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Short video marketing strategy: evidence from successful entrepreneurs on

TikTok

Article in Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship · October 2023

DOI: 10.1108/JRME-11-2022-0134

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Short video
Short video marketing strategy: marketing
evidence from successful strategy

entrepreneurs on TikTok
Huan Chen
Department of Advertising, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
Received 1 November 2022
Dalong Ma Revised 20 February 2023
13 June 2023
Department of Management, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, 5 August 2023
Colorado, USA, and 5 October 2023
9 October 2023
Accepted 9 October 2023
Bhakti Sharma
Department of Advertising, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA

Abstract
Purpose – This study aims to delve into entrepreneurs’ perceptions and interpretations of short video
marketing on TikTok.
Design/methodology/approach – In light of the study’s exploratory nature, a qualitative approach was
used. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with 17 entrepreneurs to uncover their insights on short
video marketing via TikTok. Data analysis was carried out using thematic analysis and NVivo, and rigorous
measures were in place to ensure the quality of the study.
Findings – This study’s findings suggested that entrepreneurs’ usage of TikTok is customer-oriented, with
the purposes of promoting their businesses, generating word-of-mouth and managing customer relationships.
As such, the gratification of connection with their audience, entertainment and information provision needs
motivate entrepreneurs’ use of TikTok for social media marketing. Additionally, entrepreneurs’ use of
TikTok may also contribute to their gratification of creativity and spontaneity needs, which may otherwise be
limited in the context of other social media platforms.
Originality/value – This study expands the previous literature on entrepreneurship, social media
marketing and the uses and gratification approach by revealing the specifics, nuances and dynamics of
TikTok marketing from the entrepreneurs’ emic perspective.
Keywords Social media marketing, TikTok, Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial marketing,
Small and medium-sized enterprise marketing
Paper type Research paper

Introduction
Social media plays a crucial role in the growth and development of entrepreneurial
businesses. Social media can be defined as “a group of Internet-based applications that
build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0 and allow the creation
and exchange of user-generated content” (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010, p. 61). Its
widespread reach and fast speeds, the ability to interact with existing and prospective
customers, and the ease of seeking expert advice make social media an integral tool for
budding and established entrepreneurs (Kuhn et al., 2016). Entrepreneurs, who identify,
evaluate and exploit business and market opportunities (Shane, 2012), usually do not Journal of Research in Marketing
and Entrepreneurship
have the resources to conduct expensive traditional marketing activities. However, © Emerald Publishing Limited
1471-5201
based on their deep understanding of the target market, they can use social media as a DOI 10.1108/JRME-11-2022-0134
JRME critical marketing tool because it is low in cost, allows fast responses and is highly
interactive (Chen et al., 2021).
As social media evolves over time, the ways in which entrepreneurs use it as a marketing
tool are becoming more diversified and multifaceted. For example, entrepreneurs use social
media to seek guidance and expert knowledge from peers, especially in the early stages of their
business; market their businesses through online advertising and posts; connect with their
customer base and gain feedback; and maintain interactivity through engaging in two-way
communication (Olanrewaju et al., 2020). Researchers suggested that, in contrast to traditional
companies and organizations, entrepreneurs are guided by sensitivity and flexibility in their use
of social media (Chen et al., 2021). Compared with traditional companies’ use of social media
trends and data for making important marketing decisions, entrepreneurs are likely to use social
media to stay up-to-date on the latest information relevant to their business, thus increasing their
market sensitivity (Park et al., 2017). Additionally, because of its dynamic nature, social media
marketing allows more flexibility and control (compared with traditional marketing) for
entrepreneurs, making it easy for them to pivot their marketing plans when necessary. In this
sense, entrepreneurial firms are more sensitive to changes and trends on social media and can
thus quickly adapt and adjust their marketing activities accordingly (Chen et al., 2021).
Because of its increasing relevance to the fields of marketing and entrepreneurship,
entrepreneurs’ strategic use of social media has garnered attention from both scholars and
practitioners around the globe. For example, in their systematic review of existing literature,
Olanrewaju et al. (2020) identified 160 papers in this field. They found that using social
media significantly improved the performance and innovation of entrepreneurial firms.
Similarly, with a specific focus on social media for entrepreneurship, Secundo et al. (2021)
conducted a structured literature review (SLR) and identified 159 papers in this field. They
found that social media as a marketing tool for entrepreneurs improved brand awareness,
customer relationships and market share.
Furthermore, research on entrepreneurship and social media marketing has investigated
a variety of topics and identified numerous avenues for social media use by entrepreneurs,
such as marketing, information search and networking (Olanrewaju et al., 2020; Troise et al.,
2022). Beyond marketing, scholars have emphasized the crucial role of social media in
entrepreneurs’ navigation of employment opportunities (Park et al., 2017). Similarly, recent
studies have focused on entrepreneurs’ use of social media for generating and mobilizing
resources, such as through crowdfunding (Drummond et al., 2018; Estrin et al., 2018), the
facilitation of knowledge management and sharing (Argyris and Ransbotham, 2016) and the
creation of ecosystems to facilitate codevelopment and innovation (Wang et al., 2015).
However, despite the recent growth in literature on the intersection of social media and
entrepreneurship, the majority of scholarship has been conducted through the lens of
business management and social sciences, with little focus on the technical features of each
social media platform (Secundo et al., 2021). This narrow focus on limited aspects of an
otherwise expansive and multidimensional concept has created research gaps. First,
research on entrepreneurship and social media marketing has focused on entrepreneurs’
general use of social media without considering the unique characteristics of each social
media platform. Although a macro view of entrepreneurs’ use of various platforms is
fundamental for enhancing the understanding of this phenomenon, recent technological
developments – such as mobile short videos – require a more micro, platform-specific
approach to deepen said understanding. Specifically, the short video-based platform
TikTok’s primarily algorithmic curation of content (compared with the “following-based”
model of other platforms) and strictly video-based presentation of content (compared with a
feed on other platforms) make it a likely candidate for specialized research attention
(Anderson, 2020). As TikTok is largely driven by algorithms, users cannot predict what Short video
video they are likely to see next and, in turn, continue swiping in anticipation of finding marketing
novel and diversified content. Similarly, because of the absence of a following-driven model,
even a user with no followers on TikTok stands a chance of attracting a large audience
strategy
(Tolentino, 2019). Thus, entrepreneurs’ strategies for using TikTok and the resulting
outcomes may differ from those on other social media platforms.
The second research gap pertains to previous studies’ primary use of quantitative research
methods (Olanrewaju et al., 2020). Given the constantly changing and evolving landscape of
entrepreneurship and social media, more systematic and exploratory research is required to
offer an up-to-date understanding of this phenomenon and provide implications for both
scholars and practitioners. Newly emerged short-form video platforms, such as TikTok, have
gained huge popularity globally (Statista, 2022). One of TikTok’s unique features is the
soundtrack pairing and lip-syncing that accompany every video, which allow users to indulge
in creative expressions with original and recreated content. This feature opens up new avenues
for entrepreneurs to market, network and connect with their audience. Thus, qualitative
research through in-depth interviews should be able to capture more details and provide a deep
understanding of entrepreneurs’ use of TikTok to promote their businesses (Chen et al., 2021).
Among communication theories, the uses and gratifications (U&G) theory emphasizes
how people actively use media to satisfy their various needs (Whiting and Williams, 2013). It
provides a useful theoretical framework for examining how entrepreneurs use social media
to satisfy their marketing communication needs. Therefore, with the aim of filling the
aforementioned research gaps, we used qualitative research based on U&G theory to explore
how entrepreneurs perceive and interpret TikTok as a marketing communication tool to
connect with consumers and achieve business success. Based on our research purpose, we
proposed the following broad research question: How do entrepreneurs perceive and
interpret short video marketing on TikTok?
The structure of this paper is as follows. The subsequent section delves into a review of
relevant literature. The third section outlines the research methodology used. In the fourth
section, we present the study’s findings. The fifth section explores both theoretical and
practical implications. Lastly, the sixth section highlights potential limitations and suggests
directions for future research.

