TikTok Marketing: How to Find Trends and Create Viral Content

TikTok's popularity has skyrocketed in recent years, and its marketing potential is undeniable. With over 1 billion monthly active users, the app has become a prime location for brands to connect with younger generations and build a loyal following. 

Finding and utilizing trending content can help brands stand out on the platform, increase engagement with their audience, and – hopefully – create viral marketing campaigns. TikTok's algorithm surfaces top content and trends, making it essential for brands to stay up-to-date with what’s in vogue to create trending content that resonates with their audience. 

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Let’s learn how to find trending content and make the most of TikTok's latest trends. 

Finding Trends on TikTok

Source: TikTok

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Incorporating TikTok trends into your content can help grow your brand by reaching a younger and highly engaged audience. You can create fresh, fun, and relevant content by tapping into TikTok's latest trends and challenges, helping build brand awareness and increase engagement. 

Strategies for Discovering and Tracking TikTok Trends

Source. TikTok Creative Center

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To find trends on TikTok and stay ahead of the game, follow these steps:

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1. Explore the "Discover" page: Open the TikTok app and navigate to the "Discover" page. You will find trending content here, including popular challenges, dances, and viral videos.

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2. Look for hashtags: Pay attention to trending hashtags on the "Discover" page or in the captions of popular videos. Hashtags often indicate ongoing trends or challenges. Collect those related to your brand and start putting your ideas into a social media calendar.

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3. Follow popular creators: Identify and follow TikTok creators in your niche or industry. These influencers are often the first to jump on new trends and can inspire your content.

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4. Engage with the TikTok community: Engage with other TikTok users by liking, commenting, and sharing their content to discover trending videos and connect with other creators.

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5. Use the "For You" page: The "For You" page displays a curated feed of content based on your preferences and interests. Monitor videos on this page, as they often represent popular trends and viral content. 

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6. Follow TikTok trend accounts: Consider following dedicated TikTok trend accounts that curate and share popular trends, like TikTok’s very own @tiktoktrends. These accounts can help you stay up-to-date with viral challenges and content.

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7. Monitor relevant hashtags: Keep a close eye on relevant hashtags for your industry or target audience. By monitoring these hashtags, you can identify emerging trends early on and create timely content.

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8. Analyze competitor's content: Study what similar brands are doing. Look for best practices in their successful videos and see if they follow specific trends – this can give you valuable insights and inspiration for your content strategy.

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By following these steps and consistently staying active on TikTok, you can spot and leverage the latest trends to create engaging and shareable content. 

TikTok's Algorithm and For You Page

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The TikTok algorithm curates users' feeds to show content that is most relevant and engaging to them. When a user spends time on specific videos, the algorithm learns this and shows them similar content. Similarly, the algorithm may offer content from creators that a user does not follow but is popular among their fellow TikTokers. 

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The TikTok algorithm determines what content users get on their "For You" page, creating a personalized and engaging experience for each user. According to TikTok’s Newsroom, “the system recommends content by ranking videos based on a combination of factors – starting from interests you express as a new user and adjusting for things you indicate you're not interested in, too – to form your personalized “For You” feed.” 

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The algorithm considers the following when showing content to users: 

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• User interactions. It analyzes the videos users watch, like, share, and engage with and uses this data to understand their preferences and interests. The algorithm then suggests similar content that it believes they will enjoy.
• Video information. It uses details such as captions, hashtags, sounds, and effects to determine the content's context and relevance. A video with popular hashtags or trending sounds will likely reach a broader audience.
• Video completion rates and watch time. If users consistently watch a video until the end or spend more time watching a particular creator's content. In that case, the algorithm sees this as a positive signal and may show more of their content in the future.
• Type of device and account settings. Such as language preference and location, to further personalize the content shown to users.

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It's important to note that the TikTok algorithm is constantly learning and evolving based on user behavior and feedback. Therefore, staying active on the platform, creating engaging content, and understanding your audience's preferences is key to maximizing your reach and visibility on TikTok.

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For brands looking to expand their reach on TikTok, understanding how the algorithm works can help create and promote content that resonates with the platform's users and drives engagement.

Successful Trend-based Marketing Campaigns

There are tons of TikTok marketing campaigns running every day. We’ve gathered a few success stories of brands that have utilized the platform to their advantage with inspiring TikTok content. 

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• ALDO 

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Canadian multinational footwear retailer ALDO leveraged a combination of brand and creator assets, embodying a TikTok best-practice strategy.

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In this case, the brand worked with @kristy.sarah and @andoej to reach a wider audience and have their ads look more native to the platform. The campaign generated 55 million impressions with an incredible Video Completion Rate of 785% above benchmarks.

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This approach allows brands to create unique, engaging videos by working with well-known creators. You can do this for your brand by:

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• Working with content creators who match your brand’s values and personality. 
• Creating content with trending audio and sounds. 
• Adding a unique twist to your videos. This could be an unexpected action or humor.  

Source: TikTok

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• Cell:fection

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Korean-based beauty brand Cellfection achieved a 10.2x increase in sales through amplifying creative videos on Spark Ads. 

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They partnered with TikTok’s creative partner – AJ Marketing in Korea – to produce videos calling out users with concerns about their eyelashes while engaging their existing audience. The trend was part of an innovative program offered by TikTok during their Lunar New Year campaign in 2023, a perfect seasonality to be part of when promoting a product for the Korean market. 

