Popular TikTok Trends for Marketing in 2023

Learn how to incorporate TikTok trends into a marketing strategy that’s sure to get the audience’s attention and reach your brand goals.

Thanks to the billions of users with a myriad of interests, TikTok has transformed into a platform where people share ideas and professional insights.

It also inspired a fresh approach to video production, marketing, and advertising: no need for high-quality cameras, fancy sets, or professional editing.

More and more brands are realizing that TikTok is the next great marketing tool and are increasingly making ads that look like authentic, native TikToks. When done well, the content can help build an engaged community and draw in new partners and clients too.

In this article, learn why brands are creating TikTok-friendly content and ads based on trends, and get inspiration to create your own.

Table of Contents

• The TikTok Effect
• What is a TikTok Trend?
• How Does a TikTok Trend Begin?
• TikTok Trends for Marketing
• TikTok Trends and Native Advertising
• 8 TikTok Trends for Business
• Do TikTok Trends Impact the TikTok Algorithm?
• How to find TikTok videos that are trending
• FAQ
• Conclusion

The TikTok Effect

TikTok is one of the largest social media platforms in the world.

In fact, with over 1.5 billion active monthly users, TikTok is the 6th-largest social media site.

Since it’s fairly humble beginnings as a dance app, TikTok is now a staple for content about business, fashion, self-care, fitness, and much more.

TikTok rose to fame thanks to its concoction of short videos, trendy music, and that rush of dopamine that comes from social media. The phenomenal success of TikTok led to trends that have given rise to a new kind of social media marketing strategy.

Increasingly, brands are looking for ways to be part of TikTok trends in order to increase exposure and brand awareness, engage with their audience, and, ultimately, find the right converting clients.

What is a TikTok Trend?

Simply put, a TikTok trend is a video that includes a specific action, sound, hashtag, or challenge that gains traction with other users. If the trend initiated is easy to follow and copy, others catch on quickly, creating adaptations designed for their own audiences.

If an element becomes identifiable as a running theme across videos, it’s likely that it’s trending.

How Does a TikTok Trend Begin?

Oftentimes, an influencer will start a TikTok trend by introducing a new dance move, challenge, or concept. Since the influencer already has an established following, the trend is picked up fast by the audience and goes viral in no time as others recreate the same move or idea. As the trend gains popularity, users recreate their unique spins until social media feeds become flooded with new adaptations.

TikTok Trends for Marketing

By definition, TikTok trends are designed to be followed and modified, a highly advantageous factor for any marketing team. Leveraging trends as a template for your own customization will create an ad with a higher chance of being shown on the For You page.

TikTok influencers and users want their trends to be easy to follow and adapt and will often contain a simple element that makes the trend instantly recognizable. The social media buzz created by these trends is huge. The content is easy to share and since users are so keen to see how others interpret a trend, it’s no surprise that trends quickly go viral, generating comments, likes, and sparking an online conversation.

Incorporating TikTok trends into marketing demonstrates that a brand understands what resonates with its audience, allowing them to show their human side and interact with the audience on a peer level. In fact, 61% of TikTok users say they liked brands more if they created or took part in a trend.

What’s more, using a trend in ads helps it get seen organically since brands can already see that it’s relevant to their audience.

There’s a delicate balance between staying attentive to TikTok trends and copycatting. Whilst we do not advocate the latter, it would be a missed opportunity to ignore what’s TikTok-trending in a given vertical.

TikTok Trends and Native Advertising

By following the trends of their users, brands can create native content and better engage with their audience. TikTok ads are reported as being more enjoyable than ads on other platforms due to the sense of community they ignite. To add even more weight to the power of trends, two-thirds of TikTok users said they prefer brand videos featuring TikTok-trending songs.

Furthermore, it’s a way to get more people to get involved and become part of the brand conversation, even if it’s a guy drinking cranberry juice while skateboarding to Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. The video turned into a major media moment for Ocean Spray cranberry juice as influencers and celebrities made their own versions of his video.

8 TikTok Trends for Business

Trends can give advertisers important insights into their audience’s lifestyle, what they like or dislike and even their goals and aspirations. Before deciding on a TikTok trend to adopt, it’s important to pinpoint which trends will be worth the investment and will perform better with your target demographic. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest TikTok trends to look out for and how they can be leveraged for business marketing or ads.

1. Transitions

This TikTok editing trend has been around for a while and it shows no signs of going out of style. In fact, transitions are only getting more sophisticated and unique with time. Viewers love to be left feeling amazed by the juxtaposition of before and after and inspired enough to create their own. There are various types of TikTok transitions to utilize, but the secret is the seamless blending of scenes to give the video that ‘wow’ factor. The anticipation of how a transition concludes plays to a user’s curiosity and keeps them viewing the video until the end, which is extremely useful if you want to keep your users engaged.

@tessaviolet Reply to @ccamdenrobert ♬ YES MOM BY TESSA VIOLET – Tessa Violet

2. Day in the Life

This TikTok trend puts the spotlight on how people spend their time. There are so many professions out there and this is an ideal way to showcase less known, and even quirky and strange occupations. Take gravestone cleaning for example. This TikToker combined the art of storytelling with her daily profession and brought the mundane to life. By giving the audience insights into a daily decision process at work, like in this video, it invites the audience to be an active partner in making a choice and, in turn, become more invested in the product. This is a great trend to adapt for your company and put the limelight on employees to share something interesting they do at work and what they are good at.

@zariaparvez lol i promise I’ll do better next week #Duolingo #socialmediamarketing #dayinmylife ♬ She Share Story (for Vlog) – 山口夕依

3. Office Life

There are many variations of this TikTok trend. From reactions to annoying co-workers to how to dress in the office, TikTokers often take a sarcastic but humorous approach to dealing with workplace dilemmas. Users feel free to express their feelings on TikTok which serves as a great outlet for frustrations such as office politics or honest help with tricky questions like how not to answer an interview. By addressing one of these workplace-related issues, not only do you show you can relate to your audience but you can also offer good advice.

