Ballarat small businesses Shelby Sherritt Art and Bespoke Ballarat Balloons are using TikTok to grow their platforms.

Shelby Sherritt Art owner Shelby Sherritt started using TikTok at the beginning of last year because she had seen some friends use it to share their daily life.

"I didn't really think it was for small businesses then, but I put a few videos out and one went crazy," Miss Sherritt said.

The application became popular last year and was mostly known for younger people posting dance videos.

Since the audience of the app has grown, many different sub communities - including small businesses and creators sharing their arts - have popped up on the app.

TikTok is different from other social media applications because it starts users off with a pre-formed network.

Rather than users having to find creators they like, TikTok will instead instantly play videos from a feed called the 'for you page'.

TikTok then keeps showing you similar content based on your watch times and interactions on the app.

Miss Sherritt's first viral video showed the process of her making an unknown mould and then revealing the product at the end.

The moulds that she had found on gumtree used to be very popular.

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"I've been getting lots of comments about people's grandmas owning the same mould, or others making them or gifting them at weddings," Miss Sherritt said.

"They really hold some special memories to my followers."

Miss Sherritt said the best part about using TikTok is 'it's all about having fun'.

"There are no rules with TikTok - you don't need to be worried about making anything perfect," Miss Sherritt said.

Celia Gercovich is the owner of Bespoke Balloons Ballarat and got into TikTok because she was board during the lockdown.

"I'm not very good at sitting down doing nothing," Miss Gercovich said.

Last year was the first year Miss Gercovich was working only for herself after being made redundant from her full-time job at the end of 2019.

"At first I was just posting random videos of cleaning time lapses," she said.

But then she started a TikTok account under her own name and started posting little parts of her day.

"During the second lockdown we were able to make contactless deliveries, so I filmed myself making balloon garlands or doing deliveries," Miss Gercovich said.

As families were still celebrating during lockdown, Miss Gercovich's most popular balloons were gender reveals.

"I think some of them got millions of views," she said.

Miss Gercovich has seen 'the most random' things go viral on TikTok.

"I have learnt so much and it can be so powerful. I've seen small business sell out after randomly going viral on TikTok," she said.

"I don't do crazy edits - it is not super aesthetically pleasing. I just like to put out raw content of my life."