TikTok Shop is cancelling influencers ❌

Hey, it's Ashley!

Welcome to The TikTok Marketer, a weekly newsletter, where I share with you 3 actionable growth tactics that will help you scale on TikTok.

Today we’ll cover:

1️⃣ TikTok Shop is cancelling influencers

2️⃣ 5 TikTok Content Calendar Ideas

3️⃣ Brand of the week - ImpossiBrew

TikTok Shop is cancelling influencers

TikTok Shop's affiliate program is emerging as a game-changer in the digital marketing space, presenting a compelling case for brands considering direct collaboration with creators over traditional influencer agency routes.

This shift, however, brings to light both significant opportunities and potential challenges, particularly for influencer agencies.

Here are five key reasons that underscore the beneficial yet complex dynamics of engaging with TikTok Shop's affiliate program for brands:

Lower Costs

Traditionally, brands have navigated the influencer marketing landscape with the aid of agencies, often facing high upfront fees with no guaranteed return on investment.

TikTok Shop's affiliate program disrupts this model by enabling brands to work directly with creators, paying commissions solely based on actual sales.

This approach can lead to substantial savings in marketing expenditures, allowing brands to allocate resources more efficiently and focus on scaling their success on the platform.

Increased Transparency

One of the most significant advantages of the TikTok Shop affiliate program lies in its transparency. Brands gain access to detailed performance data and analytics, providing a clear view of campaign effectiveness.

This insight allows for the strategic optimization of marketing efforts in real-time, a level of granularity often absent in traditional influencer partnerships managed by agencies.

The ability to track the direct impact of each creator and campaign empowers brands to make data-driven decisions, enhancing the precision of their marketing strategies.

Broader Reach

The inclusive nature of the TikTok Shop affiliate program enables brands to tap into a vast network of creators, including niche influencers with highly engaged followings.

This democratization of access expands a brand's reach to diverse and targeted consumer segments, often beyond the scope of influencer agencies. By embracing a broader spectrum of creative talent, brands can foster genuine connections with various communities, enhancing their market penetration and brand resonance.

Reduced Middleman Fees

The direct collaboration model championed by TikTok Shop significantly reduces, if not eliminates, the fees traditionally paid to influencer agencies.

By sidestepping these intermediaries, brands can retain a larger portion of the revenue generated, improving their overall return on investment.

This streamlined approach not only enhances financial efficiency but also fosters a more direct and collaborative relationship between brands and creators.

Authentic Partnerships

At the heart of the TikTok Shop affiliate program is the encouragement of authentic content creation. Creators are motivated to seamlessly integrate products into their narratives, cultivating genuine brand endorsements.

This authenticity resonates with audiences, often leading to higher engagement and conversion rates compared to conventional influencer marketing campaigns that might feel forced or overly promotional.

While the TikTok Shop affiliate program offers these compelling advantages, it's not without its challenges, especially for influencer agencies accustomed to traditional marketing frameworks.

TikTok Shop demands a strategic shift towards more collaborative, transparent, and data-driven approaches.

For brands, the benefits of lower costs, increased transparency, broader reach, reduced middleman fees, and authentic partnerships present a strong case for adopting TikTok Shop's innovative model, despite the evolving dynamics it introduces to the influencer marketing ecosystem.

👉 Before you read on:

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5 TikTok Content Calendar Ideas

Not sure what to post on TikTok this week?

Here's your next 5 posts broken down for you:

1. Breakdown of how March went:

People on TikTok love to watch real stories about businesses' successes, challenges, and everything in between.

Share your achievements, what you learned, and how you're planning to improve.

This transparency builds trust and humanizes your brand.

2. What's coming up this month:

Build anticipation by giving your followers a sneak peek into upcoming products, promotions, or events.

Share behind-the-scenes content to make your audience feel involved and special.

3. Customer spotlight stories:

Celebrate your customers by sharing their stories or testimonials.

This not only shows appreciation but also demonstrates the real-life impact of your products or services.

