It's tempting to think that, if you want people to know about your small business, you shouldn't be looking past the mainstream likes of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for your social media marketing. However, sometimes, making a marketing breakthrough calls for a quirkier approach.
This is especially true if you run a small business with a limited marketing budget - and, whereas the marketing scene on the main social networks has become oversaturated, it's a very different situation on TikTok. Here's why you shouldn't omit this video-sharing app from your strategy...
Combining elements of Twitter, Instagram and the now-forgotten Vine, it lets users put together short-form videos with music and various visual effects, including lenses and filters, at the forefront. It's no wonder, then, that TikTok has developed into a veritable hive of creativity.
It's especially popular with the younger crowd - more than 40% of the app's users fall on the age spectrum of 10 to 19, so you know where to look if you want to market to Generation Z. With this democratic cohort's spending power set to grow, it could help to lift your business in the long run.
Bonus Visual:
![10 TikTok Statistics That You Need to Know in 2019 [Infographic]](https://i.imgur.com/xOUiGiT.jpg)
Infographic courtesy of: Oberlo.
These two stars took to their respective platforms when they were still approaching mainstream acceptability. As TikTok is currently in that position, you should look for partnerships with its influencers now, before you have to pay for a potentially expensive but ineffective following, as warned by BankVic banker Peter Tseros in an article for Entrepreneur...
On TikTok, in-feed native content ads play in full screen and last no longer than 9 to 15 seconds, meaning that these ads could initially be indistinguishable from typical TikTok videos. The app also offers brand takeovers, where brands can essentially decorate the app with images, GIFs and more.
The most popular of the advertising options on TikTok, though, are hashtag takeovers, which start with making a hashtag and giving participants an end goal or prize for which to compete. Pop star Taylor Swift recently took advantage of this for her single "Me" released in April, with the hashtag #AnotherLikeMe attracting over 3 million views on TikTok, notes Influencer Marketing Hub.
Read next: More Entertainment For TikTok Users As You Can Now Import Stickers From Giphy And Export Popular TikTok Memes On GIFs Integrated Platforms
This is especially true if you run a small business with a limited marketing budget - and, whereas the marketing scene on the main social networks has become oversaturated, it's a very different situation on TikTok. Here's why you shouldn't omit this video-sharing app from your strategy...
A brief introduction to TikTok
It's undoubtedly popular; Business News Daily reports that the TikTok app has amassed 500 million monthly users since its 2016 launch by Chinese company ByteDance. Still, for many of us, especially those beyond teenage years, the question remains: what is the TikTok app?Combining elements of Twitter, Instagram and the now-forgotten Vine, it lets users put together short-form videos with music and various visual effects, including lenses and filters, at the forefront. It's no wonder, then, that TikTok has developed into a veritable hive of creativity.
It's especially popular with the younger crowd - more than 40% of the app's users fall on the age spectrum of 10 to 19, so you know where to look if you want to market to Generation Z. With this democratic cohort's spending power set to grow, it could help to lift your business in the long run.
Bonus Visual:
10 TikTok Statistics That You Need to Know in 2019 [Infographic]
Infographic courtesy of: Oberlo.
A growing and promising influencer scene
Though TikTok's influencer scene remains very much nascent, there's good reason to deem it a potentially great place to meet stars of the future. Just look at the popularity that influencers Pewdiepie and Ninja now enjoy on, respectively, YouTube and Twitch.These two stars took to their respective platforms when they were still approaching mainstream acceptability. As TikTok is currently in that position, you should look for partnerships with its influencers now, before you have to pay for a potentially expensive but ineffective following, as warned by BankVic banker Peter Tseros in an article for Entrepreneur...
What advertising options can you choose from on TikTok?
Though TikTok has only recently introduced monetisation options for the platform's marketers, this is really a good thing if your small business is cash-strapped. After all, less competition for ad placements means lower costs for the businesses that do land those placements.On TikTok, in-feed native content ads play in full screen and last no longer than 9 to 15 seconds, meaning that these ads could initially be indistinguishable from typical TikTok videos. The app also offers brand takeovers, where brands can essentially decorate the app with images, GIFs and more.
The most popular of the advertising options on TikTok, though, are hashtag takeovers, which start with making a hashtag and giving participants an end goal or prize for which to compete. Pop star Taylor Swift recently took advantage of this for her single "Me" released in April, with the hashtag #AnotherLikeMe attracting over 3 million views on TikTok, notes Influencer Marketing Hub.
Read next: More Entertainment For TikTok Users As You Can Now Import Stickers From Giphy And Export Popular TikTok Memes On GIFs Integrated Platforms