Even if you don't use TikTok for business, there are a lot of potential ramifications of a TikTok ban. In this three (four?!) part series, I'm exploring the significant impact it could have on small businesses and the creator economy. With TikTok contributing an impressive $24.2 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023, including $15 billion from small businesses alone, the impending loss of the platform raises urgent questions about audience growth and marketing strategies. The discussion highlights the cultural shifts that TikTok has fostered, such as the normalization of raw and unfiltered content, which has influenced both online and offline interactions. As the conversation unfolds, listeners are encouraged to consider the risks of platform dependency and the importance of diversifying their marketing efforts. The episode wraps up with actionable steps for creators and businesses to secure their online presence and adapt to the changing digital landscape.

Recommended Links:

Check out the Neptune App (Join their Discord to reserve your username)

Subscribe to my newsletter

Welcome to the Strategies that Stack podcast.

I'm your host, Victoria H.

Boyd.

I'm a corporate escapee and marketing consultant and I'm on a mission to help you build a marketing strategy that is so stacked you become absolutely unignorable.

Each week I will bring you real stories, the actual data, and the true strategies that have propelled online creators and entrepreneurs to the top of their industries.

So grab your coffee and let's jump in.

What's up guys?

Happy Monday.

I am in my feels today.

I am in my feels.

I am feeling anxious and I want to channel that anxiety into something productive and something that I've been thinking a lot about and something that is going to affect all of us even if you don't use TikTok.

And that's what I'm here to talk.

To you about today.

So this is likely going to be.

A three part miniseries called the TikTok Takedown.

What the heck is going to happen.

If this app actually goes away?

And I've been thinking a lot about it up until this past week, January 10th, when they did the Supreme Court hearing or whatever, whatever it was, I was very firmly in the camp.

It's not going to get banned.

To be honest, I didn't even watch the court hearing.

I didn't watch the court case.

I was like, I'll just catch up on the highlights.

I don't need it.

I don't need the stress.

But I was very firmly in the TikTok will not get banned because it just simply cannot happen.

Like that cannot happen.

I cannot fathom a world where we don't have TikTok right now.

And that might sound really dramatic, but I think this episode might give you some insight in why I feel that way.

And now what we're going to talk about in this episode.

And again, this is going to be.

A three, maybe four part series, depending.

On how long I talk.

I really don't like episodes to be too long for you.

I like to keep my episodes short and sweet and to the point.

So three to four episodes back to back about what the heck happens after TikTok, what happens if we do lose TikTok and how do we prepare?

So while I don't know for certain.

Be banned and exactly what that is going to look like.

But the conversation about the platform coming down and what this means for us.

Raises a lot of really important questions and concerns.

Right before I hit record, I did hear that on Wednesday January 15th is what's called Opinion Day, which I've never.

Heard that before, where the court will release one or more opinions, but there's.

No guarantee that they will be sharing any opinions on the TikTok case.

However, that is the only opinion day.

Between now and January 19th, which is when the ban goes into effect.

So like I said, this is going.

To be hopefully a three part series and at the end of this episode.

I'm going to have an action item for you and I'm going to actually.

Tell you how to reserve your name.

On a new app that looks pretty promising that I'm very excited for.

So let's kind of get right into it.

Something else that I want to cover that I can't remember if I talk about later in my outline, but I'm.

Just going to throw it out there.

Right now is Google and Apple are.

Expected to enforce the band which, like.

Honestly, like, is that even their job by removing it from the App Store?

Like, I don't know, I don't really know how this is all going to play out and I don't think anybody really does yet.

So this case is especially interesting to.

Me and again, I'm not a lawyer, I don't work in any law adjacent way.

So none of this is like advice in that way.

This is just things that I am thinking because this is going to set.

A really interesting precedent moving forward for tech policies, right?

Like they're claiming that there's a big.

Data privacy issue with TikTok but like.

Nobody'S going after Team you or you know, all of the other crazy apps that we have on the App Store right now.

But TikTok collects a vast amount of like user data.

So critics are saying that could be.

Shared with the government, the Chinese government.

And like why does that really matter?

They have a thousand other ways to spy on us and if they really want to know what we're reading, like, welcome to Booktok Fam.

There's also concerns over facial recognition because of like how sophisticated and honestly incredible.

The filters are on TikTok.

Location tracking and behavioral data collection.

However, there is no evidence that anything has been turned over to the Chinese government.

So this is all just like speculation.

National security concerns.

US officials worry that TikTok could be.

Used for a disinformation campaign or some sort of surveillance.

Again, no evidence here.

And discusses bipartisan support for stricter regulation.

And the tech war that is just starting to erupt between us and China.

That I think is going to get worse.

