With the latest rejection by an appeals court to stay the order, it’s all but official: TikTok being banned in the United States is likely. An estimated 170 million users here in the US will lose access to the social network as of January 19th unless owner Bytedance decides to sell to another company.
If you’re looking for answers to why TikTok is going to be banned, this isn’t that article, but Reddit has a nice quick summary if you’d like to learn more. No, this article is to serve as a reminder to small businesses, nonprofits, influencers—anyone out there relying on social media to generate revenue—that, as in life, diversification is key.
Avoiding the “Facebook Problem”
Several moons ago—before the 2016 election and Cambridge Analytica became synonymous with privacy violations, Facebook was the social network. As users flocked to the platform in droves, so, too, did brands—with larger brands beginning to even use their Facebook URLs in non-digital advertising. These Facebook-based campaigns continued to grow in popularity until the 2013 Super Bowl, at a time when America had lost trust in the company, and brands moved on to hashtags and Instagram handles.
Unfortunately—despite those of us in the industry at the time advising against it—smaller brands followed suit; and instead of building SEO on their own websites, spent most of their time and limited budgets on Facebook.
So when that Facebook bubble deflated, and platforms like Twitter and Instagram were having a moment, these brands were sadly years behind, with no endemic, first-party audiences to help build their networks elsewhere.
It’s All About the Data (baby)
First-party data is the crown jewel of not only digital advertising, but email, organic, and traditional marketing efforts as well. It is the backbone of nearly everything we do from an advertising standpoint, from audience building, remarketing, performance tracking—you name it. That is why your website, a website in which you own the data shared on it, is so critical for businesses.
When the Facebook boom occurred, it seemed to make sense for some small businesses: Facebook is a free platform, has built-in tools to set up a “page”, and gives you front-row access to an engaged, digital-friendly audience. However, by forgoing traffic driving efforts to their own website, they missed out on the opportunity to collect that data themselves; and Facebook data has limited portability.
Social Media’s Short Shelf-Life
Then there’s the other main issue with putting all of your focus into a single social network: they don’t last. I am old enough to have managed organic social on MySpace; in the millennium (or so) since, I’ve seen Google Buzz, Meerkat, Vine, Google Plus, Friendster, Google Wave (god, Google sucks at social media), etcétera, all be the most popular thing until they weren’t (not the Google ones). TikTok being banned is just the latest in a trend of users moving en masse from one platform on its way out to the next. Diversification in your organic and paid social media campaigns can help to better position your brand for the next social network to become the “it” thing.
This also prevents those with limited resources—small businesses, nonprofits for example—from spending too much of their time and resources on a single network, when said network may not exist by next year.
Managing Social Diversification Efficiently
I would never suggest to any brand, small or large, that they need to jump on every new social network that hits the app stores. Waiting until an app reaches critical mass is ok, and often advised; in addition, there are different types of social networks, not all necessarily appropriate for all products and services.
If you have decided to launch your business profile on a new social network, remember to keep brand consistency in mind across platforms. Social media management platforms such as Buffer can make managing multiple networks easier—but, ensure that your content is still being customized to the particular formats that each network offers. Instagram and TikTok have a much different format than Bluesky or Threads, and while similar content across networks is recommended, customization is, as well.
If you are a small business, nonprofit, or marketing department trying to manage multiple social networks, and are having trouble or would like some help optimizing your social channels, contact Screechy Cat Media today and let us show you how we could assist.
