Biden Signs TikTok Ban: Are You a Marketer on TikTok? 3 Things to Think About

Alana Coticchia   |     April 25, 2024

President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a law that will ban TikTok unless it is sold within a year. The potential ban is officially on the clock but will take several months to go into effect.

With time on your side, your brand team should start thinking about these three things right now:

1. CHANGES IN CONSUMER CONSUMPTION AND ENGAGEMENT

Brands, marketers, advertisers and influencers need to plan for significant shifts in the way younger audiences consume content. More Gen Zers use TikTok over Instagram and nearly 50% of those users use TikTok to make purchases. It will be necessary to pivot to platforms where the TikTok consumer will likely migrate. With TikTok’s 1 billion-plus active monthly users, they will find a new platform to spend their time. 

2.    DIFFERENTIATE SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and Snapchat are the likely platforms your audiences will jump to in TikTok’s place. As previously mentioned, Gen Zers love TikTok, but they are even more active on Snapchat. Brands should diversify their channel mix to ensure a TikTok ban doesn’t tank their social media efforts. You should repurpose content now, focusing efforts on these channels. 

3.    REASSESS INFLUENCER MARKETING

A whopping 61% of brands utilizing influencers rely on TikTok to be an integral part of their campaigns. Influencers who solely rely on TikTok may struggle to build a loyal following on other social platforms.  Brands and marketers need to explore partnerships across a variety of social media platforms.  

Nothing is going to happen overnight. The Falls & Co. team will keep a close eye on how this TikTok story continues to play out. In the meantime, if you have any specific questions, send the social team an email at social@fallsandco.com or contact us here.