Literature review
Entrepreneurs’ use of social media and social media marketing
According to a recent review of the literature on social media and entrepreneurship,
Olanrewaju et al. (2020) identified two main frameworks through which entrepreneurs adopt
social media – namely, the consumer-oriented and business-oriented frameworks. In the
consumer-oriented framework, entrepreneurs adopt and use social media solely for the
purpose of engaging with their customers. By contrast, in the business-oriented framework,
entrepreneurs adopt social media as a part of the business itself to enhance business
functions, organizational culture and leadership involvement.
Growing evidence also suggests that businesses are quick to adopt internal social media,
such as microblogging and wikis, to share knowledge and that using it improves employees’
communication and collaboration (Meske and Stieglitz, 2013). In terms of external social
media, one of the primary goals of its adoption is consumer engagement. Previous studies on
entrepreneurs and social media have primarily focused on its use for entrepreneurial
marketing – that is, for gaining and retaining customers (Hisrich and Ramadani, 2018;
Olanrewaju et al., 2020).
JRME Furthermore, social media marketing has some unique advantages. First, the widespread
reach of social media allows entrepreneurs to market their products and services across a
variety of platforms (Cant, 2017). Second, using social media in entrepreneurial marketing is
cost-efficient compared with traditional forms of media, such as TV and newspapers (Brink,
2017). Finally, social media provides entrepreneurs with the financial and creative freedom
to market their businesses and engage with customers on a more personal level (Chen et al.,
2021).
In a recent review of studies on social media and marketing, Alalwan et al. (2017) found
that social media platforms are predominantly used by entrepreneurs to promote their
businesses, generate electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) and perform customer relationship
management (CRM). The extensive use of social media in marketing for CRM and consumer
engagement was also evident in the observation that social media marketing is more
dominant in business-to-customer organizations compared with business-to-business (B2B)
organizations (Kantorov
a and Bachmann, 2018). Entrepreneurs use social media marketing
not only as a tool for promoting their businesses but also for interacting with their
customers and building a one-on-one relationship with them.
In the context of China, a recent study uncovered that Chinese entrepreneurs’ social
media usage is guided by flexibility and sensitivity (Chen et al., 2021). However, in many
cases, entrepreneurs’ marketing activities on social media are driven by their intuition and
experience rather than research or a plan. For instance, in an early study of small and
medium-sized enterprises, Durkin et al. (2013) found that most entrepreneurs adopt external
social media because of a fear of missing out (FOMO) on using this new and perceivably
essential tool. They also found a lack of a predetermined agenda or strategy for how to use
social media efficiently. In many cases, entrepreneurs take great risks by relying solely on
social media to launch all of their marketing activities (Chen et al., 2021).
Therefore, recent studies have proposed a more strategic use of social media for
entrepreneurship and marketing purposes. For instance, based on a longitudinal study
conducted over four years, Fink et al. (2020) proposed the use of micro-influencers (over
celebrity endorsers) as an entrepreneurial marketing strategy, especially for newly
established or undifferentiated brands. Similarly, Drummond et al. (2018) highlighted the
effectiveness of social media in developing B2B networks in entrepreneurial marketing, as
resources are often limited for entrepreneurs and various social networking platforms can
replace traditional B2B channels. Although general social media marketing offers
entrepreneurs multiple benefits and advantages (Olanrewaju et al., 2020, p. 93), the diversity
and plurality of social media require entrepreneurs to carefully consider the characteristics
of different platforms when planning their social media marketing strategies. Doing so will
enable them to fully leverage the strengths of each social media channel.

Different types of social media and usage in marketing

Social media is a broad umbrella term that encompasses a variety of platforms, such as
blogs, microblogs, wikis and social networking sites (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). These
platforms offer different modalities that allow users to post and interact with a variety of
content. For instance, Instagram is an audio-visual content-based platform that allows users
to post pictures and short videos (Chen, 2018), while Twitter is a microblogging site on
which users post predominantly textual content (Chen, 2015). These platforms also vary in
their primary audiences, where the user demographics can differ between them (Statista,
2022). Thus, different social media platforms play different roles in entrepreneurial
marketing.
 Facebook, an SNS that allows people to connect and network, is the most used platform Short video
for social media marketing by businesses (Alalwan et al., 2017). Entrepreneurs can create marketing
their own business pages on Facebook, advertise on the platform and interact directly with
their customers. Facebook also has a dedicated “Facebook Business” domain that provides
strategy
advice to entrepreneurs on how to use the platform most effectively (Bahcecik et al., 2019).
Research involving social media marketing on Facebook demonstrated that customers who
engage with the Facebook page of a brand have higher trust in that brand and express more
loyalty toward it (Gamboa and Gonçalves, 2014).
On Instagram, entrepreneurs build their brands and directly sell products through the
platform’s “Instagram Shopping” feature. Instagram is especially popular among young
women entrepreneurs, who find it highly useful for promoting their businesses on a global
scale and appreciate its cost-free nature as a marketing tool (Raj and Avinash, 2021).
Instagram also stands out as a platform for discovery using hashtags, which allow
consumers to find the products or brands they are searching for Wally and Koshy (2014). By
contrast, Twitter is an understudied platform in the context of entrepreneurial marketing.
Similar to Facebook, research on brands’ use of Twitter found that users who retweet a
brand’s content (engagement) display higher levels of trust in and identification with the
brand (Kim et al., 2014).
While Facebook is the most studied social media platform in the context of social media
marketing (Alalwan et al., 2017), multiple other platforms remain understudied, especially
around entrepreneurial marketing. Because of the introduction of newer social media
platforms, scholarships on social media marketing need to explore their utility and efficacy
based on their content modality. For instance, the short video-based platform TikTok has
overtaken YouTube, another video-based platform, in terms of the average watch time spent
by users (BBC News, 2021). This highlights users’ increasing preference for short-form
digital content. TikTok is also gaining popularity among entrepreneurs for launching and
promoting their businesses (Balkhi, 2019). Therefore, it is crucial to understand the various
strategies that entrepreneurs adopt for using TikTok as a marketing tool, as well as to
explore the nuances and specifics regarding how to use this short video platform to engage
consumers and expand a business.

