5 Businesses Killing it on TikTok in 2023
By Lauren Trujillo | Updated September 19, 2023
In 2023, TikTok still claims the title of the fastest-growing app, reaching 3.5 BILLION global downloads (The Social Sheperd). A platform that started out for users aged 16-24 to showcase their dancing skills has continued to evolve into a key resource that brands are utilizing to reach a wider audience and engage with customers.
Check out these 5 businesses that are absolutely killing it on TikTok in 2023 and their strategies for success:
Since Tiktok took off during the pandemic in 2020, Chipotle has remained a star, adapting to TikTok’s endless trends and opportunities to go viral. One of their biggest successes on the app is their casual online presence — they don’t take themselves too seriously, and keep up with whatever the current dances and songs are regularly! They make their business relevant by resharing Chipotle hacks/recipes from fans and showcasing #bts content of how the guac gets made!
If you’re not quite sure how to make your business feel relatable and casual on socials — lean on Chipotle for reference!
Main takeaway: Stay as relatable and casual as possible while still staying true to your brand’s mission and aesthetic! If your business utilizes influencers or user-generated content, this is a great opportunity to reshare content and bring that relatability to your feed.
Flighthouse is a top entertainment brand and production studio that offers promotional tools for up and coming artists. When Tiktok began gaining popularity in 2020, it was the second most followed brand on TikTok, following @TikTok itself! This growth has slowed since, but this account is continuing to make waves with their presence. So, how has this company so successfully utilized TikTok as a platform? Flighthouse uses its platform to feature celebrities and influencers who play games and discuss recent trends. With many of these videos being part of a series or multi-part segments, this marketing strategy encourages users to watch multiple videos at a time. One thing is for sure, this brand’s ability to leverage and utilize influencer marketing is unmatched.
Main takeaway: Features from relevant people in your industry can go a long way in leveraging reach on your TikTok, and so can utilizing influencers! The more relevant names you can bring into your mix, the more reach you’ll have!
The NBA has gone all-in when it comes to TikTok, hiring a team of full-time content creators responsible for managing their platform and posting 5-6 times a day (DigiDay). This NBA uses its TikTok to show off the more personal side of the organization and the players, providing viewers with exclusive and engaging content such as players' workouts, training, and the shenanigans the team’s mascot gets up to. The organization's success on TikTok is largely due to its ability to appeal to a broad audience, offering diverse content that appeals to everyone, even die-hard basketball fans.
Main takeaway: Depending on the type of organization you have, appealing to a broader audience could be your key to success online! Take this with a grain of salt though, and evaluate if your brand is truly meant for a broad audience before seeking one out. If you need guidance on identifying your key audience on TikTok, give us a shout before switching things up.
Speaking of target audiences, this athletic clothing and accessories brand shines on TikTok because they’ve got their audience dialed in and provide them with valuable content. This includes videos of fitness challenges, workouts, and inspirational stories. Gymshark's success on TikTok showcases the importance of finding and sticking to a niche on social media.
Main takeaway: Niche down! Get very specific about the message you’re trying to get across with your brand and stick to it with the type of content you post!
Even this 142-year-old newspaper is on TikTok, and they are absolutely killing it! The Washington Post uses their account to give viewers a sneak peek into the newsroom and provides a sense of humor to the latest politics and news updates. The Post's presence on TikTok has done wonders to reach a younger audience, which is always a challenging demographic for newspapers to attract. This just goes to show, regardless of your industry, brand, or niche, ALL companies can and should be taking advantage of TikTok.
Main takeaway: If you’re interested in garnering a younger demographic for your brand, TikTok is a great place to start! The average TikTok user is 18-34 years old. As long as you have a solid content strategy for your brand, no matter what it is, you’ll be sure to find the audience you seek!
If your brand still hasn’t hopped on the TikTok bandwagon — what’s holding you back? If the answer is video content, strategy concerns, or lack of time, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team! We’ll work together to set you up for success!
lauren trujillo
Lauren is a Social Media Content Creator at AMR Digital. When she’s not curating awesome content for her clients, she can be found at the beach in Wilmington, NC where she lives, taking care of her plants, hanging out with new friends, and pursuing a plethora of other creative passions!
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