Did you know that people in the U.S. spend up to 50% more time on TikTok than Instagram?
Unlike Instagram, where beautiful pictures can gain you an audience, TikTok is a new kind of puzzle that most brands have yet to decode.
As of September 13, 2022 (the date we published this article), on average, eyewear brands have 0.07% the number of followers on TikTok as on Instagram.
Out of the 50 most-followed sunglasses brands on Instagram, only four have found their groove on TikTok.
Are you trying to market your sunglasses brand on TikTok? Check out these brands below and see what you can learn from them!
Pit Viper (275.9K TikTok followers)
Founded in 2012, Pit Viper makes futuristic retro 90s sports sunglasses. On TikTok, they publish nonsensical, slapstick videos such as:
- A boy jumping on a trampoline and falling
- A dirt bike rider who falls and smashes his head
- A girl wearing an old-man mask
Warby Parker (135.6K TikTok Followers)
Founded in 2010, Warby Parker makes affordable glasses and sunglasses. On TikTok, they publish "cute" videos such as:
- Don't wipe your glasses with your shirt
- A cute dog wearing glasses
- Cringing at putting glasses in a bag
Based on the low engagement of these Warby Parker videos, it appears that their specific take on cute humour has not found its mark with viewers on TikTok.
Oakley (398.6K TikTok followers)
Founded in 1975, Oakley makes premium performance sunglasses. On TikTok, they do a lot of unboxing videos.
Shady Rays (28.7K TikTok followers)
Founded in 2012, Shady Rays makes polarised sunglasses with a lifetime craftsmanship warranty. On TikTok, they make a mix of behind-the-scenes videos showing:
- Prescription lenses getting made
- Sunglasses floating in the pool
- Asking strangers to review Shady Rays sunglasses
Pair Eyewear (129.6K TikTok followers)
Founded in 2017, Pair Eyewear makes customisable glasses and sunglasses. On TikTok, they feature many videos showing people customising the front of their glasses like these glow-in-the-dark glasses.
Honourable Mention: You Fancy Optical (35K TikTok followers)
A smaller-scale online optical shop, Tenishia, the founder of You Fancy Optical, speaks into the camera and has attracted a sizeable following.
Conclusion
If you're wondering how to get started promoting your brand on TikTok, you can look at brands that are gaining traction on the platform.
You can consider humour (Pit Viper), cute (Warby Parker), lo-fi product showcases (Oakley) if your products are eye-catching, unique selling points (Shady Rays, Pair Eyewear) and even talking straight into the camera (You Fancy Optical).
As TikTok evolves, it will become clearer what types of marketing content will excel on the platform, but for now, our advice is to study what has been working for other brands and experiment!
Just try to be real.