But there is one particular wristable that has been quickly climbing up the ranks in the hierarchy of modern wearables, and that’s the WHOOP band.

This sporty bracelet isn’t just a fashion statement for people who are really (I mean, really) into optimizing every aspect of their health. It’s a fitness tracker that doubles down on the promise of improving physical performance through personalized data insights.

This focus was very intentional: with the wearable device market heating up, the purpose and use of the data they collect is the most important differentiator — and WHOOP decided to double down on quality data dedicated to improving athletic performance.

As it stands today, WHOOP is valued at $3.6 billion, with a user base of 125 million and counting. So, how did they swoop in and build a strong foundation in a space where Apple, Fitbit, or Nike used to dominate? Let’s take a closer look.

A Quick Stroll Down Memory Lane

WHOOP’s story starts in 2012. Will Ahmed, a young student athlete on the squash team at Harvard University, was actively looking to improve his health but felt like he was lacking the right data and insights to reach his peak performance.

Not unlike a lot of athletes, he struggled to strike a balance between training volume and recovery to achieve the best possible results. This personal experience of struggle is exactly what sparked his idea to develop WHOOP.

Ahmed enlisted two fellow Harvard students to bring his vision to life: John Capodilupo, who brought the software development expertise to the table, and Aurelian Nicolae, whose materials science experience could drive the hardware strategy. Together, they set out to build a wristable that took personal health insights beyond the conventional heart rate and step count measurement. Instead, WHOOP set out to focus on metrics that helped track recovery, strain, and sleep — the three pillars Ahmed considered foundational for performance improvements.

Developed by an athlete, for athletes, WHOOP stood out from competition thanks to its precise, targeted focus on a core audience persona. Unlike other wearables designed with casual users in mind, WHOOP was clearly designed for elite athletes who required precision in the insights they got.

This key differentiation set the tone for everything WHOOP’s marketing strategy would achieve in the years to come.

It’s important to also note how the timing of WHOOP’s emergence has contributed to the brand’s rapid growth.

For one, the global fitness tracker/wellness market has evolved steadily over the course of WHOOP’s lifespan, reaching $60.9B in valuation in 2024 alone. This number is projected to reach $192 billion by 2030, building on the growing public awareness of the value of health management and optimization. With the tech getting more advanced and the public focusing on mental and physical wellbeing increasingly more after the COVID-19 pandemic, wearable technology has seen exponentially increased demand and will continue to grow well into the next decade.

5 Marketing Strategies from WHOOP’s Playbook

If you look closely, WHOOP’s marketing strategy can be broken down into 5 key moves. Let’s explore the roles each of these intentional choices played in bringing WHOOP to the coveted “industry underdog” title.

1. Get Specific on Your Ideal Customer Profile

If you couldn’t tell by the not-so-subtle foreshadowing earlier in this article, WHOOP cut through the noise in the wearable market by focusing on a very specific persona: the elite athlete. The brand’s strategy from day one has relied on the fact that the data the product provides is not average, and it’s okay if it’s not meant for the average consumer.

WHOOP successfully avoided the biggest trap most startups fall into within the first 5 years of operation — losing focus, attempting to solve for every need the consumer might have, and spreading themselves thin as a result.

However, an intentional decision like this also meant that for a young startup, it could come at a cost. Going after an athlete audience so early in their growth journey meant forgoing the resources to educate the non-athlete audience on the benefits and value of good sleep and recovery. Instead, they would focus on pro athletes who would crave any and all insights into their athletic performance — and this is where they were successfully able to stand up to bigger brands like Fitbit, Apple, or Nike that had expanded their reach to the mainstream consumer at that point.

Even though the move was risky, WHOOP did manage to build a community of power users ranging from Michael Phelps to Christiano Ronaldo.

2. Align Your Brand with the Right Spokespeople

Now here’s the tricky part: if you choose elite athletes as your core audience, how do you partner with them on the record if they have exclusive contracts with the said legacy brands?

WHOOP played the long game here by zeroing in on delivering real value to star athletes and providing the exact insights they sought to improve their performance. Between 2012 and 2016, WHOOP worked on direct relationships with respected athletes, using the time to deepen their insights and quality of data — so much so that they successfully became the official wearables of record for MLB and NFL players, as well as the Navy SEALs.

WHOOP didn’t have to pay millions for official endorsements; the wearable easily got spotlight attention through media coverage of big-name players and athletes by simply becoming their indispensable wearable during training and on the court (or pitch, or ring, or pool…).

By showing up on the wrists of tier-1 players, WHOOP gained natural credibility without the promotional aid of official brand deals or ad campaigns. This set WHOOP up for success in 2015 when it officially became available to the public.

3. Develop a Breakout Content Strategy

WHOOP’s focus as a brand doesn’t just show up through the product they’ve created — it also drives the story they tell through their content strategy. The biggest lesson you can learn from WHOOP is to treat your brand as a media company, and produce and distribute content that covers a wide variety of platforms, formats, and strategies.

From its social media presence to its proprietary podcast, WHOOP clearly speaks to a performance-driven audience, and they speak as an authority in everything health optimization.

Their social media presence, for example, has very clear content pillars that showcase an editorial strategy that delivers value beyond the product:

• WHOOP = authority: from data-backed analyses of popular health trends to user data patterns, WHOOP educates the end consumer on better choices to reach their peak potential.
• WHOOP = credible: through owned and earned coverage, WHOOP populates major feeds with content that features familiar faces of athletes that have cult followings, from Christiano Ronaldo to Aryna Sabalenka.
• WHOOP = relatable: the brand also has a strong pulse on how their users interact with the product, expertly tapping into relatable scenarios and experiences that foster a sense of community and togetherness between customers.

“The WHOOP Podcast,” which is also distributed in bite-sized cuts across their socials, takes deeper dives into the science behind strain, recovery, and stress. WHOOP is by no means a faceless brand: in addition to star guests on the WHOOP podcast and socials, Will Ahmed has also become an active participant in the brand’s content, sharing his own experiences, WHOOP’s story, and the team behind the product as well.

4. Data: The Secret Sauce

WHOOP’s magic offering has always been its data: in-depth insights, actionable recommendations, and personalized snapshots of performance. It’s this data-driven focus that landed them the first milestone relationships early in their growth journey; now, it’s a) the biggest selling point and b) a major pillar in their content strategy that showcases WHOOP in action.

If you take a close look at the brand’s content strategy, a large portion of their social content incorporates proprietary data stories that either translate interesting insights into captivating stories or provide educational (read: non-transactional) value to both WHOOP users and colder audiences.

This approach is strategic in many ways, but mainly because data is the currency that WHOOP trades in as a brand, and the Spotify Wrapped-esque approach to content generation allows for the granularity of WHOOP’s insights to speak for themselves.

The data stories the brand shares reflect the wide range of depth and timeliness WHOOP provides, from evergreen data insights and studies (e.g., how generations stack up) to trendy topic breakdowns (e.g., sober October).

5. Get the Pricing Structure Right

There are a few things about WHOOP’s pricing strategy that make the brand stand out from their competitors.

First and foremost, WHOOP provides the hardware for free in contrast to any other player in the market. The band is included in the membership purchase, but there is no additional cost for the hardware itself — which is unlike other wearables on the market.

The second factor here, as you’ve probably guessed, is WHOOP’s subscription-based model that they deliberately switched to in 2018. Unlike most wearables that rely on a one-time hardware purchase, WHOOP gives the hardware away for free and charges users a monthly subscription fee for access to its analytics platform.

This standout approach has two major benefits.

First, WHOOP has lowered the barrier to entry for users who might hesitate to spend several hundred dollars on a fitness tracker from the get-go. It allows people to take advantage of what WHOOP has to offer without a heavy commitment cost upfront, making the product more sticky, the decision to join WHOOP easier, and the user LTV higher.

Second, it emphasizes WHOOP’s positioning as a data company first, and not a hardware company. WHOOP’s biggest advantage has always been the precision of its data — and for the performance-driven audience they focus on, the degree of data accuracy and depth is much more important than the hardware itself. In their own words, the team behind WHOOP believes the band should be “cool and invisible.”

The result is a more engaged community alongside a steady revenue stream.

Closing Thoughts

WHOOP is a strong contender to continue scaling and (potentially) dominating the wearables market — and the brand is still in its early stages of growth despite the major wins it has scored. As of 2022, the brand is more accessible through retail partnerships like Best Buy in the US; WHOOP has also introduced a B2B enterprise offering, diversifying their model beyond B2C.

Here’s a checklist of the key moves that have brought WHOOP so far over the last decade and will likely continue to drive the brand’s growth in the future.

• Niche down with your audience before scaling up → You can’t win if you try to be everything for everyone.
• Treat your business like a media company → Content is king, so make sure you create and distribute content consistent with your positioning.
• Align with the best to become the best → Be very intentional about who your power users will be.
• Think about non-transactional value → From your content to your product quality or pricing strategy, show that you care.

The post WHOOP Marketing Strategy: The Wellness Tracker Startup Path to Rapid Growth appeared first on NoGood™: Growth Marketing Agency.

Striking this balance between the right and the left brain to combine creativity with proven tactics is what makes a design agency successful at branding. In an overcrowded space where agencies are in a constant fight to prove whose designs are cooler, more intricate, and more beautiful, it’s the ones that are creative and strategic at the same time that win.

Especially for DTC brands, discovering the sweet spot between being efficient while also being loved by consumers is the perpetual challenge — and having an expert partner along the way who can be trusted to develop or refine brand identity is critical to ensuring long-term success.

So, who are these agencies that can help a DTC brand enhance its story and visual identity in a relevant and relatable way, all while continuing to grow? We’ve compiled a list of agencies around the world that have helped some of the most iconic brands become who they are today.

Here are our top design companies for DTC brands in 2025

1. NoGood
2. Day Job
3. Bullish
4. Wolff Olins
5. Gander
6. Red Antler
7. Preacher
8. Pentagram
9. Huge
10. Harper+Scott
11. Mekanism
12. Bulletproof NYC
13. Together
14. ArtVersion

1. NoGood

At NoGood, we embrace a distinctive method known as performance branding to empower our clients to achieve sustainable and compounding growth. Our success stems from a multitude of experiments, all rooted in a cohesive and impactful brand narrative. What sets us apart is our disruptive approach to client collaboration. Unlike the conventional agency model, we assign dedicated squads that seamlessly integrate with each client’s marketing team.

These squads comprise a broad range of professionals, spanning creative designers, data analysts, and growth strategists. With their deep knowledge and expertise, they propel our clients’ long-term growth and ensure constant progress toward their objectives.

Office Location: New York, NY

Year Founded: 2017

Team Size: 50 – 100 employees

Key Services: SMM, Search Engine Optimization, CRO, SEM, Social Ads, Content Marketing, Email Marketing Strategies, Video, and SMS Marketing, DTC Marketing

Industries Served: SaaS, Healthcare, Fintech, B2B, Consumer, Crypto

Case Studies: View all case studies.

2. Day Job

When you first land on Day Job’s website, there’s a moment of confusion and nostalgia. Suddenly, you’re looking at a page from the 90s, with pixelated images and an old-time, text-heavy Microsoft interface. And yet, as reminiscent of the past as Day Job’s website is, its work is as millennial-focused as it gets — buzzworthy, creative, and always relevant.

For Day Job, it’s all about the details — they don’t just create brands but rather end-to-end worlds where the experience at any touchpoint is consistent and immersive. The California-based agency is the brains behind the airy, dreamy aura of Recess.

The cannabis-infused drink that floats, quite literally, on every digital platform consistently lives and breathes the ease and levitation it promises. The agency has also crafted the tropical, pink vibe of Cha Cha Matcha and the quirky yet authentic feel of Fly by Jing.

Office Location: Los Angeles, CA

Year Founded: 2018

Team Size: 2 – 10 employees

Key Services: Brand Strategy, Website Design, Brand Messaging, Digital Advertising Strategies, Print

Industries Served: Food and Beverage, Mental Health Services

Case Studies: View all case studies.

3. Bullish

Bullish is not your average agency: it’s a combination of an investment firm and a brand studio. Their input in developing remarkable brands doesn’t just end with their ideation and creation. Bullish goes as far as becoming an investor in brands with high potential, directly partaking in the growth and development of each brand from identity to business goals and success. Some of the New York-based agency’s select early-stage consumer investments include Casper, Care/of, Hu, Peloton, and Warby Parker.