Theoretical underpinning
U&G theory (Katz and Blumler, 1974) is a well-accepted framework in communication
research and in the study of entrepreneurial social media marketing (Chen et al., 2021). Thus,
it is a good starting point for understanding why and how entrepreneurs use TikTok to
advance their businesses. The cornerstone of U&G media research is a fundamental inquiry
into “why people engage with a particular mediated communication and what the
gratifications are derived from such usage” (Ruggiero, 2000, p. 29).
The U&G approach is well rooted in the history of mass communication research
(Quan-Haase and Young, 2014). It has undergone numerous developments over the last
few decades and continues to be a significant theoretical lens for understanding media-
related behaviors. U&G theory has provided multiple rich insights into audiences’ use
of various mass media, such as print media, radio and television (Quan-Haase and Young,
2014). Additionally, with the advent of emergent technologies, one of the most notable
strengths of U&G theory has been its accommodation of research related to mediated
communication through single or multiple sets of psychological needs, psychological
motives, communication channels, communication content and psychological gratifications
within a particular or cross-cultural context (Lin, 1996, p. 574).
JRME Regarding social media, especially SNSs, some motivations for its use include passing time,
experiencing entertainment, staying connected with others, participating in “social surveillance
and searching,” and maintaining relationships (Quan-Haase and Young, 2014, p. 277). Scholars
have also clearly delineated the diverse gratifications obtained from different social media
platforms. For instance, while both Twitter and Facebook may serve to gratify users’ need for
social connection, Twitter also caters to the need to gather information (Johnson and Yang,
2009). Similarly, comparisons have been drawn between Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and
Snapchat in the context of their use for social capital building (Phua et al., 2017).
In addition, the U&G approach provides insights into the use of social media for
marketing. A study used U&G theory to explain consumer engagement with brands’
advertising on SNSs, and gratifications such as ad interactivity, vividness, entertainment
and information predicted consumer engagement (Kujur and Singh, 2017). Similarly,
gratifications such as information, self-expression and convenience were found to lead to
higher consumer satisfaction with a brand’s Facebook page, in turn leading to higher
purchase intentions (Choi et al., 2016). Researchers have also identified the value of
cultivating diverse gratifications, such as information seeking, incentives and likability in
social media marketing, in enhancing customer participation (Kamboj, 2019). Furthermore,
SNSs provide a rich avenue for visual communication by marketers. Thus, from the U&G
perspective, the gratification of information and entertainment needs through engaging
with brand content on social media was demonstrated to positively influence the brand–
consumer relationship (Kujur and Singh, 2017).
While there is an evolving body of research on prominent social media platforms’ U&G
(e.g. Facebook and Instagram), similar research on the relatively new platform TikTok is in
its nascent stage. Bossen and Kotasz (2020) found that passive consumption and
“entertainment or affect” needs were dominant in adolescents’ use of TikTok. Similarly,
various motivations, including interactivity, a sense of coolness, bandwagon effects,
community engagement and elements of play or fun, have been identified as driving factors
for young adults using TikTok (Vaterlaus and Winter, 2021). However, most of the U&G
research on TikTok has been aimed at understanding adolescents’ adoption and use of the
platform, while its use by entrepreneurs with a focus on marketing needs and gratifications
remains largely unexplored.
Moreover, TikTok has transcended the usual combination of self-curated feeds and
algorithmic suggestions used by most other SNSs. On TikTok, users do not see a
newsfeed based on their friends or followers’ profiles; instead, they are presented with a
“for you” page through algorithmic curation based on their browsing history (Herrman,
2019). Thus, users are constantly presented with novel content that they may not have
discovered otherwise. Hence, it would be interesting to investigate whether and how
entrepreneurs use these features in their social media marketing and which needs
specific to entrepreneurial marketing motivate them to use TikTok. To delve deeper into
this phenomenon and derive meaningful insights, the subsequent section outlines the
research methodology used.

Methodology
Given the exploratory nature of this research, we conducted a qualitative study to examine
the phenomenon at hand. The target population was adult entrepreneurs who live in the
United States, who have started and currently run at least one business, and who use
TikTok for marketing activities. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to recruit
interview participants (Creswell and Poth, 2018). Specifically, based on the target
population’s characteristics, a research assistant proactively approached entrepreneurs who
were actively posting short videos on TikTok. Because TikTok does not have a direct Short video
message function, the research assistant approached the entrepreneurs on Instagram, marketing
communicating with them through direct messages. In total, we approached 80
entrepreneurs, and 17 of them (see Table 1) responded and participated in our study. We
strategy
selected our participants based more on their types of businesses and marketing activities
on TikTok than on their demographic characteristics. Data saturation was achieved at the
14th interview (Creswell and Poth, 2018). We conducted three more interviews to confirm
saturation. The participants were from diverse business fields, ranging from jewelry sellers
to food truck owners. The variety of their business types broadened the scope of the
investigation and enhanced the richness of our data. They all started using TikTok for
marketing in 2020, when TikTok gained popularity and visibility in the social media
landscape and popular culture (Brandastic, 2021).
Given the situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the geographic diversity of
entrepreneurs’ businesses, all the interviews were conducted using video conferencing
software Zoom. Previous research indicated that Zoom is a convenient, efficient and reliable
tool for collecting interview data (Gray et al., 2020). Each interview lasted 40–60 min. All of
the interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed using Zoom’s transcription function.
The research assistant then reviewed all of the transcripts to correct any errors and issues
caused by the automatic transcription.

