The age of wellness brands ignoring TikTok influencers is over; partnering with the right creators is now crucial. Around 61% of marketers use TikTok to work with influencers and creators and so should you!
Understanding how wellness brands can leverage TikTok influencers can massively boost your reach and impact. Effective collaboration requires more than just a match; it’s about crafting partnerships that create authentic connections. Learn the key steps and advanced tips to build relationships that elevate your brand presence on TikTok. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your brand’s credibility and reach.
Step 1: Identify the Right Wellness Influencers on TikTok
1. Define Your Brand’s Goals and Target Audience
Start by setting concrete goals for your marketing campaign on TikTok. Are you aiming to boost brand visibility, drive sales, or build a lifestyle brand? Only once your objectives are clear can you evaluate if an influencer’s approach aligns with what you want. The more precise you are, the easier it is to find partners who can deliver the results you seek.
Take time to define your target audience. Examine your key demographics—age, gender, location, and interests. A clear audience profile allows you to assess which TikTok influencer will effectively reach and engage them. Remember, an influencer’s follower base should resemble your target market.
2. Research Potential TikTok Influencers
Harness the power of TikTok’s built-in search tools. Start with relevant keywords related to wellness, such as “nutrition tips” or “fitness routines.” Scour the explore page to see who’s trending in your niche. Utilise hashtags like #WellnessTips or #HealthyLiving to spot up-and-coming and established influencers. This approach ensures you’re targeting TikTok influencers who are already immersed in your desired niche.
Make sure the influencer’s content aligns with wellness and your brand’s values. Scroll through their recent videos and other content types they’ve produced. Look for consistent themes and messages that match your brand’s mission – even better if they’ve already used and endorsed your products, as their audience will know the collaboration is genuine rather than financially motivated on their end.
3. Evaluate Influencer Performance Metrics
Analyse Engagement Rates and Follower Count
While follower counts provide a snapshot of an influencer’s reach, they don’t tell the full story. High engagement rates are more critical as they reflect an active and interested audience. Collaborating with TikTok influencers who have lively discussions in their comment sections or consistent video engagement signals more invested followers, which is valuable for any brand. According to Sprout Social, authenticity fuels loyalty and retention, making this engagement a crucial component.
Check their likes, comments, and shares per post. Use analytics tools or engage agencies to evaluate these metrics. A high engagement rate signifies an active and engaged audience willing to interact with posts.
Tip: Look into the influencer’s history with other brands. Have these been successful, or were they merely promotional?
Value of Micro and Nano Influencers
Contrary to popular belief, partnering with micro or nano TikTok influencers provides a unique advantage. These influencers, despite having fewer followers, often boast higher engagement rates. Their small yet dedicated following can enhance your brand’s authenticity.
Step 2: Effective TikTok Partnership Tactics
1. Craft a Clear Proposal
Start by drafting an agreement that covers all aspects of the partnership. List the expectations and deliverables clearly for everyone involved. This helps both parties know what they are getting into right from the start.
Outline Expectations
Define what you want from the partnership. Include specifics like how often the influencer will post, what kind of mentions are required, and any unique brand guidelines to follow. Having this spelled out avoids confusion later on.
Discuss timelines and goals. Whether it’s growing your followers or launching a new product, make sure both sides agree. A clear timeline helps keep the project on track. If both sides focus on the same outcome, the partnership has a good chance of succeeding.
2. Build a Genuine Relationship
Creating a real connection with influencers can help your partnership thrive. This approach is less about business and more about people.
Regular engagement shows you care about the influencer’s content and aren’t just in it for profit. Like, comment, and share their posts. This helps establish a friendly rapport. The more you engage with them, the better your chances of a fruitful collaboration.
Before reaching out, take some time to watch their content. Understand their style and tone, then personalise your message accordingly. A casual, friendly note expressing genuine admiration for their work can set the stage. This approach fosters a sincere atmosphere and establishes a mutual understanding.
3. Develop a Content Plan Together
A joint effort in planning content can boost the outcome of your campaign. This ensures the result feels authentic and suits both parties.
Collaborate on Creative Ideas
Influencers should be part of the campaign strategy, not just creating content. They know their audience, and will be best placed to provide insight into the kind of content that will resonate with them. Remember that the reason you’ve chosen to work with them isn’t just about how big or engaged their audience is, but also because of the style of content they create.
Scheduling regular check-ins to strategise, assess progress, and provide two-way continuous feedback will help to ensure the collaboration is successful.
Align Content with Messaging
Make sure that the planned content aligns with both your brand message and the influencer’s voice. Both have reputations to uphold. This kind of alignment prevents the content from feeling fake or forced. Users prefer authenticity and eschew overly commercial expressions – aim to weave your brand message naturally into content that the influencer is already known for.
