Essential strategies for marketers adapting to a potential US TikTok ban
As a potential TikTok ban looms, mastering how to effectively maintain engagement and reach younger demographics is crucial for marketers targeting the US market. Kaveh Vahdat, founder and president of RiseOpp, explores.
As marketers face the potential reality of a TikTok ban, it’s crucial to pivot quickly and effectively to maintain engagement and reach, particularly among younger demographics. TikTok is a dominant force for Gen-Z in particular, with its algorithm-driven content discovery and high engagement rates making it seemingly indispensable for some brands.
However, the prospect of losing this platform, if not only for a temporary period, is becoming more realistic. Here’s how I advise marketing teams I work with to adapt their marketing strategies if TikTok is banned:
Understand the impact
In other words, assess the damage and the full extent of TikTok’s absence for your marketing efforts. That includes engagement, traffic, and sales that were driven by TikTok. Then, connecting those numbers to specific audiences, engagement patterns, and sales conversions directly linked to TikTok campaigns. By quantifying this impact, you can better strategise how to replace lost engagement and revenue.
Adjust KPIs to new platforms
Redefining KPIs starts by tailoring your performance metrics to other platforms and understanding how various platforms behave. For example, platforms like YouTube and Instagram offer similar engagement opportunities, but they operate on different metrics. While YouTube prioritises longer watch times and subscriber growth, Instagram focuses on visual engagement and interactions. Which is more important to your brand? Adjust your KPIs accordingly to measure success on these new platforms accurately.
Refocus your content creation efforts
Assuming your previous content strategy was heavy on TikTok, it’s important to adjust if TikTok is unavailable. That includes everything from production and format to the KPIs you attach to your content.
Can you utilise more text-based content that will improve SEO, domain authority, and organic traffic overall? Also, consider your team. Do you have the right skills and staff in place to execute your revised content strategy?
Level up your SEO and Google search
TikTok’s algorithm-driven discovery has been a boon for spontaneous content visibility. While TikTok’s platform is heavily influenced by real-time engagement metrics like comments, shares, likes, view time, and even sound – brands need to pivot back to traditional SEO metrics if TikTok is banned. That means domain authority, topical relevance, and traditional keywords.
Also, consider Google Ads to capture immediate traffic and test keywords that TikTok users might search for. This approach can help redirect potential lost traffic to your website or YouTube channel.
Final thoughts
The potential ban of TikTok is both a challenge and an opportunity for marketers to innovate and diversify their marketing strategies. By understanding the impact, redefining KPIs, diversifying platform presence, reallocating resources, enhancing SEO, embracing content innovation, and planning for the long term, marketers can turn this disruption into a catalyst for growth and sustained engagement.
About the Author: Kaveh Vahdat is the founder and president of RiseOpp.
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