Name Age Education Type of business/position When joined TikTok Follower

Tori 33 BA – Digital arts Jewelry/apparel – Co/ March of 2020 566.0k

owner
Louisa 32 BA – Hospitality/ Bridal accessory – Owner May of 2020 200.5k
Tourism management
Madison 20 Some college Phone case þ accessories – Madison August of 551.2k
Owner 2020
Veronica 20 GED Three-sided toothbrush – 2020 204.2k
Owner
Monica 29 Some college Custom art pieces – Owner 2020 27.1k
Sophia 30 BA – Pursuing Master Wood work design – End of 2020 200
in Communications Owner
Tyler 27 BA in Business Clothing/apparel – Owner August 2020 110.6k
Dylan 38 High school Food truck – Owner 2020 169.0k
Cleo 30 BA – Communications Socks/apparel – Owner Started 2019, 237.3k
with minor in music reestablished Nov.
2020
Evan 28 BA in Candles – Owner April 2020 3,722
Communications
Leonard 33 Technical school/Fire Financial tips adviser August 2020 623.3k
fighter
Jacob 53 No college degree Financial tips/life adviser/ 2020 283.7k
author
Leila 36 Graduate Wellness/wine December 2021 22.6k
Sarah 22 BA – Finance and Finance, investment, December 2019 1.1m
management budgeting tips adviser
Macy 27 BA – Business Resin art, homemade gifts September 2021 2,077
management
Ailish 23 BA – Exercise science Book club February 2021 72.2k
Cody 43 GED Wood work/furniture 2021 162.3k Table 1.
Profile of
Source: Authors’ own work participants
JRME We adopted the thematic analysis technique and used the software NVivo 12 Plus to
analyze our data set (Miles et al., 2018). Thematic analysis and NVivo have been widely used
in social media marketing research (Fletcher and Gbadamosi, 2022) and are deemed effective
data analysis methods (Wilk et al., 2019). First, we imported all of the transcripts into the
software and read each one line by line twice to obtain a general sense of the overall
meaning of the data. Second, we identified and compared repeated or similar words, phrases
and sentences that appeared in every transcript, assisted by the exploration function of
NVivo. At this stage, 10–20 codes were generated in each transcript (see Tables 2 and 3 for

A: B: C: D: E: F: G : Short H:
Participant Finding Going Hasht Making Personal video Strate
Authenticity A Niche Live ag videos Connection Format gies
1. Ailish 3 1 0 0 3 0 0 1

2. Cleo 2 1 0 1 7 4 0 6

3. Cody 2 0 1 1 2 2 0 1

4. Dylan 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1

5. Evan 1 1 0 1 3 0 0 2

6. Jacob 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 3

7. Leila 0 1 0 0 3 1 0 1

8. Leonard 3 0 1 0 4 2 0 6

9. Louisa 4 2 0 0 4 1 0 1

10. Macy 2 0 0 0 3 0 1 1

11. Madison 2 0 1 0 2 4 1 3

12. Monica 0 0 0 0 3 3 4 2

13. Sarah 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

14. Sophia 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

15. Tori 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0

16. Tyler 1 0 1 0 4 1 0 1

17. Veronica 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3
Table 2.
Matrix table of
example codes and
participants
Source: Authors’ own work
 Participant
A : Post B : Profile C: D : Showing the E : Using Trends Short video
Frequency Organization Set-up Process or Sounds marketing
1. Ailish 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 1
strategy
2. Cleo
3. Cody 2 0 0 2 0
4. Dylan 0 0 0 0 0
5. Evan 0 0 0 0 0
6. Jacob 0 0 1 0 0
7. Leila 0 0 0 0 0
8. Leonard 0 0 0 0 0
9. Louisa 1 0 0 0 0
10. Macy 0 0 0 1 2
11. Madison 1 0 1 1 3
12. Monica 1 0 1 2 1
13. Sarah 2 1 0 0 0
14. Sophia 0 0 0 1 0
15. Tori 1 0 0 1 0 Table 3.
16. Tyler 1 0 0 0 1 Matrix table of
17. Veronica 0 0 0 0 1 “making videos”
subcategory and
participants
Source: Authors’ own work

examples of the matrix tables of participants and codes). Finally, we clustered the invariant
codes into themes based on their connections and logic. During this phase, we focused on the
internal relationships and structures of the codes and grouped them into appropriate themes
(see Table 4 for the matrix table of participants and themes).
For quality control, we used self-reflexivity, member checking and peer debriefing (Creswell
and Poth, 2018). First, we conducted bracketing interviews to ensure that we were sensitive to
our own assumptions, values, beliefs and positions regarding the research topic. Second, we
sent the initial results to participants to check whether our interpretations were accurate and
reflective of their realities. Finally, an independent expert in qualitative research who was not
familiar with the present research evaluated the study’s design, procedure and data analysis,
thus ensuring that the study achieved rigor and quality. With these rigorous methods in place,
the subsequent section presents the findings and outcomes of the study.

Findings
Four broad themes emerged from our data set. First, according to the participants, TikTok’s
platform is unique in the way that it offers rapid growth and a wide reach for both established
and less-established business owners; furthermore, TikTok’s format and content are equally
crucial in bringing success to these entrepreneurs. Second, having a strategy or a predetermined
plan for TikTok marketing is not necessary for success; in fact, some participants mentioned
that not having a strategy was actually beneficial and contributed to their initial success on the
platform. Third, the community aspect of TikTok as a platform virtually extinguishes the harm
of competition and instead provides a place for entrepreneurs to prosper together. Finally,
entrepreneurs face some challenges when marketing on TikTok, such as receiving negative
comments and being overwhelmed by the need to constantly work to create content. These
themes and their findings are, respectively, presented in the following sections.
JRME Participant A : Burnout B : Community C : Content D : Virality
1. Ailish 1 1 7 2
2. Cleo 1 5 16 6
3. Cody 0 1 8 0
4. Dylan 1 0 5 1
5. Evan 1 4 7 2
6. Jacob 0 1 6 3
7. Leila 0 0 5 2
8. Leonard 0 1 14 1
9. Louisa 0 2 10 3
10. Macy 0 2 6 2
11. Madison 2 2 9 3
12. Monica 0 0 12 2
13. Sarah 2 3 1 2
14. Sophia 0 2 3 1
15. Tori 1 1 2 3
Table 4. 16. Tyler 2 1 8 1
Matrix table of 17. Veronica 1 0 5 1
themes and
participants
Source: Authors’ own work