But that's a Future conversation.

Right, so the online community has also experienced some really incredible cultural shifts thanks to TikTok.

That I think is really a good spot to start with this and then we will go into the economic impacts, the creator economy impacts and all of that.

All right, let's get straight into the meat and potatoes of this episode.

Where I kind of want to start is just thinking about us.

I'm going to call us the online community, online business owners, people that exist in the online space.

We have experienced some incredible cultural shifts thanks to TikTok.

Like TikTok normalized, raw, real unfiltered content that really wasn't a thing before TikTok.

Like Instagram, we were all so concerned.

Over our grid and how aesthetic our pictures were and if our flat lays looked good and the lighting and white backgrounds and like crispiness and all of this stuff.

But TikTok really allowed us to show up without makeup on in a very like normal way.

And trends that have really changed what life has even looked like offline too.

Like for example, kind of this trend.

Of like being cozy and comfortable and de influencing.

And there have been just so many.

Little trends on TikTok that have crossed over into our day to day life that can't be understated.

Right.

And on a personal note, like I love TikTok because it's where I found a lot of my favorite creators and it's been a personal brand playground for so many people.

Then there's also the mental health and.

Like the community side of things where it's influenced language and our communication styles.

It's helped marginalized communities find a voice online where in other apps like they're just not given the same opportunity.

And that is truly thanks to the.

Incredible algorithm of TikTok where they know.

What you need to see, when you need to see it.

And I don't know how it works.

It's amazing.

But that's like one of the things that like no other app will ever come close to this incredible algorithm that TikTok has created.

So economically I don't think that there is even a solid way to know.

The impact that this is going to have or the ripple effect that we're.

Going to be seeing.

TikTok contributed to, I can't believe I'm saying this number $24.2 billion to the U.S.

And 15 billion, 15 billion came from small businesses, that is insane.

So to say that small businesses are relying on TikTok for reach, brand aware.

Even sales, like it's unfathomable to me.

Like I cannot believe it.

And like when I think about myself, I am a millennial.

I was born in 94 something right on that cusp of millennial Gen Z.

I'm like right there.

I do a lot of like my creative shopping or like my craft shopping on TikTok now.

Like not Instagram.

Oh my gosh, Etsy has just become not what it used to be.

So that just makes me feel so many.

It just puts me in my feels.

Like this just puts me in my feels.

And TikTok has warned of an estimated.

1.3 billion revenue loss for US small businesses within the first month of the ban's enforcement.

And that is crazy.

That is crazy.

That number actually made me sit back.

In my chair and say, like, this is going to impact the US economy very quickly and we're going to see it very quickly.

Not to mention companies have invested millions.

In TikTok and TikTok ads.

From agencies specializing in TikTok ads to entire departments that are dedicated to creating short form content that TikTok really set the tone of to companies that have.

Invested in influencer campaigns.

This is going to be really interesting.

To see on really a global scale, but especially in our own backyard here in the US and if we go more specific and talk about the creator economy, I think this is another way to think about it that I think is really going to help you.

Because if you are in TikTok, if.

You'Re on TikTok, it's not just dancers or influencer stuff, lifestyle influencers.

There's businesses and there's creatives and there's people that are approaching business in really creative ways.

And it's much bigger than what you.

Just think at face value.

I follow an OB GYN that specializes in PCOS coaching.

2022, basically right after I got my PCOS like diagnosis all the way to the point where she actually opened an.

In person clinic because she was able.

To because of like the attention that.

Tick Tock had put on her business.

And on her credentials and on like her story as moving through and navigating life with pcos to the point of like healing her fertility and getting regular cycles and all this stuff.

Like it took an OB GYN and.

Helped her open her own practice.

Like that's really freaking cool.

Or there's a hospice nurse that I follow that creates content around end of.

Life care and I have a funeral.

Home director who's actually local to me.

In Syracuse that shares what actually happens after you pass in a way that's like, not scary, not freaky, and really.

Like, shows that the people that care.

For you after you pass like, care for you.

I know that feels so weird.

But like, I love watching her content authors that are acting like influencers for their own book to help them get in front of the right audience.

Independent journalists, like, under the desk new.

She is my favorite, favorite.

And Aaron, I'm gonna pronounce his last name wrong, but Aaron Parnas, like, independent journalists really like, got like, how do I phrase this?

Independent journal journalists sort of became like normal on TikTok.

And thanks to TikTok.

And I really appreciate that.

Like, before TikTok or before I really.

Started watching TikTok, the only independent journalist.

That I knew of was Jessica Yellen, who does news without noise or news not noise.

I can't remember what her actual business is called or newsletters called, but like, I get so much of my news.

Thanks to these short form videos on TikTok.