Office Location: New York, NY

Year Founded: 2015

Team Size: 11 – 50 employees

Key Services: Growth, Strategy, Creative Design

Industries Served: Tech, Beverage, Fashion

Case Studies: View all case studies.

4. Wolff Olins

When it comes to developing dynamic brands, Wolff Olins integrates technology with design to create dimensionality and bring brands to life. At its core, Wolff Olins considers a brand identity beyond a static visual appearance. Instead, the agency crafts multidimensional brand personalities that breathe, move, and engage consumers at new and interactive levels. From TikTok’s 3D logo and Uber’s most recent U shape to Google’s four-color spiraling G, the designs Wolff Olins produces successfully launch brands into the digital-forward world that customers live in today.

Office Location: London, UK

Year Founded: 1965

Team Size: 51 – 200 employees

Key Services: Product Design, Experience Design, Branding, Digital Strategy

Industries Served: Automotive, Tech, Social Media Marketing

Case Studies: View all case studies.

5. Gander

There are certain DTC brands that take over their industries by storm, and suddenly, the market doesn’t look the same anymore. Some of the brands that Gander, a Brooklyn-based creative shop, has created are Banza and Magic Spoon — and neither the pasta nor the cereal markets have been the same since these brands launched.

What makes Gander’s work stand out is its ability to craft brand stories that offer a new and fresh twist on a traditional market space. At the same time, Gander’s brands have a system of powerful, distinctive color schemes and illustrations that make the brands instantly recognizable and one of their kind. Gander’s brands live and breathe beyond the digital space and deliver the same dose of unique experiences in real life, from packaging to social media.

Office Location: Brooklyn, New York

Year Founded: 2015

Team Size: 2 – 10 employees

Key Services: Graphic Design Services, Packaging, Illustration, Web Design, Web Development

Industries Served: Food and Beverage

Case Studies: View all case studies.

6. Red Antler

Red Antler is among the most respected agencies known for their ability to develop promising early-stage companies into established and well-recognized brands. The expert team at Red Antler was behind the initiative to transform Casper, a mattress company, into a symbol for good rest and a lifestyle brand with a deep connection to its customers — a complete departure from the traditional, showroom-centric, and technical-jargon-heavy mattress industry.

The agency was also behind the “Designed to Be Deleted” positioning for Hinge — a refreshing change from the rest of the industry that often failed to establish true connections between people in a hyper-digital environment.

Office Location: Brooklyn, New York

Year Founded: 2007

Team Size: 51 – 200 employees

Key Services: Product Design, Brand-led Marketing, Digital Experience, Art Direction & Content, Brand System, Project Management

Industries Served: Beauty, Fashion, Home Goods, Finances, Entertainment

Case Studies: View all case studies.

7. Preacher

From bigger names like Netflix to smaller, thriving brands like Harry’s, the companies that come to Preacher all share the same unique feel, blending the traditional with the novel to give brands an air of authenticity while helping them adapt to the changing consumer preferences. If you’re in New York and notice the StreetEasy ads in the subways, then you’ll immediately get a sense of Preacher’s ability to seamlessly fuse old and new.

The posters look hand-drawn, almost New Yorker-style; they feature references to such original New York experiences as a doorman or shoebox apartments, yet it all comes together to highlight how the technology aggregates the most qualified housing options in the city.

Office Location: Austin, Texas

Year Founded: 2014

Team Size: 11 – 50 employees

Key Services: Advertising, Branding, Marketing, Digital, Experiential, Design

Industries Served: Music, Alcoholic Beverages, Entertainment, Real Estate

Case Studies: View all case studies.

8. Pentagram

Sometimes, branding is as symbolic and intricate as creating art. Modern art, if you will. The strongest quality that sets Pentagram apart from all other agencies is the fact that all the work they create looks as if it belongs in MOMA or the Tate — no matter what industry their company comes from, from finance to healthcare or entertainment.

Pentagram’s name captures the nature of the agency’s work: it’s at the intersection of architecture, design, and science. Have you noticed the women walking out of yoga studios holding Lululemon bags covered in bold, powerful typography? The diverse typeface covering Lululemon bags and shop windows is Pentagram’s visualization of the brand’s manifesto of movement and mindfulness. 

If you happened to walk the High Line since its reopening during the pandemic, you might have noticed the green dots evenly distributed across the promenade space. Pentagram’s thoughtful design tackles the challenge of social distancing while revisiting areas beloved by New Yorkers.

Office Location: New York, NY, with offices around the world

Year Founded: 1972

Team Size: 51 – 200 employees

Key Services: Brand Identity, Environmental Graphics, Book Design, Data-Driven Insights for Design, Film and Motion Graphics

Industries Served: Financial Services, Education, Entertainment, Arts & Culture, Fashion & Beauty, Food & Drink, Healthcare, Hospitality, Real Estate, Technology

Case Studies: View all case studies.

9. Huge

What sets the Brooklyn-based agency apart is its user-centric approach to branding — and its work is geared towards building strong relationships between its clients’ brands and their respective customers. If there’s such a thing as planning experiential dates for two people to connect deeply, Huge does exactly that. Among their notable designs is Android’s brand-new look.

Huge reimagined the iconic waving green robot that everyone recognizes the Google product by, stripping the brand from all excessive details and making the overall brand experience simpler, more accessible, more welcoming, playful, and more curious.

Have you heard of FOGO? Not FOMO, not YOLO — FOGO, or “Fear Of Getting Old,” a concept introduced by Huge as part of the “GetOld.com” initiative that aimed to rejuvenate Pfizer’s image while reversing the negative perceptions of aging. The initiative wasn’t simply a limited campaign — it was the start of a large-scale movement that created a community of followers who believed the message resonated with their thoughts and feelings.

Office Location: Brooklyn, New York

Year Founded: 1999

Team Size: 1,001 – 5000 employees

Key Services: User Experience Design, User Relationship Management, Innovation Strategy, Social Media, Web and Mobile App Design, Branding & Brand Experience, Business Consulting

Industries Served: N/A

Case Studies: N/A

10. Harper+Scott

Harper+Scott is a leading creative design agency that has worked with familiar brands like Sephora and FedEx. They specialize in private label and custom retail, and they can assist brands with merchandise, gifts, influencer mailings, and more. Their approach is highly personalizable to ensure that your brand gets exactly what it needs. In their own words, if you can dream it, they can make it.

Office Location: New York, NY

Year Founded: 2014

Team Size: 51 – 200 employees

Key Services: Gifts with Purchase, Influencer Mailers, Packaging & Print, Branded Merchandise, Private Label, Promotional Products, Retail, Custom Products, Creative Design, Product Marketing

Industries Served: Food & Beverage, Beauty, Entertainment

Case Studies: View all case studies.

11. Mekanism

Mekanism is a creative design agency that works toward building iconic brands with a mixture of “soul and science.” They strive to build a foundation for each brand that will enable them to be culturally relevant for a long time and fuel sustainable growth.

The team at Mekanism takes a holistic approach to ensure every aspect of your brand has been thought through and strategized. After creative ideation and production, Mekanism works closely with brands to monitor and analyze performance as well as building social and media campaigns. They have an in-house team of digital designers that relies on a tech stack to build new, innovative relationships between brands and their audiences.

Office Location: San Francisco, CA

Year Founded: 2003

Team Size: 51 – 200 employees

Key Services: Integrated Advertising Campaigns, Digital Design & Development, Creative & Brand Strategy, Social Media Marketing, Digital Influencer Networks

Industries Served: Entertainment, Dating Services, Travel, Food & Beverage, Financial Services

Case Studies: View all case studies.

12. Bulletproof NYC

Bulletproof NYC is an independent brand agency, using the team’s creativity to drive global reach for their brand partners. They work with a wide variety of clients, of all sizes and across industries. Bulletproof doesn’t want to design run-of-the-mill brands; they want to defy convention with big, bold ideas.

The team at Bulletproof NYC has built a culture of “hustle and heart.” They’re dedicated with fiery entrepreneurial energy, and they bring a sense of passion to the work they do. At Bulletproof, you’ll find a team working to become as knowledgeable about and dedicated to your brand as you are.

Office Location: London, UK

Year Founded: 1998

Team Size: 201 – 500 employees

Key Services: Brand Strategy, Packaging Design, Film & Motion Design, 3D Environments, Brand Architecture, Brand Guardianship, Photography, Messaging, Brand Campaigns

Industries Served: Food & Beverage, Travel, Sports & Entertainment

Case Studies: View all case studies.

13. Together

Together is a design agency that provides comprehensive branding services, supporting your brand design through identity creation, visual creative, web design, and web development. They begin by determining the story of your brand, and then they start adding additional details to build out a well-rounded identity that you can share through your website and other social campaigns.

Their brand design approach is digital first, and Together emphasizes the importance of a great website in terms of capturing your audience’s attention and bringing them into the fold. Together’s brand design goes beyond colors, typography, icons, and logos and extends to the full web ecosystem of your site.

Office Location: London, UK

Year Founded: 2018

Team Size: 11 – 50 employees

Key Services: Branding, Product Design, UX/UI Design, Web Development, Web Design

Industries Served: Technology, eCommerce

Case Studies: View all case studies.

14. ArtVersion

ArtVersion specializes in graphic design for both branding and website development. They work with clients on rebranding and other digital marketing initiatives. They’ve worked with familiar clients such as Cartier, Morgan Stanley, Volvo, and Hilton, and they have a wide range of experience across industries,

ArtVersion is made up of a collaborative team of people in different specialties – designers, developers, and strategists. They have experts on hand to work with brands throughout every stage of the brand development and design journey. They work closely with client teams from concept inception to execution to ensure all creative work contributes to an impactful and cohesive user experience.

Office Location: Chicago, IL

Year Founded: 1999

Team Size: 11 – 50 employees

Key Services: Web Design, Web Development, Graphic Design, Branding, UX/UI Design, Digital Strategy, Marketing Strategy

Industries Served: Financial Services, Hospitality & Leisure, Manufacturing, Medical, Arts & Entertainment

Case Studies: View all case studies.

Choose the Right Agency for Your Brand

As you’ve seen, it’s not enough to craft eye-catching brand assets. It’s about creating a brand ecosystem that pulls the audience into the brand’s world through a compelling, relatable story that’s consistent across all design elements across many digital touchpoints.

Especially for DTC brands, it’s crucial to establish a strong initial connection with consumers through powerful designs and visuals to build long-term relationships that foster consumer loyalty and championship.

Let us know in the comments what agencies and brands have stood out to you the most, and get in touch with us for performance branding solutions that will help your business achieve sustainable compounding growth!

Start creating high-converting brand assets with an expert team.

FAQs

The post 14 Best Design Agencies for DTC Brands in 2025 appeared first on NoGood™: Growth Marketing Agency.

Influencer marketing has helped brands navigate the changing landscape of building brand awareness in the ever-competitive social media arena. Having an influencer on your side is essentially like having a fast pass in Disney World; getting to the front of the line and cutting through the noise is what it’s all about. 

Here’s what to look out for when choosing an influencer marketing agency:

1. Do they know your industry inside out?
2. Can they show off some impressive wins?
3. Are their influencer connections top-notch?
4. What cool tech tools do they use?
5. Will they be upfront about how things are going?
6. Can they cook up creative campaign ideas?
7. Do they ‘get’ your brand’s vibe?
8. Can they keep up as your brand grows?

The Leading Influencer Marketing Agencies in 2025:

1. NoGood
2. The Influencer Marketing Factory
3. Obviously
4. Carusele
5. Open Influence
6. IMA Agency
7. Fanbytes
8. Pulse Advertising
9. Socially Powerful
10. The Goat Agency
11. Influence Nation
12. August United
13. GoFish Digital
14. Viral Nation
15. Billion Dollar Boy
16. Zorka Agency
17. The Motherhood
18. Ubiquitous
19. The Shelf
20. Moburst
21. Hypefactory
22. InBeat
23. TopRank Marketing
24. Team Epiphany

1. NoGood

Description: At NoGood, we design and run customized influencer campaigns that target communities authentically, driving revenue and user growth. We specialize in helping startups of nearly every size, vertical, and business model grow by building services around insights and first-hand learnings. Through hyper-targeted influencer marketing campaigns, we drive community-led growth for your brand. 

