Proven Strategies to Lower CPMs & Increase Engagement Using UGC

Struggling with high CPMs on social media?

You’re not alone.

It seems like everyone’s trying to crack the code of creating brand awareness through social media, and frankly, it’s a jungle out there. But don’t worry, we’ve got your back. At House of Marketers, we help brands lower their CPM pains through high quality content and well-executed performance marketing campaigns. Our talented team helps brands and businesses drive brand narratives into impactful conversations through social media, especially TikTok.

Today, we’re dissecting the real-life success stories from NotCo México and Felix Sweden, showing you exactly how they leveraged TikTok to boost their brand’s reach.

Ready to find out how you can do the same?

Let’s roll up our sleeves and dive in!

NotCo México’s Case Study: User-Generated Content Marketing Strategy

Achieving a 70% growth in sales and attracting 300K new followers in just two months is no easy feat, but NotCo México utilised one of our TikTok strategies to make it happen.

The problem

Like many modern brands, NotCo struggled with capturing attention in an oversaturated market. The problem was twofold – to increase brand visibility while also authentically conveying their commitment to sustainability and health.

NotCo México, a plant-based food company, decided to utilise TikTok to engage with a younger, more health-conscious audience. Their approach blended humour with informative content, showcasing their products in a relatable manner.

The Solution

Here’s a breakdown of their strategy:

Strategic Shift in Audience Targeting

NotCo made a pivotal shift in the way it targets its ideal audience by extending its reach beyond the niche vegan and vegetarian communities. This expansion increased their overall reach to find a diverse, health-conscious demographic on TikTok beyond the previous vegan population.

Crafting a Relatable Content Strategy

The fusion of humour with educational content sets NotCo apart. This approach helped them create relatable narratives that resonated with TikTok’s dynamic audience, making plant-based choices more accessible and appealing.

@thenotco Que nadie te diga que tu almuerzo no puede ser algo dulce 🍩💖 #notco #comidachile #humorchile #dunkin #burgerking #domino ♬ original sound – The Not Company

Embracing Trends and Influencer Partnerships

NotCo México increased its engagement using a mix of hopping on trends plus influencer collaborations. Both these strategies helped them amplify their message. They were very selective with the influencers they worked with and chose influencers who had similar values as NotCo, thereby reinforcing the brand’s authenticity.

They collaborated with influencers on TikTok popular among food lovers like Eva Quintanilla which played a significant role in amplifying their message and enhancing their market presence through various TikTok ad formats and interactive campaigns. This collaboration was key in designing and executing campaigns that authentically resonated with their audience.

Emphasising their core values of sustainability and plant-based food, they also leveraged user-generated content native to TikTok. NotCo effectively engaged with a broader audience across Mexico, driving curiosity and expanding its community reach.

Using a Blend of UGC and Strategic Advertising

NotCo’s content strategy was a clever mix of UGC and varied ad formats. This blend ensured a constant stream of engaging, genuine content that underlined their key messages, making their TikTok presence both influential and interactive.

NotCo México TikTok Campaign’s Results

The strategy yielded tangible results:

• NotCo México saw a remarkable 70% growth in sales.
• They successfully attracted 300K new followers in just two months.
• The campaign reached 65 million users, generating an impressive 65 million impressions.

These metrics were a testament to the strategy’s efficacy, reflecting a deepened market penetration and heightened brand recognition.

“With the right content, partnerships, and strategy, we proved that innovative brands like NotCo can achieve exponential growth on TikTok, bridging the gap between business objectives and authentic user engagement.”
Federico Hirtz, General Manager, NotCo México (TikTok)

The strategic collaboration with the TikTok Agency and TikTok’s GBS Team was pivotal. This partnership enabled the effective execution of their creative content strategy.

The initiative to engage a broader audience and utilise a mix of content strategies proved crucial in lowering CPM and boosting user engagement.

This approach resulted in increased brand recognition and a stronger online community. NotCo’s story is a blueprint for brands striving to navigate the complexities of digital marketing, highlighting the power of authenticity and strategic agility.

Felix Sweden’s Creator Driven Engagement Boost

Marking a stunning +18.9% increase in ad recall and a +5.3% rise in brand association, Felix Sweden’s TikTok campaign transformed the way they connected with a younger audience.

The Problem

Felix, with a legacy of over 80 years in Swedish cuisine, faced the need to promote their new pasta flavours to diversify their audience base from their traditional consumer base.

Known for its plant-based products, it adopted a different strategy – creating a narrative around sustainability and healthy living to attract a younger audience. And they were going to do it via TikTok to find a younger audience.

@winsentw Reklam för Felix Sverige 😍 På bara några minuter får du en lunch som är godare och med prisvärd än luncher på restaurang 🍝 #fördig #winsentw #tiktoksverige #relaterbart #felixitalia #Felixssverige ♬ originalljud – Winsent

The Solution

Audience Diversification

Felix strategically shifted its focus to capture a broader audience on TikTok. Moving beyond its traditional consumer base to connect with a younger, more diverse group.

Content Driven by Creators

Embracing TikTok’s creative environment, Felix collaborated with popular content creators. These partnerships were instrumental in producing native, engaging content that showcased the brand’s new pasta flavours in everyday cooking scenarios.

Innovative Ad Use

The campaign cleverly repurposed creator content as In-Feed Ads, broadening its reach and impact across TikTok.

Brand Lift Study for Measurable Impact

Felix implemented a Brand Lift Study to quantify the campaign’s effectiveness, focusing on critical metrics like ad recall and brand association.

This method involves creating two randomised groups from the campaign’s target audience: an ‘Exposed Group’ who views the promoted content, and a ‘Control Group’ who does not.

