TikTok has quickly become one of the most influential social media platforms, known for its short-form video content and over one billion active users worldwide. For businesses, this presents an unparalleled opportunity to reach a highly engaged audience, boost brand awareness, and drive sales.
This article explores 20 real-life TikTok advertising success stories, how these businesses leveraged TikTok creatively, and how you can apply similar strategies to your marketing campaigns. We’ll also look at developing a TikTok marketing strategy, creating an effective hashtag strategy, and the ways TikTok empowers small businesses to grow.
20 Success Stories: Businesses Winning Big on TikTok
TikTok offers a platform where small and large businesses alike can gain massive visibility. From viral content to influencer collaborations, these case studies highlight how creative campaigns translate into real business growth.
1. Enchanted Scrunch
Enchanted Scrunch, a handmade scrunchie brand, went viral with videos showcasing unique designs. This exposure boosted both sales and followers, turning TikTok into the brand’s primary marketing tool, accounting for 90% of total sales. Today, they have over 170,000 followers.
2. Peachy BBs Slime
Specializing in homemade slime, Peachy BBs Slime gained millions of followers (4.7 million) through interactive slime-making videos. Their TikTok content keeps fans engaged, and products often sell out within minutes.
3. Lala Hijabs
Lala Hijabs created culturally relevant content that resonated with their audience, gaining 100,000 followers overnight. TikTok drives 60% of their sales, demonstrating the platform’s power for niche fashion brands.
4. Candy Funhouse
By posting fun and engaging candy-related content, Candy Funhouse grew to 2.7 million followers. Their first viral video alone brought in 30,000 new followers, proving the potential of entertaining content for e-commerce.
5. Street Brew Coffee
Highlighting premium coffee through passion-driven videos helped Street Brew Coffee amass 900,000 followers and 20 million video likes, showing how consistent, engaging content drives brand awareness.
6. Nice Shirt. Thanks!
Through custom shirt-design videos, this brand gained 1.5 million views and 370,000 likes, proving the value of customer-centric content in boosting sales.
7. Slate & Tell
Offering personalized jewelry, Slate & Tell used TikTok to showcase the customization process, resulting in 4 million users reached and 1,000 add-to-cart sessions, achieving 2x return on ad spend.
8. Momentary Ink
Specializing in temporary tattoos, Momentary Ink demonstrated product usage effectively, achieving 14 million views and 22% better CPA performance than the industry benchmark.
9. Princess Polly
This fashion brand leveraged influencer collaborations and trendy content, generating over 9 million impressions and a 15X return on ad spend.
10. BM Collagen
Educational and testimonial videos boosted sales by 200%, with campaigns generating 361,000 clicks and 57 million impressions.
11. Morning Brew
Their informative yet engaging news content attracted 70,000 subscribers and 23 million impressions, showing TikTok’s value for media brands.
12. McDonald’s
Targeting a young, multicultural audience, McDonald’s gained 45 million impressions through visually appealing food-focused campaigns.
13. Goodfair
Sustainable fashion content helped this thrift store lower CPC by 15% and increase CTR by 87%, highlighting eco-conscious content’s appeal.
14. Little Caesars
Humor-driven campaigns with influencer support brought in 1 million followers, showing the impact of comedy in food marketing.
15. eBay
Their branded hashtag challenge led to 500,000 user-created TikTok videos, boosting engagement among sneakerheads and other niche audiences.
16. Moncler
Luxury fashion storytelling via TikTok resulted in 7 billion views for the #MonclerBubbleUp challenge and 170,000 new followers.
17. Mucinex
Educational and entertaining content helped increase brand awareness, demonstrating the effectiveness of health-focused content on TikTok.
18. The Silk Labs
By showcasing the quality of silk products, their viral videos garnered 3.5 million views, translating into significant sales.
19. Nadaré Co
Swimwear-focused content led to 700 orders in one week from a single viral video, establishing TikTok as a key sales driver.
