By, Amanda Sarver MPR Social & Digital Strategist
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Saturday that included a nationwide ban on TikTok if the Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, doesn’t divest and sell to an owner that is not classified as a “foreign adversary.” The bill, which will now move on to the Senate, stipulates that ByteDance has nine months to sell, with a possible extension of three additional months if a sale is in progress.
So what does this mean for creators and businesses who use TikTok?
First, assuming the bill passes the Senate, the ban would not go into effect until nine months after President Biden signs it into law, so 2025. ByteDance has indicated that it will take legal action to try to block the law if it passes, citing First Amendment rights of the app’s 170+ million users in the U.S. In other words, this could be a long battle.
What you can do in the meantime…
- Don’t jump ship, yet. Don’t abandon your TikTok strategy just yet. Keep your influencer partnerships and ad buys, while continuing to engage your audiences by creating high-quality content that highlights your brand. Nine months is a long time in the social media world and a lot can change. Assess how important TikTok is to your overall goals and…
- Diversify. The potential ban highlights the need for businesses and creators to diversify their social media presence and not put all of their proverbial eggs in one platform’s basket. Ensure that you have a strong presence on multiple platforms, comparable short-form video capabilities include Instagram’s Reels and YouTube’s Shorts. You can also create content to remind your TikTok audience where else they can find you. Then…
- Strategize. Creators should take advantage of TikTok’s Creator Program and make as much profit as they can in the next nine months, while creators and businesses alike should develop a cross-posting strategy to build their audience on additional platforms. Users should ensure that their content lives in additional locations and everyone should consider saving their videos and metrics for future reference. Here’s one way to save videos you’ve already created. [Credit to this TikTok creator for the tip].
The nature of social media means that businesses and creators must remain agile and be ready to adjust our strategies to the constantly changing landscape. Video content is still king, especially short-form, so our strategy and content should continue to reflect that.