Taking off on TikTok: virality and velocity

Throughout the interviews, the broad reach and fast circulation rate that TikTok
brought to the videos created and posted by the entrepreneurs on this unique social
media platform were discussed. According to the participants, TikTok allows them to
connect with people and be discovered by a wider audience faster than on other social
media platforms, such as Instagram. The following quotes from the interviewees, Evan
and Maddie, address the advantages of TikTok compared with other social media
platforms:
I think it’s honestly just because TikTok has more reach than other social platforms (Evan, 28,
male, owner).
TikTok, they show your videos to people no matter you’re following, but with Instagram and
Pinterest, you have to have a following if you want people to see it (Madison, 20, female, owner).
Furthermore, compared with other social media platforms, TikTok is unique because it
shows entrepreneurs’ videos to users worldwide even if they do not follow their accounts (i.e.
to nonfollowers). As a result, a video posted on TikTok can reach a significant number of
people and bring a rapid influx of followers and sales. For example, jewelry/apparel co-
owner Tori discussed the considerable difference in the number of visits to their website
before and after they adopted TikTok:
So before we started going viral on TikTok on like a great day on our website, we’d get like 40
people on there when the dress started taking off, we’re getting up to 8,000 people a day on our
website (Tori, 32, female, co-owner).
In addition, the short video format makes it easier for entrepreneurs to create and post
videos and for users to watch them, thus allowing a video to accumulate views at a much
faster rate and increasing visibility in a shorter period of time. For instance, Madison, a
phone case and accessory store owner, and Louisa, a bridal dress store owner, talked about Short video
why they like TikTok as follows: marketing
Also the shorter the videos, the more content people will consume, which means it gives you like a strategy
higher chance of being seen by other people. So I honestly I really like this new short video. So I
think it’s definitely better for like not only the consumer, but like for on the business side of things
(Madison, 20, female, owner).
I think it’s beneficial I I think. For example, an app like YouTube can be really intimidating for
creators ‘cause you have to put your face on there for 15 minutes potentially or do something for a
really long time and these short little clips are an easy way for you to like get your face on there
and get your brand identity on there without having to like think too much. It’s so quick and easy
that I think it’s really user friendly (Louisa, 32, female, owner).
In particular, these entrepreneurs emphasized how viral videos on TikTok could benefit their
businesses. All but one of the interviewees had experienced a viral video, contributing to their
success. The one who did not have such an experience believed that having a viral video would
be necessary to create the success that follows. According to the participants, even if virality
brings negative attitudes toward the entrepreneur, it is still the key to creating growth for the
business. This is because in today’s cluttered social media environment, attention is currency and
negative attitudes toward an entrepreneur would not necessarily impact their sales. Sophia, who
owns a woodworking business, and Cleo, the proprietor of a sock/apparel enterprise, discussed
the impact of viral videos on their business success and how they drive sales as follows:
Oh, I am sure that is the key from other people that I’ve talked to that had had a viral video that is
definitely like one of their keys to success (Sophia, 30, female, owner).
My first definitely viral one was January and that got 7,000,000 views and it spiked my sales
considerably. That day I actually texted my buddy was January 28th and it was the first month I
ever hit 10,000 in sales. I was like sweet. I tell my buddy ‘cause he’s been following right for a long
time. I’m like dude. I’m gonna hit 10,000 like that’s insane. I posted that, TikTok generated
$12,000 in sales (Cleo, 30, male, owner).
However, going viral does not always happen. As important as it may be for gaining an
initial substantial following, it is not something that one can plan for or expect to happen
repeatedly. It is crucial to note that going viral is nothing more than a contributor to success
brought about by luck, as the participants who had viral videos could not pinpoint exactly
what had caused their videos to go viral. Tyler, the owner of a clothing store, highlighted
this as follows:
[‘C]ause you’re not going to go viral every day. You’re not going to hit 10K views every day. You
can’t rely on people coming from your TikTok to your website to buy. So you definitely need
more revenue streams rather than just TikTok. And I got into a habit of relying on TikTok. And
it smacked me in the face. Like, you know, you can’t depend on it ‘cause so up and down views
can be all over the place (Tyler, 27, male, owner).
In sum, the short-form video format helps entrepreneurs post videos frequently and encourages
users to consume videos constantly, resulting in the potential for rapid growth and sales.
Moreover, the interviewees expressed that the TikTok platform calls for certain characteristics to
be found within these short videos, which aid in sustaining the success sparked by a viral video.