Step 3: Analysing Collaboration Results
1. Track Engagement and Reach
Use TikTok’s built-in analytics tool or a third-party service to measure key performance metrics, such as views, likes, and comments. These give you a sense of how wide your reach was and how much the audience interacted. Shares, on the other hand, indicate advocacy. If people share your content, it means they find it valuable or entertaining.
2. Gather Feedback
Feedback is vital; it offers perspectives that data alone can’t provide.
Talk to the influencer about the campaign. Ask what they think went well and where they see room for improvement. This can give insights into the creative process.
3. Adjust Future Strategies
Review the collected data and feedback. Evaluate what drove the most engagement. Maybe it was a particular video format or subject. Also, note what didn’t work — low-engagement content may need tweaking.
Use these insights for your next campaign strategy. Consistently reevaluating your strategy based on performance ensures future campaigns will be more effective and targeted.
Always use lessons from analysis to direct your next steps. Well-executed measurement and feedback can lead to better collaboration planning, aligning with enhanced communication tactics discussed earlier.
Advanced Tips for Collaborating with TikTok Wellness Influencers
Innovate with Content Formats
Utilising TikTok Features for Enhanced Engagement
TikTok’s duet and stitch features are powerful tools for crafting engaging content. Duet allows users to create a video alongside another existing video. This can lead to creative brand interactions, where influencers can showcase how your product fits into their daily wellness routine.
On the other hand, the stitch feature lets users combine clips from others’ videos into their own, which can produce intriguing storytelling methods and create buzz around your brand. Leveraging these features can increase engagement and reach, as audiences often appreciate and engage more with innovative content.
Experiment with Trends
Trends on TikTok change rapidly, and tapping into these can amplify your campaign. Wellness brands can ride on popular challenges or themes tailored to highlight their brand message. However, it’s crucial that any trend aligns with your brand’s image to prevent alienating your audience. Being too forceful or disingenuous can backfire. Timing and authenticity are key. Brands like Chipotle have mastered this by combining trending challenges with their unique style.
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
Avoid One-Size-Fits-All Content
One mistake wellness brands make is relying on generic content that does not stand out. Each influencer has a unique style and audience, so it’s essential to create bespoke content strategies. Develop content specifically tailored to the influencer’s audience, so that it feels authentic and engaging.
Ensure Brand and Influencer Alignment
A mismatch between brand values and influencer persona is another pitfall. For example, if the influencer promotes a high-energy lifestyle but your brand focuses on meditation and mindfulness, the partnership might feel forced. This affects both parties’ credibility. Conduct in-depth research about an influencer’s past content and ethos. This step helps avoid pairing with someone who might not genuinely connect with your brand message.
Successful Wellness Brand-Influencer Partnerships
Natalie O’neil & Dr Sam’s Skincare
Natalie O’Neil is a beauty influencer who is primarily known for skincare reviews. As she has already established herself as a source of knowledge in this space and isn’t shy about sharing what does and doesn’t work for her, brands who she partners with really benefit from her ‘buy-in’, as her audience fully trust her recommendations.
Holly Brooks & Shokz
Holly Brooks has built up her audience in the fitness space as a ‘runtok’ influencer, and is now branching out into lifestyle. She has built an invested following through her run-with-me videos, product reviews and opening up about personal details, such as moving abroad and rehabbing an injury.
Louise May & Tatcha
Louise May has built an engaged community of followers by sharing insights into her life, from hair and beauty recommendations through to the grief of unexpectedly losing her dad. Her ‘day in the life’ videos, narrated in a Bridget Jones-esque style lend themselves to storytelling, making the content entertaining and relatable – she knows her audience well, and has great success in making ads and sponsored content consumable and enjoyable.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Addressing Lack of Engagement
Brands can struggle with engagement on TikTok, especially in the wellness industry. Interaction rates can drop for several reasons, and identifying these causes is crucial.
Start by examining the content. Does it fit the brand and influencer’s audience? Is it outdated or too generic? Get on social media and research your competitor’s successful campaigns to see what is working for them.
Handling Communication Breakdowns
Communication can make or break a successful collaboration, so don’t let this derail your campaign.
Define how you will communicate with influencers. Will you use email, a project management tool, or messaging apps? Keep discussions clear and focused to minimise misunderstandings and improve workflow. In essence, stick to one or two platforms and be consistent so nothing is missed.
Partnering on TikTok: A Wellness Brand’s Strategy
In summary, partnering with TikTok influencers can be a game-changer for wellness brands, providing authentic reach and engagement. Focus on building genuine relationships, collaborating creatively, and continually refining your approach. Done right, these partnerships can significantly boost your brand’s presence and impact on TikTok.
Recommended reads:
TikTok Marketing Strategy for Health & Wellness Brands
What is Influencer Marketing in the Health and Wellness Industry?
