Trump Delays the TikTok Ban Again: Here’s What Your Business Can Do

In a Truth Social post, Trump stated that “the deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed.” By extending the TikTok ban deadline, the administration has further time to work with China and TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to close the deal.

However, because of the US and China’s rocky relationship, the possibility of a deal being made during the extension is still up in the air. Recently, Trump increased tariffs on all Chinese goods, causing Beijing to respond with its own retaliatory tariffs. As this trade war heats up, these drastic economic actions could impact whether the deal goes smoothly or not.

If TikTok plays a major role in your social media strategy, I understand that these uncertain times can feel discomforting. However, there are key steps you can take to adapt to these changes and ensure that your brand’s online presence remains strong.

Here’s what you can do in the meantime:

1. Repurpose existing content – By downloading your TikTok videos, you can repurpose your best content and post them on other platforms, be it Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. I suggest using each platform’s analytical tools to test how this repurposed content is performing and use the data to make suitable adjustments.
2. Look for TikTok alternatives – If you’re not sure which platforms are suitable for your business, I recommend researching other TikTok alternatives. This will ensure that you know which platforms to switch to if a TikTok ban is enforced.
3. Strengthen your presence elsewhere – Do you have a strong online presence elsewhere? If you own a business website, or have an email marketing strategy, it’s worth optimizing these channels to bring in more traffic and engagement to boost brand awareness. If you don’t already have a website, this could be the right time to build one.
4. Review influencer marketing strategies – If you’re currently working with TikTok influencers, this is the perfect time to review your current strategy. You may find that an influencer also has a strong following on another platform, allowing your brand to tap into another engaged audience base.

Though there’s still no final outcome in sight, it’s important that you keep diversifying your content channels where possible. The ban being pushed back doesn’t mean that TikTok is 100% safe, so make sure that your business is adaptable and isn’t just relying on one platform for the majority of its views and engagement.

We’ll continue to keep a close eye on the TikTok situation, so expect another report from us when the next development comes to light.