Did you know that the outdoor industry has contributed more than $800 billion to the U.S. economy in recent years, generating 4.5 million jobs while doing so?

While these trends help demonstrate the fact that  the outdoor industry is in high demand, we also see evidence of increasing competition. Thus, brands are having to up their game and get creative to stand out in the eyes of potential customers.

Not to mention, with iOS crackdowns on data collection and privacy, creative messaging and connections with your audience (as opposed to hyper-segmentation and targeting) have become more important than ever.

There are many marketing channels that businesses can implement as a part of their growth strategy, but social media is one of their most powerful tools.

In this guide, we will discuss the best tactics for outdoor brands on TikTok.

Why Use TikTok to Market an Outdoor Brand?

TikTok rapidly became one of the world's most downloaded apps, and it's expected to reach close to 2 billion users by the end of this year.

Not to mention, the app's algorithm is fairly beginner-friendly, as it ensures that the videos are served to the right audience's profiles. It registers what the specific users prefer watching and suggests similar content to them in the future. Some companies have gone viral practically instantly as a result of this approach, and it makes it easier for your content to reach massive broad audiences.

Although we can't guarantee you'll become famous overnight, we can ensure you'll likely reach more people on TikTok with much less friction than on other networks.

3 Examples of Outdoor Businesses Killing It on TikTok

Some outdoor brands are already actively using the opportunities that TikTok offers. Here are some examples:

1. @arcteryx

Arc'teryx is a Canada-based outdoor brand founded in 1989 that is successfully leveraging TikTok in its marketing strategy. The brand's most viewed videos contain fun experiments with people testing its gear, such as sitting in the shower or riding a roller coaster in an Arc'teryx jacket. These videos don't directly push the users to buy the company's products and do an awesome job of promoting them by showcasing their durability and functionality.

2. @salomon

Salomon is a globally renowned outdoor gear and apparel company that made the right decision to join TikTok. Having gained more than 3 million likes so far, it's effectively raising brand awareness and loyalty. 

Its account mainly posts challenges featuring Salomon gear, as well as beautiful videos of people doing outdoor activities, accompanied by trending sounds and filters. This strategy works well, enabling the brand to grow on this social media platform steadily.

3. @outsidemagazine

Outside Magazine is engaging its staff to demonstrate the company's unique culture. Besides, the brand posts a lot of videos featuring useful how-tos and informative stories from different places across the US. The magazine's presence on TikTok makes it stand out among its competitors and helps it attract new like-minded readers.

What Type of Content Is Good for an Outdoor Company to Post?

Did seeing other outdoor brands succeed on TikTok inspire you to hop on the trend? If so, here are some types of video content you can incorporate into your strategy:

How-Tos

Tutorial videos on outdoor gear provide useful information to the audience while also organically promoting the products. You can get creative with the audios you choose, ways you demonstrate your product, and what scenarios or environments are featured. This also allows you to narrow in on specific features of your product and what they do, or just more general information about your product overall.

Humor

Everybody loves distraction from the regular boring ads, so adding a little spice to your content by making it fun engages the viewers and boosts their interest. With TikTok, you'll find there are even channels devoted to breaking down popular trends and providing ideas for creators and brands to engage with. If you can make your customers laugh, they're a lot likelier to stick around.

Product Reviews

User-generated content is a great way to promote a brand. Since the product reviews are meant to be unbiased content created by the users, other people usually trust it more than head-on sales.  You can repost content from organic posts of other users and even use the stitch feature to input your own content in the middle of the video, such as elaborating, explaining specs/features being described, and more.

Trends

Following any TikTok trend increases your audience engagement and helps potential clients find you. Search for audios and videos that are gaining popularity and think of how to adapt them to your brand. However, make sure the process doesn't take you too long, as the trends tend to lose relevancy relatively fast.

Extreme Activities

Testing the limits can certainly entice the audience. People admire those who do extreme activities, and since you will be promoting an outdoor brand, you have plenty of opportunities to experiment. There's a misconception that people don't want to see professionally produced videos on social channels; it's not true! As long as your content is engaging, and especially if it features something extraordinary, most audiences will appreciate the high-quality content you're sharing.

3 Pillars of TikTok Success for Outdoor Brands

There are three main factors that are fundamental for successful outdoor brand promotion:

1. Engaging Content

The basis upon which you will be building your brand image on TikTok is, of course, your content. Here are some characteristics it must possess to serve its purpose well:

• Relevant
• Up-to-date
• Engaging
• Having good visual quality
• Conveying the right values

It's also best if the content you post promotes your products in an organic way rather than trying to sell them directly. Here's a basic structure you can follow:

A hook to catch viewers' attention ➡️ the introduction of a problem or need ➡️ solving that problem with your product or service ➡️ a strong CTA (call to action) to motivate them.

2. Creator Partnerships

The Creator Marketplace is one of the best platforms to partner up with users that produce commercial content on TikTok. It's an easy-to-use tool where businesses can identify the top creators for ad collaboration and reach out to them.  

The best thing about the Creator Marketplace is that it eliminates the uncertainty from the process of selecting influencers. It provides you with all the critical data you need to know in one place, making it easier to make the right choice to match your industry and goals.

3. Consistent Posting

A regular flow of posts on your TikTok account will keep your viewers engaged with your brand and interested in your products. It is your chance to create compelling content that really speaks to your audience, so don't miss it! Unlike other platforms where viewers might get overwhelmed from too many posts, the highest-performing TikTok accounts often create and share multiple videos per day.

Making Use of Paid Promotional Campaigns

TikTok offers great opportunities for brands to launch paid marketing campaigns. Due to precise targeting and distinctive ad development options, TikTok ads are way ahead of their counterparts on other social networks. Thus, advertising there can be a game-changer for your outdoor company.

There are five formats of TikTok video ads, namely: 

1. In-Feed Video Ads

You can purchase in-feed video ads through TikTok's Ad Manager. Such ads feature a clickable CTA button that can redirect users to external landing pages or to your brand's TikTok Business Account. 

2. Brand Takeover Ads 

When you first launch the app, you'll see full-screen targeted ads. They can appear as 3-second images or 3-5 second videos and can drive traffic to internal or external landing pages.  

The main goal of such ads is mass awareness. They guarantee a wide reach and great performance due to the entire screen being clickable.

3. TopView 

TopView is a type of video ad that occupies TikTok's prime ad real-estate - the top of the For You feed. It appears when the user first opens TikTok. In this format, video can be up to 1 minute long, ensuring an immersive viewing experience. Brands should make the most of this ad opportunity by using highly engaging video content that the audience will remember.

4. Branded Hashtag Challenge

Another great chance to promote your outdoor brand is the Branded Hashtag Challenge: ask all consumers to interact and generate material around the topic of your advertisement. Such ads can appear in the feed, as a banner on the Discover page, or on the Hashtag Challenge page. The latter is the central hub of the challenge that will aggregate user-generated content from the participants.

5. Branded Effects

This advertising type implies creating shareable branded stickers, filters, and effects that people can use to create their content. Such effects can be used in standalone campaigns or integrated into your Branded Hashtag Challenge. 

Similar to Hashtag Challenges, branded effects are best to get your audience involved and often result in very high engagement levels.

Is It Worth it for Outdoor Brands to Get on TikTok?

TikTok is a fascinating social network that grows fast and offers plenty of marketing opportunities for businesses across industries. While there currently aren't many outdoor brands on TikTok harnessing the power of this platform, it's safe to assume that things are about to change.

So why wait? Start growing your business account on TikTok already today and reap the benefits in no time! 

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