Just a few years ago, people were always on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram. Like an explosion, TikTok erupted and kept climbing in popularity with relentless energy and later TikTok marketing.
To most people, it seemed like an overnight success but that’s not the case. TikTok has been created almost seven years ago by the ByteDance Chinese company.
One year later, it obtained the rival app, called Musical.ly, and moved more than 200 million users to its platform. Like all social media platforms, it created tons of opportunities for brands to increase their sales and popularity. Now, people even explore how to make money on TikTok by leveraging its vast user base and marketing potential.
Who is using TikTok?
It would be an overstatement if we said everyone used TikTok but they are definitely a lot of people using the platform. Did you know that TikTok had 73.7 million monthly active users in the US and approximately one billion active users worldwide?
The most active users are the Gen Z and millennials but older people are starting to use the platform too. The demographics of TikTok are edging towards an older crowd year over year. The majority remains very young but you’d be surprised to find 40 or 50 year olds on the platform. It’s a unique opportunity to build awareness very easily with Tik Tok views.
The main country using TikTok is the USA, hence why a USA ban of TikTok would greatly damage the company’s results. Second to the USA, you can find Indonesia, then Brazil, Russia and Mexico.
What makes TikTok so popular?
There are various reasons why TikTok is insanely popular. First and foremost, it came out at the perfect timing. Do you remember Vine videos? These were short videos (mostly with Jerome Jarre) where people were posting looping video clips and other funny stuff.
It was originally owned by Twitter. In the meantime, somewhere around 2016, Twitter announced that all of these uploads would be disabled. And unfortunately, it happened in 2017. This is where TikTok came in and disrupted the market.
TikTok essentially filled the void with its short videos that were both very entertaining and engaging. Teenagers having a lot of free time were immediately drawn to the platform.
Another major reason why everyone raves about TikTok is because you can spend hours and hours scrolling through its feed. This makes it a perfect form of entertainment for anyone who has a short attention span (young folks).
There’s no doubt that a vast majority of adults do not have the time and patience to watch an infinite TikTok video feed. And that’s precisely one of the reasons why TikTok is so appealing to many.
The TikTok marketing algorithm explained
TikTok is famous for its smart technology that can understand what you like to watch based on your actions on the app. When you skip past videos you don’t like and watch specific kinds of videos several times or leave a comment, the app takes note and shows you more similar content.
This algorithm helps keep you entertained and engaged with the app for longer periods. The rise of digital platforms has also made music distribution easier than ever. With the DistroKid app for artists, musicians can upload their songs from anywhere and monitor their streaming stats. However, it can also cause you to become addicted to TikTok as you keep scrolling through videos it recommends for you.
In conclusion, TikTok marketing can benefit from the app’s advanced algorithm by showing targeted ads to users who have already shown interest in similar content. However, it’s important to be mindful of the potential addiction that can come with spending too much time on the app.
The TikTok marketing influencer era
If you’re thinking about turning TikTok marketing into a career as an influencer, you should pay attention to this. One reason why many people, especially younger ones, choose to turn their TikTok hobby into a career is because it’s relatively easy to become popular.
Unlike other social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram, you don’t have to spend a lot of time creating videos that are funny and engaging on TikTok. With TikTok’s advanced algorithm, you can quickly build a large following.
This is in contrast to other platforms where it can take several months or even years to become famous. With TikTok, you have the potential to go viral in a very short amount of time. It’s an opportunity that many aspiring influencers find appealing when considering TikTok marketing in their career.
Micro-influencers
TikTok marketing has changed the game for brands and influencers. Before, brands were mainly interested in influencers with millions of followers. But now, they’re more interested in influencers with smaller followings, like 50,000, or even 3,000 or 4,000.
Why the shift? Brands have realized that smaller influencers can make recommendations feel more personal, like getting advice from a friend or family member. This is a big plus for marketing.
In 2021, micro-influencers could earn up to $125 for a sponsored post, and mid-tier influencers earned even more. But now, even micro-influencers can earn a lot of money through TikTok marketing. This is a great opportunity for anyone looking to make it in their career.
TikTok marketing engagement rate
If you want to attract a lot of people in a relatively short period of time, TikTok is the best platform to do this. One study has shown that precisely this app has a much bigger engagement in comparison to some other leading platforms, like Facebook, and Instagram. It’s pretty similar to winning the lottery with your content – making it super fun.
While the virality factor is very powerful, TikTok is starting to be more and more competitive. Brands looking to explore TikTok marketing must be ready to invest a lot of time and energy intro creating the best possible content.
Do you have a TikTok?
While TikTok is getting more and more popular, it doesn’t mean you should jump in with both eyes closed. You will need to work very hard to achieve popularity and profitability but if you believe you have a great idea, go ahead. TikTok is democratizing popularity but just like Instagram, growing your account was easy before but will get harder as time goes by.