TikTok 2024 marketing trend interpretation: How can cross-border e-commerce create popular content and operate in the long term?

In the past year of 2023, TikTok, with its unique charm and innovative strategies, has become a marketing stage that global brands are competing for. From short videos to live broadcasts, from challenges to cooperation with experts, TikTok has not only changed the way users entertain themselves, making marketing more vivid, interesting and interactive, but also brought unprecedented opportunities to brands.

“From unpopular large pieces of furniture to popular beauty products and home appliances, popular videos with goods are emerging one after another. Every day, a new store breaks into the top sales list due to a popular video.” Head of the shoes and clothing category of TikTok’s US area Merchant Evan pointed out.

Undoubtedly, having insight into the most cutting-edge marketing trends and adapting to the most real psychological changes of users is the key to the birth of popular products and even popular content.

Therefore, standing at the starting point of 2024, as competition intensifies and user needs continue to change, the marketing strategies of cross-border e-commerce sellers on TikTok also need continuous adjustment and innovation. Looking back at the marketing trend insights in 2023, we can see some successful cases and lessons learned.

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An armless office chair was a popular product on TikTok in the US. TikTok expert ALLY (@alexandraarosee) released a related short video in October this year, showing the limitations of armchairs compared to those with armrests. This armless chair offers greater comfort and a more free and unrestricted sitting position. The video became popular across all platforms in just a few days, receiving over 10 million views and millions of likes. The product finally achieved sales volume thanks to popular content and influencers. Over 40,000 pieces achieved.

So, how can cross-border e-commerce sellers gain insight into the most cutting-edge marketing trends and user psychology on TikTok, and further implement it in their own marketing strategies? In the “TikTok What’s Next 2024 Global Fashion Trend Report” provided by TikTok for Business, from popular hot spots, trend signals to everlasting trends, the dimensions are upgraded step by step, and specific trend interpretations and corresponding guidance and suggestions are given. , cross-border e-commerce sellers can specifically discover different life cycles and influences under different trend categories, and focus on evergreen trends and trend signals that have longer life cycles, greater influence, and more action-guiding significance.

TikTok 2024 marketing trend interpretation: How can cross-border e-commerce create popular content and operate in the long term?

The whole process from stimulating curiosity to achieving sales conversion

The logic of traditional e-commerce platforms is mainly based on the screening of “keyword matching” and “product attributes” under users’ active searches. This kind of logic is simple and clear, and can provide quick feedback results. However, the corresponding product display method relies more on rankings or advertising traffic to display products to users. It lacks personalized recommendations and does not have enough understanding of user search intentions. Go deep.

In fact, whether on social platforms or e-commerce platforms, users have unlimited curiosity, and sellers need to stimulate their potential awareness, cognition and values to tap greater potential demand and purchasing power.

A personalized recommendation method based on the perfect integration of “passive discovery” and “active search” is an excellent solution. On TikTok, users have gone from watching short videos on the For you page to actively searching for topics of interest or product recommendations on TikTok, which has aroused endless curiosity, even curiosity that the users themselves are not aware of. . According to a survey by Marketcast, 40% of respondents believe that TikTok can achieve this very well, which is 1.8 times that of traditional social media.

With the platform’s deep stimulation and blessing of users’ curiosity, what sellers need to do is to get rid of the traditional concept of making simple scrolling advertisements and create more attractive ones that can better resonate with consumers. and values authentic, high-quality content works.

First, go deep into the TikTok community and stimulate users’ curiosity.

TikTok’s natural community atmosphere allows the content itself to be discussed spontaneously, creating a real discussion scene. The influence of this discussion is not advertising-style indoctrination, but interesting, professional, and widely recognized by users. Content. Users share new niche interests and hobbies in these highly engaged communities, constantly discovering unexpected inspirations and driving consumption.

For example, the long-lasting hot topics on TikTok – #newfinds and #TikTokTaughtMe, users spontaneously and voluntarily become active and influenced in the community, and discover previously undiscovered product needs, in shopping, games, and film and television dramas, etc. “Open up wasteland and plant grass” in many aspects, which also brings a variety of business opportunities for good products and good brands.