There's also the girl with the list.

If you know, you know, therapists sharing.

Somatic exercises like, this isn't just about losing a platform.

It's going to dismantle entire business models that have been built around the unique format of TikTok.

Now, this is not to say like, well, clearly they made a mistake if their whole business is wrapped up in an app that they don't own.

It's not about that.

Like, right now, this is not about that.

This is strictly about marketing.

This is about the impact the economy.

Is going to have.

And even if you don't use TikTok to market your business, I am willing to bet a ranchwater that you will notice the impacts when there's just less money in general circulating the economy.

You are going to notice the effects.

And despite what Trump is going to want to point fingers at, it is not Biden's fault.

It's not his problem.

Problem.

This is shitty.

Okay, okay.

One of the things I was kind of thinking about when I was outlining this episode to start this conversation about what happens after TikTok, why this band matters, is I want to talk a little bit about what we can learn.

From past platform disruptions.

And yes, I will be wrapping this up with some action items for you.

And I have a lot of good ones.

Their audience and others have, like, never been seen or heard from again, other.

Than in like YouTube recap, roundup videos or whatever.

Facebook algorithm changed.

Businesses that were relying heavily on Facebook saw engagement plummet when the platform prioritized meaningful connections over business pages.

And every time Meta has had some.

Sort of an outage, we see all.

Of the email marketers go hard with.

The you've gotta build your list.

And we can expect a lot of the same energy coming up right after the ban.

And even now like I'm already seeing it, I've already been seeing it of like, well you wouldn't care TikTok's getting.

Banned if you grew your email list.

No, those things can exist, those things can coexist.

You can care an app is going.

Away and you can have an owned audience off the app, like whatever.

We also aren't facing this band alone.

So we can learn a little bit from what happened over there.

Like they saw some alternative apps pop up almost immediately, but from what I've read, none of them compare to TikTok.

So what this means for all of us, even if you've never made a TikTok in your entire life, this situation is teaching us something really crucial about business, about audience growth, about stability and that platform dependency is a risky business and you have to think about platform proofing your marketing asap because this is setting an interesting precedent moving forward.

It really is of just global like social media and global communities like this, like what we have in the Internet.

So as promised, some action items for you.

Number one, immediately back up your content.

I will have a video in the show notes showing you how to do this.

Set your password to something unique to TikTok.

If we can still use the app even after it's banned and we just can't get any updates, there could be.

Some vulnerabilities that pop in.

I'm not a developer but like I just feel like you should probably have.

Your account locked down.

Two factor authentication, like lock down your.

Account so hopefully you can't get hacked.

So you are eliminating vulnerabilities that are in your control.

So set a password, make it like.

A long form password that you would.

Like have Apple create for you or LastPass or Dashlane or anything like that.

But you want a long password that cannot just be guessed.

Consider starting a blog or an email list.

I know you're not going to want to hear that right now, but like start a blog, start an email list, repurpose some of those ideas and things.

That make great content on TikTok from.

Your backup and move some of that.

Content to your blog.

Next step is to buy your domain name.

A lot of people don't own their.

Domain name, but like you totally should.

And what I mean is like I.

Own Victoria H.

Boyd.

Victoria Harris, that's my maiden name.

Victoriahboydeco Victoria H.

Boyd Hub.

Buy your domain name for your like legal name or for whatever your online name is.

That way you can use that however.

You need to in the future.

Like Blue sky, you can actually use your own domain over there, which I think is super freaking cool.

And make sure that you're.

I didn't even plan to talk about.

This, but make sure that your handles.

Or your username are the same across all the apps.

This is like basic 101 here, but I want to make sure that you are using the same username on all the apps that you are able to secure that username on.

Reason being is because when your audience.

Goes to find you somewhere else, it's.

Easiest if the name is what they're expecting the name to be, which would be the same handle.

So for example, I'm Victoria Hboyd on.

Instagram threads, blue sky, TikTok, I believe even Facebook.

I think the only one I'm not is actually LinkedIn and that's just because my link is in too many places to ever go change.

So yeah.

And, and last but not least, there's a new app coming to the App store hopefully I believe they're targeting a end of Q1 launch or spring called Neptune and you can actually go and.

Reserve your username there, which I highly, highly, highly recommend.

And I will have that direct link.

Down for you in the show notes as well.

Just make sure that you are reserving your name, not trying to steal some business's name or not to take some celebrity's name because I do believe that.

They'Re doing some verification with that.

So yeah, I would absolutely love to know your thoughts on the TikTok ban.

If you think it's going to be banned.

If you think it's not going to be banned.

And I will see you in the next episode where we are going to talk a little bit about building your audience without TikTok and what that can look like for.