Can Your Brand Make a Dance Trend? Lessons from TikTok

Can Your Brand Make a Dance Trend? Lessons from TikTok

 

The allure of a viral TikTok dance trend for a brand is undeniable. Imagine millions of users grooving to your brand's custom sound, showcasing your product, and organically spreading your message across the globe. It's the ultimate social media marketing dream, a testament to audience engagement and cultural relevance.

 

But here's the big question: Can your brand actually make a dance trend? And if not, what lessons can we glean from TikTok's viral successes to create engaging content with genuine viral potential?

 

The Dream: A Brand-Owned Viral Dance Trend (The Reality Check)

Let's be honest: creating a global viral dance trend from scratch as a brand is incredibly difficult and relatively rare. It often requires a perfect storm of factors that are hard to engineer:

• Inherent Fit: Brands that succeed often have a naturally playful, youthful, or movement-oriented identity (e.g., e.l.f. Cosmetics with their "Eyes. Lips. Face." original sound and challenge, or Chipotle's Lid Flip Challenge which was kinetic, if not a dance).
• Organic Adoption: The best trends often start organically with a creator and are later embraced (or amplified) by brands, rather than being purely brand-conceived.
• The Right Sound: The audio is often the real star, carrying the trend forward, not just the dance moves.

So, while the direct "brand-creates-dance-trend" is a high bar, understanding what makes any content go viral on TikTok is a game-changer for your content strategy.

 

Lessons from Organic TikTok Dance Trends: What Makes Them Viral?

When a dance trend genuinely explodes on TikTok, it usually ticks these boxes:

1. Simplicity & Replicability: The moves are easy to learn and don't require professional dancing skills or complex setups. Anyone can give it a shot, anywhere.
2. Catchy, Original Sound/Song: The audio is infectious. It gets stuck in your head, making you want to use it or hear it again. It's often an original creation or a unique snippet.
3. Emotional Appeal/Relatability: The dance feels fun, empowering, silly, or expressive. It resonates with a feeling or a common experience.
4. Low Barrier to Entry: You don't need fancy equipment or a large space. A smartphone and a few seconds are enough.
5. Influencer Adoption (The Catalyst): Once a few prominent TikTok influencers pick it up, it gains massive momentum. They are the early adopters and amplifiers.

Tips for Creating Engaging Content with Viral Potential (Even if Not a Dance Trend)

You might not launch the next "Renegade," but you can certainly create highly engaging, shareable content. Here's how:
 

1. Authenticity is Your Superpower:

   • Lesson: TikTok audiences sniff out inauthenticity instantly. Don't force your brand into a mold that doesn't fit. Be genuine. If your brand is serious, provide serious value. If it's quirky, let that shine through.
   • Action: Define your brand authenticity and stick to it. Your "why" matters more than your "what."
      

2. Ride the Sound Wave (Strategically):

   • Lesson: Sounds are the backbone of TikTok.
   • Action: Even if you're not dancing, use trending sounds for voiceovers, background music for product showcases, or to drive a humorous sketch. Search the "For You Page" and TikTok's Creative Center for what's hot.
      

3. Keep it Simple & Repeatable (Beyond Dance):

   • Lesson: Content that's easy to mimic or recreate thrives.
   • Action: Think of simple challenges (e.g., a quick product hack, a "fill-in-the-blank" prompt, a before-and-after transformation using your product). These encourage user-generated content (UGC).
      

4. Tell a Story (Quickly!):

   • Lesson: TikTok thrives on short, impactful narratives.
   • Action: Hook viewers in the first 1-3 seconds. Use storytelling to demonstrate a problem, introduce your solution, or share a relatable moment. Visuals are key.
      

5. Encourage User-Generated Content (UGC):

   • Lesson: The audience is the content engine.
   • Action: Actively invite your audience to participate. Run contests, ask for submissions, create branded filters or effects, or simply ask questions in your captions that prompt video responses.
      

6. Collaborate with the Right Influencers:

   • Lesson: Influencers are trendsetters and gatekeepers.
   • Action: Partner with TikTok influencers whose audience, content style, and personal brand genuinely align with yours. Empower them with creative freedom to interpret your message for their audience.
      

7. Provide Value or Entertainment:

   • Lesson: People watch TikTok for a reason.
   • Action: What can your content offer? Is it to educate, entertain, inspire, or solve a problem? Every piece of content should have a clear purpose from the viewer's perspective.

8. Optimize for TikTok's Algorithm:

   • Lesson: The algorithm favors engagement.
   • Action: Keep videos short (15-30 seconds often ideal), use relevant hashtags, add captions, and use trending sounds. Encourage comments and shares.

Beyond the Dance: What's Your Brand's "Challenge"?

Instead of forcing a dance, think about what kind of interactive "challenge" or trend your brand could authentically inspire.

• A "Show Us Your [Product/Service] In Action" Challenge?
• A "DIY with Our Product" Showcase?
• A "Relatable Work/Life Moment" Using Your Service?
• A "Quick Tip" Series leveraging your expertise?

Viral content on TikTok is a mix of art, science, and a little bit of magic. While a brand-specific dance trend might be a moonshot, by understanding the core principles of what makes content engaging and shareable, you can significantly boost your viral potential, connect deeply with your audience, and build a thriving presence in the dynamic world of social media marketing.