TikTok Says Small Businesses are Flocking to the Site


small business finding new audiences with tiktok

A new study has revealed small businesses are finding their home on TikTok and have quickly become a beloved part of the TikTok experience.

TikTok Says Small Businesses are Flocking to the Site

TikTok partnered with Hello Alice, a leading organization dedicated to supporting small businesses, to better understand how small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are navigating today’s digital world. Hello Alice invited 750,000 SMBs from their network to participate in the study to help them examine the current use and perceptions of digital marketing platforms by SMBs.

SMBs Finding New Audiences with TikTok

The resulting report titled ‘Small Business Digital Marketing Trends’ has uncovered some interesting insight into how SMBs are using TikTok to find new audiences, build communities and generate results in the real world.

According to the report, small business owners understand that digital platforms are no longer a bonus, but a critical tool for reaching customers and growing their business. A lot of SMBs are using emerging social media platforms like TikTok to follow their customers and accelerate their growth.

The report discovered 67% of SMBs surveyed indicated that they are most optimistic about their growth potential on TikTok.

TikTok ‘Fun and Easy to Use’

A statement on the TikTok newsroom website said: “We’ve heard from countless small businesses that TikTok has helped them launch or build their business, and some have told us that TikTok helped them survive the darkest days of the pandemic. In part, this success seems to stem from the fact that small businesses feel ‘at home’ on TikTok and are enjoying the experience. According to the report, 81% of small businesses say that TikTok is fun and 73% say it’s easy to use.”

TikTok were also keen to celebrate the communities on their platform and encourage other SMBs to join in, saying: “We’ve long celebrated our community’s ability to be authentic and share their stories without polish or filters, and we’re excited to see how small businesses continue to leverage our creative tools.

“Starting anything new can be daunting, and we know that launching a business on TikTok is no exception. Once businesses take the plunge, the joy of creating is contagious. Of small businesses who are currently using TikTok, 78% say they plan on increasing their investment in the platform.

“To all the small business owners who are on the fence, I encourage them to reach out to another small business that is on TikTok and ask them about their experience. When Hello Alice asked why business owners were looking to start or increase their investment on any digital platform, the most common reason was ‘I’ve heard from other small businesses owners this platform was effective’.”

Methodology Behind Hello Alice’s Report

Three surveys were conducted in total, with the first comparing Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Snapchat under three categories: Platform Use, Impact and Value, and Business Objectives. The second and third surveys focused on the three broad categories specifically in relation to users’ experiences with TikTok.

Approximately 7,000 responses were collected between the three surveys, with all the data being de-identified and aggregated prior to analysis.

Image: Depositphotos


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Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead Gabrielle Pickard-Whitehead is a staff writer for Small Business Trends and has been a member of the team for 7 years. She is based in the United Kingdom and since 2006, Gabrielle has been writing articles, blogs and news pieces for a diverse range of publications and sites. You can read "Gabrielle’s blog here.".