While more and more brands and businesses start using TikTok for their marketing, the majority of people still don’t understand what the hype is all about.And if you’ve never heard about TikTok at all, you might already be out of the loop.I know, in the age of the internet, it feels as if a new trend or app is emerging daily. However, while you can ignore most of these hypes, you should pay close attention to TikTok, the Chinese video-sharing app.In a very short time, TikTok has spread like wildfire and gained millions of users globally.In the past few weeks, I’ve dived deep into understanding TikTok as a marketing tool and what I realized is that most people don’t even know what TikTok actually is, or that it might be highly relevant for their business.
TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to produce and share very short creative videos of 15 to 60 seconds.
1. TikTok Started in China
Contrary to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and all the other big players, TikTok is not U.S.-based.In 2016, TikTok started as a Chiese project called Douyin, which is still the Chinese name of the app.TikTok is still owned by a huge Chinese tech giant called Bytedance. So, if you’ve come across any article stating that the U.S is trying to ban TikTok, now you know why they work so hard to do so.Of course, the U.S. does its best to prevent a Chinese social media platform from growing and scaling globally. But it’s too late.
2. Over 800 Million Active Users Worldwide
That’s a lot of people, huh?According to the latest studies, more than 800 million people worldwide are actively using TikTok.That’s already way more than Twitter, Linkedin, and Snapchat. If you’ve thought that TikTok is a weird video platform for kids, that’s the moment you should consider rethinking.For comparison, Instagram has one billion active users. And if we look at the rapid growth of TikTok, this number might be reached soon.
3. Over 1.5 billion Downloads on the App Store and Google Play
In November 2019, Sensor Tower reported that TikTok already surpassed 1.5 billion app downloads worldwide. The one billion mark of app downloads is a very critical one that not many have surpassed until now. Especially not in such a short period. Remember, TikTok was launched in 2016—that’s not even four years ago.Facebook, for example, was founded in 2004, meaning that it took them quite some while to establish themselves. (I know, times have changed, people are more open to downloading apps and using social platforms nowadays compared to 15 years ago; however, these numbers are still impressive.) Once TikTok passed the one billion mark of app downloads, Facebook and other big players started to pay close attention to the rising star.
4. The World’s Most Valuable Start-up
The company behind TikTok is a privately held one called Bytedance. Bytedance was founded in 2012 in China and is now the world’s most valuable startup with a valuation of over $ 75 billion. A startup, per definition, is a company that is still privately held, but that’s not the case for many big businesses. Thus Bytedance is in the first row.Why might this fact be interesting? Because it indicates that the company is healthy and able to scale. Plus, the firm valuation of Bytedance could mean that TikTok won’t be sold to one of the American corporations anytime soon.
5. Over 30 Million Active Users in the U.S.
As the app was initially launched in China, that’s where the majority of its users are from.A big part of TikToks users is from Asian countries, mainly China and India.However, the growth outside of Asia is remarkable. In the U.S. alone, already more than 30 million people are actively using TikTok, and the number is increasing at an incredibly quick rate.
6. Focused on Gen Z, but Not for Kids
Even if TikTok holds massive potential for covering people across various continents and age groups, the current majority on the platform is still a young one.Compared to other social platforms, TikTok has the youngest user base.Almost 70 percent of TikTok users are between 16 to 24 years old, which means that only 30 percent are 25+ years old.While most people ignore TikTok because of the demographics, that’s actually why you should pay such close attention to it.Remember how Facebook started?It was a platform for students.Zuckerberg’s initial intention was to connect students, so of course, Facebook’s first users also were much younger than the current average.The same happened with Instagram.Young people got annoyed by Facebook because their parents (or even grandparents) started hanging out there, and they switched to Instagram.However, after some time, our mums and dads also discovered Instagram, and the average age of the users again increased.That’s why young people are now spending time on TikTok. They are native to the platform, and their parents (not to talk about grandparents) don’t understand the app.
Honestly, I also struggled to understand how TikTok works. I downloaded the app four times and always deleted it because I didn’t understand what to do. However, the fifth time, I forced myself to master the platform because I am so convinced of its importance.
