Prepping for the TikTok Ban as a Business
As the TikTok ban looms over us, businesses and creators, based all over the world, worry about how this will effect their community, sales and ultimately, their livelihood. Although we still have a long time before the app is officially banned, prepping ahead is key, which is why we want to provide you with all of our solutions in this blog for a seamless transition.
The In’s & Out’s of the Ban
Since 2020, the looming threat of a TikTok ban in the US has stemmed from concerns over its ownership by Chinese-based company, ByteDance, amid ongoing tensions between China and the US. The Trump administration initially proposed the ban in 2020, citing national security and data privacy concerns. We are now closer than ever to an official ban. Here’s a breakdown of events…
March 23rd 2023: TikTok holds a congressional hearing with US lawmakers and TikTok CEO, Shou Zi Chew, questioning him over both the app’s and his personal affiliation with the Chinese communist party. He ultimately denies any links. Montana was the first state to take matters into their own hands and introduce a state-wide ban in effect from January 1st 2024, which fell through due to First Amendment free speech protections.
March 13th 2024: The US House of Representatives passed a bill forcing ByteDance to sell its ownership of TikTok to a US-based company within 165 days, or face a complete ban in the US. The bill is not in effect yet and still needs to pass the US Senate and be signed by the President.
April 20th 2024: Bills that get passed to the US Senate usually are put on hold until more recent bills are dealt with, debated and passed; however, this was a top priority for the US, which caused them to tie the TikTok ban bill with the billions in "aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, as well as sanctions against Iran. They also changed the initial bill from forcing a sell within 165 days, to 9 months. This bill was passed in the US Senate.
April 24th 2024: Joe Biden signed this bill, which means the countdown is on for TikTok to sell to a US-based company, with the cut-off date being January 19th 2025.
TikTok CEO, Shou Zi Chew, has previously expressed that they will push against the bill and take the US to court, which could potentially extend the ban by a couple of more years; although, nothing is certain at this point.
Assess Your TikTok Presence
Given the above, now is the time for businesses and creators to begin preparing for the worst. The first thing you want to do is assess your presence and identify what needs to be replaced elsewhere, which can be done by analysing and reporting on your key metrics, such as your follower count, engagement, top-performing content and conversion rate. This will help you continue to drive impact through your content on other platforms.
Give Your Audience An Incentive
Don’t just tell your audience to follow you on other platforms. Instead, provide them with a concrete incentive to give them a reason to make the switch. This goes for both businesses AND creators. The most effective incentive will most likely be offering discounts, promotions or giveaways, to extend your appreciation for them continuing to follow along your journey elsewhere. Here is a sample strategy you can use…
Think about your no-brainer discount/ promotion/ giveaway offer for the members in your community to follow you on Instagram, and your other dedicated platforms.
Announce your offer across all social media platforms, outlining the “rules” - making sure to announce it as a TikTok post and a story.
Host a LIVE event on TikTok, branding it as a “farewell” event, a couple of hours before your discount/ promotion/ giveaway expires, which will drive last-minute participants.
Make sure that the essence of your discount/ promotion/ giveaway, is centered around thanking your audience for supporting you on TikTok, as well as thanking them for continuing to support you elsewhere.
Diversifying Your Social Media Presence
Diversifying your social media presence has long been considered a smart strategy, but in light of the current circumstances, it’s now an absolute necessity. Begin exploring alternative platforms, such as Instagram, Threads, YouTube, LinkedIn, Snapchat and starting an email list. There is no need to be present on all of the platforms listed, but rather choosing the platforms where your target audience is “hanging out” is essential. Here is a breakdown of what each platform could be used for…
Instagram: The new “website” for businesses and creators. Instagram is the ideal place to continue to build your community more intimately, with all their DM, Story and other interactive features. It is also proven to be a place to grow, mostly, via Instagram Reels, which is ideal for visually engaging content and entertaining/ relatable content.
Threads: A new take on X (formerly Twitter), proving to be a space to continue to offer a more intimate and private space for connecting with your audience. Consider using Threads for exclusive content, relatable one-liners, memes and/or behind-the-scenes updates.
YouTube: The OG video-content platform and TikTok’s main competitor. Using YouTube to continue the TikTok-style of content, which includes infusing storytelling content, behind-the-scenes, interviews, team, Founder and authentic vlog-style content.
LinkedIn: With engagement on an all-time rise on LinkedIn, it’s a great place to be building personal brands, by sharing your thought leadership, behind-the-scenes and value-driven content - no matter what industry you’re in. This serves as a platform to continue to drive awareness, foster professional collaboration, sign clients as a service-based business owner and get booked for speaking/ corporate gigs.
Snapchat: Although branded to be a platform for youngsters, the app is proven to be a lucrative endeavour for brands and creators sharing frequent real-time updates and behind-the-scenes content. You could use Snapchat to continue to share more exclusive content.
Email List: Building an email list is absolutely essential. It serves as a place to nurture and convert your warmest audience members via direct communication.
Assess your business model, target audience and overall business objectives and identify what platform suits you best.
Keep An Eye Out
While the TikTok ban may be imminent, it's essential to keep an eye out for emerging platforms. In 2019 - joining TikTok was considered “cringe”, but the ones that did early on benefitted immensely. If the TikTok ban happens, there will be an incredibly strong demand for a similar video-based platform to share unfiltered thoughts in both short and long-form formats. Our take, is that something is bound to come up due to this pressing demand. While the situation may seem uncertain now, staying informed by keeping up-to-date with our blog, Instagram stories and even better, subscribing to our newsletter below!
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