Supercharge your TikTok strategy with an Always Engaged approach

May 26, 2022

Engagement on TikTok looks different. Here, it's beyond just likes and shares — it's this two-way dialogue between brands and audiences that allow brands to grow on TikTok.

cover supercharge-your-tiktok-strategy-with-an-always-engaged-approach

TikTok’s unique ecosystem of entertainment is changing the world. It’s built on endless discovery, diverse community, and an inclusive culture, introducing a new way for audiences and brands to connect and grow through engagement and community interaction.


We are in the age of participation

Engagement on TikTok looks different. Here, it's beyond just likes and shares — it's this two-way dialogue between brands and audiences that allow brands to grow on TikTok.


On TikTok, audiences engage at a higher rate than other platforms. Our audiences show up every day and co-creates with brands, sparks conversations, and builds communities.


At any given moment they can be found:


👉 Discovering new voices and perspectives on the For You Page.

👉 Creating content using our features and sounds.

👉 Participating in trends and challenges.

👉 Recommending their favorite brands and products to our community.

image-1 supercharge-your-tiktok-strategy-with-an-always-engaged-approach

TikTok audiences prefer brands that show they understand how to create and use the platform — they want brands to meet them where they are on TikTok.

image-2 supercharge-your-tiktok-strategy-with-an-always-engaged-approach

And how exactly should brands meet audiences where they are? Creators.*


Creators are deeply trusted by our audience. They bring authenticity and are likeable—and brands who work with them benefit from that likeability.

image-3 supercharge-your-tiktok-strategy-with-an-always-engaged-approach

So, what is Always Engaged?

Glad you asked! An Always Engaged strategy utilizes organic and paid, while leveraging creators to help brands reach unique business goals. This integrated approach allows brands to be dynamic, engaged and active on the platform, leading to an increase in brand love, recall and resonance.

image-4 supercharge-your-tiktok-strategy-with-an-always-engaged-approach

To break it down, organic allows brands to have a presence, have fun and build trust by being part of the community. Paid helps brands reach targeted audiences, deliver large campaigns, and scale. And Creators are conduits to credibility for brands — they help bridge that gap and form new connections.


Together, organic and paid supercharges brand results

When users are exposed to both paid and organic content from brands, the ads are perceived as less intrusive and don't interfere with their experience on TikTok. Additionally, the research shows there's a significant increase in top of mind awareness after two exposures to brand content on TikTok.

image-5 supercharge-your-tiktok-strategy-with-an-always-engaged-approach

An Always Engaged approach drives impact for your brand

When organic and paid work together, the impact goes both ways. Content is more likeable, sees an increase in brand recall, and is more relevant:

image-6 supercharge-your-tiktok-strategy-with-an-always-engaged-approach
image-7 supercharge-your-tiktok-strategy-with-an-always-engaged-approach
image-8 supercharge-your-tiktok-strategy-with-an-always-engaged-approach

It doesn't stop there. We saw that organic participation with paid media leads to incremental ROAS (return on ad spend) vs. when paid media is run alone. In Branded Hashtag Challenges, we saw a 2x increase globally in ROAS when that participation occurred — and that 2x ROAS amplified all paid efforts.

image-9 supercharge-your-tiktok-strategy-with-an-always-engaged-approach

Ready to elevate your TikTok strategy with Always Engaged?

Here are a few simple things to think about:


1. Use your organic strategy to test content and creator partnerships.

2. Work with creators through our Creator Marketplace to amplify content.

3. Paid ads get attention faster and audiences gravitate towards the caption and CTA.


Ready to start? Head to the Creative Center for resources that will help you bring your TikTok strategy to life.




*For detailed information about TikTok's branded content toggle and our policies regarding what can be posted as branded content on TikTok, please refer to our Branded Content Policy here.