By comparing these groups, the study employs polling and statistical techniques to measure the differences in key performance indicators such as brand awareness and ad recall.

This approach provides a clear understanding of the direct impact of Felix’s advertising on the audience, distinguishing the effects of their creative, native content on TikTok

Felix Sweden’s Tiktok Campaign’s Results

Felix’s approach included aligning with creators whose style and audience matched their brand ethos, ensuring content authenticity. The emphasis was on making the brand relatable and appealing to the TikTok community, leveraging the platform’s unique features to enhance user engagement.

These efforts led to a significant increase in brand awareness and user engagement on the platform.

• Impressive +18.9% increase in ad recall showcasing enhanced memory and recognition of the ads among the audience.
• Brand association rose by +5.3%, indicating a stronger linkage between Felix and its new pasta flavours in viewers’ minds.
• Significant growth with a 207% increase at 2 seconds and 166% at 6 seconds, demonstrating heightened user interest.

These metrics collectively prove the effectiveness of Felix’s content strategy and creator collaborations in capturing and retaining audience attention on TikTok.

By adapting to TikTok’s dynamic landscape and creatively engaging with a new demographic, Felix successfully increased awareness for its new pasta range, showcasing the power of targeted content and strategic partnerships in digital marketing.

Both case studies highlight the importance of aligning brand messaging with creative content that resonates with the target audience on TikTok. They demonstrate effective use of platform-specific features and trends.

Interested in exploring how you can achieve similar results? Reach out to us.

Key Strategies to Lower CPMs & Increase Engagement

Drawing from the NotCo México and Felix Sweden case studies, several key strategies emerge for success on TikTok:

Engaging with Trends

Tap into existing TikTok trends, making your content more discoverable and relatable. Brands should keep a pulse on trending challenges and topics to stay relevant.

Both brands integrated their products into TikTok’s unique, fast-paced environment. NotCo used humour, while Felix emphasised sustainability.

The lesson: tailor content to both the platform’s style and your brand’s identity.

Influencer Collaboration

Partnering with influencers who resonate with their target audience helped both brands amplify their reach and credibility. Selecting the right influencers is crucial for authentic engagement.

Felix Sweden’s use of native and relatable content demonstrates this. High engagement rates can lead to better platform algorithms favouring your content, potentially reducing CPM.

Collaborating with influencers who align with your brand can extend your reach organically. NotCo México’s influencer partnerships are a prime example of this action strategy, helping amplify content and potentially lower CPM.

Targeted Audience Segmentation and Interactive Campaigns

Effective targeting is key in reducing CPM. By narrowing your audience to those most likely to engage, as NotCo México did by expanding beyond just vegans, you increase ad relevance and efficiency, leading to lower costs.

Both brands utilised interactive elements like hashtag challenges, inviting user participation. Engaging your audience in content creation leads to higher engagement and a sense of community.

Consistent Brand Messaging

Despite different approaches, both maintained a consistent brand message. Whether it’s humour, sustainability, or lifestyle, consistency in messaging reinforces brand identity.

Create content that resonates with your target audience. Felix Sweden’s use of native and relatable content demonstrates this. High engagement rates can lead to better platform algorithms favouring your content, potentially reducing CPM.

Strategic Ad Scheduling And Ad Format Optimisation

Choose ad formats that align with your campaign goals. Experiment with TikTok’s various ad formats, such as In-Feed or Spark Ads, to see which yields the best results for your specific objectives.

Continuously test different elements of your ads, including visuals, copy, and calls to action. This testing can reveal the most cost-effective approach to your advertising, helping to lower CPM.

Post and run ads at times when your target audience is most active. This strategy can increase engagement rates, which can, in turn, lower your CPM.

Regularly monitor your campaign performance and be ready to adjust based on the data. This iterative approach ensures ongoing optimization of your TikTok campaigns for lower CPM.

Implementing these strategies can help in effectively lowering CPM on TikTok, drawing from successful examples like NotCo México and Felix Sweden.

By applying these strategies, brands can effectively leverage TikTok’s platform to enhance visibility, engage with audiences, and create memorable content that drives lower CPMs and higher engagement.

How to Create Brand Awareness Through Social Media and UGC

Creating engaging user-generated content (UGC) is pivotal for social media success.

Here’s how to make it impactful:

Encourage Authenticity

Genuine content resonates. Encourage users to share their real experiences and stories with your product. Authenticity builds trust and a deeper connection with your audience.

Leverage User Creativity

Users can be incredibly creative. Give them a framework (like a hashtag challenge), but allow enough freedom for them to express themselves in unique ways.

Showcase Diverse Perspectives

Feature UGC from a diverse range of users. This not only broadens your appeal but also makes your brand more inclusive and relatable.

Reward Engagement

Acknowledge and reward user contributions. This can be through shoutouts, featuring their content on your official page, or even tangible rewards. Recognition fosters a sense of community.

Maintain Quality Control

While encouraging UGC, it’s important to monitor and maintain quality. Aligning user content with your brand’s ethos and standards is key to maintaining a consistent brand image.

How Can We Help?

Collaborate with House of Marketers!

House of Marketers are experts in helping brands leverage UGC, we specialise in crafting campaigns that resonate with your audience and drive real results.

Whether you’re a small business looking to make a big impact or just starting on TikTok, House of Marketers has the expertise to help you succeed.

We can help you with:

🌟 Custom Strategies that scream “you” and captivate your audience.
🌟 Viral Content Creation that turns heads and gets the likes rolling in.
🌟 UGC collaborations handpicked to echo your brand’s voice.
🌟 Ad Campaigns that Convert – optimised for eyeballs and engagement.
🌟 Analytics that matter – insights that drive growth, not just numbers.

Contact us now and let’s transform your TikTok presence together!