How to Leverage TikTok During the Holidays

Influencer partnership marketing is no longer a niche tactic used to supplement your primary marketing strategy; it’s a powerful tool that allows you to expand your reach, connect with new audiences, and shatter your revenue goals.

While Instagram remains the influencer marketing powerhouse, TikTok has emerged as a top contender, which means it needs to be a part of your holiday marketing strategy.

Mastering the art of TikTok influencer marketing can breathe new life into your influencer strategy and help you make the 2023 holiday season your most lucrative yet. Here’s what you need to know.

The rising influence of TikTok

You might have seen that catchy 15-second dance video or the latest DIY TikTok trend that has racked up millions of views. Imagine if your product was featured in one of those viral videos.

Over the last few years, TikTok has evolved from a fledgling app to a global social phenomenon. The platform boasts millions of active users, many of whom fall into the Gen Z age bracket. By integrating TikTok into your influencer marketing strategy, you can connect with millions of Gen Zers who have entered adulthood and joined the consumer market.

Understanding TikTok’s holiday appeal

During the holiday season, people are naturally in a festive mood. They are eager to share and consume holiday content, and TikTok’s core demographics seem to embrace this trend.

With a significant chunk of TikTok users falling into the Gen Z and millennial age brackets, the platform sees an uptick in engaging holiday-themed videos. This demographic craves authentic, relatable, short-form content — perfect for your festive brand message.

Explore the partnership marketing landscape in TikTok

TikTok isn’t just about individual creators; it’s a hub for brands, too. By integrating TikTok into your influencer programme, you benefit from an extended reach and fresh, creative content.

TikTok’s short video format allows for memorable brand plugs and product videos that other platforms might not offer. Additionally, some brands are still lagging behind the TikTok influencer trend. By becoming an early adopter, you can gain an edge over your competitors and tap into new markets.

Preparing your TikTok strategy for the holidays

The good news is that preparing your TikTok strategy involves a familiar first step: identifying your target audience. Do you want to connect with DIYers, stay-at-home parents, foodies, or fashion-forward consumers?

Once you know who you want to reach, focus on these steps:

1. Establishing TikTok influencer relationships

Influencers are the foundation of any TikTok campaign. Find influencers whose audiences align with your target demographic. Make sure they post regularly and have a voice that is consistent with your brand values.

While the top influencers will provide the largest reach, micro-influencers can help you connect with niche audiences. And since smaller influencers won’t expect high compensation, they can be great partners if you are working with a restrictive budget.

2. Creating engaging TikTok content

Now for the fun part — crafting your content! Make it festive, relatable, and engaging.

Most importantly, the content needs to feel organic to resonate with your audience. Make sure that your TikTok content doesn’t feel like an ad. If it does, the results will be underwhelming.

The holidays are also the perfect time to leverage challenges, hashtags, and giveaways in your TikTok content. With these unique marketing strategies, you can:

• Encourage users to participate by showcasing your products/services in creative ways
• Generate excitement and buzz by incorporating holiday-themed challenges or trends
• Build a loyal and interactive audience by acknowledging and featuring user submissions
• Enhance your brand’s personality and relatability through user interactions and shared experiences
• Drive traffic and conversions by strategically tying giveaways or promotions to user participation

Some other great holiday content strategies to implement include:

• Behind-the-scenes content: Share behind-the-scenes footage of holiday product preparation or exclusive sneak peeks. This creates a sense of exclusivity and excitement.
• User-generated content (UGC): Encourage users to create content featuring your products/services in their holiday celebrations. Repost high-quality UGC on your brand’s TikTok account and consider rewarding users with discounts or special offers through affiliate links to incentivise participation.
• Limited-time offers: Create a sense of urgency with limited-time offers or flash sales exclusive to TikTok. Highlight the holiday-themed promotions in engaging videos and use affiliate links to track the performance of these TikTok campaigns.

3. Measuring your success

What counts as a win? Key performance indicators (KPIs) like engagement rate, video views, and conversion rates will be your compass.

TikTok’s built-in analytics software can help you track important metrics. Regularly review the results of each collaboration and adjust as necessary to optimise your influencer campaign.

4. Overcoming common hurdles

Even if you partner with an experienced TikTok influencer, you are bound to encounter a few hurdles along the way. Maybe your content isn’t gaining traction, or perhaps you’re struggling with the ever-changing TikTok algorithm.

Regardless of what hurdles you are facing, be diligent but flexible. Test different formats, adjust your posting times, and make other tweaks to see how they impact campaign performance.

For more tips on building a winning strategy, check out our ultimate guide to influencer marketing.

Hit the ground running with Acceleration Partners

With the holiday season right around the corner, there is no time to waste. If you want your TikTok influencer campaign to make an impact, you need a strategic approach. Enter Acceleration Partners (AP).

At AP, we can help you build a winning TikTok strategy from the ground up. From finding influencers who align with your brand to mapping out your campaign, our full-service global team does it all.

Let’s connect and discuss how TikTok influencer marketing can propel you toward your holiday revenue goals.