We are connected with a vast network of influencers and knows what it takes to methodically help brands grow from one stage to the next holistically through influencer marketing. Our team provides trackable and scalable insights that help any company walk away with a deeper understanding of what works and what’s next.

Office Location: New York City, Los Angeles, Miami

Year Founded: 2017

Team Size: 50 – 100

Key Services: Performance marketing, Content Creation, Community-led growth, Influencer Marketing, Social media management SEO, Ad Creative, Attribution Reporting

Industries Served: B2B, SaaS, Consumer, Fintech, Healthcare, AI, Crypto

Case studies: Invisibly, Bytedance, Rivet, Merlin, Iovera, Exparel, Steer, Fratelli

Noteworthy Campaign: We launched and scaled JVN Hair to become one of the fastest-growing hair brands in the nation. The JVN X NoGood campaign won an award for best creator-led and performance beauty campaign in 2022.

2. The Influencer Marketing Factory

Description: The Influencer Marketing Factory is one of the top global influencer marketing agencies that help brands get in front of Gen Z & Millennials on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Its team supports brands and companies sets KPIs, identifies the right influencers, works on creativity, manages contracts and deliverables, and takes care of reposting and digital ROI analysis.

Office Location: New York & Miami

Year Founded: 2015

Team Size: 50+

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: Music, Apps, Toys, eCommerce, Beauty

Case studies: View all case studies.

3. Obviously

Description: Obviously is a full-service influencer marketing agency that guides clients through every step of the process and tailors each campaign to brand needs. With a database of 400,000 influencers across several major channels, they can create innovative marketing packages of any size or complexity. They handle all aspects of the influencer marketing experience including communication, product shipment, and analysis.

Office Location: New York, Paris, San Francisco

Year Founded: 2014

Team Size: 50 -200

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: RCPG, E-Commerce, Fashion

Case studies: View all case studies. 

4. Carusele

Description: Carusele is an influencer agency that provides either full-service program management or support services for in-house teams to connect brands and consumers through authentic content.

Carusele understands the problem with most influencer marketing models is the lack of ability to generate and measure real business results, so their approach uses real-time data to optimize programs daily in an effort to generate the most efficient results. These programs provide competitive pay-per-click advertising and drive a measurable sales lift for clients. The agency won Shorty Awards Small Agency of the Year in 2017.

Office Location: Cary, NC

Year Founded: 2015

Team Size: 11-50

Key Services: Influencer Marketing, Social Media Marketing

Industries Served: E-Commerce, CPG

Case studies: N/A

5. Open Influence

Description: Open Influence unlocks creative and strategic insights that elevate campaigns with best-in-class content, resulting in brand experiences that celebrate individual creativity. This team believes in real humans loving real humans. They produce contagious creativity that sticks with consumers long after they’ve scrolled away. They act as an extension of your team, ensuring that all parties remain aligned and are committed to the purpose.

Office Location: Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, London, Milan, Hong Kong

Year Founded: 2015

Team Size: ~10

Key Services: Creative & Strategy, Creator Discovery, Campaign Management, Content Syndication, Brand Safety, Analysis & Reporting, Paid Social Support

Industries Served: CPG, Financial and Insurance, Travel

Case studies: View all case studies.

6. IMA Agency

Description: IMA Agency, formerly known as Fashiolista Agency, executes effective strategies based on brand DNA. They hand pick the right influencers every time for conversion-led campaigns. With 10 years of experience, this team has developed countless campaigns over a variety of countries with hands-on execution, underpinned by in-depth reporting. They also can call their in-house production team and performance marketers when needed, as an added perk.

Office Location: Amsterdam

Year Founded: 2010

Team Size: ~30

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: SaaS, E-Commerce, CPG

Case studies: View all case studies.

7. Pulse Advertising

Description: Pulse Advertising is an influencer marketing agency recognized for its data-driven approach and partnerships with major social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Google. They focus on crafting authentic content through influencer collaborations to effectively engage target audiences and drive measurable results. Their team of experts seamlessly blends influencer marketing with paid social strategies, helping brands maximize their reach and engagement across various social media platforms. 

Pulse specializes in identifying and collaborating with influencers who authentically align with a brand’s values and target audience. They focus on creating genuine, engaging content that resonates with consumers, fostering trust and driving conversions. Their campaigns are meticulously planned, executed, and optimized using advanced analytics tools to ensure maximum ROI for their clients.

Office Location: Hamberg, Germany

Year Founded: 2014

Team Size: 100-250

Key Services: Influencer Marketing, Paid Social Advertising, Social Media Management, Social Media Consulting

Industries Served: Beauty, B2B, B2C, Technology

Case Studies: View all case studies

8. Socially Powerful

Description: Socially Powerful is a global, award-winning social and influencer marketing agency that combines technology-driven strategies with creative expertise to deliver impactful campaigns for brands worldwide. They pride themselves on their ability to cut through social media noise, create authentic relationships, and craft multi-dimensional social marketing narratives that resonate with target audiences across various platforms.

The agency leverages advanced data analytics and proprietary tools to identify trends, measure impact, and optimize campaigns in real time. This data-driven methodology is seamlessly integrated with a deep understanding of social media dynamics and consumer behavior, enabling the creation of campaigns that not only capture attention but also drive meaningful engagement and conversions.

Their expertise extends across a wide range of social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, and emerging channels. This versatility enables Socially Powerful to craft multi-dimensional narratives that engage audiences where they are most active and receptive. Their campaigns are known for their authenticity and ability to seamlessly integrate brand messages into organic, influencer-driven content that feels native to each platform.

Office Location: London, NYC

Year Founded: 2017

Team Size: 50+

Key Services: Influencer Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Paid Social Advertising, Community Management, Social Media Video Production, Social Commerce, Content Creation, Campaign Strategy and Execution

Industries Served: Fashion and Beauty, Technology, Gaming, Lifestyle, Consumer Goods, Entertainment, Travel and Hospitality

Case Studies: View all case studies

9. The Goat Agency

Description: The Goat Agency is a leading social media and influencer marketing agency, with it’s headquarters in London and strategic offices in New York and Singapore. The Goat Agency has established a truly global presence, enabling it to execute campaigns that resonate across diverse cultural landscapes.

The agency takes full-funnel marketing approach, focusing on designing campaigns that guide consumers through the entire purchase journey, from discovery to conversion. This holistic strategy has proven particularly effective in driving measurable ROI for clients across various industries.

The Goat Agency is known for pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in social media marketing. They frequently incorporate emerging technologies and platforms into their campaigns, staying ahead of trends and helping their clients maintain a competitive edge. From leveraging augmented reality features on Instagram to creating viral challenges on TikTok, the agency consistently demonstrates its ability to innovate and adapt.

Office Location: London, UK

Year Founded: 2015

Team Size: 400+

Key Services: Influencer Marketing, Social Media Strategy, Paid Social Advertising, Content Production, Social Media Management, Creative Strategy, Campaign Analytics and Reporting, Global Campaign Execution

Industries Served: Beauty and Fashion, Technology, Gaming, Automotive, FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods), Retail, Entertainment, Travel, Finance, Apps and Software

Case Studies: View all case studies

10. Fanbytes

Description: Fanbytes has one priority and that is helping brands reach Gen Z audiences. The U.K. based agency utilizes their proprietary analytics platform to create end-to-end influencer marketing campaigns with an emphasis on actionable metrics including expected clicks, installs, and branded engagement. Fanbytes sticks to where 13-25 year-olds congregate: TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube. Their two-pronged strategy of organic and paid social campaigns guarantees reach and engagement.

Office Location: London

Year Founded: 2015

Team Size: ~10

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: SaaS, CPG, DTC

Case studies: View all case studies.

11. NeoReach

Description: Data is at the heart of everything NeoReach does, including developing an algorithm that has created a database of over 3 million influencers and a new method for calculating ROI, which they call Influencer Media Value (IMV). This metric is specific to influencer campaigns and sponsored posts and is better suited to large companies that also regularly spend money on traditional print and broadcast advertising channels.

Office Location: Los Angeles, CA

Year Founded: 2014

Team Size: 50+

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: SaaS, CPG, DTC, B2B

Case studies: N/A

12. August United

Description: At August United, we offer a comprehensive suite of services as a full-service influencer agency. Our offerings include strategy development, activation planning, network expansion, and content creation. We believe that in a world of homogeneity, influencers can serve as a powerful catalyst for creating waves of influence across a diverse range of communities. By combining eye-catching social media strategies with nimble execution, we have been able to deliver outstanding results for numerous clients.

Office Location: Tempe, Arizona

Year Founded: 2015

Team Size: 11-50

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: CPG, SaaS

Case studies: N/A

13. Go Fish Digital

Description: Go Fish promises to increase brand awareness and engagement by forming and growing ongoing relationships with influencers across a variety of niches.  Along with influencer marketing, this team specializes in SEO, online reputation management, and conversion rate optimization for both local and national businesses. 

Office Location: North Carolina & Virginia

Year Founded: 2005

Team Size: 50+

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: SaaS

Case studies: View all case studies.

14. Viral Nation

Description: Viral Nation helps both influencers develop their business, and maintains relationships with a collection of companies and brands to secure ideal partnerships for every social campaign. Their award-winning, full-service campaigns go beyond the post, with paid boosting, whitelisting, retargeting, and experiential capabilities.

Office Location: Canada

Year Founded: 2014

Team Size: ~20

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: Saas, CPG

Case studies: View all case studies. 

15. Billion Dollar Boy

Description: Billion Dollar Boy is a unique creative agency that has over 50+ employees and works across London, New York, and New Orleans. The agency has worked with some of the premier brands in categories including beauty, fashion, retail, lifestyle, consumer goods, food and beverage, and automotive. Their work has reached 38 countries, and the company believes in diversity and inclusivity in influencer marketing.

Office Location: London, New York & New Orleans

Year Founded: 2014

Team Size: ~20

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: B2C, E-commerce, DTC

Case studies: View all case studies.

16. Zorka Agency

Description: Founded in 2014, Zorka brings brands and creators together to make native and entertaining content with a focus on enticing emotional connections. They work on any platform and have strong direct relationships with influencers. Having influencers on speed-dial provides the best prices, speedy asset creation, and streamlines communication.

Zorka has a strong client base with some of the fastest-growing and private companies in the world. They excel in creating content and influencer campaigns that are fun, exclusive, and scalable.

Office Location: N/A

Year Founded: 2014

Team Size: ~15

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: E-commerce, DTC

Case studies: View all case studies.

17. The Motherhood

Description: The Motherhood agency has been around for more than a decade and is one of the earliest agencies to implement influencer marketing. This influencer marketing agency delivers exceptional work. The agency connects brands with their most important audiences through strong influencer campaigns. The campaigns are smart, fresh, and strategically positioned to reach the most people and drive engagement.

Office Location: N/A

Year Founded: 2006

Team Size: ~10

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: B2C, E-Commerce

Case studies: View all case studies. 

18. Ubiquitous

Description: A group of marketing executives, social media pros, developers, and influencers, Ubiquitous is a full-service influencer marketing agency that improves its clients’ social media presence through creator-led organic content. Using predictive analytics and machine learning through their unique strategy, the agency solves any influencer marketing challenges. Whether it’s brand awareness or developing an incredible growth strategy, Ubiquitous will be there for you.

Office Location: N/A

Year Founded: 2020

Team Size: ~10

Key Services: TikTok Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: B2B, B2C, DTC

Case studies: View all case studies.

19. The Shelf

Description: Solving critical business goals for their customers including those of reaching target audiences and achieving conversions, The Shelf is a full-funnel influencer marketing agency pioneering in data-driven influencer marketing. By creating authentic and relatable stories through their choice of influencers, the agency helps its customers reach their targeted audiences. The Shelf differentiates itself from its competitors through its innovative technology that discovers and indexes millions of influencers for campaign success.

Office Location: Atlanta, GA

Year Founded: 2011

Team Size: ~50

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: B2B, B2C, DTC

Case studies: View all case studies.

20. Moburst

Description: Moburst has over a decade of helping companies achieve hypergrowth and category domination. Moburst partners with influencers with industry expertise that help elevate your brand. Their team streamlines the creative process to make their marketing services more affordable while driving incredible results. They provide a connection between brands and creators by adding a personal touch to relationships and brand marketing.

Office Location: New York

Year Founded: 2013

Team Size: ~20

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: B2B, B2C, DTC

Case studies: View all case studies.

