Is TikTok an actual good marketing strategy for growing businesses?

By Liz Blodgett

We see product advertisements every day on TikTok. From the newest skin product that we need to use to a product giveaway from a clothing store, companies use influencers and content creators in different ways to try and promote their companies. However, do these strategies work? 

The way TikTok has grown with TikTokShop and influencer codes, shopping for products has become an overwhelming experience sometimes when you are just trying to mindlessly scroll through your feed. For my feed at least, it seems that every other post is someone trying to sell me something for a super great deal or because they just “love” the product so much I have to buy it. As a broke college student, I never actually tried any of the products, but I have noticed the increase in these different types of advertisements. 

Success stories like The Ordinary, Blushing BBs Slimes, and Sticky Lollies Australia have almost convinced most marketing and advertising agencies that these forms of advertisements are the way to go for quickly boosting your audiences and increasing sales. However, because of the number of companies using TikTok now, many small businesses are still struggling to get famous through this social media app. 

Since there is a very small rate at which companies could get famous and increase their businesses exponentially, with the amount of time and effort posting good content for these companies it sometimes doesn’t seem worth it. They might have better luck with normal advertisements and smaller giveaways within their communities. 

According to Forbes, TikTok ads are worth it because of the biggest reach that companies could have. There are over 500 million viewers on TikTok, so if you create the right video, it could reach many audiences and grow your company. However, how does a company post the right video? That is more of an experiment for those companies. 

Smaller companies can spend years posting content just like the bigger companies on TikTok and not get the same amount of traction that those others do. However, because of how successful those businesses get, it makes others hopeful for their own companies. 

So is TikTok a good marketing strategy for smaller businesses who want to grow? It honestly depends on the content that you are sharing and who might happen to stumble upon your page. However, the more that you post, the more likely you will hit your niche audience which will help your company expand.