The recent ban of TikTok sent shockwaves through its 170 million U.S. userbase, particularly among business owners and creators who depend on the platform for their business.
Although service was restored, the shutdown raises the larger issue of the dangers of relying on building a business on a third party platform controlled by another company.
It’s a form of digital sharecropping. This means that you’re working on another company’s platform, where you have no control and the rug can be pulled out from under you at any time. This leaves your business vulnerable to being cut-off and shut down at any time.
Even if you’re not shut down, the platform could change its algorithm and remove you from their searches or promote a competitor.
This is not the first time this has happened. Businesses once investing heavily in Facebook Pages, as a means of distribution when Facebook emphasized Pages. But Facebook later changed direction and those efforts were wasted. There were numerous other changes Meta and Facebook have made over the years that have affected companies. Some companies such as BuzzFeed, built their business on Facebook traffic, but after the traffic dropped, the company’s business suffered.
Renting versus owning
Twitter famously had API integrations that many startups used to build apps and companies, from mobile Twitter apps to general social media apps to monitoring apps. Later, Twitter shut down those integrations and built competitors to those products.
Building a business on someone else’s platform is like renting versus owning. Renting real estate leaves you vulnerable to new competition, the landlord raising the rent, the landlord selling the building or the landlord making changes to the building. With ownership, you maintain maximum control over the direction of your business. Similarly, with your own website, you control the creation and distribution of your content, your marketing and your long-term future.
So what can business owners and creators do to build a long-term, sustainable online presence to support their business? First, establishing your own website will ensure that you have a lasting, enduring presence online, where people can find you and learn about your business.
Strong presence and control
I’m not advocating avoiding social platforms. By all means, use TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and others. For small businesses that generate content, social platforms can drive critical attention to sustain their growth. But if companies invest in their own website, that can provide a key lifeline. Using tools like WordPress make websites easy for non-developers to update and manage, combined with a host like Kinsta to ensure security and performance. That in conjunction with any content produced on other platforms will build their brand and provide resiliency no matter what happens on those platforms.
Also, make sure that you aren’t putting all your efforts and focus solely on these platforms. You want to have a strong presence that you control through your own website. Then, make sure you link back to your website on your profiles on all those platforms and also like back to your website whenever you can in your social posts. That will drive people back to your site. You can also invest in a domain name that is easy to remember and will help support your site. Then people at your website can sign up for your newsletter and keep in touch. You will own that data, and you can control your future.
So if something happens and you are dropped from a platform such as TikTok or Facebook, customers can still find your website on Google because of your SEO efforts. You will also show up in ChatGPT or other AI search engines. But you will only be available if you have this website already set up.
This is an investment in your business. It’s not a major expense when you think about the long-term benefit for your business, but it is an investment. It’s like taking care of your health or your hygiene. Just like you brush your teeth to protect your teeth long term.
The website advantage
A website will also help you define your overall strategy as a business. It’s not the same as a clip on TikTok or reel on Instagram. It can even be as simple as a one-page website, where people can find you. This alone will give you real legitimacy as a real business. When people find your website online, they’ll see you as a real business.
Ultimately you want a long-term online presence, where no matter what happens, you will be able to control your brand and your message for your current and future potential customers. That’s what will support your business for the future.
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