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If you’re a TikTok user, you’re probably well aware of what’s going to happen in just a few short months. Unless TikTok finds a new owner, it will be banned within the United States, due to its close ties to China. And that could turn into a marketing apocalypse for any small business, startup, or brand that is aggressively using TikTok right now.
Literally overnight, your team’s entire investment in TikTok could be at risk. Yes, you might be able to follow some of your biggest TikTok influencers to new social media platforms. But you will likely never reclaim the full scope and reach of your TikTok presence. So should you still be using TikTok, or is it time to look for a TikTok alternative?
Time to hedge your social media bets
That’s a fair question to ask, given the number of high-profile brands that already appear to be abandoning TikTok. Target, for example, has cut its TikTok ad spend by 30%. DoorDash has cut its TikTok spend by 25%. And consumer-facing brands like Bayer and Procter & Gamble (P&G) are cutting their ad spend anywhere from 10% to 20%.
Clearly, they see the writing on the wall. They realize that the much-hyped TikTok ban might actually happen, and are taking active steps to prepare for that possibility. They are moving some of their ad spend over to social media platforms like Instagram, and they are re-thinking how some of their messaging developed for TikTok might be repurposed for other video-centric platforms.
So, if you’re a small business owner, it’s time to reevaluate your digital marketing strategy. If you wait until January 2025 to figure things out, it could be too late. Right now, you have approximately five months to start the process of hedging your bets. You shouldn’t give up on TikTok entirely, but you should definitely dial back some of the dollars that you are spending on this social media platform.
What if the TikTok ban doesn’t happen?
Of course, there’s always the chance that the TikTok ban never happens. At the last minute, TikTok might find a U.S.-based buyer. Or some of the public criticism of TikTok might become more muted as we head into the final months of the election campaign season. Top political candidates are relying on TikTok to deliver the youth vote, so they probably don’t want to hassle with a TikTok ban until sometime later in 2025.
And that leads me to think that the TikTok ban might become one of those issues that is perennially kicked down the road, depending on political expediency. For example, former president Donald Trump used to be a huge critic of TikTok, and actually came up with the idea of the TikTok ban during his presidency.. But he now sees how a TikTok ban might lead to a Truth Social ban, and he’s now backpedaling on all those calls for a TikTok sell-off.
Right now, it’s hard to name a social media platform that has the reach and engagement of TikTok among young people. And, for that reason, you shouldn’t abandon TikTok entirely for your digital marketing efforts. But just be aware that there’s at least a 50% chance of an outright ban starting in January, so prepare accordingly.
