Viral TikTok Brand #1: The Silk Labs
When Jenna Labiak, founder of The Silk Labs, first posted on TikTok in 2019, she had no idea her business would take off the way it did.
“It was absolutely mind blowing,” Jenna explains. “One of the very first videos we ever posted went viral and it changed everything.”
The video Jenna is referring to saw over 600K likes and 3.5M views simply by hopping on the “small business check” trend.
From that video alone, The Silk Labs’ TikTok account gained 20K followers. Now, two years later, they’re hovering just over 100K followers — making it the business’ largest social platform.
Jenna emphasizes how being authentic and consistently posting to TikTok can actually translate into dollar signs for small businesses. For her brand, TikTok has been a huge part of their success and journey.
“From just one TikTok video alone, we saw over 200 customers order our silk elastic set.”
They did this by tapping into TikTok super influencers, like Emma Chamberlain.
“We made a TikTok asking to send her products and had our community tag her in the comments, that’s how she found us.”
So, what is The Silk Labs’ TikTok strategy — how did they go viral on TikTok?
“Posting consistently and having conversations with my community daily,” Jenna explains.
Even on the days where she doesn’t want to be on camera, Jenna shows up for her audience.
“Above everything else, our community responds to seeing the person behind the brand. With that, I’ve learned it’s not about doing or saying the perfect thing.”
To be consistent, Jenna follows four content pillars: tutorials, business advice, behind the scenes, and aesthetic videos.
“When planning our TikTok content, I always like to give our audience a lot of value. For example, instead of just “selling” our hair products, I’ll go ahead and use them in a hair tutorial.”
Jenna’s advice for small businesses who are hoping to use TikTok to drive sales?
“Don’t jump on TikTok with the mentality of wanting every video to go viral. Of course that’s the goal, but don’t get down on yourself if it’s not happening. If you’re posting quality content daily, you’ll still create a community. And that’s what matters!”
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Viral TikTok Brand #2: Nadaré Co
Andrea Norquay started her jewelry business, Nadaré Co, in late 2020 when she noticed a gap in the market for affordable high-quality jewelry.
Not sure of where to begin, Andrea decided to give TikTok a go. She started sharing content to TikTok one week before the official launch of her business.
“On launch day, we received 40 orders and just about sold out of everything,” she says. “TikTok is a powerful tool — we now have almost 92K followers.”
It’s been six months since starting her company and Andrea has learned a lot about going viral on TikTok.
“Posting content consistently on TikTok has worked wonders for us, I’ve yet to spend a single penny on any advertising,” she shares.
For anyone with a small business that wants to use TikTok as a marketing tool, Andrea shares her recipe to success: creating videos that solve a problem for their audience.
From showing customers how they can shower with their jewelry to styling necklace combinations, Andrea always addresses her audiences’ pain points (in under 30 seconds!).
“Your videos are more likely to succeed if you keep them short and simple.” Andrea explains. “Focus on how you’ve found a solution to a gap in the market and how you’re different.”
Not only does this type of TikTok content perform well through likes and views, but it also converts into sales. The majority of Nadaré Co’s revenue comes from customers who found the brand on TikTok.
And Andrea is talking major sales — after one of her videos hit 1.4M views, she saw 700 orders in one week.
Andrea’s top takeaways for small businesses looking to go viral on TikTok?
Through sharing her TikToks on Instagram Reels, she’s also been able to boost her Instagram following — in a major way.
Andrea’s shares she grew the brand’s Instagram following from “6K to 70K within a weekend” by doing this.
“A video that saw 780K views on TikTok ended up gaining over 3M views on Instagram Reels.”
TIP: Remove the TikTok watermark before repurposing your videos for Instagram for the best results!
Viral TikTok Brand #3: Designs by Felicias
When Felicia Ip’s full-time position turned remote, she decided to amp up her side hustle, Designs by Felicias. A shop on Etsy where she creates and sells custom design creations.
And, thanks to sharing videos on TikTok, she’s been able to grow Designs by Felicias.
The brand currently sits at over 110K followers, with their most viral video claiming 7M views (and counting!).
“I definitely don’t think my business would be where it is today without TikTok. Not only has it helped me build a community, it’s also helped me grow my Instagram following.”
On TikTok, she shares packaging and shipping videos, small business owner tips, and behind the scenes clips — content that resonates with her audience of small business owners and entrepreneurs.
And Felicia knows her audience inside and out — it’s one of the reasons she’s been able to grow her business so rapidly.
But this strategy wasn’t immediate — it took time and patience to understand what works best for her community.
“You have to pay attention to what content gets the most response and engagement from your audience. Everyone grows differently on TikTok — it only takes one video to blow up.”
Felicia does this by engaging with her community through the comments section of her posts:
Felicia’s #1 tip for small businesses on TikTok?
Whether it’s ASMR, demonstrations, or voiceovers, Felicia encourages small business owners to try different content and find what works best.
“Test out different types of videos so you can identify two things: what type of videos you’re successful at (and enjoy!) making and what videos your audience engages with most.”
For small businesses, going viral on TikTok can change the trajectory of your brand.
With a solid strategy, consistency, and a little bit of creativity, you’ll be set for success on the platform!
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