TikTok has had a rapid rise to fame in the last few years. With the vast majority of its users under the age of 30, it’s a smartphone app that makes even millennials feel old. But whether you like it or not, this video platform is on almost everyone’s radar.
Created by internet entrepreneur Zhang Yiming, the app prioritizes memeable content that quickly goes viral, kick-starting trends that content creators and businesses alike all over the world take part in. TikTok has over 90 million daily users and is ranked as the world’s most downloaded app. So it makes sense that entrepreneurs are becoming increasingly curious about how to use TikTok for business.
TikTok videos last anywhere from 15 seconds to up to 10 minutes for select creators. On TikTok, you’ll find “memeable” content and trends that involve soundbites, music, dancing, or video recreation. Filters can adjust colors, add shimmer, give users a silly costume, or any other kind of customization. You’ll find product reviews, community building, original music, and much more.
Much of TikTok’s content is loosely organized into sub-communities colloquially named after their subject. You may have success catering content to these communities on the app, named TikTok “sides” by its users. For example, people who love to cook and eat seek out “FoodTok,” shorthand for Food TikTok. Those content ideas can include recipes like the famous feta-tomato pasta bake, kitchen hacks, and how-to videos.
TikTok is famous for how it hooks users. The platform analyzes the videos users watch and instantly suggests new clips. This auto-suggestion feature keeps folks watching. The content lives on the highly curated “for you page” –— popularly abbreviated to FYP — within the app. For those looking for specific information or topics of interest, the hashtag system lets users browse, search, and discover the same way they do on other platforms.
As with Instagram and Snapchat, TikTok creators can control who sees their videos. The app's default setting is public so anyone can watch and engage with their videos, but users have the option to restrict uploads to an approved list of followers if they wish.
TikTok has over 5.4 million downloads worldwide as of 2025. Its meteoric rise to success has attracted attention from social media and tech pioneers all over the globe. In fact, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who oversees vital platforms like Facebook and Whatsapp, acknowledged the "unprecedented level of competition" from TikTok. Understandably, any platform with that many users is going to turn some heads.
With that many users comes the opportunity to reach those users as an advertising platform. Just like Instagram and other familiar social media platforms, companies can engage in paid advertising, work with influencers and content creators, and establish their own presence on TikTok. But TikTok’s algorithm uniquely delivers content to users in a highly personalized manner, a model that other platforms have tried to emulate in recent years. That personalization is fantastic for brands who can leverage the platform to deliver content to likely customers.
There’s also the controversy the app has generated, particularly within the United States. There have been multiple efforts to ban TikTok in the U.S. beginning in 2019. There are also concerns about data privacy on an individual level.
Despite these issues, TikTok remains one of the most popular social networks in the world alongside juggernauts like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. For businesses, this means that TikTok presents a unique opportunity to reach new customers.
Although Gen Z and TikTok are strongly associated with one another, it’s important not to discount the presence of millennials, Gen X, and even boomers on the platform. As of 2024, around 36% of TikTok users are between 18 to 24 years old and 34% are 25 to 34 years old.
According to recent data, TikTok is popular with both female and male users. An estimated 52% of users are female and 48% are male. However, these users don't necessarily post videos themselves, as many prefer to watch the content created by other users.
You may think that your business doesn’t have a place on TikTok among all the viral dances and acting challenges. However, there’s no better moment than now to grow your business with this platform.
To start, you’ll need to come up with a content strategy for TikTok that makes sense with your brand. If your company sells artisan condiments or aesthetically-pleasing kitchenware, for example, posting FoodTok videos would be a natural place to start.
Like all other marketing strategies, the most successful ones begin with a well-researched buyer persona. Before creating content, know who you want to reach on the app. Some metrics to consider while creating a buyer persona include age, gender, economic status, and related interests.
Once you begin to create content for TikTok, keep these valuable tips in mind:
With so many people on TikTok taking advantage of the video app for endless entertainment, there are a lot of reasons to be excited about TikTok. As the world’s most downloaded app, you can’t deny the vast potential for businesses, including the use of TikTok ads. The following tips can help you find success when advertising on TikTok.
All video ads on TikTok currently require you to go through an ad representative. They have multiple ad formats to choose from, including:
You can also work directly with a content creator on the platform. These creators have to disclose that a video they produce for your product or service is indeed an ad, but creators are still a highly valuable way to introduce your brand to a whole new audience of likely buyers.
TikTok’s hashtag challenge is a user-generated content (UGC) game — which means it’s driven by users. A hashtag challenge encourages users to create and share their own spin on a sponsored hashtag. It often involves a “creator” with millions or billions of followers showing off a new coat or pair of shoes or lip-syncing a song from a movie.
It also allows users to browse and buy products associated with the hashtag without leaving the app. A separate tab provides an in-app experience where the products from the hashtag campaign are available to buy.
The in-stream video is the main ad unit available on the platform. As users scroll, these videos are delivered within their feed in a seamless manner. This way, the user experience isn’t disrupted.
There are three advertising models available for biddable ads.
TikTok’s biddable ad targeting options allow you to include and exclude users by age, gender, and location. Keep in mind, though, that not all products or services can be advertised on the platform. TikTok restricts advertising for certain high-risk categories.
A brand takeover takes place when a user opens the app and an ad appears, “taking over” the opening screen. Once opened, TikTok users viewing the ad are taken somewhere else, whether that’s an external link like to your website or to the page of another TikTok user. Currently, brand takeover ads are limited to one per day.
TikTok’s branded lenses let users tell stories using 3D stickers and face-altering filters. Alternative reality (AR) lenses encourage mass levels of engagement, with millions or billions tuning in to see how popular users transform their appearance.
Paid advertising is not the only way to get the word out about your business or product. The following strategies can help you attract interest organically.
The app highly values engagement between users, so even if you’re brand new to the platform with only a handful of followers, make sure you’re replying to comments on your videos. Another great way to engage with others on the app is to take part in user challenges or to “duet” videos.
Social media is a wonderful tool for spreading brand awareness and building up a following, especially as a smaller brand. With billions of users and counting on TikTok, the platform has experienced massive growth in the last few years, so you never know what creating an account can do for your professional advancement.
For other branding needs to help you grow your online presence, Namecheap’s Visual offers simple, affordable tools to bring your brand to life. Take the complexity out of creating a logo with Logo Maker. And set up a gorgeous professional portfolio that you can link to in your TikTok bio using Namecheap’s Site Maker. It’s time to get out there and start connecting and collaborating!
Create video ads for TikTok to help with business marketing. There are multiple ad formats to choose from, or you can collaborate with a content creator to help promote your products or services.
To use TikTok for a small business, create an account for the company and work on building and maintaining a community. Post videos that engage your audience and share important information. In addition, you can pay for targeted ads to increase your visibility on TikTok.
Yes, TikTok for Business is a legitimate way for companies to place ads on social media. This marketing tool is designed to help businesses engage with TikTok users through short-form video ad campaigns. It also includes analytics to measure how well TikTok ad campaigns are performing.
Yes, TikTok is good for small business owners who want to grow their reach and create a branded social media presence. Sign up for a TikTok Business Account to create a dedicated page for your business, engage with your target audience, and set up video ad campaigns to boost your visibility.
A few tips to maximize the impact of TikTok ads include:
From content creation to SEO, here’s everything you need find customers and keep them.
guideRead now
11 minsguideRead now9 mins
guideRead now12 minsguideRead now7 minsguideRead now10 minsguideRead now6 minsguideRead now8 minsguideRead now13 mins
guideRead now14 minsguideRead now12 minsguideRead now9 minsguideRead now11 mins
Need help? We're always here for you.