Second, break geographical boundaries and display daily life, culture and value content from all over the world.

Facing differentiated overseas markets, regional or cultural differences have always been a major pain point in overseas brand marketing. Take the brand’s entry into the Southeast Asian market as an example. Although Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam belong to the same Southeast Asian region geographically, the economic development levels, living habits, cultural values, policies, and corresponding marketing environments of each country are very different. Products and brands going overseas need to focus on highlighting cultural concepts and values that match the market direction of the target country, so as to shorten the distance between them and fans and resonate with more diverse groups on TikTok.

TikTok also provides corresponding advertising solutions in terms of fully stimulating users’ creativity and curiosity and helping merchants generate sales. Cross-border e-commerce sellers can attract high-intention users through search ads, and at the same time achieve a seamless shopping experience from planting to pulling out weeds through VSA (Video Shopping Ads) video shopping ads and TikTok Shop, thus promoting higher sales conversions.

Subvert tradition, reconstruct story lines, and create a relaxing atmosphere

TikTok’s own unique content production model is subverting traditional advertising creative content. This is because, first of all, TikTok’s tag challenge and feed stream advertising model can increase the re-viewing rate of content several times;

Secondly, the social culture on TikTok encourages users to share their true selves and unique perspectives, and provides content modes such as “#POV (Point of View)” and “#StoryTime (tell a story with me)”, allowing content creators to Ability to engage audiences by tapping into real experiences around them;

In addition, TikTok’s advertising strategy also emphasizes entertainment and attraction. Compared with advertisements without entertainment value, audiences will obviously spend longer watching entertainment advertisements;

Finally, the emergence of TikTok has also triggered a trend of “decentralization”, so that social topics are no longer controlled by a few media giants. On TikTok, content creators can compete or even surpass traditional media companies through their unique perspectives and creativity. Media content.

For this reason, on the TikTok platform, cross-border e-commerce sellers can use its unique advertising model, community culture and entertainment strategies to output more diverse and rich views, forms and themes, and only these can successfully subvert traditional advertising creative content.

Specifically, the brand also uses the following two key elements to further enhance the creativity of the content.

First, break the traditional, cookie-cutter, conventional narrative structure and create a new story line, opening content that promotes rhythm and creativity. You can even vigorously mobilize users on the platform to jointly participate in creation, shape previously unexpected structures and content, or integrate user suggestions and comments into subsequent marketing strategies, and widely invite users to co-create multiple times.

For example, TikTok creator Octopusslover8 has innovatively allowed his fan community to control the content he posts, producing short plays based on user (and brand) comments, and collaborating with brands including eyewear brand Warby Parker. Content production methods.

Second, create more fantasy and relaxing video content and social culture for users, allowing them to escape the high-pressure real life for a moment. Short videos are a very magical field. Some of the video contents that have been liked hundreds of thousands or even millions of times include jokes, ridicule, joy, warmth, and healing. However, the creators of them may not be Not a big shot, but every ordinary person working hard to live.

Rooted in fan culture, content creation on TikTok can be both “fantasy and real”, “relaxed and interesting”, and even “delusional and crazy”, allowing users to empathize with each other and at the same time, be able to escape from the high-pressure real environment and find comfort. .

For example, the word “delulu” is a deformation of the English word “delusion”, which means the longing and delusion of a sad girl. The #delulu born from this is the latest thinking and story line style of the TikTok community. Under this modern version of “crazy literature”, users can convey the confident #MainCharacter energy that is difficult to achieve in reality, just like It expresses an optimistic attitude in a state of despair. It is a self-consistent mental state. Although it may sometimes run rampant, go crazy hysterically, and have random thoughts, it is very romantic and diverse.

On TikTok, brands and merchants are increasingly aware of the importance of authentic and relaxing content, which can capture the hearts of users and create more resonant hits and deeply rooted values.

