brands Do on TikTok?
TikTok is the new battleground for the hearts and minds of consumers, now and for the future. While the platform may be particularly popular with a younger audience, brands of all kids are still striving to connect, including Porsche.
TikTok is also the first digital entertainment platform to sponsor the UEFA EURO 2020 European Football Championship. “TikTok is looking to cement its position as the home for football fans to share their passion for the game, following a number of football clubs across the world signing up to the platform and creating content for its fans.”
For brands which are inherently visual, such as fashion or makeup, coming up with ideas for posts can be straightforward. But what would a bank post? Well, PostFinance, one of the largest banks in Switzerland, which belongs to Switzerland's national post service, has found success on TikTok. They share a mix of funny home office videos and short videos showing their services. PostFinance has also shared many HR marketing videos, displaying their work environment, which should help position them as a sought-after employer.
Ceylor Switzerland, the most popular condom company here in Switzerland, uses humor accompanied by current, pop music to inform the public of the importance of always practicing safe sex. This creative brand makes posts that are clear to non-German speakers that there’s no reason to avoid using these condoms because they might be too small.
How Can Brands Drive Conversions & Sales on TikTok?
In a recent study, about half of users said they discover new products through advertisements posted by a product or brand.
The platform is investing heavily in its social commerce and features to help brands advertise. The TikTok Pixel, a small piece of code that you place on your website, helps you find new customers, optimize your campaigns and measure ad performance.
On 27 October, 2020, TikTok announced a global partnership with Shopify, an e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems, to help merchants create and run campaigns geared toward TikTokers. The partnership makes it easier for Shopify merchants to tap into the creativity of the TikTok community, be discovered, and optimize their marketing campaigns.
Some Surprising TikTok Trends
While TikTok’s largest demographic is Gen Z, older users are becoming increasingly active. TikTok shared new data on this growing trend. “Every day, millions of parents, teens, grandparents and in betweens come to TikTok to share snippets of their day-to-day life. Here’s what’s unique: often, the whole family participates together—even teens don’t shy away. It used to be a challenge getting everyone to sit still for a photo; now we see perfectly choreographed dance routines from the whole family, including grandma.”
TikTok also notes that parents are sharing "tips, tricks, and in-depth knowledge."
How Can Brands Get Help? Kingfluencers’ Full-Service Approach
We are here for you - from strategy to execution and optimization, including:
Kingfluencers makes great brand + influencer matches, drives successful campaigns such as Joung Gustav posting for Samsung Switzerland’s #Samsungs21 campaign, achieving 346K views. Mimoza Lekaj shared a fun dance video for Dosenbach, retailer of trendy shoes, accessories, and budget-friendly sportswear, reaching 54K views.
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