4. Educational content related to your industry:

Provide value by teaching something new. Whether it's a life hack, an industry insight, or a DIY related to your product, educational content is highly shareable and can help establish your brand as an authority in your field.

5. Day-in-the-life or behind-the-brand content:

Give your followers a glimpse of the daily workings of your brand.

Whether it’s showcasing your team, the making of a product, or office shenanigans, this type of content helps deepen the connection with your audience.

TikTok Brand of the Week - ImpossiBrew

Impossibrew has quickly risen as this week's standout TikTok brand, masterfully turning the platform to their advantage. With a growing community of nearly 80,000 followers, they're a testament to the power of a well-executed content strategy.

Featured on Dragons Den—the UK's version of Shark Tank—Impossibrew has cleverly capitalized on their appearance. By segmenting episodes and creating engaging content around them, they’ve amplified their visibility and appeal.

Central to their social media presence is Freddi, the face behind Impossibrew's content. His approachability and relatability have significantly contributed to the brand’s identity and success on TikTok.

A noteworthy aspect of Impossibrew is its product—a non-alcoholic beer with a 0.5% alcohol content. This cleverly aligns with European standards for non-alcoholic beverages, drawing an amusing comparison to the alcohol content in ripe bananas, highlighting both education and entertainment.

What sets Impossibrew apart is not the volume of content they produce but the consistency and quality of each post. Despite having only 28 videos, they've achieved an impressive 33 million views and 2.1 million likes.

Their content strategy focuses on engaging and entertaining their audience by exploring if it's possible to get intoxicated from non-alcoholic products like cream eggs (below), Domino’s pizzas, and bread.

@impossibrewbeer

that’s a whole lot of cream eggs. #chocolate #easter #experiment #foodscience

This engaging content strategy not only captures the audience's attention but also encourages deeper engagement with the brand. As Freddi puts it:

Key Takeaways for Your Brand’s TikTok Strategy:

1. Leverage Unique Experiences or Appearances: Impossibrew's strategic use of their Dragons Den appearance underscores the power of leveraging unique brand experiences or milestones.

Consider how your brand can use any unique experiences, recognitions, or collaborations as a springboard for content that captivates and engages your audience.

2. Establish a Strong, Relatable Brand Voice: The role of Freddi as the face of Impossibrew's TikTok content highlights the importance of a relatable and consistent brand voice.

Whether through a singular spokesperson or a team, creating content that feels personal and genuine can significantly enhance audience engagement and loyalty.

3. Focus on Quality and Consistency: Impossibrew's success with a relatively small number of videos demonstrates that consistency in quality trumps quantity.

Brands should focus on delivering high-quality content that resonates with their audience, maintaining a consistent posting schedule.

4. Entertain First, Promote Second: TikTok is a platform where entertainment thrives. Impossibrew's strategy of creating engaging and entertaining content that indirectly showcases their product teaches us that effective promotion on TikTok often comes from content that can first capture and hold the audience's attention through entertainment.

5. Utilize USPs Creatively: Impossibrew's use of their product's unique aspect (0.5% alcohol content) educationally and entertainingly is a brilliant example of how brands can creatively highlight their USPs to engage and inform their audience.

Incorporating these strategies into your brand’s TikTok approach not only helps in achieving a deeper connection with your existing audience but also in attracting new followers.

By focusing on what makes your brand unique and how best to communicate that on TikTok, you can create a space that thrives on authenticity, engagement, and entertainment.

TL;DR:

Consistency over quantity: Impossibrew shows that regular posting of quality content is more effective than frequent, lower-quality posts.

Leverage unique angles: Using their Dragons Den appearance and unique product attributes engages and educates the audience.

Engage through entertainment: Creating intriguing content that entertains first and promotes second draws viewers in and builds a community around the brand.

The power of a strong brand voice: Having a relatable spokesperson can significantly enhance brand identity and audience connection.

Stay inspired,

Ashley ✌️

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