How a Texas small business can survive without tiktok
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As of January 17th, 2025, The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the decision to uphold the law that will ban TikTok from U.S. app stores. The only saving grace there is for the future of TikTok, is if the parent company, ByteDance sells to a U.S. based entity.
This ban will shift how and where Texas small businesses market themselves to their ideal customers.
TikTok has become a major platform for small businesses, offering an affordable way to reach millions of potential customers with creating engaging content. Small businesses have grown their customer base in recent years with TikTok alone. This has provided a solid revenue stream that is going to be difficult to duplicate on other social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram or X. We’ll get into the topic of why TikTok is being banned and how a small business can stay ahead in the marketplace without TikTok.
Why is TikTok being banned in the U.S.?
The simple answer is - fear.
U.S. Lawmakers fear the possibility that the Chinese government could obtain data from U.S. TikTok users from the parent company, ByteDance, which holds their corporate offices in China. Due to a potential national security risks a ban on TikTok will leave a lot of small businesses with a financial security risk.
TikTok has until January 19, 2025 to separate from ByteDance. There are rumors of a few billionaires threatening to purchase the U.S. TikTok
what is a texas small business losing?
Texas Small businesses may lose one of their most effective tools for affordable marketing and brand awareness. TikTok’s algorithm allows small accounts to go viral, giving businesses access to younger audiences without much of an advertising budget.
TikTok Shopping provides an easy way for views to purchase products right from the app. We know, purchases can be a quick emotional reflect. Small businesses will have a hard time duplicating these sales on other platforms.
TikTok provided an opportunity for small businesses to express their creativity to gain an audience, through short form content. You were able to sell your products, while showing your personality. How you adapt to the TikTok ban as a small business is going to be important to the survival of your business. Short-form content, such as TikToks, are replicated on Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts being the dominate competitors.
Each platform has its own algorithms of what is considered viral-worthy. TikTok created a space where small accounts could go viral fairly easy. This leveled the playing field between the millions of US businesses.
How can a small business survive a tiktok ban?
One word: DIVERSIFICATION.
It’s a big word that just means, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. The danger of only using one platform to gain your customers or share your story is exactly what is happening to TikTok-only small businesses. You’ll be left with 0 customers who don’t know where to find your products or services.
The problem doesn’t stop with TikTok. All social media platforms could be at risk of you losing your fan-base if they go away, you get hacked, you lose access to your account, or if your account is shutdown from the platform itself. TikTok isn’t the only social media platform as we know, but there are other opportunities to grow your small business brand.
Check out all these other platforms to share your brand story:
Instagram
Get a website & build a mailing list
You own both of those, whereas you don’t own your TikTok, Instagram or even Facebook account. We all know someone who has had their accounts hacked or they lost access to their account. This happens to small business accounts every day. A mailing list is a safety net of subscribers you have access to, regardless if your social media accounts are lost.
the 7-11-4 Rule and branding
Consistent branding on and off social media will make you look like the industry leader you are. The Branding Basics consist of having a logo, and consistent messaging through your visual identity. Brand colors that are consistent through your marketing, a logo that adapts to the situation and using specific tone in your messaging are all part of an effective brand.
The 7-11-4 Rule is a marketing concept developed by Google, outlining the level of engagement a consumer typically needs with a brand before making a purchasing decision. It suggests that:
A consumer should have 7 hours of interaction with the brand.
Across 11 different touchpoints such as, website, social media, email.
Spanning at least 4 locations like your website, social media, in-store, ads, a random t-shirt on a random person.
How the 7-11-4 rule Works
The rule emphasizes the importance of building trust and familiarity through repeated exposure across various mediums. It’s rooted in the idea that modern consumers rarely make impulse purchases—they want to feel confident in the brand through consistent, valuable interactions.
Applying It to Your Marketing
To implement the 7-11-4 Rule:
Create engaging long-form content, this could be videos or blogs to increase the "7 hours."
Leverage multiple platforms such as, social media, email campaigns, and PPC ads for the "11 touchpoints."
Diversify locations where consumers see your brand like Instagram, website, YouTube, etc.) to meet the "4 locations."
This approach can help small businesses, like those Gringoface Designs supports, build trust and guide prospects toward conversion.
If this is confusing, don’t stress, that is what we are here for. Contact us to talk more about your branding.
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TikTok is just a small piece of the branding and marketing puzzle for small businesses. This ban will cause some disruption for the less agile small businesses, but in the long-term, there is room to grow and adapt. We’d love to hear how your small business is adapting to this shift in social media and how you diversify your outreach. Let us know in the comments section.