Creating short video content: finding what works

In terms of using a marketing strategy for TikTok, all participants indicated that they prefer
not having a strategy or a predetermined plan for the content they post. That is, they post
JRME content based on their intuition and spontaneity. According to them, a marketing strategy or
plan is not necessary because of the novelty and newness of TikTok. In fact, some
participants mentioned that not having a strategy was actually beneficial for them, as they
made videos solely about what they wanted to share. The interviewees, Evan, Tori and
Jacob discussed this as follows:
And some of the videos that I’ve gotten some of the most regions were things I just randomly
threw out there. Things I didn’t try hard on. Things I didn’t make look perfect. And so I guess my
strategy now is like not having a strategy (Evan, 28, male, owner).
I honestly feel like everything was like TikTok with I was like I know this is not like the best
answer but like it was like a really happy accident and that like everything just like perfectly like
fell into place (Tori, 32, female, owner).
The best engagement I get is usually when I make a mistake. So I you know I free fall my videos. I
don’t script them, I talk, I talk on point but I make a lot of mistakes and I sometimes I used to
agonize over it. But now I’ll be making mistakes and particularly in the financial space you’ll have
like every troll on earth comment on it, those are the videos that do the best (Jacob, 53, male,
owner).
Nonetheless, some entrepreneurs found certain elements necessary to include in their
content when marketing through TikTok. They believed that TikTok has unique
characteristics that differentiate it from other social media platforms. According to these
participants, TikTok users want authenticity and personality from those they see on the
app. Unlike Instagram photos, a short video on TikTok is a “place” where users want to feel
connected and relate to those in it. Because of the video format, it may be more difficult to
curate the person within it, which makes it more likely that the person in the video acts the
same when the camera is no longer on. In other words, a person in a TikTok video is
perceived to be more authentic than one who appears in an Instagram post. This suggests
that both entrepreneurs and users may have higher expectations for naturalness and
authenticity in TikTok videos compared with content on other platforms. Both Sophia and
Ailish, our interviewees, underscored the significance of authenticity in TikTok videos,
elaborating as follows:
Yeah, I mean, I definitely think that especially because TikTok is videos and videos obviously
take a lot longer to edit than just like a photo for instance, especially if you’re editing frame by
frame by frame. So I think you get more realness I guess on TikTok than you would like on
Instagram or Facebook where you can edit a photo in like 5 seconds [. . .] So I think you just see
more like real people on the app (Sophia, 30, female, owner).
It’s like they really gravitate toward like the energy and like enthusiasm and passion. And like
people notice like authenticity. And they notice when somebody is like talking about something
that they truly love and care about (Ailish, 23, female, owner).
Given the naturalness and authenticity of TikTok videos, entrepreneurs can be more
relatable and connect more deeply with their audience, thus facilitating a close and
strong relationship with their followers. This relationship can then be easily converted
into sales. However, to maintain it, the entrepreneurs must be highly responsive and
treat their followers as friends, not strangers, which interviewees Louisa and Madison
described as follows:
Again, it’s all about being like your actual self. Putting your face out there and I didn’t really
know what I was doing, so I think that that actually helped me and made me more relatable
(Louisa, 32, female, owner).
 Like I always, whenever I post a video, I’ll always like everyone’s comment. I always reply back. Short video
And I think it’s just a – I think it’s good to do because like one, those are potential customers that
are like commenting on your page. So if you like, respond back to them or feel more of like a
marketing
connection and like a friendship in that way, and so it’s like really good for like for like getting strategy
like new customers [. . .] (Madison, 20, female, owner).
Moreover, although the entrepreneurs did not carefully design or plan their TikTok
marketing strategies, the strategies they used were, in practice, unintentionally highly
similar to each other. For example, it is well known that a unique aspect/feature of TikTok’s
platform is showing trends and corresponding videos. All participants mentioned that the
use of these trends when creating content is extremely beneficial, as their content is more
likely to be circulated through the platform. Even more advantageous than trends is finding
a way for a trend to work in relation to one’s product or business. For example, Tyler, who
owns a clothing/apparel business, and Veronica, who owns a toothbrush company,
emphasized that entrepreneurs should prioritize forging genuine connections through their
videos instead of merely chasing trends:
Trends are very helpful actually so for me, I try to hop on trends. So you don’t have to follow the
trends exactly, but you can relate the trends back to your videos (Tyler, 27, male, owner).
Uh, yeah I do a lot of trends right now, which I don’t think is like a long-term strategy, sadly, but
it’s like it’s just what’s popular at the time, right? And then if you can catch a trend that’s like
going up before. It’s like all the celebrities like the Charli D’Amelios the Addison Rays jump on it.
Then you’ve really found a good trend [. . .] Trends have usually been pretty good, but I think
series will probably be the best strategy, like where you like do like, oh, follow me through this
[. . .] (Veronica, 20, female, owner).
Depending on the type of business and the characteristics of one’s product, there are many ways
to create a video that fits TikTok’s short video format. One type of video that seemed to work for
multiple entrepreneurs involved showing the process of creating or packaging a product. The
reason for this type of video generating positive responses is authenticity. By presenting
the process, not only do viewers understand what goes into one’s business, but they can also feel
the genuineness of the person who owns it. Thus, TikTok is especially helpful for small business
owners like this study’s entrepreneur interviewees. Unlike sizable, established corporations,
small business owners have the unique advantage of showcasing their creative journey in
intimate settings such as their bedrooms. This can foster a deep emotional bond between the
viewer and the creator or entrepreneur, a connection that’s challenging to replicate in more
impersonal settings. As noted by two small business owners, Tori and Macy, in their discussion:
Uhm, I mean, just like our creative process in general, because it’s like being able to show like
visually the steps like I can’t tell you how many times like people they’re like “Oh my God, like I
had no idea like how much went into it” because it’s like people when they just see the end
product [. . .] it’s like, “Oh like you guys are really putting the work in there” (Tori, 32, female,
co-owner).
Because I am an artist, I like to post what I like to post, however, I do feel a certain obligation to
the people who have chosen to follow my account and who really support my content. So, in my
business I’m I’ve had multiple sales come off from TikTok. So, I do want to show people things
that they like to see. So, I do a lot of - since I work with resin people love to see demolding videos
for some reason [. . .] So, I post a lot of videos where I’m showing the process of making different
orders and people really love to interact with those [. . .] (Macy, 27, female, owner).
In sum, while the entrepreneurs preferred not having a predetermined marketing
communication strategy on TikTok, they were consciously and unconsciously using
JRME strategies and tactics learned in their everyday TikTok business and communication
practices to achieve marketing communication success. Those strategies and tactics include
expressing authenticity and naturalness, taking advantage of TikTok trends and showing
their creative processes.

Getting inspired: community over competition

Different from the traditional sense of competition, competition on TikTok was perceived by
all participants as unthreatening to their businesses or sales. Instead, all agreed that
engaging with those considered competitors or other business owners is considerably more
helpful than harmful. TikTok’s vast user base and recommendation algorithms are the two
critical factors that make entrepreneurs feel as though they benefit from interacting with
and watching videos by other business owners. This creates a sense of community and
offers them inspiration for their own TikTok content. Illustrating this, our interviewees,
Madison and Evan, delved into the communal spirit prevalent among small business
owners on TikTok:
I’m actually friends with my competition. So even though we’re competitors, we don’t see
ourselves as competitors because there’s so many. There’s literally a billion people on TikTok so
it’s not like we’re ever going to run out of customers you know or people to buy our phone cases
(Madison, 20, female, owner).
For the most part, most people have that same mindset of community over competition, so it’s not
as bad, and I’ve learned that by doing that I can get a lot of ideas for the content that I’m making,
which is really helpful (Evan, 28, male, owner).
Given that TikTok has a billion users, the more niche a business, the more likely it is that the
entrepreneur will not experience any direct competition; thus, it can stand out among all of
the businesses already on the platform. In this sense, competition on TikTok does not
necessarily limit the success of entrepreneurs who market on the platform but rather fosters
the prosperity of all small business owners. Cloe, who runs a sock business, astutely
highlighted how her product’s niche nature grants her a competitive edge:
The one thing I pride myself is my niche and my being different. [. . .] Not a lot of people have sock
businesses. But on top of that, all the sock businesses that are out there not necessarily on TikTok
but in general don’t do what I do. So I’ve really set myself in a nice niche that not anybody else is
doing what I’m doing (Cloe, 30, male, owner).
In sum, TikTok’s unique ecological environment cultivates a sense of collaboration and
community among entrepreneurs rather than competition and rivalry. To small business
owners, collective prosperity is deemed as important as individual success.

