With audiences engaging with their favorite brands more on TikTok than any other platform, we have to ask: Who are these brands, and what are the top industries on TikTok?<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look at what the leading TikTok-ing industries are doing and how you can use their strategies to better engage with your audience.<\/p>\n
Key Metrics<\/h2>\n
Before diving in, let\u2019s cover a few critical details from our 2023 TikTok Benchmark Report<\/a>, which is, by the way, packed full of super helpful performance insights broken down by industry so you can figure out exactly how your brand is doing against the competitive benchmarks that matter most.<\/p>\n \n \n Ready to start analyzing your TikTok metrics? <\/p>Grab a free Rival IQ trial <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/span><\/p>\n If you need a refresher on important lingo, you can read up on TikTok metrics and terminology<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now for a few takeaways from our TikTok analysis:<\/p>\n Without further ado, here are the top industries on TikTok.<\/p>\n Taking gold with a median engagement rate of 16.26% is Higher Ed.\u00a0 Despite having an engagement rate nearly 3x greater than the all-industry median, Higher Ed was one of the industries that posted the fewest times per week, showing us that more doesn\u2019t always mean better.<\/p>\n On the 2023 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report<\/a>, we also found that the hashtags with the highest engagement rates belonged to Higher Ed with tags like #College and #Uni. There were also a few related to special events like #Graduation and #CollegeMoveIn.<\/p>\n It seems followers appreciate content about day-to-day experiences just as much as special occasions.<\/p>\n P.S. If you noticed that one of these things is not like the others, we should recall that 2022 was the year of the viral \u201ccorn kid<\/a>\u201d across social channels.<\/p>\n Celebrating on-campus moments was big on TikTok this year. Schools posted about everyday life for students on campus, how they get ready for game days and class, and generally relatable content for students.<\/p>\n What these campus life-focused TikToks have in common is a feeling of authenticity. The posts feel like something made by students for their friends. Gen-Zers especially value this off-the-cuff content that moves away from the perfectly curated social media content popular in years past.<\/p>\n We couldn\u2019t talk about the schools winning on TikTok without mentioning Baylor University<\/a>, who were big into posting relatable content.<\/p>\n In a post that had a 12.2% engagement rate by view, the school paired a trending sound with a video of students talking about studying at home but instead falling asleep. Followers commented by tagging their friends and leaving messages like \u201cnot my school calling me out.\u201d<\/p>\n We should also give a shout-out to Louisiana State University<\/a>, which focused heavily on on-campus engagement with students this year. Their TikTok feed is full of funny clips of students around campus, like the one featuring students doing the popular #GriddyDance that was shared over 1.26K times.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Other popular trends in Higher Ed were sports wins, school year kick-offs, and graduations.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s anything we can learn from Higher Ed Tok, it\u2019s that authenticity goes a long way. So no matter your industry, don\u2019t be afraid to lean into the more candid moments. Peel back the curtain to give fans a taste of who your brand really is, and invite your followers to laugh and have fun with you.<\/p>\n With the second-highest TikTok engagement rate at 9.18%, we have our Sports Teams. They posted roughly around twice per week, which is on par with the industry-wide median, and found success with event-focused hashtags like #Fifa23 and #Preseason.<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, sports fans were all about wins and the unforgettable plays that got them there this year on TikTok. One shining example came from Leeds United<\/a>, who posted a TikTok showing off their goalkeeper\u2019s amazing double-shot save during a game with 15.7x more likes, comments, and shares than their average post \u2014 a sign that the team struck a chord with followers. The slo-mo effect probably didn\u2019t hurt, either.<\/p>\n Another team to watch on TikTok this year was the Phoenix Mercury<\/a>. The team frequently posted to the platform to show off game highlights, behind-the-scenes footage of the players, and even some on-court trash talk.<\/p>\n Their top post of 2022 showed one of their players making a \u2154 court shot just in the nick of time. This TikTok brought in a 21.2% engagement rate by view, which is impressive enough on its own, but what really makes this a standout post are the 7.80K shares.