21. Hypefactory

Description: HypeFactory is a one-stop influencer marketing company that meets any advertising objectives. To find the finest influencers for their clients, the agency developed the HypeAuditor tool. Additionally, they choose from millions of influencers using cutting-edge artificial intelligence technologies to identify the perfect match for business goals.

HypeFactory employs thorough and precise data to locate the influencers most appropriate for any marketing initiative. They track several different metrics, including channel and audience quality scores. Before executing their intended course of action, they use a wide range of unusual factors to choose the appropriate audience.

Office Location: Cyprus

Year Founded: 2017

Team Size: ~15

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: B2B, B2C. DTC

Case studies: View all case studies.

22. InBeat

Description: They assist well-known international businesses like New Balance, Nordstrom, and Disney in achieving their business objectives by working with more than 25,000 micro-influencers on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Brands will be able to benefit from their extensive network of influencers as well as their internal social media expertise and technology.

One of the major advantages of working with inBeat is that any campaign will be given an internal creative director. They can develop a distinctive angle that will highlight the brand and content. inBeat prioritizes micro and nano influencers with tight-knit communities, helping brands foster more genuine connections with their target audiences.

Office Location: Los Angeles

Year Founded: 2015

Team Size: N/A

Key Services: Influencer Marketing, Social Media Marketing, UGC, Micro-influencer marketing, Social ads

Industries Served: B2B, B2C, DTC

Case studies: View all case studies.

23. TopRank Marketing

Description: TopRank Marketing was founded in 2001 and is an expert in B2B influencer marketing. They have a competitive network and knowledge to drive effective strategies. Tap into an established community of experts in every industry. TopRanks employs strategies to attract qualified audiences that are action-oriented so you can crush your campaign goals. If you need a customized approach to grow your brand with influencer marketing, TopRank Marketing could be your trusted growth partner.

Office Location: Minnesota

Year Founded: 2001

Team Size: 2

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: B2B, B2C, DTC

Case studies: View all case studies.

24. Team Epiphany

Description: In its ten years of business, the New York and Portland-based company has been able to land quite a few well-known clientele. Moet & Chandon, Heineken, Cadillac, HPNOTIQ, Nike, Hennessy, JBL, HBO, and Tanqueray are a few of these. According to them, they are focused on magnifying influence and utilizing the networks that generate it. They represent themselves as developing specialist marketing that is ready for mass adoption. They concentrate on creative services, brand strategy, experiential marketing (such as pop-up shops and special events), social media, influencer engagement, and public relations.

Office Location: New York

Year Founded: 2005

Team Size: ~10

Key Services: Influencer Marketing

Industries Served: B2B, B2C, DTC

Case studies: View all case studies.

FAQs: Influencer Marketing Agencies

If you need help refreshing your influencer marketing strategy, connect with one of our marketing experts.

The post 24 Leading Influencer Marketing Agencies in 2025 appeared first on NoGood™: Growth Marketing Agency.

Introducing HOKA ONE ONE (more commonly known as HOKA), the sneaker brand that UGG parent company Deckers acquired for $1.1M back in 2012. 10 years later, the underdog athletic brand is generating $1B in sales for its parent company, marking a major shift in the athletic footwear market typically dominated by the likes of Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and other bigger and more successful names.

The secret behind HOKA’s considerable growth lies in its ability to 1) identify a specific need in a market, 2) build a standout brand identity, and 3) scale the (initially niche) brand with finely-tuned marketing efforts. Let’s unpeel each of the multiple layers of HOKA’s marketing approach and how the brand came to dominate its shoe category.

HOKA ONE ONE: The Origin Story

HOKA ONE ONE, or simply HOKA, wasn’t initially born out of a lofty goal to take over the oversaturated performance footwear category. It wasn’t a product of an executive brainstorm session at the headquarters of a large athletic gear brand. Rather, HOKA was the brainchild of two avid trail runners on a quest to find a solution to a problem for their niche community.

Founded in 2009 by Nicolas Mermoud and Jean-Luc Diard, the brand’s name itself is derived from the Maori language phrase “hoka one one,” which translates to “fly over the earth.” The founders’ mission was clear: they sought to design a shoe that would allow them to fly, or at least feel like it, over the rugged terrains of mountain trails.

Both Mermoud and Diard were not satisfied with the footwear options available in the market for tackling demanding mountain terrains. They envisioned a shoe that could provide superior cushioning to enhance downhill running, while also offering improved stability. This led to the conceptualization of the brand’s signature maximalist design – thick-soled but surprisingly lightweight.

Starting in the French Alps, the brand began to garner attention for its unconventional (later known as “ugly”) design. The initial reactions were a mix of curiosity and skepticism, but as more athletes tried them on, they began to experience the benefits first-hand. Word spread about these peculiar-looking shoes that defied the traditional, sleek norms of shoe design but delivered on performance.

HOKA’s story is a testament to the idea that intentional solutions to real problems of specific communities and personas can disrupt industries. What began as a personal quest for better trail running shoes transformed into a global brand that’s reshaping the athletic shoe market and setting new benchmarks in footwear design and performance.

HOKA’s Path to Success

Phase 1: Brand Genesis

Solving a Niche Problem

To decode the science HOKA’s swift rise to the top, it’s important to understand the roots the brand stems from and the DNA it managed to preserve even after growing into a billion-dollar brand years later.

At its core, HOKA started as a passion project with the intention of solving a niche problem for a very specific target persona: trail runners. Mermoud and Diard set out to find a sustainable solution that would enable them to run downhill faster. The product map initially wasn’t necessarily to create a shoe but a shoe cover that could easily be carried during the trail runs. However, it became clear early on that the duo had to evolve beyond a sole cover into a running shoe while preserving the technology behind the initial concept in the shoe’s sole.

The result? A running shoe with a thick, oversized sole that referenced technology from mountain bike wheels and tennis rackets — a shoe that combined superior performance while still being lightweight despite the sheer size of the sole.

Gaining Initial Credibility

While the modern definition of influencer marketing is often associated with creators and social media influencers, in the early 2010s (and particularly in the sports category), brands gained credibility and virality through partnerships with notable figures in the vertical. Some of the largest players in the space — Nike, for example — gained their initial traction (and still do) through major endorsements (think: Michael Jordan, Maria Sharapova).

After presenting the initial HOKA prototypes at a tradeshow in 2009, Mermoud struck a deal with Mark Plaatjes, co-founder of Boulder Running Company and 1993 world marathon champion, to acquire 770 pairs after taking the shoes on a test run and falling in love with the concept. Riding the wave of this initial success, Mermoud doubled down on the strategy in 2010, striking an engagement with ultra-runner Karl Meltzer, who dropped La Sportiva in favor of HOKA and began competing solely (pun intended) in the chunky running shoes.

Phase 2: Brand Evolution

By 2012, HOKA shoes were recognized as a breakthrough technology in the footwear category — but also a breath of fresh air in terms of the unapologetically bold brand identity that defied the minimalistic aesthetic that most brands pursued at the time (and to date). With the industry’s mammoth endorsements and Boulder Running Company’s endorsement, the underdog brand quickly appeared on the radar for larger players as an attractive acquisition target.

Jim Van Dyne, a brand president at Deckers, was one of the big players who kept their eye on the growing brand. Recognizing its potential as a category-defining product, Van Dyne quickly acknowledged its growth potential and lead the brand acquisition by Deckers — confidently claiming a “95% chance we can get this business over $100 million in five years.”

As a runner himself and industry veteran, having worked on scaling Adidas and Keen, Van Dyne had the sharp industry eye to recognize a categorically differentiated product when he saw it. And it’s true — HOKA’s differentiation was built on two key pillars:

1. Breakthrough technology (superior performance)
2. Unconventional aesthetic (bold design, large logo type, bright colors, oversized sole)

While the world was chasing minimalist footwear, HOKA zagged when others zigged. The brand recognized a gap in the market for runners seeking cushioned, comfortable shoes that also provided enhanced performance. This product differentiation became the cornerstone of the company’s initial marketing narrative.

Maintaining Brand DNA While Scaling Omnichannel

Immediately following the Deckers acquisition, HOKA was faced with a new challenge: continuing the expansion of the brand while maintaining its core DNA and the two key differentiating factors — its maximalist aesthetic and superior performance of the product. At the same time, the brand had to face the skepticism of the potential consumer base towards HOKA’s unconventional looks and push adoption beyond early adopters and athletes.

The first step towards scaling was expanding the brand’s reach and physical locations easily accessible to customers across the nation. Within 2 years post-acquisition, the Deckers team increased the number of stores carrying HOKA shoes, while building out a more seamless DTC experience to cover all potential touchpoints customers could interact with the brand.

The next order of business was to adapt the product for the general public, evolving it into a go-to sneaker for the average consumer while maintaining the brand’s “ugly” oversized aesthetic and comfort. By differentiating the ultra-sized sneakers (meant for athletes and trail runners) from the oversized sneakers (meant for the amateur audience), HOKA expanded its product line to continue catering to loyal customers while tapping into new audience segments and driving mass adoption against the risk of skepticism.

At the core of all the omnichannel efforts, however, one thing remained constant: HOKA never tried to be anything different than the shoe known for its thick “ugly” soles that served both functional and aesthetic purposes. The brand didn’t get diluted post-acquisition; it didn’t hire external branding and marketing teams to damper its distinct personality. Instead, they rooted their brand moat in the thick soles that, should any brand deploy a similar design, it would be viewed as a “dupe” thanks to the powerful association the brand has with thick soles.

Expanding the Target Market

While HOKA’s initial target audience was avid trail runners seeking enhanced performance, the brand quickly broadened its horizon. Today, HOKA appeals to a diverse spectrum of consumers.

What was so successful about HOKA’s expansion strategy, however, was that the brand closely followed the product adoption curve through its initial focus on athletes, trail runners, and recognizable names in the running category — in other words, the “innovators” of the footwear industry. As a result, while the initial ultra-sized models were favored largely by ultra-marathoners and trail runners, the diversified product lines that Deckers introduced over the years allowed for the brand to attract all (oftentimes skeptical) runners — from casual to elite.

The current audience has grown significantly since the early 2010s and ranges from professional athletes and marathon runners to casual joggers, fitness enthusiasts, and even those simply seeking comfortable everyday footwear (think: for hot girl walks). The brand’s clever marketing, inclusive representation, and unique product features have also caught the attention of younger audiences, keen on merging style with functionality.

HOKA has also found a niche among consumers with foot ailments, as the brand’s cushioned design promises relief and support. By casting a wide net yet maintaining its core values, HOKA has successfully attracted and retained a multifaceted, loyal customer base.

A factor in the audience expansion that should not be overlooked was also the major shift in consumer expectations and needs post-pandemic. At a time when the priority focus shifted from appearance to comfort with the normalization of “work from home” and hybrid workspaces, the change allowed for the rise of the now-popular “comfortable” shoe category, while simultaneously causing the decline of dress shoes. HOKA, On Cloud, and Asics were amongst the most successful examples of how performance footwear brands took advantage of such a major change.

Today, comfortable sports shoes like HOKA and On Cloud have become a go-to look at a multitude of organizations — from laid-back startups to finance and law firms.

From Niche Focus to Mass Appeal Through Marketing

Brand Moat: Becoming the Running Shoe

After taking a closer look at HOKA’s brand evolution, it becomes clear that a lot of the success is due to the brand capital and moat that the brand has accrued over the years. There are a few ways to measure the reach and awareness of the brand’s name has carried over the last decade — and show the direct results of the investment that HOKA has consistently made into community-building efforts.

The traction of HOKA’s recognizable brand name and offering can be traced back to mid-2018, especially when compared to similar players in the space such as On Cloud and Asics. A quick Google Trends search showcases an incremental increase in consumer interest in HOKA that significantly surpasses the competitors and continues to maintain an upward trajectory even today. The graph also reveals an overall upward trend for comfortable shoes in general — especially with the post-Covid consumer shift towards working from home.

The related search queries also showcase the reputation that HOKA has built as a trustworthy, reliable and quality running shoe.

Digging deeper into HOKA’s traffic sources, “Direct” is the primary source for HOKA, followed by “Paid Search” and “Organic.” Search (a combination of both paid and organic) is the primary channel where the brand captures consumer interest generated through branding, influencer campaigns, partnerships, and related community-building efforts.