Experiencing burnout and flames: the challenges of TikTok marketing

One of the largest challenges that the entrepreneurs mentioned when using TikTok’s
platform to market their businesses is the “burnout” they feel because of the need to
constantly create content to post. Usually, entrepreneurs are the creators of all of the video
content they post on TikTok. Given that short-format videos seem to be more feasible to
make and do not always require much time for some entrepreneurs/creators, posting
multiple times a day can be expected to be an easy goal. However, according to the
interviewees, this is not a sustainable goal as it places too much pressure on entrepreneurs,
even becoming a burden for them sometimes. Evan and Sarah made the following
comments regarding their burnout experiences:
 Posting three times a day is just. It’s not feasible. It’s not something that you can continuously do, Short video
and for me, trying to post that much as I was. It was, for me, was taking a burnout direction. It
just became such a chore that like “Oh my gosh I have to turn out three videos today” (Evan, 28, marketing
male, owner). strategy
I used to post like three to five times a day I found it to be unhealthy and almost addictive, and so
it was taking a strain on my mental health where I felt like I had to post that much otherwise I’d
fall behind. And so as of 2021 I had stopped with that nature. I started taking off on the weekends
and if that meant not posting a TikTok I wasn’t gonna post a TikTok on the weekend. And so I
find myself doing what’s called like batch content (Sarah, 22, female, owner).
One strategy for coping with possible burnout is to reduce the number of videos these
entrepreneurs post, but they emphasize the quality of the content. When comparing the
quantity with the quality of short videos, they mentioned that because there is no evidence to
suggest that success is hindered by not posting multiple times a day, cutting back on posting is
a more effective strategy if entrepreneurs focus on the quality of their videos over quantity.
Both Dylan and Ailish underscored the paramount importance of quality over quantity:
If you have, like I said, if you have the crowd that’s into what you do and they’d rather see maybe
three good videos a week instead of you know 20 times a week with nothing really to offer. [. . .]
Quality over quantity always (Dylan, 38, male, owner).
I try to like create content like when I’m when I’m feeling like my best like I feel like I can put out
something quality and I really don’t think too much about it which I know is not, uhm, other
people can’t say the same, but like I try not to take it like too seriously, I guess (Ailish, 23, female,
owner).
Another challenge mentioned by the entrepreneurs is negative comments received on
TikTok, which could possibly be detrimental to them and their products and brands. With
the fast growth in video views and account followers, the number of negative comments or
flames they receive on TikTok has also significantly increased. Two strategies these
entrepreneurs had adopted to deal with negative comments and quench the flames were
calling them out and ignoring them. Tori, a jewelry business owner, discussed her approach
to directly addressing negative feedback:
And I we have definitely go about like with some of the really rude comments and like I will
respond with a video to it cause you can respond to the comment. Then people will say “Oh well, I
was just joking.” It’s like. You weren’t, but like because you’re being called out so you’re saying
you’re joking (Tori, female, 32, co-owner).
Along with the excitement and advantages of using TikTok marketing, entrepreneurs are
also dealing with the challenges of using this innovative promotional tool. One of the
challenges is internal and more controllable, namely, entrepreneurs’ capability to produce
and maintain the quantity of short videos. Another is external and less controllable, namely,
flaming comments, which are harmful to products, brands and entrepreneurs. Nevertheless,
regardless of whether the challenges are internal or external, the entrepreneurs we
interviewed were using coping strategies to ensure their psychological well-being.

Discussion
This study explored entrepreneurs’ perceptions and interpretations of TikTok marketing.
Consistent with previous research, the findings suggested that entrepreneurs’ use of TikTok
is customer-oriented (Olanrewaju et al., 2020) and has the following purposes: promoting
one’s business, generating e-WoM and managing customer relationships (Alalwan et al.,
2017). As such, the gratification of the needs for audience connection, entertainment and
JRME information provision motivates entrepreneurs to use TikTok for social media marketing.
Additionally, their use of TikTok may also contribute to satisfying their need for creativity
and spontaneity, which may otherwise be limited on other social media platforms.
Similar to Chinese entrepreneurs’ use of social media marketing (Chen et al., 2021), the
American entrepreneurs interviewed in this study did not design or develop sophisticated
marketing plans to guide their TikTok activities but rather produced video content based on
their intuition and spontaneity. However, differing from entrepreneurs at the earlier stage of
social media development who adopted social media marketing because of FOMO (Durkin
et al., 2013), the entrepreneurs in this study had purposively integrated TikTok into their
marketing arsenal to achieve their business goals. Given the unique characteristics of social
media platforms, entrepreneurs focus on different aspects of TikTok for launching marketing
activities compared with their use of Facebook (Bahcecik et al., 2019) and Instagram (Raj and
Avinash, 2021). For example, they ensure that their TikTok videos have higher levels of
naturalness and authenticity than the content they generate for Facebook and Instagram,
among other platforms; capitalize on TikTok trends to increase the reach of their videos and
make them go viral; and make their production process transparent by showing the whole
process of how their products are made and packaged. The findings of this study have both
theoretical and practical implications, which are discussed in the following subsections.

Theoretical implications
One of the most crucial theoretical implications of this study lies in expanding the previous
literature on entrepreneurship, social media marketing and the U&G approach by revealing
the specifics, nuances and dynamics of TikTok marketing from the emic perspective of
entrepreneurs. As Figure 1 indicates, according to the participants, virality and velocity are
two essential motivations for entrepreneurs to adopt TikTok marketing. Virality refers to its
breadth and depth of reach. Given the huge user base, algorithmic curation and short video
format of TikTok, entrepreneurs can connect with a wider range of consumers and engage
them on a deeper level than they could on other social media platforms. Velocity refers to the
speed and rate of reach. The length of the videos and the way people consume content on

Content
Authenticity
Personality
Motivation Challenge
Virality Burnout
Velocity Flame

