ICYMI: Last week we shared the second half of strategy tips for founders looking to leverage their personal TikTok presence to grow their brand.
This week, we’ll be sharing:
One of the longest standing TikTok trends, along with a breakdown of several key products & brands that have seen significant growth as a result.
The trending sounds & filters you should be featuring in your next video!
Outliving the TikTok Trend Cycle
Just about half (49%) of all TikTok users have admitted to purchasing a product after seeing it reviewed, promoted or advertised on the app according to a 2021 AdWeek Survey.
And while the jury is still out on the Facebook vs TikTok profitability debate, it's no secret that one viral video on the platform can skyrocket a brand’s sales overnight. Heck, even a trending ‘feta pasta’ recipe was said to be responsible for a national shortage of the Greek cheese. Not to mention e-commerce giants like Target and Amazon’s introduction of product category pages dedicated to these viral sensations.
Thus, the question we ask ourselves remains the same: how do we go viral on TikTok?
While there is no single clear answer, one of the top contributors to discovery on the app has been the hashtag #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt. With over 9 billion views, the hauls, reviews and round up videos underneath the hashtag spread across nearly all industries – from fashion to cleaning supplies to tech to everyday household items.
The trend’s sticking power can be attributed to it being a universal concept capable of being utilized by brands and creators of all sizes and content niches in a wide variety of content formats. While the items being shared can continue to change and evolve with the usual consumer trend cycle, the motivation behind purchasing remains: #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt
Here are a few of the top products making the most of this purchasing phenomenon:
The Pink Stuff Cleaning Paste
For 25 years prior, the stain-removing cleaning paste for hard surface had been a relatively unknown product in the e-commerce space, only ever seeing a small uptick in sales due to cleaning influencers on Instagram and Youtube. That is, until TikTok.
Videos featuring the pink stuff have well over 250M views, showing creators transforming their dirtiest surfaces, from crayon covered walls to filthy tile, into something you could practically eat off of.
Of course amongst these videos are some spoofs, showing entirely unrealistic use cases and their results, such as this car account claiming the pink stuff shattered their vehicle’s window. Some could say these types of videos produce even more intrigue.
The Little Green Machine Upholstery Cleaner
Another favorite on “Cleantok,” the Bissel portable carpet cleaner has seen their sales nearly double since landing on the FYP in 2020.
Videos feature creators using the tool to eliminate the most extreme fabric messes, followed by a clip of them dumping out the murky, dirt-filled water left over from the clean up into their toilet. So not only are the results themselves satisfying, viewers with a penchant for grossness are just as (if not more) pleased.
Peter Thomas Roth Instant FirmX Eye Tightener
Must-have beauty products are a popular share on the platform, but this eye cream managed to skyrocket in popularity overnight– all thanks to one video.
With over 34 M views and 5.5 M likes, TikTok creator Tracy’s demo of her favorite under-eye smoothing trick took over the app and nearly sold out the now famous Peter Thomas Roth product.
Hundreds of creators then went on to share videos of their before and afters, ultimately proving how impactful this type of content can be in driving conversion. Even TikTok’s favorite dermatologist jumped in to explain how the eye cream produces such miraculous results.
First Aid Beauty KP Eraser 10% AHA scrub
Just about anyone with sensitive skin can relate to having mysterious little red bumps on the backs of their arms and legs or “strawberry skin” – more formerly known as keratosis pilaris. Yet, few people seemed to be talking about it and even fewer brands marketed their products to healing the skin condition.
Insert First Aid Beauty, who through #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt virality became the KP treatment of choice among creators and app users alike– sharing content dedicated to showing off their post-KP Eraser smooth skin.
And after seeing so much success from the hashtag, the brand even went so far as to create their own “TikTok Made Me Buy It” sound to pair with a creator-led campaign dedicated to sharing the product.
Main Takeaways
“Satisfying” before and after results is the common denominator amongst the most viral of #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt products. The proof is in the 15 second video, and falls under newly defined category called “demotainment”
They often address a poorly defined, common problem, serving as an everyday “trick” or “hack.”
And like all successful TikToks, the casual, conversational feel of these videos is more similar to a word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend than they are an ad.
🎵 Trending Sounds
Using trending sounds is key to growing on TikTok. Sounds help increase your chance for virality as well as increasing your video’s average watch time. Every week, we’ll round up a couple trending sounds that we think you should pay attention to, and how you can use them in your content.
What this sound is: This audio clip extracted from the Italian song “Che La Luna Mezzo Mare” by Lou Monte features creatures sharing a collection of “things that just make sense” about their home, car, family or other relatable life experience. And we can’t forget the important “🤌 “ hand gesture accompanying the videos under this trend!
How your brand can use it: Brand can use this sound to show off anything a bit quirky or specific to their office space, industry, or product ingredients.
What this sound is: The from a sped up and higher pitched version of Taylor Swift’s song “You Belong With Me” is being used by creators to mouth its one lyric specifically, “hey isn’t this easy,” paired with a text overlay describing various situations where it’s ironically clear what the right thing to do is, like being in a committed relationship without cheating or not cyberbullying people in their TikTok video comments.
How your brand can use it: Brands can use this sound to share obvious, humorous ways their product should not be used, or an out of the box assumption about their category that can be easily debunked.