TikTok: Why is it so popular?

Every few years, a new app emerges and changes our understanding of social media. In 2020, TikTok's time has come. It's loved by children and teenagers, while adults consider time spent there a waste, but its popularity is only growing.

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Social media is constantly changing, reflecting the spirit of modern culture. Myspace in 2005, then Facebook in 2008, then Instagram, with a brief hiatus for Snapchat around 2014. The transition to a new platform is always reluctant, but eventually its popularity compels us to join.

In 2020, the mobile app TikTok, which combines music and micro-video content, gained popularity.

TikTok, which is hugely popular among Gen Z, remains uncharted territory for those over 25.

Today we'll discuss TikTok's history, its ownership, and how the platform can be used for business.

TikTok statistics

• As of the end of 2020, TikTok's user base was approximately 800 million people.
• As of June 2020, 32% of active TikTok user accounts were teenagers.
• Almost 50% of TikTok's audience is under 34 years old. 26% of all TikTok users are between 18 and 24 years old.
• The average user spends 52 minutes a day on the TikTok app.
• ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, is valued at $75 million, making it the most valuable startup in the world.

Who came up with it?TikTok?

In 2014, an app called Musical.ly became extremely popular among 13- to 18-year-olds. Its main feature was the ability to create videos combining popular songs with user-created videos. The most popular activity in the app was creating videos featuring dances and lip-synced songs. By mid-2017, Musical.ly had 200 million users.

In 2016, Chinese app developer ByteDance created an app called Douyin, which competed with Musical.ly. Initially launched only in China, the app was renamed TikTok to gain greater international appeal. Within a year, TikTok had gained over 100 million users.

In late 2017, ByteDance acquired Musical.ly for $800 million and merged the two apps into one called TikTok in 2018.

Short entertaining videos-What is the secret of engagement?

When you open TikTok, you see a plethora of amateur videos. Most of them feature teenagers lip-syncing songs or talking about their school life, leisure activities, and romantic interests. This content isn't intended for people over 20, but it garners millions of views among teens.

The hardest thing about TikTok content is its brevity. TikTok primarily displays videos that are 15 seconds long, although it's possible to post videos up to one minute long. And that's it! There's no way to share images or text. This makes it difficult to understand the app's practicality, at least at first glance.

TikTok's biggest advantage is the ability to post anything: humor, hobbies, fitness, travel, music, etc. At the same time, TikTok is seeing a rise in both educational and business content.

How to use TikTok for marketing?

While the average TikTok user is a member of Generation Z, TikTok is starting to attract more serious users.

If you're a business owner, TikTok marketing can be a great way to promote your brand. But it shouldn't be a sales pitch; it's an opportunity to build trust in your brand.

How to increase customer loyalty using TikTok?

• Share fun facts about your team and company to help potential clients learn about you.
• Tell your story, share your plans, goals, and vision for your business. This helps potential clients understand what drives your business and whether your vision aligns with theirs.
• Collaborate with micro-influencers. You can search for a hashtag that resonates with you and find an authority figure in that field with whom you can collaborate.

Even major media companies like The Washington Post and NBC are using TikTok as a marketing tool – they use it to preview their content and promote their reporters through behind-the-scenes videos.

How to advertise on TikTok?

In early 2019, TikTok began serving ads to its viewers. The campaign was a success – TikTok's revenue in the fourth quarter of 2019 increased by more than 300% compared to the same period the previous year. Ads are shown as pre-rolls – videos that load before the start of the online video the user has requested – and last between 10 and 15 seconds. Like YouTube, the ads can be skipped after a few seconds, and advertisers pay per impression.

There are currently three types of advertising available on TikTok:

Brand pop-up ads

A full-screen, five-second static or animated ad that appears when a user first opens the TikTok app. These ads direct users to a TikTok website or account.

Native video advertising

Autoplay ads appearing between videos containing user-generated content. Similar to Instagram ads, these ads will lead users to a landing page or app store.

Branded hashtags

Related to a company, brand, or business: name, slogan, product name, popular phrase, or association. The goal is to encourage users to create and share videos on the relevant topic.

According to TikTok, over 90% of the platform's users visit it multiple times a day, making it attractive to companies whose products align with TikTok's audience.

Is it possible to make money onTikTok?

Currently, TikTok users have no direct way to leverage their popularity through the app. Because viewership is incredibly high, most users rely on their audiences to visit other platforms or websites to monetize.

TikTok allows each account to share their Instagram and YouTube links on their profile, making it easy to gain cross-followers.

The main goal of brands on TikTok is to attract new audiences. The rise of mobile marketing on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat has shown that with the right audience, anything is possible.

If you have a business or a personal brand, you've already taken care of having your ownwebsitewith the appropriatedomainand reliablehosting, it's worth trying TikTok and experimenting. As the app's reach grows, its ability to advertise and promote will increase accordingly, as will your brand's recognition and revenue.