Unlock your full brand potential with TikTok in 3 easy steps

As every good marketer knows, the best content meets customers where they are. And today, more often than not, your target customers are on TikTok, with some 170 million users and counting in the U.S. alone.

Devising a successful creator marketing strategy, however, can be a tough nut to crack. TikTok moves fast with its ever-changing nature and trends, and the vast user-generated content (UGC) landscape can feel overwhelming — if not downright impossible — for a busy marketer to manage.   

But unlocking the full potential of TikTok for your brand is actually well within reach, with a little know-how and the right tools. We’ve put together a simple framework to help you build an effective (and sustainable!) TikTok content strategy that drives growth across social and your e-commerce business. With these three easy steps, you’ll learn how to connect with creators and influencers, source brand-ready content, and share it at scale. We’ll also take a closer look at the tools and features you need to keep it all organized, track results, and optimize in real time.

By the numbers: The case for UGC

First things first: the data clearly shows that influencer marketing is here to stay. Businesses spent an estimated $34 billion on influencer marketing last year — up nearly 17% from the year prior. Plus, nearly two-thirds of TikTok users are on the platform for the product reviews and recommendations. 

We’ve waxed poetic about it many times before, but it’s worth repeating that UGC is a non-negotiable for brands in today’s world, where customers expect brand content that feels authentic, relatable, and trustworthy. It’s why creators — from super influencers to everyday shoppers — should be your co-marketers. UGC not only increases reach and brand awareness, but it can directly increase your sales through shoppable experiences too, a la Social Commerce.

Still not convinced? Discover more of the latest e-commerce insights in our shopper experience index, and learn more about using TikTok to convert customers at every stage of the journey.

The TikTok three-step: Finding your creator content rhythm

In the spirit of TikTok’s dance trends (and because even pop stars are trying their hand at country these days), we’re dialing it up a notch with The TikTok Three-Step. This approach to building an effective creator-led marketing strategy is all about mastering the moves: Source, Amplify, and Optimize. So grab your boots and Stetson as we learn what each step entails, and what tools you’ll need to stay in sync every step of the way.

Step 1: Source

Set the stage 

Finding the right creators to deliver real, relatable content is at the core of any impactful UGC strategy, and can make the difference between content that just “is” vs. content that sells. Taking an organized approach upfront to sourcing both your creators and content is key.  

Start with establishing a set of criteria for the creators you want to work with. Some questions to consider: 

• Who are your target audience demographics, and what are their interests? 
• Who aligns best with your company ethos, voice and values? 
• Where are your brand superfans who are already posting organically? 
• What’s the right balance of “normal” shoppers vs. influencers for your brand?

(Psst: It’s ok if you don’t know for sure — that’s what testing is for!)

AI Creator Search	Discover brand-aligned creators on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube with an AI-powered search engine, complete with descriptive text, images, and advanced filters.
Creator profiles	Analyze and vet creators in-depth insights across TikTok and, including audience demographics and engagement metrics.
TikTok Creator Campaigns	Build, manage, and track your creator roster across platforms with customizable lists centralizing vetting, performance insights, and relationship management. Ingest organic and paid partnership creator content at scale.

Then, define your brand guidelines for those creators. Be clear in your guidance around preferred messaging, content themes, or even visuals that show off your brand identity. And remember that TikTok content is often less polished than content for other channels; consider prioritizing authenticity over production value.

🌟Everything you need, all in one place

In addition to advanced features for sourcing creators, TikTok content sourcing within Bazaarvoice Vibe makes it easy to find the content you want in a single, centralized hub. See brand-owned channels in the Content Library. Find organic creator content in your creator lists. Track all of your creator campaigns — gifted, paid, affiliate — and even pull in TikTok UGC from your Sampling campaigns. All your content, all your brand channels — all in one place

Step 2: Amplify 

Hit the beat

Once you’ve sourced the right creators and collected the creator content and UGC that reflects your ideal brand image, it’s time to ensure that content reaches the right audience. 

First, maximize your organic reach by leveraging TikTok trends. Use trending hashtags and audio to up your chances of discovery. Then, go beyond views by finding ways to engage with your audience. For example, always reply to comments — you can both build a sense of community and foster even deeper engagement with potential customers in the process.

On the paid side, determine what top-performing creator content you may want to repurpose for paid ads. TikTok Spark Ads leverage the creator’s profile and audience to boost visibility for your brand and products.

💡Features to help you set it — and forget it When it comes to paid content, Bazaarvoice Vibe makes it easy for you to protect your brand. First, enable creators to authenticate their accounts and grant ad permission for paid TikTok Spark Ads. ➡️ Seamless Creator Ad Permissions – Maximize reach with zero hassle. Enable creators to authenticate their accounts and grant instant ad permissions for TikTok Spark Ads, so you can boost top-performing content fast—without the manual back-and-forth.