The fact that 88%+ of the search share can be attributed to branded vs. non-branded keywords speaks volumes to the strength of the HOKA brand and how the brand’s primarily brand- and community-led marketing efforts are driving a solid ROI.

What this means is that the brand has successfully built community-led growth loops that create a sustainable influx of interest and brand awareness, minimizing the need for continuous financial investment in driving revenue in the long run.

Engaging with Credible Spokespeople

If you think about it, HOKA’s entire grassroots growth strategy began through the brand’s targeted work with industry influencers of the time — athletes, and ultramarathoners. Years later, and as influencer work has evolved in itself, HOKA continues to invest in the right partnerships and relationships that continue to add to the brand’s credibility across the various consumer sectors it wants to attract and retain.

For example, HOKA has found a niche footing in its collaborations with podiatrists, who advocate on behalf of the brand with their patients and followers with Plantar Fasciitis, a common painful ailment among many runners. To put it into numbers, Plantar fasciitis may affect 1 in 10 runners in their lifetime — which means that for HOKA, this is a massive market to tap into, build a presence and customer trust in, and ultimately drive sales.

HOKA capitalizes on such medical benefits through its digital presence across a variety of touchpoints as well: for example, HOKA’s website often leads with testimonials from accredited podiatrists. The brand also regularly appears on the AAPSM (American Association of Podiatric Sports Medicine) website with information about its product’s benefits for the end consumer.

Global Campaigns: Running Beyond the Race

HOKA doesn’t merely sell shoes; it sells a community as a result of its expansion beyond niche ultramarathoners and trail runners and its dedication to empowering all runners.

Their marketing initiatives — take their most recent “Fly Human Fly” global campaign (an intentional pun on the brand’s origin name) — spotlight real users, from amateur runners to trail runners, joggers, and elite athletes, sharing their personal stories and successes achieved in HOKA footwear, as well as using the product in action.

By fostering a close-knit community of HOKA enthusiasts, the brand has successfully created an army of organic ambassadors. This approach has led to genuine word-of-mouth marketing, the gold standard in terms of effectiveness and authenticity.

Retail Experience: Beyond the Purchase

HOKA has recently made significant investments in evolving its omnichannel distribution efforts by introducing immersive retail experiences in key markets.

Through pop-up and retail stores, the brand has created spaces that serve beyond the typical transactional purpose — spaces where customers can not only buy the shoes but also test them.

Many HOKA stores offer 3D foot-scanning devices that deliver hyper-personalized recommendations on footwear styles to the brand’s customers. Each retail space offers workout classes, wellness services, equipment care, communal events, runs, workshops, and meetups covering a wide variety of educational topics that keep the customers coming back for more.

Running treadmills, VR experiences showcasing shoe technology, and community running events all contributed to transforming a simple shopping trip into an experience.

Notable Collaborations

HOKA has embarked on several intriguing collaborations in recent years that allowed the brand to tap into new communities and attract a larger consumer base. The common denominator of all these collaborations is rooted in building community, extending the product lines to all runners and walkers, and working with brands with similar shared grassroots histories and authenticity.

HOKA x Outdoor Voices (OV)

This collaboration married HOKA’s performance-focused design with OV’s aesthetic that merges activewear with everyday style. As a result of a partnership, the brands introduced a limited edition of the Clifton shoe, with a unique color palette inspired by OV’s distinct color palette and aesthetic. For consumers, it meant a perfect blend of performance and style, enabling them to seamlessly switch between a workout session and a casual day/night out.

At its core, Outdoor Voices as a brand champions recreation, self-care and wellness over competition. Through this partnership, HOKA successfully broadened its appeal beyond hardcore runners further, attracting a more lifestyle-focused audience. This strategic move helped the brand expand its reach to consumers who prioritize both style and functionality rather than performance only.

HOKA x Engineered Garments

Engineered Garments, a New York-based fashion label known for its avant-garde designs, joined forces with HOKA to introduce a fresh spin on the Bondi B – one of HOKA’s iconic models. The resulting shoes showcased a blend of textures and patterns, standing out from the typical performance-focused athletic footwear.

This collaboration was HOKA’s first official shot at entering the world of high fashion. By marrying Engineered Garments’ experimental design approach with its own performance-centric ethos, HOKA positioned itself as a brand able to break out of the performance-specific sportswear share and effortlessly straddle the world of high fashion.

HOKA x Cotopaxi

The collaboration with Cotopaxi, a brand known for its sustainable outdoor gear and bright, rich colors, resulted in a special edition of the Torrent 2 trail running shoe. The shoe incorporated bold, colorful designs akin to Cotopaxi’s signature color palettes, paired with HOKA’s high-performance promise.

This partnership not only tapped into the environmentally-conscious audience segment but also loudly voiced HOKA’s commitment to sustainable practices.

Closing Thoughts

HOKA’s path to the summit of the shoe category isn’t just luck or a coincidence. It’s a direct result of a brand’s ability to identify a gap in the market, address a niche problem, introduce a killer product, and maintain a standout identity despite scaling the brand. In a market saturated with established giants, HOKA’s rise serves as a masterclass for brands seeking to carve out a distinctive identity and loyal customer base.

HOKA’s strategy of handpicking brand collaborations has played a pivotal role in its brand evolution — in how the brand expanded its reach beyond its initial target persona. By aligning with brands across different niches – from high fashion to sustainability – HOKA has expanded its audience base while staying true to its core values. These collaborations also underscore a broader industry trend: the blurring lines between sportswear, everyday wear, and high fashion.

Want to keep up with the latest and greatest in growth marketing?

The post HOKA Marketing Strategy: From Mountain Trails to Dominating The Performance Footwear Category appeared first on NoGood™: Growth Marketing Agency.

“Can we work with creators to grow on TikTok?”

“How can we go viral on TikTok?”

If you have been wondering about any of the questions above, you are not the only one. Oftentimes, these are the starting questions brands ask themselves when they consider TikTok as a channel. Here’s why it’s not a good idea to think about the video app through the lens of these questions.

TikTok should not be regarded as a standalone channel — or a “trendy” channel brands need to be on because it’s widely discussed at this moment in time. Instead, TikTok needs to be an extension of your existing content strategy, consistent with the brand’s values, key offerings, and other channels. Do you have a newsletter? A presence on other social media platforms? A paid media strategy? Just as you’d ensure brand and messaging consistency across all these channels, so should you add TikTok as an additional touchpoint through which your audience can connect with you and gain value from the content you share. Of course, the content on TikTok will match in its execution to the unique needs and requirements of the platform — but the key here is to think of it more holistically as another element of a consistent marketing strategy.

Additionally, it’s important to understand that, just like any other content channel, TikTok also requires appropriate resourcing in order to maintain consistency and quality of content. Just like a social media manager would monitor a brand’s presence across social platforms, or a dedicated writer would author the newsletter or blog posts, the same way TikTok requires a dedicated content creator (or creators) who is a true storyteller at heart, passionate about the brand and its offerings, and working on a consistent output of a few videos a day.

Whether you go down the in-house creator route, partner with an expert TikTok agency partner like NoGood, or collaborate with micro-influencers to source UGC content (check out our UGC guide for more information), there are many ways to dedicate the necessary resources to this channel to see promising results.

But enough on the introduction — let’s get to the actionable insights you are here for.

Without further ado, here’s NoGood’s tried and true framework for a sustainable, long-term growth strategy for TikTok.

TL;DR:

1. Set your goals.
2. Understand your competitive landscape.
3. Get clear on your brand’s identity.
4. Develop content “buckets.”
5. Experiment with video formats.
6. Spark the top organic performers.
7. Analyze the data and insights.
8. Learn, rinse, repeat.
9. Bonus: a hot take on going viral and how to repurpose TikTok videos for a multi-channel strategy

1. Set clear, measurable goals for your future strategy.

Whether you envision TikTok as a channel for a strong organic presence or a conversion-driven performance campaign, it’s important to define what you hope to achieve on the channel and how it aligns with your ultimate brand objectives.

Are you trying to achieve product-market fit? Increase brand awareness and recall? Build a community? Drive conversions? It’s important to align TikTok as an additional channel in your overall marketing strategy and how it works symbiotically with the rest of the channel mix to help you achieve measurable results.

2. Understand the landscape you are entering.

Every successful content strategy, be it on TikTok or any other platform, starts with research. It’s important to understand the landscape you are entering, the key players that dominate the space, and the cultural context in which you will be operating. Here is a brief checklist of things you should collect information on as you prepare for your official TikTok launch:

Conduct competitive research.

Who are your direct and indirect competitors that are currently on the platform? How much credibility do they have on TikTok (followers, likes, median views, comments, etc.)? What’s already working for them? What isn’t?

Pro tip: we like using the GRIN Engagement Rate Calculator to understand the relationship some of our competitors have built with their communities.

Make sure to also pay attention to the conversations that these brands have with their communities. What are some topics discussed in the comment section? What’s the audience’s stance on the brand’s videos? These can serve as great thought starters for your content strategy, sourced directly from the communities you’d like to tap into.

Identify accounts you admire on TikTok.

These don’t necessarily have to be your direct competitors necessarily; instead, seek accounts that speak to you in terms of their content style, brand tone and voice, and positioning on TikTok. Think of it this way: which brands or creators, in their own industry or vertical, have successfully curated a strong social media persona and how have they connected with their respective communities?

As you are conducting your research, pay close attention to characteristics such as video editing style, delivery, as well as use of trends, native TikTok video editing features, and formats.

Whether it’s Duolingo’s unhinged mascot or Beis’s use of user-generated content, there are so many brands that have developed their unique ways to approach TikTok — it’s your job to observe the winning strategies and adopt them.

For example, Crispy Fantasy, an up-and-coming healthy cereal brand (and arguably Magic Spoon’s competitor) unlocked growth in a very unconventional way — by sharing their story of moving from failure to failure but persevering in a series of videos. In stark contrast to a more typical approach of positive growth and success stories, big announcements, and milestones other brands share on TikTok, Crispy Fantasy leaned into full transparency and started building a community through authentic content that’s engaging, real, and human.

Identify winning concepts you can lean into.

At this stage, having identified the competitors and non-competitor brands you want to formulate your strategy after, start looking for common threads in the content topics, delivery styles, editing, and trends you’d like to experiment with.

If you are a DTC beauty brand, some popular video formats include how-to tutorials, before-and-after shots, side-by-side product comparisons, the more recent “clean girl aesthetic,” the no-makeup-makeup looks, get-ready-with-me-for-a-specific-occasion videos — and the list goes on. The Bobbi Brown TikTok account is a prime example of a wide variety of videos ranging from tips and tutorials to makeup education.

If you are a SaaS brand, some impactful video formats include product use cases, tutorials, template sharing, UI/UX greenscreens, and showcases — again, this list is by no means exhaustive. Notion’s TikTok, for example, features a variety of videos that focus around specific features, how they apply to different needs (personal or professional), and examples of how to use them.

3. Get extra clear on your brand pillars.

After evaluating the competitive landscape and identifying the winning formula for other players in the space, it’s time to get back to your brand basics. At this stage, it’s important to focus on yourself and identify the key value propositions and characteristics that define you as a brand. Remember how we touched on the larger (shared) values that your brand should build a community around? This is where it’s important to know what you stand for as a brand — and what exact benefits you offer to your consumer base.

A few key points you should have crystal clear alignment on are:

• Your brand story: how did your brand come to life? What was the motivation behind creating this brand?
• The “why” behind your brand: what is the larger mission that drives your brand? Is there a larger cause you stand for?
• Your unique differentiators (or the “what” and the “how”): whether it’s a set of key products (as a DTC brand), features (as a SaaS brand), or approach, identify 2-3 factors that set you apart from other brands in the market and why the consumer should choose your brand over competitors.
• Your customer personas (or the “who”): who are you talking to? Whose concerns would you like to address? Who will benefit from your offering the most? And of course, who can become your loyal advocates?

You should have the answers to these questions already as part of your brand guidelines and identity — but if not, use this as a chance to get back to the roots of your brand and re-align. This exercise is not TikTok-specific — it should inform the rest of your content strategy across other channels to ensure brand and messaging consistency.

4. Create content “buckets” based on your pillars to experiment with positioning on TikTok.

After identifying your brand pillars, start categorizing them into content “buckets”, or macro themes, that you’ll be drawing from for video ideas. The content buckets will build on the specific values, offerings, and differentiators that you have identified in step 2, ensuring brand consistency and alignment.

