4 TikTok Myths Busted (Plus TikTok Secrets to Boost Business)

TikTok myths abound—it’s only for younger generations, it’s all about viral entertainment and more. It’s common to have doubts about whether TikTok marketing is worth it. We’re here to dispel those TikTok myths and share TikTok secrets to help you get revenue from new audiences.

Dispelling TikTok Myths

Many businesses don’t take TikTok seriously as a marketing opportunity, believing the TikTok myth that it’s just about viral trends. But in fact, it’s so much more that, and if you’re not trying it, you’re missing out.

With respond.io’s Conversation-Led Growth framework, the first step is capturing prospective customers into a chat. TikTok provides opportunities to do that. Its advertising costs are low, and with its massive viewership, you also have the chance for organic growth.

TikTok secrets: Icons showing four TikTok myths — These are some of the most common misconceptions businesses have about using TikTok for marketing

You might wonder if people really want to start a conversation on TikTok or are even interested in shopping on the platform. We’ll cover four TikTok myths and show you TikTok secrets to capture leads into your inboxes.

TikTok Myth #1: No One Over 25 Uses TikTok

TikTok became popular among Gen Z with its viral dance move videos, and since then, its stereotypical users are seen to be teens or young adults. It’s easy to understand this belief as the stereotypes are partially true.

Yet, while it remains widely used among the younger generation and is a great way to reach out to them, its user base comprises a large portion of older users as well.

A recent study found that 36% of TikTok users are actually between the ages of 35 and 54. And as TikTok has over a billion monthly active users worldwide, that’s an immense audience in all age ranges.

TikTok Secret: It’s a Massive Opportunity to Reach Buyers of Any Age

Whether you’re targeting young adults with professional courses, promoting anti-aging skin care products or selling retail items to people of any age, it’s likely a good number of them will be on TikTok. Take advantage of this wide audience to generate more TikTok leads.

TikTok Myth #2: TikTok Gets Less Engagement Than Other Channels

Another concern that business have about TikTok marketing is the amount of TikTok engagement they can get. They often think that users spend time mindlessly scrolling through short videos without interacting or remembering what they see.

Other social channels such as Facebook and Instagram are seen as a safer choice for getting customers to absorb and engage with content. However, TikTok actually has a higher engagement rate at an average of 5.69% per post! Engagement was defined as any measurable interaction such as likes, comments and shares.

TikTok Secret: Leverage Influencers and Make Ads Look Like TikToks to Boost Engagement

Of course, the amount of interaction you can expect depends on what you post. Leveraging influencers and making ads that look like TikToks will be more effective than using the same content that you use on other social channels.

TikTok Myth #3: People Use TikTok for Entertainment, Not Shopping

We all know about TikTok dances and viral trends from crazy food combinations to animal antics. This gives the impression that user are on the app for fun and wouldn’t be serious prospects looking to buy.

While the majority of users are browsing TikTok for entertainment, that doesn’t mean they won’t be influenced to shop. A study of US consumers showed 56% have purchased products they discovered on TikTok and 37% have made purchases directly through the app on TikTok Shop.

Influencers have a major impact just by using products in their videos. Additionally, ads appear seamlessly and capture attention in the midst of a steady stream of videos.

TikTok Secret: Use TikTok Shop to Maximize Sales

If you want to gain customers directly through TikTok, set up a TikTok Shop if you’re in an eligible country. TikTok Shops generated over $11 billion in revenue in 2023. Learn all about how to set up a TikTok Shop in this article.

TikTok Myth #4: It’s Difficult for Customers to Contact Me Through TikTok

When you think about having conversations with customers, TikTok is most likely not your first thought. It appears to be more for passive consumption rather than communication and while it has an inbox, chatting isn’t as common as other social channels.

If you want customers to contact you over TikTok, TikTok Instant Messaging ads are the easiest way to get them into a conversation on other messaging channels like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. If they’re interested in what they see, they can contact your business with one click.

TikTok Secret: Use a Messaging Link in Bio as a Free Way to Generate Leads

Another way to get prospects to message you is with a link in your TikTok bio. This can be a WhatsApp link or a Linktree that includes buttons to contact you on any channel they prefer to chat on.

Image of a TikTok secret: screenshot of a link in bio that allows customers to contact you through any channel — We’ve seen our customers use a link in their TikTok bio to enable leads to contact them on any channel.

A link like this makes it convenient for customers to contact you any way they choose, and if you’re using a conversation management platform like respond.io, you can get messages from all channels in a single inbox.

Start Taking Advantage of TikTok Secrets for Marketing

As you can see, TikTok offers a wealth of opportunities to capture customers, and if you’re not taking advantage of it, you’re missing out. No matter what age range your audience is in, a large portion of them are on it and ready to engage and buy.

Ensure it’s easy for them to get in touch with you on their preferred messaging channel through TikTok messaging ads or chat links so they can start a conversation that leads to a sale.