With over two billion app downloads to its name, TikTok has certainly made a spectacular impact on the social media scene since it was first launched in 2016.
As it continues to make its way into the lives and hearts of millions of consumers worldwide, —and not just that of teenagers—its growth is showing no signs of stopping.
It’s an absolute goldmine of opportunities for businesses to reach and engage with buyers. So if you haven’t already started marketing on TikTok, now’s the time to get rolling.
In this article, we’ll dive into the top 10 TikTok trends you need to know about, with a forward-looking focus on up-and-coming TikTok trends in 2023. That way, you know just what you need to get started—or if you already have a TikTok strategy in place, what to tweak for maximum results.
Let’s get to it.
1. Brands and Influencers Are Embracing TikTok
Think “influencers” and your mind may immediately go to Instagram and YouTube. But the rise of influencer marketing over the past few years has been witnessed on other social media platforms, especially TikTok.
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More and more, influencers are recognizing the potential of TikTok, the fastest-growing social media network ever, to reach new audiences.
According to a recent report on influence marketing trends, more than one-third (37%) of influencers say they have started to use TikTok more frequently over the past year (Tribe Dynamics, 2021).
Not only has TikTok become a more popular platform for influencers, but businesses are also starting to pay attention to it. As more businesses incorporate TikTok into their social media marketing strategies, experts say the platform will start playing a vital role in brands’ influencer marketing tactics.
This is currently one of the hottest TikTok trends and chances are it will continue to be so throughout 2023.
2. TikTok Trends: Focus on Social Commerce
Expect to see more social commerce on TikTok in 2023—one of the fastest-rising TikTok trends we’ve identified.
In late 2020, TikTok announced a partnership with leading ecommerce platform Shopify. According to reports, the collaboration will facilitate Shopify merchants’ reach on TikTok and help them boost sales. Part of the initiative includes allowing sellers operating on Shopify to manage their TikTok marketing efforts from their Shopify accounts directly.
Experts say for brands to succeed at selling on TikTok, the focus of their content must be to entertain, more than to sell.
Recent research on shopping behaviors on TikTok also shows the majority of people who buy something on TikTok don’t use the platform with a clear intent to purchase. 71.2% of them say they buy something only when stumbling upon it while browsing. 58.2% use TikTok for shopping inspiration, and 47.9% use it to gather information for their intended purchases.
3. TikTok’s Trending Content Topics in 2023
Short-form dance videos and hashtag challenges launched TikTok onto the world stage in its early years. While these types of content remain wildly popular among TikTokers, certain conversations have started to take center stage.
According to a report by TikTok, customized and actionable content, happiness and self-care, and communities are among TikTok’s largest trending topics in 2023 (TikTok, 2022). As a marketer, you’ll want to tweak your TikTok strategy to ensure it encompasses and touches on these in one way or another.
Consider injecting storytelling and personal anecdotes into your content when promoting a product. A “show, don’t sell” method can influence a lot more.
We also recommend introducing motivational and meaningful content related to self-care to your profile, as many TikTok users say feeling uplifted motivates them to purchase.
Last but not least, if you haven’t already done so, create a community around your brand and its products, however niche it may be. You can do so by publishing content that teaches your followers something new or showing your product being used in everyday activities—approaches that tend to perform well on TikTok.
4. More Video Ads To Come on TikTok
In 2019, consumers spent nearly seven hours a week watching videos online—59% more time than just three years prior in 2016.
Given the surge in demand, it’s no surprise that companies have been stepping up their video marketing efforts. According to the latest reports, the number of businesses engaging in video marketing has increased from 61% in 2016 to 85% in 2020.
Coupled with TikTok launching its “TikTok For Business” platform in summer 2020, we’re expecting video ads to be one of the rising TikTok trends (TechCrunch, 2020).
Plus, TikTok is also going all out to encourage and help brands advertise on its platform. It’s launching a new e-learning center to host guides, resources, and tips on running video ads on TikTok—basically everything and anything a business needs to succeed with video marketing on its platform.
If you’re serious about succeeding on TikTok, this is definitely one of the top TikTok trends to take notice of for 2023.
5. TikTok Trends 2023: Fun and Entertaining Content
Not all social media platforms are made equal. Twitter is popular among users wanting to keep informed about news and current events, LinkedIn is made for the professional network, and Pinterest is used by many to discover new brands and products.
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What about TikTok?
As it turns out, it’s pretty much synonymous with fun and entertainment. Research shows that nearly four in five (79.8%) TikTokers say they use the platform to “look for funny or entertaining content” (DataReportal, 2023).
To provide some perspective of just how dominant TikTok is as a source of entertainment, the percentage of users who use Instagram and Facebook, also ranked among the most popular social media platforms, for the same purpose stands at 61.8% and 54.2%, respectively.
That said, not all TikTokers are on the app solely for entertaining content. More than one-third (38.2%) say they use it to follow or research brands and products. With the number of TikTok users worldwide expected at nearly 835 million this year, it certainly is a platform brands need to focus their marketing efforts on.
6. Remixing Is the New User-Generated Content
User-generated content (UGC) is certainly no new phenomenon. But with TikTok, users now have new ways to jazz up this content, also known as “remixing”—and they’re loving it.
Defined as “the art of taking existing formats, templates, or ideas, and recreating them to express a user’s own personality or ideas,” remixing has grown in popularity in recent months and especially on TikTok (Talkwalker, 2020).
