Two years ago TikTok took the world by storm. While people were stuck inside, bored and looking for entertainment, many found solace in the video-based platform.

Like other social media apps, many thought that TikTok was just another fad and that the popularity of the app would blow over, but the latest data suggests that TikTok gains almost eight new users every second, adding to its one billion monthly active users.

As the most downloaded mobile app in 2021, the popularity of TikTok shows no signs of slowing down and there’s now also significant growth in ad reach on the platform.

The global phenomenon provides brands with another option to reach various audiences and contrary to popular beliefs, TikTok is not only popular with youth, as older audiences are also hopping on to the trending platform.

What separates TikTok from other social media apps? Research shows that over 70% of users find the content on the platform to be unique, relatable and authentic, compared to other platforms that tend to reuse old content. Moreover, many users tend to feel a greater sense of community and belonging, where they are free to express themselves and they enjoy interacting with the content.

Also many TikTok users have positive perceptions of advertising on the platform, as they believe the ads to be genuine and creative. Most interesting is that 60% of users follow brands on TikTok making it a major marketing opportunity for businesses who are wanting to reach new audiences and find new ways to interact with potential customers.

Brands can make use of TikTok’s algorithm to target audiences who would be interested in their product or service and they can create fun, short video clips to draw people in and provide them with entertainment, as well as information about the brand.