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Soleil: 86% of consumers are more likely to trust a brand that publishes user generated content. And now the number one app in the United States for video content. Is being banned. So now what?

Soleil: Millions of brands are being effected by the possible TikTok ban that is being put into place. Now, if you've been following along. While I'm recording this video. Let's timestamp. It, it is 2:50 PM on January 20th. And as of Saturday night, they had banned TikTok. If you would go into the app, it would have given you a spiel about why TikTok was being banned.

Soleil: And the last sentence was stay tuned in case something were to happen where TikTok would come back into the United States and a last 12 hours later, we were provided with more [00:01:00] information that TikTok was in fact, not banned. And they were coming back. Thanks to president Trump. So we're going to talk about what's really happening with this ban today. Why did it come back? Is it actually coming back for real? What is happening with TikTok and what's happening with brands overall? Um, I think the biggest lesson that we can learn from this TikTok ban is if you don't own your marketing channels, then you are at the whim of laws and algorithm changes, and many other things that these social media platforms can change in. The span of a few hours as we've seen with TikTok.

Soleil: So let's break down what's happening and how you can stay ahead.

Soleil: Welcome to sweat strategy and success. This is the go-to resource for entrepreneurs and the health and wellness industry to become the best versions of themselves, both personally and professionally. My name is Soleil Rain. [00:02:00] I am a marketer and passionate storyteller, and my mission is to share these untapped stories with you. Discover inspiring stories and actionable strategies towards growing your business and creating a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle.

Soleil: So what's the big problem here. The problem is that the U.S. Has finally decided to move forward with banning TikTok. And as of right now, TikTok is back online. But for all we know this can be a short period of time. When TikTok was originally banned, starting January 19th, it had stopped users from using TikTok at all.

Soleil: And we had originally thought that it was going to be a slow burn out that we were still being able to use the app, but it was just going to be removed from Google and Apple stores. But in fact, they stopped allowing users to use TikTok at all. 12 hours later, it came back online where TikTok users are now able to use it. TikTok had provided a message thanking Trump, because he was about to provide an [00:03:00] executive order that would get a 90 day extension to TikTok, which is allowed underneath the law. Now the issue here is that this does not mean that this executive order is a going to go into place.

Soleil: And B, even if it does go into place that only provides ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok 90 days in order to find a U S owner to buy TikTok. And it's been so up in the air because TikTok is an expensive company to buy. So, this is kind of the landscape that we're looking at right now.

Soleil: As of today, January 20th. TikTok is back online, but for how long, we just don't know Trump is promising an executive order, and yet those promises can not be made true unless he provides Congress with three different things. Under this new law. Called the foreign adversary controlled applications act. The law states that a president can issue a one-time 90 day extension. If the [00:04:00] following are true and presented to Congress. One. Show a viable path for the deal. Two show significant progress has been made on the deal. And three show that there are legal agreements in place. For the deal to be made. Now, this deal, as I mentioned is the sell of TikTok between ByteDance to a U S owned company. Trump is advocating for a 50% stake in a joint venture underneath U S ownership.

Soleil: However, this is a super murky area to be in right now. Apple and Google app stores are still not allowing you to download TikTok. If you've already downloaded it. But you can use TikTok if you had downloaded it before January 19th, when the ban had gone into effect.

Soleil: And this is because under the foreign adversary control the applications act. If these companies are still using TikTok and supporting TikTok on their [00:05:00] services, even after the law had gone into effect, then they're technically. Breaching federal law. And they can be fined. If not billions of dollars for still allowing TikTok to me on their apps. However, with over 7 million businesses on TikTok, the future remains uncertain.

Soleil: Brands that have built their entire marketing strategy on TikTok are at risk of losing. Their audience, their revenue and their growth momentum. So if you're a brand using TikTok either for your entire marketing strategy or even just a portion of your strategy. And you think, therefore, that TikTok has gone back up as of Sunday, then I'm going to have to tell you that that is not correct in you're going to have to continue to plan for a U.S. That does not have TikTok because if you're not planning right now for a U.S., without TikTok, and then you're not setting your business up for success, and we're going to go over some clear solutions on how you can continue to build your marketing [00:06:00] strategy and your business without utilizing TikTok. It's a sad day. It's a very sad day. Alas.

Soleil: We are here. If there's one thing that we can learn from this TikTok ban is that renting land on social platforms for your business. Is in fact, something that is very volatile and can go away at a snap of a finger. So all that to say you don't control what you don't own. But what you do own, you can control. So what are some of the things that we can control in terms of our own marketing strategy?

Soleil: First and foremost, something that you can do to make sure that your marketing strategy is still in place, despite the changes across. [00:07:00] All of these platforms. Is to continue to invest in your website, your email.

