Should you be using TikTok for B2B marketing?

B2B marketers are increasingly targeting younger, digital-first audiences on social media platforms, we noted in our B2B Digital Ad Spend Forecast 2023 report. While LinkedIn and Meta will account for a combined 42.2% of US B2B digital ad spend in 2024, according to our forecast, TikTok is emerging as a contender for organic and creator-based B2B marketing. Here’s the case for B2B marketing on TikTok.

The future of B2B marketing is social. Half of US B2B marketers say social media contributes most to achieving top-of-funnel goals, according to an April 2023 study from Wpromote and Ascend2.

TikTok has a massive, engaged audience.

• The platform will have 87.3 million US adult users in 2024, or 32.6% of US adults, according to our June 2023 forecast.
• Those adult users will average 55 minutes per day on the platform, per our forecast, putting TikTok ahead of YouTube (50 minutes) and Facebook (30 minutes) in terms of time spent by US adult users.
• B2B content doesn’t have to be relegated to professional platforms like LinkedIn, as evidenced by Super Bowl ads from Monday.com and Workday. TikTok is a great platform for experimenting with entertaining B2B content.

B2B influencers are already on TikTok.

• Creators on TikTok are teaching viewers how to use Microsoft Excel, analyzing Chipotle ads, addressing FTC letters, and offering career advice.
• And users without large followings are also making content about their professional lives.
• Ogilvy named “employee advocacy” as one of its 2024 influencer trends, suggesting companies will put their own employees in front of the camera to extend marketing reach. B2B employee advocacy has long been a trend on LinkedIn, and in 2024 it could extend to TikTok.
• Healthcare IT company Epic Systems leverages TikTok for recruitment with videos featuring employees.
• Other B2B companies also have strong organic presences on TikTok, including Adobe, Grammarly, and Monday.com.

Gen Zers and millennials are becoming B2B buyers.

• These generations are getting older and taking on more decision-making in the B2B buying process.
• People ages 25 to 34 make up nearly a quarter of US TikTok users in 2024, a higher share than any other age range. This age group includes those making B2B buying decisions or those working with decision-makers who could be influenced by this age group’s media habits.

But TikTok still isn’t generally considered a B2B platform. If you’re looking to expand your B2B marketing to TikTok, working with creators who already have an audience and understand vertical video is a great place to start.