20. Designs by Felicias
Custom home decor videos increased visibility and orders, growing the TikTok following to over 1 million.
13 Steps to Develop a TikTok Marketing Strategy
Based on these case studies, here’s how to develop a TikTok strategy that drives engagement and conversions:
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Understand Your Audience – Research interests, behaviors, and content preferences.
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Create Engaging and Authentic Content – Prioritize fun, relatable, and original videos.
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Leverage Hashtags and Trends – Incorporate trending challenges and relevant hashtags.
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Collaborate with Influencers – Partner with creators whose followers match your target demographic.
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Utilize TikTok Ads – Explore in-feed ads, branded hashtags, and other ad formats.
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Analyze and Adapt – Monitor performance metrics and adjust strategy accordingly.
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Engage with Your Audience – Respond to comments, encourage user interaction.
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Incorporate User-Generated Content – Encourage followers to create brand-related videos.
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Maintain a Consistent Posting Schedule – Keep your audience engaged regularly.
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Diversify Content Types – Mix tutorials, behind-the-scenes, Q&As, and product showcases.
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Focus on Storytelling – Share your brand’s journey, values, and mission.
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Interactive Features and CTAs – Use polls, clickable links, and clear calls-to-action.
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Track and Leverage TikTok Analytics – Monitor views, engagement, and growth trends.
17 Steps to Develop a Hashtag Strategy for TikTok
A strong hashtag strategy helps your content reach the right audience:
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Research relevant hashtags.
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Mix popular and niche hashtags.
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Create branded hashtags.
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Analyze hashtag performance.
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Stay updated with trends.
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Engage in hashtag challenges.
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Balance hashtag quantity (3-5 per post).
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Utilize seasonal/event hashtags.
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Monitor competitors’ hashtags.
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Incorporate local hashtags.
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Experiment with hashtag formulas.
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Engage with hashtagged content.
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Capitalize on user interests and behaviors.
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Use hashtags to tell a story.
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Update hashtag strategies regularly.
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Engage in community hashtags.
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Track and leverage analytics for hashtags.
10 Ways TikTok Helps Small Businesses
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Viral Marketing Potential – Reach millions quickly.
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Targeted Audience Reach – Engage specific demographics.
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Enhanced User Engagement – Build communities through interactive content.
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E-commerce Integration – Simplify purchases directly through TikTok.
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Cost-Effective Advertising – Lower ad costs than other platforms.
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Real-Time Feedback and Trends Adaptation – Quickly adjust strategies.
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Influencer Collaborations – Expand reach with trusted creators.
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Brand Storytelling – Build emotional connections with your audience.
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Global Reach – Access international markets.
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Learning and Development – Stay updated on trends and best practices.
FAQs
Q: What are some successful businesses on TikTok?
A: Enchanted Scrunch, Peachy BBs Slime, Lala Hijabs, CeeCee’s Closet NYC, and more.
Q: How did TikTok contribute to their success?
A: TikTok offered viral marketing potential, targeted audience reach, high engagement, and e-commerce integration.
Q: What types of businesses thrive on TikTok?
A: Fashion, beauty, food, fitness, tech, and niche lifestyle brands with creative, authentic content.
Q: Can small businesses benefit from TikTok?
A: Yes, through targeted content, trends, hashtags, and audience engagement.
Q: What are key strategies for TikTok success?
A: Understanding the algorithm, authentic content creation, trending participation, effective hashtags, and community engagement.
Conclusion
TikTok has transformed how businesses engage with audiences, offering tools for viral marketing, influencer collaborations, and direct sales. The success stories of brands like Enchanted Scrunch, Peachy BBs Slime, and Nadaré Co highlight the platform’s immense potential for driving brand awareness and revenue growth.
By combining a well-thought-out marketing strategy, a strong hashtag plan, and engaging content tailored to TikTok’s unique audience, businesses of all sizes can leverage the platform for real, measurable success.
TikTok is not just for entertainment—it’s a powerful growth engine for businesses willing to embrace creativity, authenticity, and community engagement.