For example, as a DTC beauty brand, you might want to have categories that include (but are not limited to):

• product highlights (showcases your exact product benefits)
• The production story behind the brand and the products (draws from your brand values)
• educational content such as how-to videos, use cases or tips (draws from the “how” and “why” of your brand)
• competitor comparison such as highlighting differentiating qualities of your products (draws from your differentiation)

Or, as another example, as a SaaS brand, you can develop a content strategy that draws from the following content buckets:

• feature-specific content, i.e. the “did you know this exists?” approach (shows the benefit of your products/features)
• product use cases such as “how-to” content, educational content, walkthroughs (shows your differentiation)
• user characters in action such as a small business owner looking for a productivity tool, a type A planner who loves organization tools, etc. (showcases benefits that meet specific customer persona concerns)

For all of the above — and any brand really — company culture is also a very powerful content “bucket” to draw from in order to lean into a more human persona and add more relevance to it. It’s also a great way to contribute to your overall efforts in building a strong persona on the platform by showcasing authentic, engaging content centered around company culture.

Let’s look at two brand examples that illustrate this step in action.

Going back to the Bobbi Brown example, you can observe the sheer variety of the content buckets the brand pulls from — and how consistent is Bobbi’s presence as the representative of her own brand as well. The brand’s content draws from every single sample bucket outlined above, covering the basics from why and how certain products were created, what problem they aim to solve, and how they work in action.

Let’s look at Notion as a further example of the content buckets in action. Notion has leaned fully into the content “buckets” that encompass their startup culture and the human faces behind the brand, as well as taking a feature- and product-specific approach to continuously educate their user base on the capabilities that the tool offers and how it can alleviate their organizational pains on a day-to-day basis. They also leverage the culture that has developed around the product through their humorous “character” videos that showcase how Notion users think, as well as featuring “inside jokes” that colder audiences would want to be part of.

What this exercise does is, it allows you to kick off experimentation on a macro level in order to see what messaging resonates with the audience, channel the efforts into what works, and ultimately identify the most optimal positioning on TikTok. At NoGood, we value cross-channel learnings that allow for continuous refinement of a brand’s positioning. From this perspective, your TikTok experiments provide valuable insights that you can leverage as starting points in developing content strategies across other channels — from organic social (Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, etc.) and paid media (PPC, social ads) to editorial (blog, newsletter, etc.).

Note: An important caveat for TikTok as a platform is the need for consistency. While learnings and results happen very quickly on the platform, keep in mind that you are in for a long game — and it takes patience and dedication to succeed. Keep in mind that the saturation of content on TikTok (for your niche or the platform at large), means a larger volume of output will be necessary to achieve better results, in a shorter period of time.

Our (tried and true) recommendation here at NoGood is to post at least 1-3 times a day for the first 30 days drawing from the content “buckets” — if possible, keep up the cadence for 90 days. The short-form video format and the focus on the raw, authentic feel of the content allow us to strike a balance between quality and quantity unlike other channels, so take advantage of the fact that imperfection goes a long way on this platform.

5. Experiment with delivery and different video formats based on the winning content “buckets.”

Okay, what have you accomplished so far? You’ve analyzed the competitive space, aligned it with your brand’s identity and positioning, and outlined a content strategy that builds on your brand overall. The next step is to take your experimentation to a more granular level and test multiple variations of videos within the winning content “buckets.”

Remember the observations from your competitive analysis? The notes you took on the use of trends, editing style, and content delivery that worked? Here’s exactly where these observations come in: after identifying the content “buckets” it’s time to experiment with multiple variations, ideas, and delivery styles under each to continue testing winning formats for your brand.

There are a few experiments you can run at this stage:

• Leaning into trends in delivering the content you have in mind in a humorous, engaging format
• Introducing reactive content and tying your videos into larger cultural conversations and events discussed on the platform
• Testing a variety of hooks and introductions to maintain audience engagement
• Testing the length of your videos (15-30 seconds vs. 1-3 mins)
• Playing with a variety of text overlays within the platform to visually emphasize your point
• Leveraging TikTok’s in-app editing capabilities and content formats such as greenscreen, stories, filters, comment responses, stitches and duets (more on this later), etc.

A major benefit of validating your ideas and doubling down on what performs is the opportunity to create series and playlists. Have you ever seen brands and creators have videos that say “Part 4” and get curious about what parts 1-3 were about? This is a direct outcome of building on the momentum a successful video unlocked, and running micro-experiments (or variations) to take the testing a step further.

After identifying the most successful content “buckets”, you can also group videos that draw from each pillar into playlists (think: albums), giving the audience the option to browse through your content more efficiently and view the videos that pique their interest the most.

Finally, don’t think of your TikTok content as a “monologue” — instead, make it a dialogue.

TikTok might be a discovery platform meant for consumption and have certain small limitations for community-building, but it’s key to create a conversation with your community however possible. Remember the comment replies, stitches, and duets I mentioned earlier? These are TikTok’s native features that enable co-creation — meaning, a conversational approach to producing content.

For brands, these features open a door to building relationships directly with your current and potential customers, engaging with creators in a similar space, and participating in conversations more actively. For example, comment replies allow you to respond to direct contributions from your community members; they also provide new opportunities for micro-experimentation or serializing content.

You can also leverage duets and stitches to respond to videos that current or potential consumers of your brand have posted or to build on the momentum of a viral video.

6. Spark video content that performs organically if you are considering paid advertising on TikTok.

Historically, organic efforts and paid strategies in the larger digital marketing ecosystem have been considered completely separate practices. Organic social presence fell under the branding practice, while paid media fell under the performance practice.

TikTok has completely challenged this notion of treating both as separate entities — and it’s very much in light of the larger push for authentic, UGC-inspired content in the industry in general. For their TikTok marketing strategy to thrive, brands need to think of a strong organic presence as a prerequisite to a successful paid strategy (more on that later). This is largely due to TikTok’s Spark Ads format, which is a native amplification of a video asset posted organically to the brand’s account. Unlike “boosted posts” on Instagram, Spark Ads have a higher impact at any stage of the funnel and can leverage organically posted content that has already resonated with the audience.

On TikTok (and by extension, other paid social channels now as well), creative can make or break your strategy, which is why marketers are now challenged to think harder about the quality, purpose, and how convincing an organic video is before layering paid media to spark it.

Now, let’s tie this back into your overall TikTok marketing strategy. At this point, you know what positioning resonates with your audience and what video formats perform organically — so it’s a good time to start introducing paid campaigns. Going organic-first with your TikTok strategy gives you the opportunity to test the resonance of your creative prior to investing ad dollars into it.

Here’s where the Spark Ads come in. As a native ad format (and due to the fact that the creative is based on an originally organic video), Spark Ads amplify a piece of content with a lot more efficiency and without alienating the audience with overly promotional messaging. Not only does a Spark Ad improve the performance of the individual content piece, but it also pushes your content to a pre-determined target audience in order to drive results at each funnel stage.

In terms of timing — if you are wondering when you can introduce paid advertising through Spark Ads — our best recommendation is to have at least 7-10 organic videos on your account before launching your campaigns. Why you might ask? For two reasons:

1. taking the initial week to kick off your organic experimentation will give you the initial data to identify the winning videos;
2. because Spark Ads are directly tied to your organic account on TikTok, it’s important to establish an initial presence to inspire brand trust from your audience.

If you are interested in diving deeper into TikTok ads, our TikTok advertising guide is designed to break down TikTok from a paid advertising standpoint.

7. Analyze organic and paid performance.

You’ve made it. Your content buckets are set, you are posting videos consistently, and you may have already introduced a paid campaign on the platform. Congratulations, your TikTok marketing strategy is in motion! Now it’s time to understand how to evaluate your performance (paid or organic) to collect valuable insights.

Organically, there are a few metrics that allow you to measure your progress on TikTok. You have your follower count, views, likes (cumulative and per video), comments, shares, bookmarks, and view time. Keep in mind: do not look at each metric individually — on their own, they won’t tell you the full story. Rather, each of these metrics tells you a different story, so it’s important to look at all of them holistically to measure the audience interest and the organic performance of your content.

For example, looking at the follower count only won’t give you a good picture of your audience’s engagement if your views are not high. Similarly, looking at views without factoring in engagement (likes, comments, bookmarks) won’t help you understand whether your audience recognizes the true value of the content you share. View time will allow you to understand whether your content was engaging enough to maintain audience attention throughout, while a view count only would give you an idea of how many people the video was shown to.

The initial tests you run with your content will help you determine your own benchmarks for what good performance is and how to set more ambitious goals you can achieve through continuous experimentation.

When it comes to paid campaigns, the metrics you’ll want to keep an eye on will depend on your goals, your vertical, and your business model (just like you would with any other paid social channel). Some key indicators we recommend focusing on are the CAC and CTR, which can give you a good idea of how many people took an action and converted. Keep in mind that TikTok does not track your campaign’s customer acquisition cost (CAC) — so make sure you make the calculation yourself and continuously measure the channel’s profitability.

When using Spark Ads, make sure to note the organic performance results of the video prior to sparking it in order to really understand how to guide your choice in the assets you’ll boost next. As with the organic metrics, each of these measures allows you to understand performance from a variety of angles — and each can tell a story unique to your vertical, business model, as well as funnel stage your asset is shown at.

Here are some further metrics you can use to measure your performance, depending on the campaign type and funnel stage:

• Impressions, CPM: how many times was your ad shown to your audience, and what’s the cost per 1,000 impressions?
• CPV: how much does a video view of 2 seconds and more cost on average?
• Average watch time vs. Completions: How long on average does your audience watch your video vs. how many times did the audience complete 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of the ad?
• Cost per action (CPA): How much does your conversion cost (depending on the action you are optimizing for)?
• Return on ad spend (ROAS): How much revenue did the campaign generate in proportion to the media spend?

8. Experiment, learn, rinse & repeat.

Et voilá! You’ve just successfully built an experimentation flywheel that allows you to refine your brand positioning (tone, voice, identity, values) through macro-experiments, develop a unique and recognizable delivery style through micro-experiments, and launch paid campaigns with a higher ROI. This approach allows you to unlock your niche, build your community ground up, and continuously optimize your content to perform better.

We recommend checking in on performance on a weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis to keep a close eye on the patterns and to shift your strategy when necessary — because TikTok as a platform evolves quickly, and so should you as a resident brand.

A note on virality

If you expect me to say, “Make sure your goal is to make every video go viral,” then you are wrong. Sort of.

Of course, virality is key to explosive growth. We even have an entire guide on how to quantify virality and include it in your growth strategy. But that’s the thing — the growth you achieve is explosive, short-term, and momentary. Instead, what the approach outlined above allows for is to build sustainable momentum on the platform and unlock longevity on a platform that’s notorious for transiency.

In order to unlock such sustainability, think of your content in 2 categories:

1. Content meant for reach
2. Content meant for engagement.

Category 1 — which will include your viral videos — is meant to bring in new audiences that are interested in the value you offer and would like to see more of your content. Essentially, it’s your discovery mechanism that allows you to cast a wider net and grow your audience.

Category 2, on the other hand, is meant for the people who already know, follow or believe in you as a brand. These videos are meant to spark conversation, deepen relationships with your loyal customers and strengthen your community.

The key to a successful content strategy is a balance between both. Of course, you want to aspire for higher views and virality. However, there is importance to videos that might not unlock a sky-high number of views, but they achieve the response you need for your community (think: comments, reshares, bookmarks) that help you with the ideation of more content.

Call it your own growth loop, if you will.

Creating a Multi-Channel Content Flywheel

Because TikTok’s native content is, essentially, UGC-style content, this creates a unique opportunity for brands to repurpose winning video content across multiple channels and run experimentation on more than one platform at a time.

This is especially true as short-form, UGC video becomes the best performing content format for organic and paid efforts. We’ve observed social media giants prioritizing short-form video across the board — think Instagram (and now Facebook) introducing Reels, YouTube introducing Shorts, the list goes on to include Snapchat, Pinterest, and more social platforms.

Combined with the fact that the majority of modern cultural conversations are starting on TikTok, it allows brands to create a vault of videos that are on trend, in tune with culture, and that can be repurposed across other platforms (paid and organic) for testing purposes.