Thanks to TikTok’s built-in editing features and tools, users are able to get much more creative with the type of content they produce. Adding music to their videos is just a first and basic step. TikTok also offers AR effects for content creators to add interactive and engaging special visual effects to their videos.
Reports show that mentions of remixing linked to platforms like TikTok skyrocketed during the COVID-19 lockdown. As people were kept indoors by the coronavirus restrictions, they needed to get more creative with their physical constraints and limitations. Enter: remixing.
Experts reckon that this is only the beginning of this TikTok trend and are fully expecting it to grow even more in 2023.
7. TikTok: Young Adult’s Google
Google, the largest search engine in the world, has long had its name used as a verb, highlighting its supremacy among internet users. (“Let’s Google some good restaurant recommendations in the area.”)
But there’s a possibility that its dominance is starting to come under challenge.
According to a recent report, nearly 40% of young adults aged 18 to 24 are ditching Google and turning to platforms like TikTok for discovery purposes (TechCrunch, 2022). What this means is that for this group of users, their default platform to go to when needing answers is not Google, but TikTok.
The nature of TikTok also means that these users are conducting searches in new and inventive ways on the platform, often preferring visual content that they’re able to resonate with and understand.
8. Promoting Music on TikTok
Expect one of the hottest TikTok trends to be the promotion of new music and sounds in 2023.
A recent study shows that the audio experience on TikTok is key to enjoying the platform. As many as 88% of TikTokers say that the sound or music used in a TikTok video is essential, and a video would not make sense without it.
That’s not all. Nearly three in four (73%) TikTok users say they would stop and check out TikTok ads that feature audio. This number is significantly higher than that of other social media platforms (TikTok, 2021).
What this means is that in order to succeed on TikTok, brands need to prioritize audio as the focus of their content. As it is, many TikTok videos go viral because of the originality of the sounds or music used in them.
Going forward, it’s very likely that we’ll see more businesses using unique sounds in their TikTok content to promote their brand. As one of the biggest TikTok trends to watch out for in 2023, it also presents new opportunities for businesses to reach untapped audiences and get themselves in front of new eyes.
9. TikTok Trends: The New TV
Known for its short-form content, TikTok may not be similar to television shows in the conventional way most of us know TV programs to be. But where it’s able to draw parallels is the consistency and regularity of new content, much like upcoming TV episodes (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2020).
Because the majority of TikTok content is found through hashtags, its users have a direct path to new content that’s published and tagged under the same hashtag and know just how to access it. This works in the same way TV viewers would turn into the same channel at the same time each week for a new episode of the TV show.
Analysts say such an approach works wonders for brands as it helps to hook users in and leave them wanting more. Expect this to continue in 2023 and possibly beyond.
10. Giving Your Brand an Identity
TikTok prides itself on real and genuine content. In fact, TikTok marketing experts agree that authenticity is the way to go to achieve success on TikTok and it’s what TikTok audiences really relate to.
This is exactly why content like “behind the scenes” videos has worked so well for brands on TikTok. It provides viewers with a real look at what the brand is about, the people behind it, and in a way, an unfiltered, direct view of the brand’s identity.
Analysts say that such content is particularly appealing to the younger, Gen Z crowd, who’s a dominating force on TikTok (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2020).
Publishing raw and authentic content is one of the biggest TikTok trends there’s ever been (if not the biggest) and it’s certainly something to take note of for your 2023 TikTok strategy.
Conclusion
There you have it: the top 10 TikTok trends that will probably continue in 2023 and beyond.
With 800 TikTok million users and rising, there’s so much to take advantage of on TikTok. But it’s one thing to be on the platform and posting content regularly, and a whole other ball game to be jumping on and leveraging TikTok trends to grow your business.
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We hope that this breakdown of these TikTok trends has been helpful for your social media and brand strategy.
Know of any other rising TikTok trends that businesses and marketers should know about? Leave us a comment below!
Summary: TikTok Trends
Here’s a summary of the TikTok trends you need to know in 2023:
- More brands and influencers will start using TikTok as a marketing platform (Tribe Dynamics, 2021).
- TikTok will become the go-to social platform for emerging shopping trends. (eMarketer, 2022).
- Customization, happiness and self-care, and communities are among TikTok’s biggest trends in 2023 (TikTok, 2022).
- The rise of video marketing and TikTok’s introduction of its TikTok for Business platform, users can expect to see more video ads on TikTok in 2023 (TechCrunch, 2020).
- Nearly 80% of people go to TikTok to look for funny or entertaining content (DataReportal, 2023).
- Thanks to TikTok’s powerful built-in editing features and tools, more and more users will be remixing their TikTok content (Talkwalker, 2020).
- Two out of five young adults turn to TikTok for answers and recommendations instead of Google (TechCrunch, 2022).
- 88% of TikTok users said that sound is essential to the TikTok experience. (TikTok, 2021).
- TikTok has the ability to make users feel like they’re watching TV shows and this will continue into 2021 (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2020).
- Publishing real and authentic brand content is and will continue to be a pillar of marketing success on TikTok (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2020).
Want to Learn More?
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- Three Free Ways To Drive Traffic To Your Business: TikTok, Pinterest, Medium
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- Use TikTok To Get Sales [Course]
Is there anything else you’d like to know about TikTok trends and wish was included in this article? Let us know in the comments below!
