TikTok’s on the Clock … So where's the afterparty?

While we were busy at SEG with industry takeaways and tapas, we were also checking our phones regularly. Yes we were scoping and sharing the highlights, as we do, but specifically keeping an eye on a particular issue that’s pretty high key when it comes to the business of brand content and communication: the potential of a US TikTok ban.

Context:

As Kesha prophesied years ago, TikTok [is] on the clock [to make sure] the party don’t stop. April 24th, President Joe Biden signed into law the controversial new bill that gives TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, 269 days (~9 months) to sell the social media platform or else have it banned in the US.

TikTok replied: “Rest assured, we aren’t going anywhere,” CEO Shou Chew said in a video posted soon after the bill became law.

So, what does this mean for your social strategy if TikTok gets banned?

Here's a head start -

1. If you’re already on TikTok, keep posting (unless you feel like your current content is floundering, in which case slide into our DM’s and we’ll help you right that ship). The absolute earliest TikTok would ever turn off the American lights is January 2025. Why jump ship on an effective media channel three quarters in advance? You’ve built an audience and a community. There’s no reason to abandon those people. And if the ban doesn’t happen you’ll have given up early for no reason.

2. BUT if you’re only on TikTok or have shifted a significant amount of effort and resources  in that direction, it might be time to start re-aligning your strategy with Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. We hope everyone has already been doing that, and for those who haven't you might want to reach out to us for a strategy consultation ASAP

TikTok or not, here’s the truth and nothing but the truth: people want to see short form video content regardless of the platform. We’ve become accustomed to the buffet of quickly digestible media that can be swiftly savored in the Starbucks queue, or while enjoying a sweet moment of disassociation between tasks, and we’re not going to be giving that up any time soon.

The impending free-up of digital airtime provides room for platforms to move in, and obviously Instagram Reels is a hot option that scrolling eyes already know, but we’re also big fans of the opportunity YouTube has to step into the spotlight.

The platform already offers a TikTok alternative for short-form content through its Shorts feature, which can funnel viewers directly to your long-form videos, and hosts a robust infrastructure for insights and analytics. Thanks to its diverse audience and sophisticated targeting options, you can tap into a wealth of opportunities to reach your desired demographics. In other words, it’s a goldmine for strategic brand storytelling and content execution to unfold. And after clocking in with $8.1B in ad revenue for the first quarter of 2024, you can’t deny the investment taking place on this platform. Dear seafood industry, this is the time and place to show up.

But we're not benching IG Reels, quite the contrary. As we said, their incorporation within the Instagram app provides the accessibility we know and love, allowing brands to leverage existing followers and engagement metrics. Moreover, Reels' algorithmic integration into the Explore (aka For You) tab enhances discoverability, exposing content to a broader audience. And as Reels continues to gain momentum, with over 1B monthly viewers, the seafood industry stands to benefit dramatically by diversifying its content strategy on both of the above, with or without TikTok.

Just as ICQ (shoutout to our elder millennials) became MSN Messenger, became text and BBM, became WhatsApp, Signal, and a host of other ways to slide into your DMs, our drive to communicate and connect through our shared experiences always comes out on top.

The threat to TikTok will only drive social strategy in new directions, not halt it in its tracks. And since seafood has yet to really conquer the social media heavyweight (read: hasn’t made it into the ring) we have a unique opportunity to go in with eyes wide open, ready to pivot in any direction as long as you have a team with a solid pulse on the landscape. (Hey, InnaSea here, at your service.)

While we might not know exactly which online platform will assume the throne or if the current queen (because we know who run the world) will continue to reign supreme, we can still support you in developing a strong content strategy with versatility, while safeguarding your brand assets in the tempestuous waters of digital content marketing.

Should US TikTok be no more, we will adapt and we cannot overstate the importance of having a resilient and diverse strategy to ride your brands digital presence through this next evolution, whatever that may look like.