As you go through each step and begin identifying the winning videos that resonated with your audience, download and repurpose them across other platforms and paid campaigns to continue your experimentation process. At NoGood, we prefer using musicaldown.com or repurpose.io to download videos without the watermark.

Keep in mind that the content repository is simply a good starting point for building your strategy across other social channels — the same approach with testing & learnings applies to refining your efforts on each platform in line with each one’s nuances, audiences, and requirements.

In Short…

TikTok is no longer a platform for teens, dancing, and lipsyncing — it’s quickly emerging as an area of opportunity for brands to create a new touchpoint to reach new audiences, build communities, and drive conversions. Going another day without creating a strong presence on this platform means falling behind — and leaving untapped potential on the table.

That being said, it’s important to really understand the nature of TikTok as a platform driven by authenticity, raw content, entertainment, and consistency in posting if you want to crack the channel’s code for success. No matter your ultimate goal, it’s crucial to dedicate the necessary resources in order to start seeing measurable results and create a new (and sustainable) growth flywheel on the platform. And remember: the North Star here is to create a strong organic presence and build trust with the audience first in order to provide fuel to the fire when it comes to paid TikTok campaigns.

Don’t underestimate the value a TikTok marketing strategy can provide for your brand’s growth — especially in tandem with the rest of the channels in your content marketing arsenal.

The post TikTok Marketing Strategy: Getting Started on TikTok as a Brand appeared first on NoGood™: Growth Marketing Agency.

Enter: community-led growth.

In recent years we have seen a major shift in the marketing landscape in which users value natural storytelling, authentic content, and demand accountability from brands — and this particular shift has come to replace the traditional ad-based acquisition strategies. Fast-growing startups and new brands entering competitive spaces have found success pivoting away from aggressive and transactional tactics and instead doubling down on creating value through community-led growth.

The idea of community is a tale as old as time. Humans innately have the need for connection and want to be a part of something. As younger generations become active consumers, their values and expectations from the brands they choose to interact with have also matured. Just having a good product isn’t enough anymore. Rather, today’s consumer places emphasis on the authenticity of a brand, the values they stand for, and what they can gain beyond their purchase. A brand that is focused on community-led growth can build an atmosphere that fosters these intentions where you are not only focusing on the acquisition of new community members but building a retention flywheel by turning them into loyal customers and brand advocates.

What is Community-Led Growth?

Community-led growth places value beyond the product or service and focuses on building consumer relationships, brand loyalty, trust, and advocacy. By providing opportunities to deepen consumer and brand interactions, providing educational resources, facilitating Q&As through real-time support and feedback, and producing authentic content that is aligned with the brand’s community values, businesses can build successful brand communities that fulfill acquisition and retention goals at every stage of the marketing funnel. Community-led growth works in tandem with a product-led or sales-led growth strategy and leverages its brand community while tying back to brand objectives and goals.

Building a brand community has historically been overlooked and underutilized, viewed as a “nice to have” rather than a legitimate growth strategy. Fostering brand community is something that should not be put by the wayside but rather developed from the earliest stages of launch. Instead of replacing traditional growth strategies such as product-led or sales-led growth, community-led is an additional GTM strategy that works within your current marketing mix.

Consumers today have an overwhelming amount of product options and a myriad of platforms to communicate on, which means they are more often turning to their peers and online forums for brand recommendations. In fact, 90% of U.S. online users trust brand or product recommendations from family or friends, while only 10% trust ads from websites. When a community already thrives and exists within a certain sector or around a specific product, consumers will be more likely to gravitate toward a brand that has proven loyalty and enter the self-sustaining flywheel of community-led growth. This growth flywheel is built on brand equity and advocacy that generates growth with little to no additional cost or resourcing.

It’s easy to think, “If I build it, they will come.” You could have the best product in the world, but getting people to find it and believe in it is another battle that doesn’t come as easily. This is where community-led growth comes into play and can work in with product-led growth, not replace it. Don’t get me wrong, a community can literally be a company’s product (think Slack, Instagram, or Salesforce), but the product can also be built around the community (Peloton in at-home workouts or Glossier starting out as a beauty blog). Consumers of these brands view themselves not just as customers, but as members belonging to a community larger than themselves. Every brand community needs to be defined individually and centered around not only the brand and audience, but the shared values between the two. Community-led growth builds upon a successful product and harnesses the power of enthusiastic consumers. A sense of belonging is what is at the heart of community-led growth and it is the product that brings these users together.

In a community-led growth marketing model, your brand community remains at the center of the strategy. The means by which you communicate with your audience serves as the catalyst to building trust, receiving feedback, and improving your product whether that is through your content marketing, providing virtual spaces for users to aggregate, or physical live events. These community-building efforts not only introduce new members to your community, but warm leads, build trust, and give space to retention for long-term relationships and loyalty.

Why Now?

The rise in importance that community-first thinking is experiencing at this time is no surprise — there are a number of factors that have almost made this shift inevitable.

There has been a shift away from aggressive acquisition advertising towards value-based marketing.

As “growth hacking” becomes an obsolete term and brands realize that sustainable, long-term growth is a better approach than explosive, quick growth tactics, this shift becomes extremely apparent. A successful growth strategy today looks fundamentally different from a few years ago — and it’s especially apparent with the rise of the likes of TikTok, extreme repulsion consumers have developed towards promotional content, and the increased demand for quality storytelling and content that provides true value.

Ads are not the number one choice for growth anymore; there needs to be a better approach around the content that goes into the advertising strategy, the storytelling behind it, and a fairer exchange between the audience and the brand to help drive the consumer’s final decision.

Community-led growth satisfies that by fostering deeper connections between brands and users that are not simply transactional; the strategy puts the consumer at the center of the brand’s efforts, bringing them along for the entire growth journey; and it puts emphasis on delivering value through content that strives to educate or entertain first, sell second.

Consumers choose brands that they connect with on a value level.

Building on the massive shift in how we perceive advertising efforts today, it’s important to note the evolution in the consumers’ level of education and expectations when it comes to the brands of their choice and the platforms they engage with brands through.

To put this in numbers, studies have shown that 82% of shoppers choose brands with values that closely align with their own — and this alignment is make-it-or-break-it when it comes to their final decision to convert and even remain loyal.

This puts additional pressure on brands to weave community-driven thinking into more than just a marketing strategy; it needs to seep through product growth, consumer insights, feature design, and across every touchpoint that users interact with digitally and in-person.

The downfall of third-party data has put extra pressure on brands to learn more about their ideal customers.

iOS 14+ updates, the App Tracking Privacy (ATT) updates, the cookieless future — these aren’t just gossip or myths anymore. We have officially moved from having conversations about these looming advertising roadblocks towards developing strategies to adapt and evolve.

This completely shifts how brands typically approach their marketing mix and growth strategy, since putting all the eggs in a single basket (the basket being Google and Meta) is not a one-size-fits-all strategy anymore. Instead, brands look to diversify their channel mix and strategically choose where to build their presence; they think who they can reach on these new channels; they prioritize zero- and first-party data collection to build their own repositories of user information now that there are significant limitations to how data can be acquired. And with all that said, the source of zero- and first-party data is the consumer directly — meaning that capturing their attention, showing respect for the data they share, as well as making it an equitable exchange is the new challenge.

Community-led growth solves this by providing a user or consumer base of advocates who are naturally further down the funnel; have bought into the brand’s positioning and values; feels like a participant in the brand’s growth; and willingly shares data and feedback to help the brand scale.

Building brand loyalty and long-term consumer relationships have become the true North Star (especially in an economic downturn).

Differentiation is the biggest challenge in any space that’s relatively crowded — and so is retaining consumers when they have the ability to choose a more convenient alternative.

This reality becomes direr in times of a recession or an economic downturn when consumers are more frugal with where they choose to spend their dime and what they deem worthy of investment. In this climate, consumers who are concerned or strongly impacted by the downturn can be “flighty” — meaning that despite their loyalties, they are likely to gravitate towards what looks like a better deal or “win” to them.

According to the Harvard Business Review, bolstering trust is a key tactic in an economic environment like this — which is what a community-first approach ensures at its core.

Rethinking the Traditional Funnel

We have already established that community-led growth works in a self-sustaining loop — which, of course, is very different from the traditional marketing funnel the industry has used for years.

There are a few ways that community-led growth complements the traditional funnel and takes the idea of scaling a brand to a new level.

The first mode of rethinking the marketing funnel is known as the orbit model. Essentially, the orbit model enhances the funnel by creating a gravitational pull around it — and your brand becomes the center of gravity for this process.

A properly functioning community can self-sustain as it is able to retain existing members and pull in new ones who may or may not have purchased your product. Community-led growth loops also create warm audiences and leads that are more likely to go through each funnel stage, convert, be retained, and advocate on your brand’s behalf. The benefit of acquiring new community members is that they are already highly qualified leads and much further down the funnel before they’ve even begun.

With the brand at the center of this community-driven orbit, the community-led growth approach is not about driving the consumer towards transactions, but rather naturally attracting users to its center and keeping them in its orbit.

The second way to visualize how the community growth loop marries the marketing funnel is showing how it ensures that your funnel is consistently filled at the top and that brand awareness is constantly in motion without you necessarily investing extra resources into it. It also fuels the rest of the funnel stages by ensuring better qualified leads, higher retention and repeat customer rates, a better ROI driven by customer loyalty and advocacy.

Community serves as a complement to the marketing performance funnel, not as a replacement. Though the community works in every part of the funnel, it begins as a powerful and sustainable top-of-funnel driver ensuring a more frictionless full-funnel journey.

Public vs. Private Brand Communities

Not all community channels are created equal. In fact, not all communities are even brand-owned. Here we have two distinct categories of Branded Channels and Unbranded Channels and within each of those categories exist Gated Channels and Public Content Channels.

Gated channels are closed/private communities that require access to join. This could be via application, credentials, paywall subscription, certification, or simply requesting to join. These are meant to provide a platform for a community to come together and establish a network internally — rather than simply have a brand-to-consumer communication pool. Typically, these communities require additional resourcing for community management and moderation and can be considered powerful “focus groups” for a brand; additionally, these communities allow for member-to-member relationships (think: Slack workspaces, Facebook groups, etc.).

As a driver of community-led growth, however, your content strategy can be the cornerstone of community-building as well. Public content channels are free and open to the public for consumption and interaction. This includes social media accounts, open FAQ pages, blogs, newsletters and educational resources. Understanding the exact channel mix, prioritization framework, and brand tone and voice are essential to building public communities across a variety of outlets. With the major shifts towards value-based marketing discussed earlier in this piece, developing a content strategy that educates, entertains, and helps your ideal consumer is another way to build a community at the top of the funnel and fuel brand growth..

Both types of communities consist of anyone associated with your brand. This could be contributors, creators, fans, employees — anyone and everyone who interacts, uses your products, or follows you on social media. Your community is your audience (and ideally consumers further down the funnel) and you want them to be loyal to you and not go to your competitors. By building a community, you are engaging with them, sharing knowledge, and building trust which can return tenfold in brand equity and retention.

The difference between audience and community

A brand audience and community are the same right? The answer is not so simple and the two are often used interchangeably.

As a starting point, your audience and community should ideally be similar. In a performance or growth strategy, a brand’s audience is built upon your buyer personas supported by in-depth research and data. The communication happens business-to-customer across paid social, landing pages, and email campaigns.

Community — which is a broader and more encompassing term — goes beyond a simple audience but should still be built on the brand’s ideal personas to begin with. This is especially true for the community strategy with content as its primary driver, making sure that the follower base or readership you build ties directly back to your brand pillars and ideal personas with the likelihood to convert at any point.

With that said, the community even from a content strategy perspective goes beyond lead generation. For example, a community can help a brand generate hires as much as conversions; communities also include any partnerships or relationships that allow brands to collaborate with other brands or thought leaders in a space to tap into each other’s dedicated advocates.

In other words, community needs to be built on an audience and key personas — but its network effect goes beyond a performance-based brand-to-consumer relationship typical to brands vs. audiences.

When you think about the gated communities, the idea of a “community” compared to the audience takes an even more elaborate meaning. Gated communities at their core are made up of member-to-member interactions and left to the actual members to self-sustain. If you create a place for your community to engage with one another, they will come as their authentic, natural selves. The community space is meant to primarily address the needs of its members first, and convert second. Are the members there to ask questions, learn new information, or share ideas? The forum in which you host your community should reflect this sentiment.

