Creators, marketers, and businesses in the United States faced the fear of losing TikTok a few months ago. For many, social media platforms like TikTok have become central pillars of their marketing strategies (if not the entire backbone of their customer outreach communications plan). With its viral reach, precise targeting tools, and algorithmic magic, social media quickly became a go-to platform for businesses seeking to expand. Not only do these platforms build brand presence, but they generate leads and help brands engage with audiences. However, the recent discussions around a potential TikTok ban have raised significant fears for those who depend on these channels for business success. 

The fear of losing access to their hundreds, thousands, and even millions of followers left many questioning what they could have done better to secure their sales channels from a potential shakeup like this. 

The TikTok ban was just one example. Many face a similar threat as accounts are hacked, suspended, and other issues. 

This is a stark reminder of the risks of building a business on borrowed ground. For those who rely on social media to grow their brand, audience, and sales, the possibility of losing access to such a powerful tool has led many to re-evaluate their entire business strategy.  

The key takeaway for everyone is that owning your contacts and media lists is far more reliable than borrowing from social media platforms.

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Social Media: The Business Double-Edged Sword

It’s no secret that platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook have reshaped how businesses interact with customers. For many, these channels are the main pillars of their marketing strategy. The benefits are clear: social media channels allow brands visibility in front of millions, if not billions, of users. We’ve all heard of brands going viral with just one post, skyrocketing their business’ earning potential overnight. 

For all of their benefits, social media platforms are ultimately third-party entities. When your brand depends on a platform like TikTok, the clock starts ticking on a rented domain. 

Social media rules can change at any moment. Algorithm changes, policy changes, and, ultimately, brands that depend on these channels can suffer disastrous consequences. According to GetResponse’s recent research, about half of US-based creators (51%) don’t trust social media companies like Meta or X. While 49% are now feeling less confident about using TikTok as a career channel due to the ban. 

This proves that the potential TikTok ban left many creators, small businesses, and marketers understand that depending on social media channels left them with no control over their customer relations should access to the platform ever be threatened. 

The TikTok Wake-Up Call

Relying on social media to drive business success has vulnerabilities, which make one thing clear: the critical importance of diversifying your marketing channels and owning your audience.

What exactly is owning your audience? This means that brands should re-emphasize email lists and drive direct communication.

By owning their client relationships through email marketing tools, brands can reach their audience directly without relying on or fearing a platform. 

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Here are some of the benefits of owning your media:

• Full Control: Unlike social media platforms, where changes to algorithms or platform rules can drastically impact your reach, email and your website are fully in your control.
• Building a Direct Relationship and Learning Customer Behavior: When you communicate directly with your audience, you can build lasting brand relationships with each customer. With tools like GetResponse, you can customize interactions based on consumer behavior. You can also gather key insights about each client that will strengthen your outreach strategy with every communication.
• Diversifying Your Marketing Channels: By relying solely on social media, businesses put all their marketing efforts in one basket. By owning their media channels, marketers can diversify their efforts and ensure that their business isn’t dependent on any source of traffic or engagement. Regardless of whether or not a channel or platform goes down or you lose access, brands that own their client communications have no fear of losing their customers. 
• Customer Retention: A strong email marketing strategy can be leveraged for not just sales but also for retention. Engaging with customers regularly via these channels helps keep your brand at the top of your mind, even when social media algorithms don’t favor you. You can A/B test to see what each client responds best to, reach out to them on special occasions such as birthdays, and engage with clients in a way that will ensure retention. 

Taking Action: How to Start Owning Your Media

Those who have awakened to the threats of relying too heavily on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook realize they need to take the appropriate steps to move into the owned media space. 

Here are a few practical ways businesses and creators can start shifting focus to owned media:

1. Use a tool that allows you to communicate directly with clients: Find the tool that best suits your own brand’s needs. Start collecting email addresses from your social media followers. Offer incentives, such as free resources or exclusive content, in exchange for this contact information. This allows you to move your audience from social media and onto your own communication channels. 
2. Diversify Marketing Strategies: Don’t rely on just one strategy or channel. While there is always a clear need to use social media as part of a strong marketing strategy, it’s become evident that integrating a robust marketing strategy that incorporates things like SEO, influencer marketing, AI-enhanced tools, and more is critical for success. 
3. Encourage Direct Communication: Good marketers know the importance of brands creating and encouraging direct communication with their customers. Today, it is more important than ever to use tools that allow brands to interact with customers through webinars, Q&A sessions, and dedicated consumer outreach strategies. The closer brands can get to building a loyal and engaged community, the less vulnerable they are to social media volatility.

Although still tentative, if not speculative, the TikTok ban has proven to be a powerful reminder of the fragility of social media-dependent businesses. For creators, marketers, and businesses, it’s time to reassess their marketing strategies’ reliance on social media platforms and embrace the power of owning client media lists and outreach strategies. 

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The future of marketing lies in direct, long-lasting communication with your customers, and this is only possible when brands own their contacts and media lists.

In a world of constant change, owning your contact list is the best way to future-proof your business from social media vulnerabilities. Brands must own the communication between their clients to control their brand’s success.

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