TikTok is still the fastest growing social media app on the planet and although relatively new compared to Meta, things are evolving and changing fast. Here are the key marketing trends we see for TikTok in 2023; all of which are important to understand and embrace this year, especially for your small business.

Useful content is king

Of course, evergreen useful content is king on every platform but to date, this has been secondary on TikTok after entertainment content. TikTok describes the app’s core purpose as entertainment (compared to Instagram which wants to inspire) but the content that is going to go viral and ultimately serve your community better are videos that add value.

Consider your audience’s main needs and problems and create a content plan that solves them. It is a good idea to break these into short themes or a mini series to keep them coming back for more. This will also show you are someone that cares about their needs resulting in even better loyalty which will ultimately lead to sales.

Trends will become less important

If users want useful content over entertainment, then of course something needs to give - and this will be videos that follow trends. The typical type of content we are referring to is using trending audio, normally voice audio where you maybe lip sync and add text over the top. While these videos are fun, they are less likely to be reshared or saved for later. We can already see less of these on the platform - our aim is about 80% useful content and 20% trending content.

better genuine connections

The great thing about TikTok is that videos are more low-fi, and less polished than on Instagram meaning they’re easier to make. But as with all social media, we don’t always see the real picture. We predict more creators will share more emotion, and be more genuine and honest - and showing this vulnerability will work in their favour with audiences feeling more empathy and connections.

More adverts

TikTok advertising is in its infancy which is something we love! We predict that we will start to see more in 2023 as the owners will want to push to monetise more than ever. For now, we hope that this takes a while as it is refreshing to see less advertising in our feeds.

MOre selling videos

TikTok shop is HUGE - and creators are clambering to sell products for their commission as a way of being paid on the platform. We predict that this will peak and then there will be a backlash by the end of the year with people switching off from these types of videos especially as so many are already selling items that have no relevance to their niche or audience. Similar to the current trend of anti-promotion and de-influencing i.e. things we don’t like that are gaining in popularity.

Want more help with TikTok and other short-form videos? Here are four ways to work with us: