Ubiquitous

It’s July, which means TikTok now has just six months to find a seller or be banned from the US. To recap: In April, the Senate passed a bill forcing TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell to a government-approved buyer or face a complete ban. On May 7, TikTok sued the federal government claiming this was an “unprecedented violation” of the First Ammendment. This lawsuit (likely) means that the timeline for this bill will be pushed back even further. Let’s zoom out of politics for a second. What does all of this mean for marketers? 1) TikTok is still a worthwhile investment. We’ve seen 0 user migration or impact on performance. If anything, TikTok is actually *blowing up* with this notoriety. It sounds crazy but this is a great time for brands to drive growth through TikTok. 2) TikTok probably isn’t going anywhere. First Amendment experts have said that justifying a ban would be a high bar for the government to clear (The New York Times). The actual chance of TikTok being banned is low-to-moderate, IMO. 3) Focus on the people, not the platform. Even if TikTok *does* get banned, creators aren’t going anywhere. They’ll just migrate to another channel. Follow them and keep building your network, processes, and expertise around partnerships instead of a platform. “But Jess, should I still bother doing all that work if the ban could impact the creator economy?” My honest opinion? Yes. The creator economy will continue to grow, TikTok ban or not. 🤷♀️ In fact, it’s projected to be worth $528.39 billion in 2030 (GlobalNewsWire). What do you think? 

I’ve helped our clients at Ubiquitous get over 1.4 billion views through influencer marketing. Here are 4 tried-and-true ways to go viral on TikTok: 1) Tap Into Viral Moments. I’m not talking about hijacking a trend or dance that’s been done a million times. Instead, observe what’s gaining steam — and then add your POV. For example) • Comment on a Popular Event ➜ RyanAir made a TikTok based on the viral New York-Dublin Portal that hit 500,000+ views (Fun fact: That portal is now closed due to ‘inappropriate behavior’ [this is why we can’t have nice things]). 2) Ace Your First 3 Seconds. If you don’t capture people’s attention in the first 3 seconds of your TikTok, they bounce. Try a… • Personal Hot Take – “I just think it’s funny how…”  • Interesting Thought – “Have you ever wondered why…”  • Shocking Statement – “I was today’s year-old when I realized…” Another great example of this is Litter Robot where we partnered with @areyoukiddingtv. Their first three seconds? “First person to bring us their cat gets a Litter Robot 4.” Instant challenge. Instant anticipation. And 20 million views to prove it. 3) Find Your Polarity. Before posting, ask yourself: “Am I posting to inspire, entertain, or educate?” Then, try to combine at least two categories for maximum virality (the magic lies in the overlap). For example: • Zilla hired reptile influencers to create videos raving about reptiles (inspiration) while recommending best pet supplies (education) and hit 9.2 million views. ⚠️ Disclaimer: Virality is vanity. It’s not the most important part in an influencer campaign — what matters is targeting the *right* audience for your brand. I’ll go more into a data-driven approach for influencer marketing in part two so stay tuned. 

Ubiquitous has worked with 13,000 + creators and 99% of them have all had the same question: “How do I monetize?” The creators at Ubiquitous who've made six (and seven) figures all have one thing in common: Strong relationships with brands and agencies. The glue that holds those relationships together? Authenticity.  It's a cliche for a reason. Clients want to pay creators who are genuine, both in the way they connect with their audience and conduct business. The most lucrative creators in our network display authenticity in three ways: 1) They’re communicative, polite, and love to hand in deliverables early. 2) They’re selective: They only accept deals from brands they enjoy and use. 3) They aren’t “influencers” talking *at* their audience but rather “creators” talking *with* their audience. But the way these creators stay profitable? By upholding their reputation behind the camera. The advertising world seems enormous but it's far smaller than it seems – one interaction can dictate a creators' future earnings (for better or for worse). If you've made ads with creators: What made it a great (or not-so-great) experience?