I Went Viral on TikTok — Here’s What I Learned

As a content marketer, I’ve always been a big fan of social media. I’ve long relied on social channels like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to engage in conversations with the various marketing communities I serve, and they have helped me drive traffic to my blog posts, video content, and podcasts.

However, as a busy B2B marketer, I’m also conscious that engaging appropriately with every social media channel would be impossible. So I invest my time in the channels I believe my audience is predominantly based. This is why I’ve never given more than a cursory look at social channels like Snapchat or Pinterest to promote my objectives.

But now and again, a social media channel comes along that completely shakes everything up and deserves a closer look. With more than one billion active users, I’d be an absolute fool if I ignored TikTok.

Isn’t TikTok Just For Kids?

Well, that’s how it first started, but these days, it’s playing to a much more mature audience. Approximately 68% of TikTok users are above the age of 20. However, with that said, TikTok’s youthful audience cannot be ignored.

TikTok’s reach is particularly strong with Gen Z audiences. The Gen Z generation currently accounts for 40% of global consumers. In addition, the direct spending power of Gen Z in the United States is estimated to be worth a staggering $150bn to the economy.

TikTok Is Different From Other Social Channels

I’ve always warned marketers from being overly commercial on social media channels like Facebook or Twitter. People don’t like to be sold to on “traditional” social channels. But TikTok feels different.

Many successful TikTok marketers manage to blend entertaining their audience with a very commercial message. Perhaps this is a sign of an entrepreneurial shift in the Gen Z generation where remote working and side hustles are part of the norm.

TikTok As A B2B Marketing Tool

From a B2B marketing experience, I look at a channel like TikTok as a numbers game. If I spend a little time investing in content (maybe 20 minutes a day), I might hit a small number of prospects with…