@pivotandedge What’s the hardest interview question to answer? 🤔 #truthsfromarecruiter #bizstartups #howtointerview #interviewquestions ♬ Toxic Pony – ALTÉGO & Britney Spears & Ginuwine

@loewhaley He’s not a fan of the last one🤣 #wfh #relatable #corporate #workbestie #howto #bestfriends ♬ original sound – Laura

@maddison__lynn March is tomorrow so it’s spring in my mind #workwear #workoutfit ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

4. Fun Conversation Starters

Thanks to this TikTok trend, it has opened the door for an easy introduction to your brand or product and is easily adaptable to leverage your content.

• “Don’t be surprised if one day I just…”: This is a fun opening that can be used to hint at future plans within your company or to give a preview of a new product.

@stonecanyonhomes Buy a tiny home (or several) from Stone Canyon Homes! 🏠 #tinyhome #tinyhouse #housetour #rvpark #travel #cottagecore #dreamhome ♬ Dont be surprised if one day I – Rusty

• “I was busy thinking about…”: This can lead to just about anything about your business you want to feature or an interesting idea your brand is developing.

@pacsuntag a friend who can relate.♬ original sound – Itsjust.chris2 

• “What does your head vs. your heart say…”: Gives the opportunity to voice a personal perspective and to make feelings known on a matter, which can be particularly important to break into an issue or conversation that is TikTok trending.

@growingannanas Head vs Heart 🤷🏼‍♀️ but REST IS SO IMPORTANT! Don‘t skip your rest days! #workoutgirl #struggle #fittok #fyp #foryou ♬ Head vs. Heart – kyo

• “What I mean when I say I’m from…”: This conversation starter can be used to bring humor to your company or draw attention to your brand values.

@cityoftampa #whatimeanwhenisay I’m from #Tampa 😎🌴 | #TampaBay #Florida #TravelTok #Travel #traveltiktok #foryoupage #whatimeanwhenisayimfrom @visitflorida ♬ original sound – City of Tampa

5. Turning DMs into Quotes

Received great feedback from a client or a testimonial? Raid your DMs and turn them into inspirational quotes. This hot TikTok challenge has seen some humorous messages from users’ inboxes, even to the extent of taking unpleasant or unusual messages and elevating them for a whole new purpose. This is a TikTok trend that’s not only fun to try, it can also create really effective content.

@dejafit #testimonial #weightlossresults #weightlosstips #fitnesscoach ♬ original sound – ALTÉGO

6.WFH employee at 08:59 a.m.

This trend regarding work-from-home employees is hilarious. It’s bound to illustrate the level of laziness and how everyone wants to sleep for a few more minutes in the morning before starting that important zoom meeting.

7. Me? Obsessed with you?

This hilarious audio has made a lot of TikTokers use it in videos about their loved ones, their pets or even their favourite drinks.
The trending audio has been used in over 178 K videos.

8. Hi Barbie, hi Ken

The hype for the Barbie movie set the high really high and increased people’s expectations. It did not disappoint, especially when it comes to all the trends that emerged after its launch.

This trending audio on TikTok has become viral after the movie appeared in theatres. It’s from the beginning of the movie when the Barbies and the Kens greet each other.

TikTok users have used the audio in videos when showcasing their outfits.

Do TikTok Trends Impact the TikTok Algorithm?

Participating in trends is a savvy marketing strategy because it leverages organic reach via the TikTok algorithm. The algorithm aims to show relevant videos, unique to each user, which culminates in the For You page. Engaging in TikTok trends is a key factor when aiming to reach the For You page.

How to find TikTok videos that are trending

Staying up to date is crucial for a brand that is present on TikTok. That is why you should find all the ways to be up to date when it comes to trending videos on TikTok.

Here is where you can find TikTok trends:

Use the “For You” section – TikTok will recommend other videos for you based on your searches and viewing history. This way, you will discover viral trends on TikTok.

Use the “Discover” feature – Here is the place to find the most inspiring TikTok videos. You can explore a whole bunch of different categories and also search by hashtag.

Follow influencers and popular creators – Most of the time, they are the users who start a new trend. You will also get fresh content ideas from them.

Interact with your community – When you accept your community challenges and engage with them in the comment section, you manage to find new ways to create trending videos.

FAQ

How do you find trending sounds on TikTok?

Trending sounds are usually connected to a particular TikTok challenge. Tap the play icon at the bottom of the screen and then select sound, scroll until you find the trending TikTok sound you want to use.

What’s trending on TikTok right now?

TikTok trends change by the day. The best way to stay up to date is to use the app and pay attention to videos shown on your feed.

How do you find trending hashtags on TikTok?

The TikTok discover page makes it easy to find trending hashtags by showing video previews with trending hashtags that can give a boost to your content. Look through accounts that are performing well and see which hashtags are being used.

Conclusion

Following TikTok trends is a great way to showcase a brand or products, as well as an excellent way to leverage content.

Engaging with what’s trending on TikTok shows the brand has a grasp on how to relate to its audience and also gives people a chance to know their brand better. Trends can boost marketing performance organically, as trending content is highly relevant to users and improves the chances of the content being shown on the For You page.

If you still need more inspiration, see some of our favorite TikTok ads.

Want yellowHEAD TikTok experts to take your business to the next level? Contact us today for a FREE consultation: https://www.yellowhead.com/

Create High-Performance TikTok Promotions with yellowHEAD

* This article was updated Nov 2023 by yellowHEAD marketing team.