In turn, a brand can successfully leverage its public communities to create gated ones. Public communities across social media channels can be used as top-of-funnel acquisition and brand awareness. Once this community grows, you can further develop your community and encourage them down the funnel through the creation of private channels, community perks, product feedback, and advocacy.

A more developed and defined community can then inform your target audience based on feedback and demographics. We may think we understand who our target audience is but the community can often further inform this definition and unlock crucial zero-party data.

Three types of community

Up to this point, we have laid the groundwork of what community-led growth is, the importance of incorporating community-first thinking in your growth strategy, and why community-building has emerged as a strong growth lever.. But before diving into the how of building a community-led growth strategy (which we know you are all waiting for), there are three different types of communities for your brand to consider when you are planning out your content strategy or gated community.

Community driven by product:

This type of community approach puts the product at the center of any discussion. Think of it as a space where members share product tips, tricks, report bugs, or submit queries to the support team; or a content strategy that centers around how-to content, tips and tricks for product use, future feature announcements and product updates. The users that belong to such public or gated communities seek to connect with your brand but also support each other in answering and responding to others’ questions, submitting product ideas, or using it as a place to complain.

A great example of a brand that has built a strong product-led community is Apple with its Support Platform or Notion’s TikTok account.

Community driven by practice:

Instead of rallying around a specific product, this community approach centers around a common interest or goal of learning in a specific field. This category encompasses educational resources within a given niche, where learning the ins and outs of a specific industry or practice, as well as supporting users in reaching professional and personal goals, is the core of the community’s efforts.

Hootsuite, SproutSocial, and Later all publish valuable resources on social media management and often include how their own products can assist in their goals.

Community driven play:

Unlike product- or practice-driven communities, communities driven by play engage fans of gaming, athletics, the arts, and more — in other words, personal interests and hobbies that users may have. This community approach is meant to facilitate fans to place sporting bets, find others to play Dungeons and Dragons or discover hacks to level up in Fortnite. Similar to the community driven by practice, communities driven by play look seek to bond with the brand or fellow users over niche interests and may not be married to one singular product but rather a product genre such as AR video games, traveling, or fashion.

The metaverse is filled with a “community of play” as users from across the globe can connect with brands and each other in new and exciting ways. Brands are taking community-building to the next level in the metaverse by creating meaningful immersive experiences and producing NFT collectibles for users to feel digitally connected. Read more examples of NFTs and community-building in the metaverse on our Marketing in the Metaverse blog.

What do all three of these community approaches (product, practice, and play) have in common? They all allow for a connection with individuals coming together over common interests, wants, and needs. They are by no means mutually exclusive — for example, if you are growing a SaaS startup, you may support your audience in both getting to know the product better and in how they can hit their personal or professional goals while using it.

Questions to ask yourself are:

1. What motivates your ideal personas?
2. Why are they gathering?
3. Where are they gathering?

Once you are able to answer these questions, you are ready to find your community, interact and engage with them, and create a self-sustaining platform that keeps members from running to your competitors. Continue reading for a step-by-step guide on how to grow and foster your community-led growth strategy and start building bonds between consumers and your brand.

Step-by-Step Guide to Community-Led Growth

1. Find your platform

The first step to applying community thinking to your brand’s growth is meeting your users where they are and defining your key channels.

Similar to defining your tech stack, your community stack is equally important. The key here is to diversify your platforms to reach every type of consumer in your community. Communities can be led by content, take place virtually, or be in-person experiences. There are many ways to create content and drive community growth whether it is done in-house or led by your community members. Start with one platform (TikTok, newsletter, FAQs etc.) and add more channels without spreading your resources too thin. This will essentially allow you to move your community between platforms as your audience grows and gives you the ability to deepen relationships within your community creating strong brand loyalty.

For a content-driven community strategy, look no further than a strong social media presence, a blog or a newsletter as a powerful starting point. The underlying logic is understanding what type of content your ideal personas prefer to consume and what format you can deliver value and meet their needs in.

If you are thinking about creating a private community, creating a dedicated Slack channel or Facebook Group that is invite-only is a popular low-lift way to start building your community. Twitter even rolled out its own Communities feature for users of similar interests to gather. Gaming communities communicate on platforms like Twitch and Discord, while other brands are hosting their communities on dedicated community platforms such as Tribe or building out their own in-house platforms like Salesforce’s Trailhead. Take a look at the community-led growth marketing stack below for ways you can start building your community — public or private.

2. Connect with your audience

Once you’ve chosen where to host your community, now it’s time to start connecting with your customers. As part of this step, the goal is to translate your brand identity into a strategy that will cater to your customers’ most pressing needs. It can come in the shape of a TikTok content strategy with clear content pillars and videos that educate and entertain; or a weekly newsletter that your subscribers will look forward to; or even a monthly virtual meetup for the members of your private Slack community to invite speakers to.

Building trust is essential to fostering a community — therefore, humanizing the brand is key in gaining that trust as well. A frequently used tactic is putting a face with a brand will help humanize your business. Whether that’s the CEO/founder, Social Media Manager, or a dedicated Community Manager (or showcasing company culture through UGC videos even), it is imperative people have someone to connect to.

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube all have Live capabilities where followers can tune in, participate in the comments, and ask questions throughout the Live. This was a popular way to connect during the pandemic as brands were able to host webinars and educational events as well as live shopping or product releases.

Encourage these community members to subscribe to your other channels beyond the one they connect with you through to unlock faster growth by highlighting the additional value they can get from other touchpoints. All public and private communities are meant to be transferable — and all channels are meant to continuously deliver value and be complementary. This includes newsletters, blogs, and podcasts where they can continue deepening their relationship with your brand.

3. Gather data

Public or private, your communities need to participate in conversations that go both ways. It’s a common misconception that communication flows top-down and brand-to-consumer, but the essence of community-led growth is to create a feedback loop that is self-sustainable and fuels your brand’s success.

Be a listener across public or private communities. Keep an eye on the comment section; encourage readers to respond to your newsletters with feedback; create discussion forums; ask your community for podcast episode ideas. Discuss topics your audience is interested in, whether that is insider tips and tricks, growth ideas or virality, or answering product-specific questions. What emerges from your community can be incredibly insightful. Learning their frustrations, what they need to be successful with your product, the conversations and content they are producing, the connections they are making — all of this can be used to fuel research to make your product or service even better. If you interact with your audience, they will trust you even more knowing that you are being an active participant in their community.

Ask your community what they need help with, what they want to see out of your next product update, or how you can improve your services. Your community is the most authentic and important focus group and can provide invaluable insights as users of your product or service.

Historically, user feedback only used to come from frustrated support calls, Google reviews, or post-purchase surveys. But by listening to your community, they will provide even more valuable data on the everyday attitude toward your business.

New tools such as Common Room are making it easier to track community data through social listening across platforms including Discord, Twitter, LinkedIn, Slack, and more to target top users, deepen relationships, and analyze the data and insights that come from these communities. The better pulse you have on your growing community, the stronger your learnings will be to support future product and brand decisions with your community’s needs and interests at the forefront. 

4. Expand your reach

Now it’s time to scale. And by scale, we mean: think big.

You have a functioning platform or content strategy and dedicated community members, so the next step is to foster new relationships, collaborations and partnerships with thought leaders and experts within your niche. Invite a guest on your podcast, go live with an expert on a niche topic, or invite a guest writer for your newsletter or blog. By partnering with other experts, you are not only providing your members with new opportunities but introducing your brand to your guests’ communities and followers, therefore expanding your reach. When outside experts show support for what you are doing, this creates even more buy-in for your community members and increases brand awareness among other industry experts and communities.

Bonus points if your guest returns the favor and invites you to guest host, write, or speak. Not only does this double your community reach but builds up your own rolodex of industry experts.

Building authentic relationships with community leaders can be a massive expansion lever to brands. Tapping into influencer marketing can help raise awareness and build brand credibility. Platforms such as TikTok Creator Marketplace help match brands with creators and influencers that align with their brand and sales goals. 

This is also a great time to cross-promote your multiple channels and connect the dots between your multiple communities if it applies.

5. To offline and beyond!

So you’ve mastered the online community; now it’s time to take things offline. Do this by hosting in-person events – or even better, sponsoring events held by brand ambassadors. Lululemon stores around the country hold in-person and online yoga classes that consumers and yoga enthusiasts can take part in without having to buy products. Take your community to the next level with a brand summit inviting your industry expert pals and employees to educate and, by proxy, generate new leads while fostering your dedicated following. Hubspot does this through their annual conference called Inbound in which they establish themselves as leaders in the industry and bring their community together.

Bridging the gap from virtual perks to in-person events has grown popular in the crypto and NFT spaces. Though NFTs and crypto hold digital value, these communities also participate in in-person events through NFT conferences and meetups. Popular NFT Collection Doodles created an experimental activation at SXSW where attendees were able to step into the colorful world of Doodles through pastel-inspired drinks, interact with their Doodle through large screens, and even purchase custom merch.

Offering online courses are also a great way to reach users at every stage of the funnel, keep users engaged and on your platform, and educate by using your own products as examples. LinkedIn generates even more revenue through a monthly subscription to their learning platform, LinkedIn Learning, in which users learn new skills and earn badges that make them stand out in job searches.

Community-led growth isn’t just for DTC brands. From B2B to blockchain, brands are already fostering thriving communities in-person and online focused on brand awareness, educational content, value-based marketing as well as cultural stances and point of view.

Notion and Community-Led Growth

Now that you are familiar with what community-led growth is and how to start building your brand community, it’s time to take a look at an example. The custom template platform Notion is a masterclass on how building a community can help inform the success and sustainability of your product.

Created for spreadsheet lovers, Notion relaunched in 2018 to the sound of 6,000 upvotes on Product Hunt. Now valued at $10 billion with over 20 million active global users, Notion’s corporate team has remained relatively small. So how did they do it? The answer lies within their thriving community.

First and foremost, Notion users LOVE Notion. In fact, Notion’s current Head of Community was once a Notion fanboy with a site that was getting over 80,000 hits per month. Notion’s CRO Olivia Nottebohm met the community where they were at – first finding fans on Twitter which then led her to Ben Lang’s site. Together the two built an army of brand ambassadors, or Notion Pros, that have helped the company expand globally through community events, YouTube tutorials, assisting in translating assets, and managing thriving social channels.

By encouraging user-to-user interactions, Notion has been able to better its product through community-created templates, product feedback, and has created a flywheel of trusted users and ambassadors to continue building their collaborative empire. The graph below shows examples of Notion’s community channels that serve as the catalyst for community and product growth.

The TL;DR of Community-Led Growth

Now, if we haven’t made a case strong enough for a community-led growth strategy plan, here is your short-list of why you should consider it for your brand:

1. Community-led growth supercharges your traditional performance funnel. It works in tandem with the funnel by injecting more sustainability into it through its natural loop mechanism, as well as a gravity pull that attracts new members while retaining existing ones.
2. The community offers instant product feedback. This may be the best focus group you could ask for. People on the internet don’t hold back and if they don’t like something about your product, they will let you know.
3. Your community serves as brand ambassadors and social proof. Members of the community are more likely to refer your brand to others, while the sense of belonging won’t drive them toward your competition.
4. Your community provides networking opportunities for you and your community. Members are brought together by a shared interest (that is your product or niche). You may find they are adding each other on Instagram or collaborating on TikTok stitches or duets, while you are networking by bringing in guest experts.
5. By fostering a community, you are driving content creation and UGC. One Instagram Live can be turned into a TikTok video, podcast episode, or shared to your YouTube channel. By interacting with your community, you are gaining access to not only the content you put out but the content your users share.

Having a successful company takes more than a superior product or service, the best prices, or top-notch employees. Building a community around your brand is just as important to your go-to-market strategy and can work with your current product-led strategy.

But it’s not just about building your online community; the maintenance is just as important. Yes your brand community can be self-sustaining but if not nurtured or left unattended it can turn into something that harms your company, not supports it. Be patient with growing your community. These members will be some of your most loyal and highest LTV customers because they feel connected to your brand in ways your competitor cannot offer.

You cannot force a community, but you can assist in facilitating meaningful conversations, creating opportunities to learn and grow, providing a platform to ask questions, and the ability to connect with others. Your product may be the seed, but it’s the community that helps it grow.

The post Community-Led Growth: Brand Community as a Growth Lever appeared first on NoGood™: Growth Marketing Agency.