TikTok
Marketing
Figure 1. Community
Entrepreneurs’
perception and
interpretation of
TikTok marketing
Source: Authors’ own work
TikTok enable entrepreneurs to accumulate a large number of views and followers in a Short video
relatively short time. marketing
For creating engaging content on TikTok, the entrepreneurs emphasized two crucial
features – namely, authenticity and personality. Authenticity refers to entrepreneurs
strategy
expressing their true selves in TikTok videos to build genuine relationships with
consumers. Personality refers to the entrepreneurs demonstrating the uniqueness of their
character and embedding it into their videos. As for the challenges encountered by
entrepreneurs when marketing on TikTok, the two largest ones are burnout and negative
comments; however, this study also uncovered strategies developed by entrepreneurs to
combat these challenges. For example, tactics such as calling out users or ignoring negative
comments can be used. Essentially, in the lives of the participants, TikTok marketing is a
community-based promotional activity driven by virality, velocity, authenticity and
personality to achieve individual business success and communal prosperity.
Another critical theoretical implication of our findings lies in extending the application of
U&G theory into the social marketing field of entrepreneurs. By examining how
entrepreneurs use TikTok, we were able to observe how this platform satisfies their
marketing communication and business needs, thereby extending the scope of U&G theory.
A key finding is that entrepreneurs use TikTok to establish intimate and personal
relationships with their customers within a short time span. They achieve this by
consistently interacting with their audience, which allows them to fulfill their CRM needs.
This aspect aligns with U&G theory as it suggests that entrepreneurs actively seek out
TikTok to satisfy their desire for building and maintaining customer relationships.
Moreover, entrepreneurs leverage TikTok as a tool for creating and shaping their brand
image, both for their products/services and for themselves. Through using TikTok’s
features and characteristics, entrepreneurs can interweave their personal brand with their
offerings, thus satisfying their branding needs. This close association between the product
and the entrepreneur on TikTok highlights the relevance of U&G theory in explaining how
entrepreneurs seek gratification through brand construction and promotion on this
platform.
Furthermore, this study revealed that entrepreneurs use TikTok to build online
communities with not only their customers but also their competitors. This allows them to
gather inspiration and pursue economic prosperity, thereby fulfilling their creative and
profit-oriented needs. These findings align with previous research that emphasized the
importance of connection and community building on TikTok, particularly among
adolescents (Vaterlaus and Winter, 2021). By applying U&G theory within the context of
entrepreneurial marketing, this study expands the understanding of how entrepreneurs
derive gratification from building online communities on TikTok.

Practical implications
This study also offers several critical practical implications for entrepreneurs who are
currently using or plan to adopt TikTok marketing. First, because users have a higher
expectation of the realism of TikTok content, entrepreneurs should add elements to enhance
the authenticity of their short videos, such as expressing their true identities and
personalities. For example, entrepreneurs can post videos that reveal the process of
manufacturing or packaging their products, the differences before and after customers use
their service and the uniqueness of their businesses.
Second, entrepreneurs should take full advantage of TikTok trends to benefit their
businesses. Entrepreneurs should not only follow trends but also incorporate them into the
styles or messages of their businesses to more effectively engage consumers and generate
JRME sales. Users of TikTok are particular about the content they like. Entrepreneurs should
know their target customers and their preferences and focus on their preferred content.
Third, entrepreneurs should balance the quantity and quality of their content to avoid
burnout and maintain connections and relationships with followers and consumers. Rather
than posting three short videos per day, entrepreneurs may want to reduce the frequency of
their posts and focus on producing original, high-quality content to break the
communication clutter and more effectively reach their customers. They can use the various
tools embedded in TikTok to increase the quality of their videos, as well as consider hiring a
professional editor to help them.
Fourth, entrepreneurs should consider working with influential content creators. Partnering
with them can help entrepreneurs increase their awareness rapidly. However, they should pick
the content creator carefully to ensure that their audience is their target customers and that
they will provide a positive influence. Finally, entrepreneurs should strategically manage
negative comments to minimize their detrimental effects and maximize business growth.

Limitations and future research

This study has a few limitations. First, although the participants were diverse in terms
of their businesses and geographic locations, given the multiplicity and variety of
entrepreneurs, our study was unable to catch all of the nuances and variations
of entrepreneurs’ interpretations of TikTok marketing. Future research could recruit
entrepreneurs from different business and industry categories to gauge their perceptions.
Second, this current is a snapshot of a dynamic phenomenon. Given the constantly
changing landscape of TikTok and social media, longitudinal studies of entrepreneurs’
perceptions of TikTok marketing would offer more insights. Third, only one theoretical
framework was used to guide the study. Thus, future research could adopt different theories,
such as technology acceptance theory or social norm theory, to generate more theoretical
implications.
Fourth, although Zoom has been proven to be an effective data collection tool, because of
the mediated environment, the researcher could have missed some nonverbal cues and thus
not been able to accurately catch all of the useful information and correctly analyze and
interpret the data. Therefore, future research could conduct face-to-face interviews to
mitigate the mediated environmental effects. Finally, as this study only examined the
perspective of entrepreneurs regarding TikTok marketing, future research could investigate
consumers’ perceptions of entrepreneurs’ TikTok marketing to determine whether any
perceptual gaps exist.

Conclusion
In conclusion, this study revealed that entrepreneurs perceive TikTok as a customer-
oriented marketing tool for promoting their businesses, generating e-WoM and managing
customer relationships. They are motivated by the gratification of their needs to connect
with their audience, provide entertainment and provide information. TikTok provides a
platform for entrepreneurs to express their creativity and spontaneity, which may be limited
on other social media platforms. This study highlights the unique characteristics of TikTok
marketing compared with platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Entrepreneurs
prioritize authenticity and capitalize on TikTok trends to increase their content’s reach and
make it go viral. They also leverage TikTok to establish personal relationships with
customers, shape their brand image and build online communities. This study’s
practical implications include the need to enhance authenticity in content, leverage
TikTok trends, balance content quantity and quality, partner with influential content
creators and effectively manage negative comments. Overall, this study expands the Short video
understanding of how entrepreneurs perceive and leverage TikTok for marketing marketing
purposes and offers practical recommendations for those seeking to harness its
strategy
potential for business success.
It is crucial to note that the findings of this study should be interpreted in the context
of the availability and accessibility of TikTok as a social media platform. While TikTok
has gained significant popularity globally, it has also faced restrictions and bans in
certain countries. These limitations may impact the scope of the application of this
study’s findings in regions where TikTok is not accessible or widely used. Entrepreneurs
operating in countries where TikTok is banned or restricted may need to consider
alternative social media platforms and adapt their strategies accordingly. The specific
characteristics and dynamics of other platforms may differ from TikTok, necessitating a
tailored approach to social media marketing. Therefore, when considering the practical
implications and recommendations provided by this study, entrepreneurs should
consider the local regulatory environment and the availability of TikTok as a marketing
tool in their respective regions. Exploring alternative platforms and understanding their
unique features will be crucial for entrepreneurs who seek to effectively use social media
for business promotion and growth.

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Corresponding author
Huan Chen can be contacted at: huanchen@jou.ufl.edu

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