- Despite security concerns and the likelihood of a ban by the U.S. government, three in 4 marketers expect to increase spending on TikTok in the following 12 months, according to a Capterra survey of 300 marketers at businesses within the U.S.
- A TikTok ban would have a moderate to significant impact on achieving social media marketing or promoting objectives, according to 82% of respondents, with 70% expecting to expand in other digital channels outside of social media within the event of a ban.
- As the battle over the long run of TikTok intensifies, more than half (56%) of respondents imagine it is extremely or somewhat unlikely that the federal government will ban TikTok or prevent it from operating within the U.S., and most (87%) still imagine it’s a viable platform for long-term marketing strategies.
The Capterra survey paints an image of a marketing industry that’s committed to TikTok, despite threats of a ban by federal and state governments, with many planning to increase spending on the platform in the following 12 months.
This bullishness comes even as survey respondents largely agree with concerns concerning the Chinese-owned platform’s security issues: 60% say concerns over its data privacy and national security are justified, 47% imagine its algorithm aren’t transparent and 45% imagine TikTok spies on U.S. users. Despite these concerns, just 31% say brand safety is a top challenge of using TikTok.
While marketers are roughly evenly split on whether federal or state and native governments will actually ban or restrict TikTok, most would diversify their digital marketing strategy within the event of a ban. Digital media channels outside of social media, like email and video, could stand to profit, with Facebook (80%) and YouTube (79%) the most well-liked social media platforms for marketers in search of TikTok alternatives.
In the event of a TikTok ban, the industry consensus seems to be that Meta, YouTube and Snap could see spikes in revenue.
“This news does create more opportunities for other platforms to capitalize,” said Permele Doyle, president and co-founder of influencer agency Billion Dollar Boy, in emailed comments. “An immediate solution for brands and creators is to pivot to Instagram and YouTube’s equivalent short form video content formats — Reels and Shorts, respectively — that are increasing in popularity.”
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to testify today (March 23) before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The Biden administration has demanded that TikTok divest itself from parent ByteDance or face a ban, a move that China would strongly oppose, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Chew this week made a direct appeal to TikTok’s user base, posting a video to the platform’s official channel, which has more than 69 million followers. Mr. Chew spoke concerning the “pivotal moment” for the platform, which he claimed is utilized by more than 150 million Americans and 5 million U.S. businesses.
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