While the TikTok ban on January 18 and 19 only lasted about 12 hours, it forced many businesses to take pause and reflect on their strategic marketing plans for the year.
TikTok, and social media in general, is a core focus for many small businesses’ marketing teams. It provides a low-cost, effective way to authentically engage with your customers, in a space they’re already spending their time. But, like many other modern marketing channels when it comes to social media, brands are at the mercy of evolving algorithms, walls of sponsored content, and the overall functionality/availability of the platforms.
So, what’s a modern retail marketer to do?
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Diversifying your marketing strategy should never be considered optional. You should always have multiple ways to reach your customers. Identify the primary channels that your customers frequent and invest more of your resources there. Use secondary channels as a backup and keep them maintained and current, but don’t feel obligated to stretch your resources to grow these channels the same way you do your primary.
Build Your Owned Audience
An “owned audience” is a list of contacts that your company has direct access to through platforms you control. Think about your email newsletter subscribers, website audience, mailing lists, and SMS subscribers. Unlike on social media, you have more control over how you reach your audience on an owned platform.
💡Tip: Encourage your social media followers to subscribe to your email list, and encourage your email subscribers to follow you on social media. Cross-promotion of your channels helps strengthen the connections to your audience.
Be Flexible and Stay Informed
The TikTok ban initiated waves of new social platforms climbing the “top app” charts, but it’s important to avoid premature decisions as a brand. If your business wants to claim branded usernames on a variety of platforms, it’s never a bad idea to claim ownership of those assets while they’re available. But, don’t feel obligated to devote resources to every new platform and flip your strategy on its head week-to-week. Stay informed about what’s happening to the channels you utilize most, be willing to try new things when necessary, and make sure you’re thinking through the long-term impacts of the strategic changes you’re making.
We don’t know what the future holds for TikTok, or any other marketing platform, for that matter. As we continue into the era of AI and technological advances, we’re certain to see changes in the way we market in the coming years. No matter what those changes bring, it’s our job to adapt and respond, to meet our customers where they are, and to help them connect with our brand.
