Table of contents
- What is TikTok?
- Why is TikTok so popular?
- Who uses TikTok the most?
- How does TikTok make money
- How to use TikTok for marketing?
- Best practices for TikTok marketing
- How brands can use TikTok?
- Citations
What is TikTok?
TikTok is so popular to the young. Its main appeal lies in TikTok being a micro-entertainment. These are usually short and fun videos, making it more favorable to be trendy. Users can sing, dance, act, or mime audio clips or pre-recorded songs.
TikTok is the only internationally-successful Chinese social network, that encapsulated the Western world.
Why is TikTok so popular?
Like most social media networks, TikTok users can follow other users or accounts. “For You” is also another feature that shows random videos from others.
“For You” feed seems to be the trump card of TikTok. It shows content from users who don’t normally get a lot of following. Therefore, even the “average joe” (regular person) has a chance to go viral.
TikTok enjoys over 800 million active users: about 500 million in China and about 300 million scattered across the rest of the world. [1]
It is the most downloaded apps in 2019 on both iOS and Android. It has a total number of 1.5 Billion TikTok downloads. [2]
Who uses TikTok the most?
Demographics
Age: 16 – 24 (41% of TikTok users) [3]
Gender: 56% male vs. 44% female [3]
Location: China (500 million); Rest of the World (300 million); USA (26.5 million monthly active users of the 300 million)[3]
Frequency: TikTok users an average of 52 minutes per day on the app [3]
How does TikTok make money?
TikTok coins
TikTok makes money from in-house purchase like coins. With these coins, users can gift these to their friends or favorite TikTok creators. These coins can also be exchanged into digital gifts.
TikTok users spent more than 3.5 million dollars on in-app purchases in October 2018. [4]
TikTok ads
Like the other big players (YouTube and Facebook), TikTok provides digital advertising space.
These videos are displayed in between user-generated content. This is where TikTok advertising comes in — promoting brands, products, and services.
See our page on TikTok Ads.
Paid subscription plans
This is where TikTok earns money through subscription model as well.
How to use TikTok for marketing?
- Download the app;
- Create your account;
- Explore your feeds;
- Start engaging and following other users (accounts);
- Capture your first TikTok video;
- Apply these best marketing practices for TikTok;
- Evaluate your results; and
- Refind your strategy.
Best practices for TikTok marketing
Hashtags
Make use of relevant #hashtags.
TikTok trends
Follow the trend.
TikTok influencers
Incorporate TikTok influencers in your campaigns.
Comments
Comment regularly and encourage others to comment on your posts.
Posting frequency
Post often.
TikTok effects
Make use of TikTok effects.
Video description
Make clear video description.
TikTok ads
Content
Your videos should be interesting to your audience. This is not about your brand. Make your videos entertain or inform your audience. Building an audience having this in mind will make it easier for you to blend your promotional, branded, or corporate videos.
How brands can use TikTok?
Citations
1. Digital 2020: Global Digital Overview, January 30, 2020, https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-global-digital-overview
2. TikTok Clocks 1.5 Billion Downloads on The App Store and Google Play, Nov 14, 2019, https://sensortower.com/blog/tiktok-downloads-1-5-billion
3. TikTok by the Numbers: Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts, Feb 12, 2020, https://www.omnicoreagency.com/tiktok-statistics/
4. How Does TikTok Make Money? Overview of the Business Model, December 2019, https://infobeat.com/how-does-tiktok-make-money-overview-of-the-business-model/