Soleil: And blogs to make sure that you control your audience connection in a way that is not on these social platforms like Instagram. Or Facebook or even Google, all these platforms are places that you don't own and therefore any small changes can affect your business. As listening to the podcast, financial feminist this morning. And she was talking about her own experience on growing her business on TikTok and how many women she's been able to help. Through her business on TikTok and it just makes me so sad to see companies like these that have done so much help on these platforms that can just go away in the snap of their fingers.

Soleil: And. In that case, if you are somebody who has grown so much on TikTok and you have millions of followers. Then continue to push them towards signing up for your email list, getting connected to a blog. And [00:08:00] diversifying the owned platforms that you use. So you can still stay in contact with people, even if. TikTok goes away.

Soleil: Instagram goes away. X. Pinterest. Whatever it may be ends up going away as well. And in that same line, make sure that you're diversifying your marketing strategy. So. Content is the name of the game. Short-form videos. Aren't going anywhere.

Soleil: As long as there is compelling content and there's people who want to view that compelling content. Then the businesses that understand this will continue to thrive. And so we still have YouTube and we still have Metta and we still have some other short form video platforms that are available. So. Start diversifying your strategy and make sure that you're also posting on these other sites as well.

Soleil: LinkedIn is actually becoming pretty big for. B2B short form reels as well. So there's a lot of different platforms that you can continue to use outside of [00:09:00] TikTok. So if TikTok. Eventually goes away. Then you still have other platforms where you're providing content to people in the businesses that understand. And this will continue to do well in providing that content to people across multiple different platforms.

Soleil: So consider diversifying your presence to maintain visibility and engagement.

Soleil: Something that you're also going to do before TikTok gets banned completely if it ends up being. So if you haven't done this already, then I highly recommend that you do it now, especially if you have a big TikTok following or presence, if your a influencer or if your business is make sure that you're securing your data. Not just downloading the videos that you have created on TikTok. Take screenshots of your analytics, anybody that you've sponsored within the past, because you're eventually going to need these statistics, these numbers, these partnerships in the future to reach out and be able to show other clients, other businesses, other [00:10:00] sponsorships, that what you have done in the past, and you don't want to lose that information.

Soleil: So make sure you're securing your data.

Soleil: Now, if you feel like you've lost a large portion of your clients or your following. I know some people have millions of followers on TikTok that are at the opportunity to be lost right now. If you have the money, consider leveraging ads as well, Google Meta, and trying to build your audience up again through there.

Soleil: It's not as good as building up your organic following. As you probably did on TikTok, Is it opportunity to grow your audience? With the strategy behind it. If you have lost millions of followers on TikTok.

Soleil: Make sure that you're also staying agile and adapting to changing algorithms, changing policies and make sure that you're following all these other steps that I've done before staying up to date with what's happening in the news on the law, um, to make sure that [00:11:00] these other platforms in the future. If they are changing, you're aware of them before they happen. And you can take the correct steps in order to make sure that your company is prepared for these platforms to change. If they do.

Soleil: Now, what we don't want to do as brands is make sure that we're relying on one platform. Diversifying is your best bet to ensure that moving forward, that you maintain your audience, your engagement, your visibility, and your retention rate with them. Also just building community, continuing to do that on these other platforms is really important. And I think that's part of the reason why TikTok has done so well is because they have encouraged community better. Then YouTube or Meta or LinkedIn has, in my opinion. And so continuing to try to build that out with your other audiences on different platforms. Will be really important to make sure that you're growing these audiences and future-proofing your business in case these, these laws, these policies do change.

Soleil: So at the end of [00:12:00] the day, We are unsure what has happening moving forward with TikTok. We're not sure if there's going to be a 90 day extension. If they're going to go through with the ban. But what we do know is that there's ways that we can safeguard our businesses to make sure that we are taking our audiences with us and also moving them to owned platforms instead of renting space on these social platforms, in order to continue to get in contact and engage with our audiences. And so it's really important that you come up with a strategy and a plan moving forward. For any case scenario and staying up to date with what's happening to make sure that your business isn't going to fall down with the tumbling of these other social platforms. I hope that this information today was helpful and it can help prepare you for the future. In case there is a world that we live in in which TikTok is not allowed in the United States. If I have any advice for you is to make sure that you're still planning in [00:13:00] that case.

Soleil: It is an uncertain future, but creating a strategy and planning ahead will help you no matter what the subject may be in terms of your business and your brand.

Soleil: I'm also interested to hear your thoughts on the ban and how your business is preparing for success. I'm going to list out some ways below that you're going to be able to reach out to me so we can chat and we can talk to each other about what's going on. In the big world of marketing and the ever-changing landscape that is in front of us. Thank you again. And I'll see you again next Wednesday. Bye-bye.