TikTok Marketing in 2023: Trends, Stats, and Predictions

TikTok was created in 2016; however, it was the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 that popularized the app. The outbreak forced a lockdown that necessitated people to search for fun online as they were left bored at home.

Gen Z and the younger millennia quickly developed a thing for TikTok, which has led to its adoption amongst this age group. TikTok was ready to provide these and more, and the number of app downloads began to see significant numbers.

Today, this is the most downloaded social media app, plus the numbers keep improving. TikTok marketing in 2023 is sure to record enormous success judging by how the last few years have played out.

TikTok’s statistics and current data

Everyone is talking about TikTok in the social media space, which comes with no surprise due to how peculiar the platform operates.

It offers lots of short videos you can watch for fun and is one of the best platforms to follow trends, so why won’t such a platform record enormous patronage?

Downloads

Official figures show that TikTok has over 6 billion lifetime downloads on the App Store and Play Store combined.

The year 2020 alone saw about 900 million downloads of the app, and this figure exempts the Chinese market which also shares similar statistics. TikTok was also the most downloaded app in 2020.

Active users

The platform has over a billion active users, and this figure is projected to increase due to the mass adoption being seen around the world today.

Despite the app being less than a decade old, it’s currently one of the most used social networks. Engagement on TikTok is also one of the best in the social media space, with 9% engagement.

To bring this to proper perspective, Instagram has an average of 7%, with Twitter recording just 1% for accounts with less than 1000 followers. About 90% of TikTok users use the app at least once a day, with an average user spending about 46 minutes daily.

Consumer spend

For those wishing to know if TikTokers offer commercial value to businesses, TikTok has the second-highest consumer spend among all social media apps.

You just need to tailor your marketing strategy to suit the age groups that dominate this platform, and you’re sure to reap your rewards. Of course, you can also employ the platform if your audience is older.

Age group

Teenagers and young adults dominate TikTok, with about 69% of the users falling within the age bracket of 16 and 24 years.

Ages 10-19 constitute about 33% while ages 20-29 constitute about 30%. 16% of the users fall between 30 and 39 years of age. For those between 40 and 49 years of age, they constitute 14%, while 7% are over 50.

The younger generation below Gen Z is also on TikTok, just in case you were wondering.

It’s estimated that ages between 4 and 18 spend an average of 80 mins on the app every day. Just make sure your content is right for that age group and confirm if they’re your marketing targets.

Gender

About 58% of TikTokers are females, so males make up the other 42%. The figures are pretty close, which means the platform isn’t too gender-sensitive.

Trends for TikTok marketing

More adoption

TikTok, in the last couple of years, has seen massive adoption across the board. Gone are the days when businesses and influencers look up to only Instagram and YouTube as visual platforms to associate with.

Brands now see what TikTok can offer, especially when the products on offer are appealing to teens and young adults.

Music promotion

TikTok has grown to be one of the best platforms to follow trends, which strongly includes music.

Music makers now understand that when their music trends on TikTok, the vibe can easily extend to other platforms. Hence, musicians are making lots of efforts to make their music a hit on the platform.

Nowadays, one can even use tools available from within the app to make good music. This has birthed new TikTok musicians doing extremely well with their careers.

Social commerce

Yet another trend that is fast-growing on TikTok, with users being able to make in-app purchases from within the app.

TikTok could bring this to reality by partnering with Shopify, which led to ads being displayed in-stream.

Several links can be seen within some clickable video clips, and users have been interacting with these ads, yielding all sorts of positive results.

The investment of TikTok in social commerce is expected to raise the stakes of social media e-commerce shortly; this is one platform where social commerce will be pushed through.

More celebrities

Celebrities in their numbers have been trooping onto TikTok and this isn’t expected to end anytime soon.

Big names like Will Smith, Justin Bieber, Jason Derulo, and Britney Spears are all on this platform, and the trend is soaring among existing and upcoming individuals.

Hashtag challenge

Another fast-growing trend is the advent of branded hashtag challenges.

TikTokers seem to jump at every opportunity when they see such sponsored challenges, thereby revolutionizing the way ads are developed.

With a branded hashtag challenge, communities and users can push up the popularity of a product by simply quoting specific hashtags.

Memes

Memes are also trending on TikTok. If you know the platform well, then you’ll understand that it's all about making your content short and straight to the point.

Memes pass their messages within an ultra-short time, making them increasingly popular within the app.

Remixing

Remixing is becoming quite popular on TikTok, and this has been made possible due to the rights acquired by the parent company.

TikTok has led to music celebrities who just remix sounds and videos on the platform. Users can employ the power of their imagination to recreate something beautiful, and there’s an audience ready to consume it.

Paid ads

Adverts are on the increase around digital marketing, including TikTok marketing.

There’s a prepared audience waiting to consume your products, and they’re scattered all around TikTok.

Another thing that has led to the popularity of ads on TikTok is that the users interact and convert pretty well, as compared to other platforms.

Predictions for TikTok marketing

TikTok has grown a bunch within its few years of conception, but this growth seems to just be starting. This is especially true when you look at the many presentations on what and how the platform will be in the coming years.

TikTok is predicted to grow a massive 22% year-on-year. In the US alone, the number of active users is expected to hit a massive 79.6 million in 2022 and a further 84.4 million in 2023.

It’s also predicted that TikTok will be the go-to platform for ads as their options seem to be more efficient, effective, and user-friendly.

Instead of intrusive campaigns that affect users’ experience, TikTok can show ads that are quite similar to videos on one's feed. This gives you the option to either watch or not, as against what’s obtainable on similar platforms.

Final thoughts

TikTok marketing has grown to an admirable height over the years, but the future is still very bright considering the innovations this platform is churning out.

The growth rate has also been consistent, and prominent brands now identify with the platform, giving more room for further adoption across audiences and marketing teams.