Sure, we could tell you what the hottest social media marketing hashtag trends and challenges are right now — but this article would be out of date by the time you finish reading it. Alot of video marketing/ video productions companies use TikTok to gain more customers.
So if you were looking for a hot new drag-queen-choreographed dance to do, we’re sorry. But we’ve got something even better for you instead: a 2023 TikTok trend report that’s all about the bigger picture.
If you’re looking for what’s making TikTok tick right now, you’ve come to the right place.
Because, really, if you want to create a winning TikTok social media marketing strategy, you can’t get lost in the details. Things change at whiplash speed over on TikTok. Even if Corn Kid is absolutely popping off on a Monday, by Friday, the TikTok averse has already moved on to watching clips of old dudes selling watches.
To succeed here and wow the app’s 1 billion users, you need to look underneath the teen-face filters or sound clips from Love Island and really understand the cultural forces and shifting attitudes that shape behavior.
Which is why in this post, we’re identifying the powerful macro trends happening on TikTok for 2023. It’s time to grapple with the zeitgeist, baby! Get ready to zoom out as we take you through the 11 biggest TiKTok trends for brands and creators right now.
If you’ve been debating where to invest your social media ad dollars, TikTok may be a good bet. At the end of 2022, ad reach was up by 14.6%, year over year. And while that does guarantee some extra eyeballs on your campaigns, what that number doesn’t reflect is just how receptive TikTok audiences are to branded content.
The caveat here is that not just any ol’ ad will do. This ain’t a flyer inserted into a newspaper: TikTok ads still need to be interesting, appealing, and offer viewers some value.
Think beyond a straightforward product pitch and into something with a little razzle dazzle… TikTok-style. Can you use the app’s playful editing features or filters? Let’s just hit point #2…
Sure, 35% of TikTok social media users open up the app explicitly to research brands and products. But the vast majority of people on the platform are seeking out a little bit of fun. Our latest Digital Report found that 78.2% of TikTokers use it for watching “funny or entertaining content.” Brands that can deliver on that desire are poised to make both sales and fans for life.
TikTok’s internal studies have shown that ads rated highly for “entertainment” also rank high for “brand love” and “purchase intent.”
Google’s reign as the king of search may be in jeopardy. Research has shown that Gen Z is increasingly using social as their primary search tool. “Young people are turning to TikTok social media to search for answers,” reported the New York Times in September 2022, citing a Google study that revealed that 40% of users aged 18 to 24 turn to TikTok or Instagram when they need information.
This doesn’t mean you need to shut down your website and do that Eternal Sunshine treatment to cleanse all SEO knowledge from your brain. The majority of people still are tracking down your business the old-fashioned way (a.k.a. frantically typing “me need haircut now hurry” into the Google search field). But brands would be wise to start honing their social search optimization skills to make sure they’re reaching every potential customer.
Growing up means trying on different identities to see just what fits best, as any of us who witnessed Christina Aguilera in her Dirty era know. TikTok is no different. Sure, it’s the master of the short-form, algorithmic-brain-candy video stream, but the potential for what else it could be are limitless. No wonder, then, that in 2022 alone, it released at least seven new features, including TikTok Now (a BeReal clone) and TikTok Stories (an IG Stories clone, which itself is a Snapchat clone, but that’s a tale for another day).
In other words: TikTok is on a journey of self-discovery. And brands should be open to tagging along on the ride, embracing and testing out whatever new feature the app drops next. It’s true that most of these features won’t last, but brave brands that get in on the ground floor may be rewarded with an algorithm boost, or at least the opportunity to surprise or intrigue your audience.
TikTokers love to see content from relatable people. So skip the straight-up sales pitch and reach out to someone real who feels comfortable sharing their authentic story.
“Trust boils down to who’s telling your brand story,” notes TikTok’s 2023 Trend Report. “If a TikTok creator shares traits or interests with your audience, their content will feel more relevant and meaningful to viewers. People also feel more connected to industry and subject matter experts, who bring knowledge and insider advice to their video production companies.”
This could mean using your own channel to create authentic, people-first content. But it may also mean reaching out to creators for reviews of your product.
Whether you’re collaborating with an influencer or handing over the reins to an insider expert, putting real people front and center can help brands create authentic, entertaining content.
Sometimes it feels like TikTok social media is happening in another language, with so many in-jokes, slang and cultural touchpoints that seem to exist only within the app. If your brand is going to keep up with the speed of social, you’ve gotta be constantly researching and observing to understand what the hot-ticket reference is each day.
That means spending a lot of time just watching and learning on the app, taking note of what aesthetic choices are trending and what emojis are now outdated. Our friends at We Are Social noted that late 2022 was a time of “chaotic content” and “cosplaying normalcy,” but you can get even more up-to-date analysis from their daily digital cultural tracker on Instagram.But if that all sounds like a lot… maybe don’t bother? More important than understanding whether it’s still cool to call something “ded” or “cheugy” is to be authentic.
Modus Film is a video production company based in Kent and London. Our services are nationwide and our video marketing agency can help you make some ground breaking content. If you want to discuss this further contact us or better yet see how video marketing can transform your current marketing mix. We are now fully PPE compliant. Plus we carry on working!
As video marketing experts we are specialists in all forms of video marketing. Here at Modus Film, we have completed many projects for our clients that have required us to define a digital strategy with really great results. If you want to speak to a specialist email [email protected] or call us on 01233 273 273.
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