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Here are some tips to make this happen for your brand:

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• Create fresh content for each seasonality and trend. 
• Simple is better –and effective! Show people how to use your product within the first seconds of your video. 

Source: TikTok / Cellfection

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• Bostani Chocolatier

Belgium’s Bostani Chocolatier's goal was to drive traffic to the website and boost sales for their new line of products. Focused on Ramadan and Eid shopping, the seasonal campaign would run for three weeks in April, targeting the millennial demographic in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region.

The campaign resulted in a 15% increase in website traffic, a 20% increase in sales, and a 35% increase in TikTok followers.

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If your goal is to increase sales rapidly, you can:

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• Search for upcoming events and dates, and create your videos with that in mind. 
• Take advantage of video templates that will save you time and money. 

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Source: TikTok / Bostani

How to Find Trending Audio on TikTok

Using trending audio for TikTok content will maximize reach and engagement. Trending sounds and music have gained massive popularity among users, increasing the chances of your video being discovered and shared. 

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By leveraging these popular audio clips, you can tap into the existing excitement and create content that resonates with the TikTok community. 

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Here’s how to find trending audio on TikTok: 

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1. Start by scrolling through the "For You" page to see what songs and sounds are popular right now. 

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2. From there, you can explore the sounds further by clicking on the "sounds" link within the video to see other videos that use the same audio. Alternatively, you can search for popular sounds using TikTok's search function.

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3. Type keywords related to the sound you are looking for and filter your search results by selecting the "Sounds" tab. By staying on top of popular TikTok sounds, brands can create timely and engaging content that resonates with TikTok's massive and engaged user base. 

Creating Viral Content on TikTok

Here are some tips for creating engaging and shareable content when using TikTok as a brand. 

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• Use catchy hooks: Start your video with a solid, attention-grabbing opening that makes users want to watch the rest. A captivating hook can increase the chances of users watching and sharing your videos. 

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• Utilize hashtags: Incorporate popular and relevant hashtags into your captions to increase your content's discoverability. TikTok's algorithm uses hashtags as a factor in recommending content.

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• Focus on storytelling: Tell a compelling story within the limited time frame of a TikTok video. Engaging narratives can captivate users and encourage them to share your content.

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• Add music and sounds: Choose popular and catchy songs or sounds to accompany your videos. Music can set the tone and evoke emotions, making your content more memorable and shareable.

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• Engage with trends and challenges: Participate in popular challenges and trends to tap into the existing excitement and connect with the TikTok community.

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• Experiment with video effects: Utilize different video templates and effects, filters, and transitions available on TikTok to add uniqueness and visual appeal to your content. Creative and visually appealing videos are more likely to be shared.

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• Collaborate with other creators: Collaborating with popular TikTok creators can expand your reach and introduce your content to a new audience. Partnerships can bring fresh perspectives and creative ideas to your videos, as well as help you collect user-generated content on TikTok.

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• Make it relatable: Create content that resonates with your target audience. Your content will increase shares by tapping into relatable experiences, emotions, or situations.

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• Keep it simple and concise: TikTok's fast-paced nature calls for quick and easily digestible content. Keep your videos short, concise, and straight to the point. Snappy content is more likely to be shared and re-watched.

Measuring Success on TikTok

Understand your audience and how to better engage them with your content by tracking statistics. TikTok has an in-built analytics dashboard; however, you can also benefit from using Iconosquare’s integration with the platform. 

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This integration includes TikTok stats, reports, and scheduling features. If you’re not yet an Iconosquare user, you can sign up for a free 14-day trial (no credit card required) to test its features.

How TikTok's Analytics Tools Work

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TikTok analytics is a valuable tool for brands looking to optimize their content strategy and improve performance on the platform.

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You'll need to have a TikTok Pro account to use TikTok analytics. You can access metrics like profile views, follower growth, video views, engagement rates, and more. By analyzing these metrics, brands can gain insights into what content resonates with their audience and adjust their strategy accordingly. 

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For example, you can track which videos have the highest engagement rates and use that information to inform future content creation. Additionally, TikTok analytics can help brands identify their most engaged and active followers, making building stronger relationships easier.

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TikTok Metrics

When checking your analytics, these are the metrics to track for measuring the success of TikTok marketing campaigns:

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• Overview. You’ll be able to understand your video performance by measuring likes, comments, and shares. 
• Content. This tab will show extended data and analytics for each video. You’ll find total views, total likes, comments, shares, and valuable insights such as average watch time, percentage of viewers who watched the entire video, traffic source, and audience territories. 
• Followers. Use this tab to get insights about your community on TikTok. The Followers tab lets you know where your audiences are from, the times of day/week your followers are most active on TikTok, and the change in follower growth. 

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If you want to learn more about how to use data to optimize future content and strategy, 

Iconosquare can come in handy by doing a structured report, a clear dashboard, and letting you study your TikTok stats directly on this platform. 

Wrapping Up

TikTok trends have immense potential for marketing purposes, as they are often relatable, entertaining, and shareable. You can leverage these trends by creating unique content that aligns with them while remaining true to their brand values and identity. By jumping on the bandwagon of popular trends, your brand can increase its visibility and reach a broader audience.

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