Content Marketing Strategy in Building Purchasing Power of MSME Products in Surabaya

Abstract

The rapid growth of TikTok as a short video-based social media platform has opened up new opportunities for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to conduct low-cost, yet broad-reaching marketing communications. This study aims to examine and synthesize the concept of content marketing on TikTok and its role in shaping consumer purchasing power for MSME products, with a specific focus on the context of MSMEs in Surabaya. The method used is a systematic literature review guided by PRISMA 2020 by identifying, filtering, and analyzing 22 scientific articles published between 2021 and 2026 from national and international journals indexed by Google Scholar with verifiable Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs), then synthesized through thematic analysis. The results of the synthesis indicate that informative and entertaining content, live streaming, collaboration with influencers, and the TikTok Shop feature are generally associated with higher consumer engagement, trust, and purchase intention, although the strength and pathways of influence vary depending on outcome measures, model specifications, and respondent characteristics. Evidence from six studies in the Surabaya context points in the same direction: authentic, locally relevant, and interactive content is relevant for MSMEs, although the evidence remains limited and mixed. This synthesis suggests that a structured TikTok content marketing strategy is a relevant and affordable option for strengthening MSME competitiveness in urban markets like Surabaya. Because most studies are cross-sectional and measure perceived purchase intention, the findings are interpreted as associations rather than causal influences. This study recommends collaboration between MSMEs and local governments to improve digital content literacy.