For many brands, TikTok is a scary, unknown place. What do you post? How do you use the trending sounds? Iโve rounded up small businesses that have generated thousands of likes and followers on their TikTok profiles alone.
In this article, we not only list successful small businesses on TikTok with a breakdown of their strategies but also hear from some directly on what influenced their success.
Note: In this article, we define small businesses as those with one to 25 employees.
1. POPFLEX
Founded by influencer and content creator Cassey Ho, POPFLEX has amassed 2.5 million likes and 116K followers since first posting in May 2020.
Whatโs the key to its success? Leveraging Hoโs loyal community and telling honest stories.
@popflexactive Time for a gym bag upgrade? Meet the all-in-one Valentina Duffle ๐
#dufflebag
#duffle
#functionalfashion
#blogilates
#bags
#gymbag
#ShowOffLandOFrost
โฌ Classical Music – Classical Music
Ho grew in popularity on YouTube as a fitness instructor sharing pilates workouts and advice, hence the name @blogilates. After years of success, Ho launched the apparel brand, POPFLEX.
โIt’s such a huge benefit to work with a social media personality like Cassey, who already has not only a fanbase but a loyal community that she has built trust with,โ says Lexi King, PopFlexโs social media lead. โWe are an extension of that at POPFLEX.โ
Knowing that these two brands are deeply connected, King says they focused on sharing the behind-the-scenes journey of building and growing POPFLEX.
โโฆPeople love seeing the โwhyโ and the process behind our products,โ says King, โit makes the brand relationship less transactional and more of a relationship.โ
She says that instead of selling a product, they sell a story about finding a solution to a problem. On TikTok, each account feeds the other, creating what King calls an ecosystem.
โIf you happen to be scrolling TikTok and come across Blogilatesโ video promoting a product, that will likely lead you to check out POPFLEX where you can then see the product on different bodies through our try-on videos or see more of the functionality behind the product,โ she says.โ It’s about creating an ecosystem of content, itโs like telling one big story.โ
In addition to storytelling and leveraging their founder, King shares that the brand invests in building relationships with diverse content creators, through partnerships and gifting.
โSeeing our products promoted on external influencer/creator accounts helps build our awareness and trust with the consumer while also giving our customer real, raw, and unpaid reviews,โ says King on gifting products to influencers.
Unlike many other brands on TikTok, POPFLEX doesnโt only rely on trending dances to gain traction.
โDoing trendy dance moves doesnโt always need to be your answer to increasing your reach,โ says King. โYou can find a unique way to utilize a trending audio to push your product and educate your audience about your brand.โ
She continues, โIn fact, being different and interpreting trends in unique ways has been some of our best performing content.โ
If thereโs one piece of advice King could offer other small businesses, itโs this: Succeeding on TikTok involves trial and error.
โYou have to find what brings your audience in, weeding through what works and what doesnโt,โ says King. โThe only way to figure that out is by posting and by not being afraid to test new things โ new creators, posting at different times, new angles, trends versus storytelling, etc.โ
2. Faces Cosmetics
While some brands steer away from pushing their products on TikTok, others find great success in doubling down on this strategy. Faces Cosmetics is one of them.
About 90% of the TikTok videos this brand posts on TikTok are directly related to its product, specifically the quality, performance, and durability.
The reason this strategy works so well is that in just a few seconds, the video addresses user pain points and shows how the product solves them โ all while leveraging trending sounds.
@facescosmetics And itโs latex free ๐ Secure those lashes baby!
#makeup
#mua
#lashes
#facescosmetics
#lashessecured
โฌ original sound – IT GIRL ๐
Hereโs another tactic thatโs worked exceptionally well for Faces Cosmetics on TikTok: Building up a story surrounding the product, hooking in viewers, then revealing the truth at the end.
While this may sound like a risky approach, itโs one that brought the brand 3.1 million views in a single video and a host of new customers.
For instance, in the video posted below, the brandโs founder posed as a content creator trying a new product thatโs been making its rounds on social media. Spoiler alert: Itโs her product.
@facescosmetics I wish i knew about this sooner omg!
#lashes
#makeup
#ulta
#facescosmetics
#lashessecured
โฌ original sound – Faces Cosmetics
She tries it on, addresses common customer pain points with this product line, then ends the video with the big reveal and a restock announcement.
The takeaway here is to tell stories that will resonate with your audience.
3. Hoodjabi
If youโre looking for inspiration on how to capitalize on trending sounds on TikTok, take a look at Hoodjabi.
From the outside looking in, this brand has figured out which trends to hop on and which ones to skip.
@hoodjabishop A lifechanging experience ๐ฅน๐ฅน
#hoodjabishop
#modestfashion
#hijabessentials
#hoodiehijab
โฌ The sound of love – Mandy & Boots- Viral ๐Creator
Although every video features Hoodjabi products, the videos donโt focus on the products themselves. Instead, they focus on the person wearing them and their lifestyle. From navigating the world as a hijabi to life with this product โ always in a funny, engaging way.
4. Bobbie Goods
TikTok accounts like Bobbie Goods show us that simplicity can go a long way on social media.
What once was a drawing account from an artist evolved into a brand selling coloring books, stickers, and more.
Whatโs most interesting here is noting how the content in this account shifted once it became a brand. In the early days, the videos had little focus, allowing viewers to simply enjoy the drawings as they came alive on screen.
Over time, the brand started incorporating more behind-the-scenes content, from packing orders to creating new products.
@bobbiegoods add eco friendly gift wrapping to your next order! available now in my shop โบ๏ธ @noissueco
#noissuepackaging
#fyp
#packingorders
#smallbusiness
#etsy
โฌ Real Love Baby – Father John Misty
Another interesting note? Bobbie Goods doesnโt rely on trending sounds to make or break their content, showing once again that there are multiple roads leading to success on TikTok.
5. Omsom
Food brand Omsom isnโt just on TikTok to promote its products. After perusing just a few videos, youโll find that thereโs an emphasis on celebrating Asian, and specifically Vietnamese, culture.
Omsom invites its viewers to gain knowledge of the history behind Vietnamese cuisine as well as challenge longstanding myths related to Asian foods.
@weareomsom PSA: there are no proven harms of consuming MSG!!!
#msg
#asiancuisine
#asianfood
#immigrantstories
#stigma
โฌ original sound – Omsom
But thatโs not all youโll find scrolling down their profile.
Omsom also shares tons of food recipes, behind-the-scenes content from the founders, and relatable lifestyle content.
@weareomsom
The Omsom team has HAD IT with these red flags ๐คฃ๐ฉ
โฌ Whatcha Say – Jason Derulo
Having this content mix ensures they appeal to a range of buyer personas, from Vietnamese consumers looking for a taste of home to curious eaters.
6. SplayTray
When your product is as good as SplayTrayโs, thereโs no fancy strategy needed (although that never hurts).
On TikTok, all it takes is finding the right trending sounds to show off your productโs most impressive features.
Take this video below, which earned nearly 270K views.
@splaytray
You definitely need it.
โฌ THE SOUND WE DONT REALLY NEED – Skeetersbedtimestories
The audio overlay โ a conversation between two friends resisting the temptation to make a purchase โ mixed with a simple video compilation made for a straightforward product demo that speaks for itself.
The takeaway here is: When in doubt, keep it simple.
There you have it โ 6 brands using completely different strategies and killing it on TikTok. Whether youโre a small, midsize or large business, thereโs a piece of advice in here for every TikTok marketer.