One billion active users. If you need more reason than that to be fully aware of the advertising power of TikTok, continue reading.
I thought TikTok was a place for teenagers to be silly and learn dances. And it is.
But it’s more.
My first personal experience with the platform was when a friend sent me a video – I ended up scrolling and watching videos for 30 minutes instead of working. Still, I didn’t understand TikTok’s power until my mom, who’s in her 70’s, joined the platform.
Suddenly, I saw the platform as much more than another social media time suck. And judging by my feed, savvy marketers know TikTok’s power also.
Over one billion videos are watched daily on the app.
In Q1 this year, TikTok boasted 1.39 billion active users. 1.8 billion are predicted by the end of the year. Over 3 billion users have downloaded the app to date. Over one billion videos are watched daily on the app. Advertisers may reach 885 million users aged 18 and above on TikTok as of January.
TikTok users spent around $2.3 billion in 2021. This is an increase of 77% Y/Y from $1.3 billion in 2020.
TikTok has created such a monster platform that ignoring it is impossible.
TikTok advertising can be pricey, yet many businesses have been showcased with success without actually buying ads. In an interview with Business Insider, Ari Pine, a student at the University of California Irvine created a dance on TikTok to the Grammarly YouTube ad. This dance went viral as it attracted individuals to the dance bringing forth 100,00 videos, causing Grammarly’s followers to increase by 481%.
In 2020, TikTok user Nathan Apodaca rode his longboard while listening to Fleetwood Mac and drinking Ocean Spray cranberry juice. The video went viral as TikTok users wanted to recreate it and went to the store to buy the juice. Ocean Spray sales increased and the company gifted Nathan a 2020 Nissan Titan Pro-4X with a trunk full of Ocean Spray.
These organic moments are invaluable and even paid advertising should be geared toward that type of interaction.
The Business Success Stories page includes multiple examples of businesses seeing huge success through the platform. They include samples of TikToks that the businesses used to find their success. Best of all, the success stories showcase both giant household name brands to local businesses looking to break out.
When planning marketing, look at TikTok. Period.
Mary Beth Lee retired from teaching in Texas this year after 28 years as a student media adviser. She spends her time these days reading, writing, fighting for public education and enjoying the empty nester life in Downtown Fort Worth.
