Which, according to a TikTok marketing expert, actually drives sales

If you’re starting the year with a crop of leaders calling for explosive growth in 2026, you’ll like this creator’s refreshing take: “Your brand doesn’t have to be loved by everyone.” Even if you only capture 3% of the market, your brand can stay alive.”

While I realize that “stay alive” is more of a disco anthem than a marketing goal, their point remains: trying to appeal to everyone in 2026 won’t work…and it doesn’t have to.

Developing strong marketing that resonates with a loyal group of enthusiasts is better than greeting your brand on a billboard in Times Square.

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Jemma Wu

Integrated Marketing and Partnerships Strategist

• Interesting fact: Joins the founding team of the instant beauty brand I’ve never done that before with a group of friends from the creative industry. In just two years, completely rebuilt and built from the ground up, they scaled the brand to retailers such as Urban Outfitters, PacSun and World Market, generating $1.5 million in total DTC and wholesale sales.
• Claim to Fame: Has helped brands like The Ordinary, CeraVe, TikTok Shop, and Crocs achieve an average 51% increase in sales within six months through authentic audience engagement and fully integrated marketing campaigns.

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Lesson 1: Great marketing thrives on the intersection between seeing the forest and examining the trees.

Wu looks at TikTok videos and fashion from the same perspective.

“Because I used to have a designer background, I was a doer. Now when I see something, (be it) marketing content or a piece of clothingmy first reaction is: ‘How did they do that? What tools did they use? How did they cut it? What angle did they use?‘”

These questions have served her well in marketing. She is very detail-oriented and places as much emphasis on the practical implementation of marketing as she does on the overarching vision.

It’s a lesson we can all draw on in 2026: Sure, the slide decks and Zoom meetings are full of buzzwords like Omnichannel growth There is a time and a place, but both executives and ICs must take responsibility for understanding the details of marketing.

Once you’ve clarified the overall vision, it’s worth taking some time to ask the second, third and fourth level questions that will help create strong marketing content. Whether you’re leading the campaign or in the weeds, You should care about the tone, copy, and visuals as much as you care about the overarching message.

Lesson 2: Authentic community trumps follower count.

The size of the audience is not nearly as important as the audience interest does.

During her time as a marketing director at a TikTok Shop partner agency, Wu once generated $350,000 in revenue from an eight-hour livestream with the YouTuber Avery Mills (A 90 Day Fiancé Alum).

Mills has about 500,000 TikTok followers. Nothing to be excited about, but only half the audience of another influencer Wu worked with who did that More than a million followers – and only generated $5,000 in six hours.

Mills may have seemed like a less than optimal investment on paper, but she generated 70 times more revenue compared to the better-known YouTuber.

Mills was tasked with selling a perfume bundle… to a TikTok fanbase that had never had the opportunity before Odor the perfume in real life. Talk about a tough sell.

And yet she was able to generate $350,000 in sales by appealing to her audience’s interests and building real connections with them.

As Wu describes it, “She knew what her audience wanted. Not everyone loves vanilla – I personally wouldn’t use that either. But (Mills knew) her audience was crazy about it. She’s a good salesperson.”

The lesson here is two-fold: 1) trust smaller creators who have engaged audiences rather than just chasing vanity metrics, and 2) once you’ve hired that creator, let them take the lead. They know their audience better than you do.

Lesson 3: Are you on a budget? Flyers in Washington Square Park also work.

“I know what it’s like to work with a $1 million budget. You can ask helicopters or cars to show up like it’s a fashion show. But if you don’t have that budget, there are a lot of free tactics.”

Wu once asked people to put up flyers around New York City and tell them about a free contest in Washington Square Park. People came, someone hosted the contest, and they got a ton of free content.

If you’re not that interested in in-person marketing events, consider these low-cost digital marketing activities, most of which are free:

• Newsletter (um, um)
• UGC campaigns
• TikTok videos
• Guest appearance on industry podcasts

“For small brands, it’s more about creating a buzz in the community. There are so many things they can do that are free to market.”