TikTok is not only about funny videos with sound effects but holds up so much more potential.
While the easy creation of fancy videos is what makes the platform so unique, older generations find it hard to understand all the features.
But that’s no surprise.
Remember explaining Facebook or Instagram to your parents? That was tough as well, right?In general, new technologies are always first embraced by young people, long before it achieves the critical mass. Thus, it would be unwise to ignore the platform right now. The sooner you get started, the more comfortable you will grow your (ideal) audience on TikTok.
7. More Than 50 Minutes per Day
The average TikTok user spends more than 50 minutes per day on the app.That number is similar to Facebook and Instagram and indicates a bright future for the app.TikTok is exceptionally addictive, and heavy users are spending several hours per day watching the short videos.The founders of the app considered everything possible to make people stay on the app. And they succeeded.
8. 34 percent Actively Post Every Day
Compared to other platforms, the activity level on TikTok is really high.About 34 percent of all users publish at least one video per day.Similar to any other social platform, you will grow your audience by posting regularly. That’s what a third of the users understand and put into practice.TikTok gives its users an exceptional organic reach. Even with no followers, your posting can go viral and reach millions.The TikTok algorithm is exceptionally sharp and delivers what people want to see.If users like your content, you will experience strong growth in a short time.Because of this steady growth, content creators are motivated to create more and more.
9. It’s not as Fake as Instagram
When browsing TikTok, you (mostly) feel as if you are around ordinary people.TikTok users mainly reject Instagram’s highly polished aesthetic.They are more real.The majority of TikTok’s most prominent influencers are teenagers who have amazed millions of people from the comfort of their bedrooms.While Instagram’s biggest Influencers are mainly showing off through entirely faked shots, TikTok users expect more honesty.The creators feel more comfortable as they have a bunch of tools to express themselves through funny and engaging videos.TikTok has made it easier than ever before to express yourself through video content for users.According to Forbes, TikTok is even overflowing with niceness. Lots of comments are empowering and encouraging.
10. It’s Not Only About Lip-Sync
Most people don’t understand if TikTok is the same as musical.ly, which was a lip-synchronization app.Here’s what connects both platforms:At the end of 2017, Bytedance (the tech giant behind TikTok) acquired musical.ly for more than one billion U.S. dollars.After doing so, they merged both apps and integrated the features of musical.ly into the TikTok app.So yes, there is a connection to lip-sync.However, TikTok is much more than that. It is based on the same sort of short-form video content, but the scope of videos is much broader.Once you open the app, you can browse through an incredibly wide range of videos.
11. Localized Content
While TikTok is a global app, a key factor for its rise and popularity is localized content.Through local contests, challenges, and hashtags, the app focuses on local trends, which users love.On TikTok, users often browse through the so-called For You Page.If you are familiar with Instagram, you’ll know the Explore Page.That’s what the For you Page is for TikTok.However, the difference is that TikTok users spend much more time on this For You Page than an average user on Instagram.This means that TikTok users don’t only consume content of people they know and follow, but that they browse through videos that are suggested through the TikTok algorithm (which is incredibly smart).On the For You Page, you might see local users as well as businesses. That’s what makes TikTok so exciting for marketing purposes.
12. Effortless Content Creation
While you might feel wholly lost when opening the app for the very first time, TikTok has actually simplified video creation and sharing.Compared to other video platforms, TikTok has taken video creation to the next level.Anyone without prior knowledge in video editing can produce highly engaging content without using any additional app or program.Due to the short formats, the production, as well as the consumption, happens quickly. This makes TikTok very fast-paced, but also addictive as users come back several times per day to check on new content.While you might need great photography, editing, and sometimes even fashion skills to produce incredible pictures on Instagram, a TikTok video that took you a few minutes to produce might go viral and reach thousands (or even millions) of people.That’s what happened with my very first video on the platform.I recorded 1-second shots of my journey from Vienna to Hurghada, without any prior knowledge. In just a few days, the video got over 50,000 views and is still bringing me views and new followers.
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