In terms of specific advertising solutions, cross-border e-commerce sellers can use Spark Ads to share joy, create original and real content, use Focused View to effectively reach users while improving marketing efficiency, and enrich Interactive Add The gameplay of -ones makes the advertising experience more interesting and reduces the burnout caused by homogeneous content.

TikTok Rebuild trust, share common language, and display the most authentic content

For cross-border e-commerce sellers, from sufficient traffic exposure of the product to purchase conversion, one of the key points that affects the success of the transaction is the mutual trust between the merchant and the user. How to break through the “transaction relationship” with consumers and create more transparent, sincere, and realistic content has become a top priority.

“We do not define marketing as the acquisition of traffic. For a start-up brand, what we value is to impress consumers with sincerity and leave a positive brand impression in their minds, rather than being eager for quick results and requiring marketing actions to be done immediately. It is reflected in the conversion rate data.” Martin, founder of Furbulous, a global pet supplies brand, once said.

In his view, all complex marketing terms and communication strategies are finally condensed into a simple concept – “To Be Honest”.

“Honesty is the first impression of a brand in users’ minds,” said Martin. “We never hide our development progress from our users. To a certain extent, we have witnessed Furbulous’s growth from 0 to 1 together with our users. , built this brand together.”

For cross-border e-commerce sellers, they can further build trust and connection with target users in the following two ways.

First, understand and adapt to TikTok’s unique “language”, and use these free definitions to resonate with users, letting users know that the brand is not just “buying and selling”, but can be integrated into their exclusive community culture.

For example, the buzzword “girl math” that went viral on TikTok means that when consumers buy things with cash, it is free because your bank account balance will not decrease – cash is not real money, and later it was extended to A bunch of interesting and seemingly nonsensical behavioral logic – buying an expensive consumer product and using it every day, the price is equal to the cabbage price every time you use it; every time you buy a skirt, you get a 50% discount because It includes tops, pants, etc. Capturing this language style and behavioral logic that represents young people has become the key for brands to win each other’s strong favor.

Secondly, the brand needs to boldly expose its truest side and let users know the brand’s behind-the-scenes story. This frank and public form can cultivate a natural dialogue with the fan community, and can also exchange for the user’s most authentic feelings and love for the brand. Establish a sense of intimacy and trust and establish influence.

Many technology brands going overseas have mentioned when contacting target users that in the process of building products, they will actively and openly publish the technical difficulties they encounter in the community, and in turn, they will gain users. Understand and appreciate, and even many product engineer users will actively provide suggestions and suggestions to help the team grow together and overcome problems, and they will also become the most loyal seed users of the brand.

For this group of users, they not only play the role of consumers, but also co-creators. They share with the company the sense of accomplishment of polishing products, creating hot products, and establishing brands, and they also play an indispensable role in improving products and services. The role of substitution. “Treat users sincerely, and users will definitely respond to you. This is our biggest feeling and the motivation for us to persist.” Bruce, TikTok’s leading 3C merchant, pointed out.

As for specific advertising solutions, cross-border e-commerce sellers can continuously improve their creative content through TTCX (TikTok Creative Exchange) and create a natural image on TikTok through their corporate account to enhance trust and credibility. In addition, You can also output natural and soft advertising content through Branded Mission, and cooperate with creators through crowdsourcing to arouse resonance and gain trust with real, natural, and native creativity.

In fact, TikTok has become an important platform for cross-border e-commerce sellers to attract user participation. Behind its high stickiness and high participation are cutting-edge trend insights and high-quality content creativity. By deeply understanding user psychology, exploring potential needs, and creating attractive and resonant content, sellers can achieve the multiple goals of brand exposure, IP image building, and product sales on TikTok.

In order to create more influential high-quality and popular content, cross-border e-commerce sellers need to focus on the theme trends of maximum curiosity, creative subversion and trust reshaping, as well as related trend signals. By exploring these laws and rules, Create its own unique value and influence in the highly competitive content field of TikTok, cultivate ever-changing, attractive, creative and vital works, and ultimately achieve efficient conversion and continuous purchasing power.

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