What does TikTok’s guide to audio for marketing mean for influencer marketing campaigns?

Sep 12, 2022

Since its launch, TikTok has risen to become one of the most powerful social media platforms in the world. More people are spending more time on the app, mesmerized by endless streams of short-form video clips.

One of the key factors for success on TikTok has been the use of audio. Unlike some other types of video, TikTok users tend to watch with the sound on. While it’s important to accommodate accessibility in videos, TikTok advises creators to use sound to maximize viewership potential.

According to the report, “TikTok is an entertainment canvas where sound is always on – it sparks joy, creativity, and collaboration for over one billion people. And an integral factor of sound creates an opportunity to not only connect with your community, but to be felt and remembered. In fact, if a brand’s TikTok video features a song that is popular on the platform, 68% of users say they remember the brand better, and 62% say they’re more curious to learn about the brand.”

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Source: TikTok

So, based on the platform itself, brands should create content with sound in mind. It’s a critical engagement element and the focus of the latest brand guide, which showcases how campaigns with appropriate audio elements maximize promotional potential.

“The Power of Sound” overview offers a wealth of brand case studies, highlighting how audio elements use audio effectively to boost messaging.

Highlights of Audio for Brands

Sound Type 1 – Creator-Made Anthems

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Source: TikTok

In the report, Sound Type 1 is Creator-Made Anthems. With its short-form content, TikTok allows musicians to thrive and share full songs, composition process, clips, and more. They offer a glimpse into the intimate process of making lasting music.

Brands that partner with music creators have tons of opportunities to build anticipation for campaigns and feature popular, trending music in their videos that can engender loyalty and trust in the audience.

If a brand features a song in their videos that TikTok users like, roughly 68% of them say they remember the brand better. Another 62% say they’re curious to learn more about the brand if they enjoy the song.

In addition, a 2021 MediaScience study compared the effectiveness of different types of audio on TikTok, and found that custom music had better brand recognition and higher recall than familiar music.

One exceptional example is Wet n’ Wild, a cosmetics brand that started the #BiggerIsBetter campaign. For the launch of the Big Poppa Mascara, wet n’ wild aimed to drive awareness by partnering with creator and music artist @jvke on a “sound for the queens,” which was titled “Big Poppa Heart Stoppa.” This would become the anthem for the brand’s TikTok campaign ads.

About 20k videos were made using @jvke’s “Big Poppa Heart Stoppa” sound, bringing a 6.7% TopView engagement rate. In addition, the campaign saw a 9.5% increase in brand awareness.

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Source: TikTok

Sound Type 2 – The Delectable World of ASMR

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Source: TikTok

Sound Type 2 is The Delectable World of ASMR. ASMR stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, a tingling sensation that begins at the scalp and moves down the back of the neck to the upper spine. This sensation is considered a pleasant form of paresthesia, which can be created by watching stimulating videos.

In this context, ASMR isolates dulcet sounds from mundane actions, such as the crinkling of paper or the clicking of keys on a keyboard, creating the tingling response. Brands in virtually every industry are venturing into ASMR and looking for ways to use it to drive purchase intent.

One of the brands that used ASMR successfully was Benefit Cosmetics for Brow Sounds. After launching the new Brow Microfilling Pen, Benefit Cosmetics sought to launch a campaign on TikTok to generate awareness for the new product using beauty influencers.

One of the brand’s In-Feed Video ads emphasized the sounds of the Brow Microfilling Pen in use, offering extreme close-up shots of the product to maximize retention. Overall, the campaign saw 30 million video views and a 6.7% increase in recall.

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Source: TikTok

Another example is The Sounds of Grilling. For anyone who’s had grilled food, the sound alone can elicit a mouth-watering response in anticipation of delicious food. Primal Kitchen maximized this potential for the summer grilling season by creating delectable recipes for health-conscious audiences.