<\/p>\n Since shares are the more laborious way followers interact with posts (think of the effort required to stop mid-scroll to hit \u2018like\u2019 versus share with friends), highly-shared posts show that brands really gave the people what they want.<\/p>\n Your industry may not have literal home runs and slam dunks, but you get where we\u2019re going with this metaphor, right?<\/p>\n Take to TikTok to show off your community\u2019s victories, both big and small. Do you have any milestone achievements to brag about? Did you break any company or industry records? Are your clients experiencing significant progress thanks to your brand? People love being part of a winning team. Don\u2019t be afraid to tap into that.<\/p>\n Coming in with the third highest engagement rate at 7.43% is the travel industry which found massive success with location-focused hashtags like #Thailand, #NYC, and #SouthAfrica. Other successful hashtags like #Adventure and #Bucketlist aligned with Travel TikTok\u2019s overall theme of capturing those wanderlust moments.<\/p>\n This year on Travel TikTok, brands were all about using stunning destinations to captivate followers. They showed off the unique culinary experiences, exciting adventures, and can\u2019t-miss activities that make a place unique. Luxury hotel experiences were also a big hit.<\/p>\n SANDALS Resorts<\/a> leaned into their followers’ love of adventure and luxury with TikToks showing off mouthwatering tropical scenes and giving a glimpse into what their resorts can offer.<\/p>\n In one of their top-performing videos, with 6.91x the engagement as their average post, we see visitors exploring Grenada in search of incredible waterfalls. Through their other posts, we get a taste of swimming with sea turtles in Barbados and diving into a crystal clear pool in Jamaica.<\/p>\n No matter the location or activity, SANDALS is all about creating an experience for its followers focused on exploration, pleasure, and one-of-a-kind adventures. Followers seem to really take to this type of immersion experience, even if it gives them a case of FOMO.<\/p>\n Another way we saw Travel Brands reach followers this year on TikTok was through creator-led campaigns like Marriott Bonvoy Hotel<\/a>\u2019s #30stays300days.<\/p>\n Each post in the campaign featured a different travel creator showing off destinations across the world, from Mexico City to New York to Bali. They took followers around amazing sites and highlighted all the perks of staying in one of Marriott\u2019s hotels. Going deeper into destinations paid off in the engagement department, and by handing the mic (or tripod?) over to creators, Marriot opened themselves up to new pockets of followers and invited audiences to see a more personal side of the brand.<\/p>\n The Travel Brands that stood out the most on TikTok really leaned into the idea of crafting an experience around their services. These brands showed followers that they\u2019re not just getting a nice place to sleep when they stay at their hotel; they\u2019re getting luxury, adventure, exclusivity, and new cultural experiences.<\/p>\n Think about how your brand can apply this lesson and craft a one-of-a-kind experience for your followers. You can also collaborate with creators and influencers<\/a> and shake up your brand marketing.<\/p>\n While engagement on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook was less than ideal this past year, TikTok was a silver lining for marketers across industries. It\u2019s undoubtedly the place to be for brands looking to connect with followers.<\/p>\n
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The Top Industries Using TikTok<\/h2>\n
Top Industry on TikTok #1: Higher Education<\/h3>\n
![\"TikTok](\"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Top-industries-tiktok-image-1-700x539.png\")
<\/p>\nWinning trend on Higher Ed TikTok: A taste of campus life<\/h4>\n
![\"Using](\"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Top-industries-tiktok-image-5-700x405.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"LSU's](\"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Top-industries-tiktok-image-2-e1686274842119-700x426.png\")
<\/p>\nHow to make it yours: Embrace unfiltered moments.<\/h4>\n
Top Industry on TikTok #2: Sports Teams<\/h3>\n
Winning trend on sports TikTok: Highlight plays<\/h4>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Top-industries-tiktok-image-4-700x427.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Phoenix](\"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Top-industries-tiktok-image-3-700x423.png\")
<\/p>\nHow to make it yours: Celebrate your wins.<\/h4>\n
Top Industry on TikTok #3: Travel<\/h3>\n
Winning trend on Travel TikTok: Exploring destinations<\/h4>\n
![\"TikTok](\"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Top-industries-tiktok-image-6-700x426.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Top-industries-tiktok-image-7-700x410.png\")
<\/p>\nHow to make it yours: Create an irresistible experience.<\/h4>\n
Wrapping it up<\/h2>\n