➡️ Content Rights Expiration – Then, set expiration dates to automatically remove UGC from social and e-commerce storefronts, eliminating the need for manual tracking. Protect your brand, avoid costly missteps. Set expiration dates to automatically remove paid creator content once rights expire, ensuring you stay compliant and avoid using content beyond its agreed terms. No more manual tracking or unexpected takedowns—just peace of mind. ➡️ Video Sound Control & Closed Captioning – Repurpose with ease, sidestep copyright headaches. Swap out copyrighted sounds and songs to reuse creator content across platforms without restrictions. Plus, automated closed captions boost engagement and accessibility, ensuring your content connects with every audience—whether sound is on or off.

You can amplify your content even further by repurposing that hard-earned UGC and creator content. Social commerce turns your UGC into shoppable content on your site and social via Like2Buy. Embed it on your product pages (PDPs) and consider what other owned channels — email, blogs and other resources, for example — you can leverage to maximize its value. 

And consider thinking outside the online box: UGC can often be repurposed for interactive displays in physical stores and in-app experiences, too.

To embed or not to embed? You don’t have to choose.

TikTok often gets labeled a “walled garden,” but the reality? It’s not—and we see that firsthand with our TikTok integration. With the right tools in your workflow, brands have two clear options for repurposing TikTok content.

Option 1: Embeds 
Keep the native TikTok experience intact—social proof, engagement metrics, and that authentic TikTok feel. Perfect for social-first brands focused on showcasing creator content and driving engagement.

✅ Pros	❌ Cons:
✅ Preserves authenticity ✅ Keeps metrics visible ✅ Connects directly to TikTok performance	❌Limited control over display (captions, audio) ❌Added potential for privacy and security concerns with TikTok-owned cookie ❌May display unrelated “recommended” content

Option 2: Uploads
Download content directly from TikTok. With Vibe, you can download & upload watermark-free MP4 files—PDPs, retail channels, or blogs—for a distraction-free experience.

✅ Pros	❌ Cons:
✅ Full control (customize captions, mute audio) ✅ Privacy-compliant (no cookies) ✅ Optimized for e-commerce and retail syndication ✅ TikTok Watermark (aka logo) free	❌ Loses TikTok’s native engagement metrics  ❌ Requires more effort to manage downloads and uploads

TL;DR — Embed TikToks for authenticity, social proof, and a native experience. Upload TikToks for control, compliance, and a clean, distraction-free presentation. Or, try a mix to balance TikTok’s authenticity with the control you need to drive performance where it matters most, and get the best of both worlds.

Step 3: Optimize

Perfect your moves

Once you’ve gone through the trouble of ensuring your UGC isn’t just a one-off marketing touchpoint, it’s important to ensure you’ve got the right analytics in place to measure the outcomes. After all, what good is a UGC strategy if you can’t measure the results?  

When deploying UGC at every stage of the customer journey, be sure to measure across all five stages, too. Some metrics to consider:

• Awareness: Impressions, reach, engagement, follower growth, brand mentions
• Consideration: Click-through rates (CTR), time-spent on page
• Purchase: Conversion rates, average order value (AOV), return on ad spend (ROAS)
• Retention: Repeat purchase rates, customer lifetime value
• Advocacy: Earned media value (EMV)

And don’t forget: Testing is your friend, especially in the early days of strategy-building. Tracking your performance metrics with comprehensive analytics tools can give you the data you need to experiment, refine and optimize your UGC across all your channels.

📈ROI, from reach to revenue  Measure the performance of your TikTok videos with Bazaarvoice Vibe’s robust reporting features. Full-funnel TikTok creator reporting gives you an overview of aggregate metrics for each creator, enabling on-demand reporting to accurately measure social impact. Then, use TikTok content revenue reporting capabilities to track revenue from brand channel, UGC, organic creator and paid creator campaigns to easily see how much value each piece of content is generating for your business.

TikTok: The most powerful UGC engine starts here

Whether you’re just getting started on the TikTok creator marketplace or refining your UGC strategy, this three-step framework makes it easy to source, amplify, and optimize creator content at scale.

With Bazaarvoice Vibe, you get the only integrated solution that streamlines TikTok content sourcing, activation, and reporting—all in one place.

➡️ Source and turn TikTok content from every corner into seamless shopping experiences that convert—brand-owned, creator partnerships, and organic UGC.
➡️ Amplify it effortlessly with the industry’s leading TikTok link-in-bio solution, Like2Buy, and video Galleries that drive a 251% increase in conversion rate.
➡️ Optimize performance with real ROI tracking that connects creator content to revenue impact.

No other platform gives you this level of TikTok content depth, automation, and measurement. 🚀

Ready to unlock the full potential of your TikTok UGG.

📩 Book a demo or connect with your account specialist today.