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Source: TikTok

By partnering with foodie influencers, Primal Kitchen created a campaign of summer recipe videos for TikTok that leverage platform trends, such as ASMR. @BigBoyCooks was one of the influencers who highlighted the sounds of grilling with a burger and condiments from Primal Kitchen. Several other sounds were used, including the chopping of onion, the breaking of lettuce, and the sizzling sound of beef on the grill.

Overall, the campaign had 200k total engagements, a 13% increase in purchase consideration, and a 12% increase in ad recall.

Sound Type 3 – The New Narrators

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Source: TikTok

One of the reasons that TikTok is so powerful for creators and influencers is that the volume is always up. Creators and brands can share their stories with the sound on, rather than relying on visuals alone.

Sound Type 3 is The New Narrators, narrators who are connecting with audiences using selfie videos, skits, and native features such as Voiceover. This offers more opportunities to create unique and compelling content.

LowerMyBills is a brand that used this sound effectively. The brand allows users to research mortgage lenders to find reduced monthly payments. The mortgage program campaign was designed to drive new mortgage refinancing leads on TikTok.

For the campaign, LowerMyBills featured videos of employees speaking directly to the camera to share information about how to reduce monthly mortgage payments. With the sound automatically on, the campaign captured user attention while delivering valuable information to homeowners who may need it. Once they clicked on the ad, they could calculate their potential mortgage savings – all within the app. The campaign performed well with a 20% lower cost per lead.

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Source: TikTok

HP, the technology brand, also used this tactic to boost its recycling campaign. The brand used TikTok to drive awareness of its efforts for environmental consciousness and sustainability, inspiring users to do the same.

For this campaign, HP partnered with creators to launch the #HPRadicalReuse Branded Hashtag Challenge. Creators included @dreaknowsbest and @alisonsadventures using TikTok’s Voiceover tool to share details of how they radically reuse plastic in their daily lives. The use of sound paired with powerful visuals allowed HP to create an authentic campaign with educational information that inspires users.

Overall, the campaign saw 1.4 billion video views, an 18% engagement rate, and a 5.9% increase in ad recall.

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Source: TikTok

What Does the Guide to Audio Mean for Influencer Marketing?

The Guide to Audio offers insights for brands to enhance and elevate content, especially for influencer marketing. TikTok influencers already know how to create successful content on the app, and they will have plenty of information about how to use audio elements successfully.

Ultimately, the guide shows that brands and influencers should design campaigns with sound in mind, contrary to best practices for video content on other platforms. Most recommendations say that video should be understood on mute by offering a transcript or captions, and while that’s important for accessibility, TikTok is one of the few platforms with a user base that prefers the audio be on for engagement.

Tips for Using Audio in TikTok Influencer Campaigns

Sound can enhance content significantly, but on TikTok, it’s practically an essential. Here are some tips for using audio components in influencer campaigns.

Find the Right Partner

TikTok Marketing Partners includes certified Sound Partners who help brands build campaigns with audio strategies to support different objectives. Along with the Commercial Music Library, which features over 500,000 pre-cleared, royalty-free tracks from emerging artists and studios, brands can connect with trusted sound partners to leverage TikTok’s audio features.

Leverage the Commercial Music Library

As mentioned, the Commercial Music Library is a free resource with pre-cleared, royalty-free music for organic and paid TikTok content. The library has a blend of emerging artists and top-tier houses, as well as a half a million songs to choose from.

Find Trending Sounds on TikTok

The TikTok Creative Center is a hub of trend information. The center offers a Trend Intelligence dropdown to view data for songs, creators, videos, and hashtags. Brands can filter by time period or region.

There are two tabs in the Songs section: Popular and Breakout. Popular ranks the top trending songs in the region, while Breakout features songs that are in a growth period. These lists don’t offer insights into user-generated content.

Embrace Audio Elements for TikTok Influencer Marketing

The types of sounds and examples of brands that leveraged influencer marketing and audio elements successfully offer plenty of insights into how brands can create compelling TikTok content that appeals to its unique user base. Brands that partner with TikTok influencers should offer some creative freedom to creators to find the best sounds or work with a music creator to develop custom songs and sounds that boost retention and engagement with the audience.

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