436As TikTok's influence continues to rise globally, it has become an important platform for brands to connect with young consumers. Compared to traditional one-way advertising, TikTok's interactivity and creative forms of expression have made "story marketing" a new direction for brands going global.
Through vivid storytelling and authentic scene displays, brands can touch global audiences in a way that is closer to users' daily lives. Today, TuKe will explore how brands can use "story marketing" on TikTok to achieve market expansion and reach consumers.
Why choose story marketing?
1. Users crave authentic content
TikTok's user base is mainly young people, who tend to focus on authentic, interesting, and emotionally rich content rather than pure commercial promotion. By telling the real stories of brands or products, brands can more naturally integrate into users' daily lives.
2. Emotional resonance drives consumption
Research shows that stories can evoke emotional resonance, and emotion is an important factor driving consumption. By presenting brand stories on TikTok, brands can influence users' purchasing decisions more deeply.
3. Stories are easy to spread
Unlike one-way advertisements, story-based content is more shareable. TikTok's "forward" and "participation" mechanisms allow users to continue the story in their own way, achieving viral spread.
How can brands tell good stories on TikTok?
1. Start from the user's perspective and build life scenarios
On TikTok, users are more willing to pay attention to content related to their lives. Brands can showcase how products are used in different life scenarios to get closer to users. For example, smart home brands can use short videos to show how their products improve daily life, such as "the story of a smart lamp waking you up in the morning" or "moments creating a family gathering atmosphere with smart lights."
2. Combine popular trends and create viral challenges
By using TikTok's popular music, hashtags, or challenges, brands can integrate into the platform's trending topics. For example, sports brands can launch a "wear sports gear in the most creative way" challenge, encouraging users to share their creative videos, which both showcases product features and allows for deep user engagement.
3. Cooperate with top influencers to create credible storylines
Top influencers on TikTok often have strong user trust, and the content they share is more easily accepted. Brands can collaborate with influencers to jointly produce story-driven content. For example, tech influencers can shoot a video like "from chaos to order, how smart home tools changed my life," using real experiences to convey product value.
4. Make good use of plot twists to attract users to stay
TikTok's short videos emphasize capturing attention in the first few seconds, and plot twists are one effective method. For example, brands can use videos to show an unexpected solution to a common problem, ending with a product highlight to spark user interest and discussion.
Next, TuKe will list some cases of brands successfully using "story marketing." Through these successful examples, we can see how "story marketing" builds emotional connections in consumers' minds and ultimately converts into sales motivation.
Case studies of brands successfully using story marketing
1. NBA: Sharing behind-the-scenes stories to get closer to fans
The NBA has shared many never-before-seen behind-the-scenes clips, player anecdotes, and informal moments on TikTok. For example, they posted a short video of Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry playfully imitating a referee during a game, and a segment of LeBron James celebrating a victory in the locker room. These are not traditional game highlights, but show the daily human side of players.
By focusing on players' authentic and humorous moments, the NBA allows fans to feel the approachability and authenticity of their idols. TikTok's rapid dissemination mechanism helps these videos spread widely, attracting a large number of young fans for the NBA.
2. Fenty Beauty: Showcasing product stories in makeup tutorials
Fenty Beauty has posted many short videos on TikTok, showing how to use their star products to create looks for different occasions. For example, they uploaded a video about using "Pro Filt’r Foundation" to create a natural base makeup, interspersed with real user reviews of the product.
Each video starts from the user's perspective, with the theme of "easily creating a perfect look," making the content more persuasive and resonant.
3. Pura Vida: Unveiling the warm story behind the brand
Pura Vida shares the entire process of bracelet design to production on TikTok. For example, they posted a video of artisans handcrafting bracelets, while telling the brand's mission to support artisans and sustainability. The video shows the artisans' work scenes and close-ups of bracelet details, accompanied by emotional music.
By telling the stories of artisans, the brand highlights its humanistic care and sense of social responsibility. Viewers not only learn about the effort behind the product, but also feel the meaning of buying a bracelet—supporting the livelihoods of global artisans. Such content strengthens the brand's emotional value, making users not just consumers, but participants in the mission.
Touch hearts with stories and make brands going global warmer
On a creativity-driven platform like TikTok, "story marketing" is a brand promotion method that is both close to users and efficient. It not only enhances brand awareness, but also builds user loyalty through emotional resonance.
In the future, Chinese brands looking to go global can start from the user's perspective and use storytelling to open up overseas markets, injecting more warmth and vitality into their brands.
