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The TikTok Ban & The Marketing Madness That Followed: What We Learned & Where To Go Now

Writer's picture: Jennifer MarieJennifer Marie

The TikTok Ban & The Marketing Madness That Followed: What We Learned & Where To Go Now

An Article by The Nerd, Jennifer - a creative director with Your Marketing Team at Facets of Hospitality



Woman in blue shirt, hand on head, looks thoughtful. Text: "I can't afford marketing!" - She Said. "You can't afford this mindset," I told her. Colorful logo.
BUSINESS HERO COACHING SESSION OPEN ENROLLMENT


I tell you what... the number of people screaming at CapCut and TikTok this week had all of the marketing world reenacting the PIVOT scene from FRIENDS and feeling more like Chandler than Ross... Finding an alternative to CapCut was NOT on many bingo cards for January... But it's back. So...


The TikTok ban sent shockwaves through the marketing world. Apps that no one had heard of were suddenly shooting up app store charts, social media managers were hyperventilating, and for 24 chaotic hours (or 72, if you were also in the CapCut blackout), the digital landscape felt like it was crumbling.


For years, TikTok has been the MVP of organic reach. It’s the only platform where actual people who care about your message get shown your content without you having to sell your soul to an ad budget. TikTok’s algorithm listens, analyzes, and serves your content up to the right audience.


That’s why when it suddenly vanished, marketers lost it. Unlike Instagram, where you have to game the system, or Facebook, where you have to pay to play, TikTok was the land of opportunity. Show up consistently? You grow. It was that simple.


Until it wasn’t.


The moment TikTok disappeared, panic set in. The ban happened late Friday night, and before anyone had their coffee on Saturday, CapCut was also gone.

(Those of us who know ByteDance? Yeah, we saw that one coming. But still.)

Marketing teams scrambled to pivot. Some immediately restructured strategies, deleted accounts, moved to alternative apps, and abandoned months of planning. And then... TikTok came back.


If you already ditched TikTok and CapCut, do you go crawling back? Or do you move on?


Some people panicked and deleted the apps, only to find out they couldn’t re-download them when TikTok was reinstated. If that’s you, try these fixes:

  • Use a VPN. Change your location to a country where TikTok isn’t banned, and try downloading it again.

  • Try alternative video editors. If you relied on CapCut, these might work:

    • YouCut – Closest to CapCut

    • VLLO – A solid editing app

    • InShot – Simple but effective

    • iMovie – Basic, but does the job

    • Instagram’s new video editor – Sketchy timing, but hey, it exists.


If you’re done with TikTok for good, you need a new marketing strategy. And to. be honest, it shouldn't be "put all the eggs in one basket" strategy, you can easily use a scheduler like Metricool to send those suckers out to any network or all the networks.


Oh, and while everyone was freaking out about TikTok, Instagram casually rolled out a massive update that ruined everyone’s feed.


If your posts suddenly look off—like they were cropped weirdly—it’s because Instagram changed the standard post ratio from 1:1 to 4:5.


Meaning: they literally cut off the sides of all your posts without warning.

Thanks for the heads-up, Insta. :::EyeRollEmoji:::


If your account has fully updated, you should be able to adjust each image manually. But yes, one by one. Because efficiency is overrated, apparently.

The TikTok ban also triggered an exodus to alternative apps. Some of them have potential, while others? Not so much.


Threads, Meta’s response to Twitter, is still growing. RedNote (also called Little Red Book) exploded with American users when TikTok was temporarily banned, and existing users welcomed them with open arms. Meanwhile, Bluesky remains a wildcard—great for techies and creatives, but hit or miss for businesses.


Lemon8, TikTok’s own Instagram competitor, is still lurking, waiting to be relevant.

So, should you start diversifying your social media presence? Yes, but be strategic about it. If TikTok taught us anything, it’s that relying on one platform is dangerous. But that doesn’t mean jumping onto every new app is the answer.

Stick to where your audience already engages. If you get zero leads from Twitter, don’t waste time there. Repurpose content wisely—TikTok videos can double as Reels and Shorts. Test new platforms, but don’t abandon what’s already working.

If you take one thing away from all of this, let it be this:


  • Platforms come and go. The strategies that work today might not work tomorrow.

  • Adaptability is key. Your success isn’t about the platform—it’s about how well you pivot when the game changes.

  • Diversify your presence. But don’t spread yourself so thin that you burn out.


Want to chat about strategy? DM my team at @FacetsofHospitality on Instagram. Or schedule a BUSINESS HERO Coaching Session with yours truly... I am available for some hours every week to help business owners get their mood back.


Let’s figure out your next move.


Marketing isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about understanding people and staying ahead of the curve. And if you’re here reading this, you’re already on the right track. 😉


 

Sometimes, you just need a little bit of my sunshine while you wait for yours to come back. This sweatshirt is a great casual Friday pick-me-up for your mood - Set. the intention, and when you put it on, picture yourself filling your jar with sunshine. For you who aren't so proverbial or "woo woo" out there, that means your mood or your soul.

Woman in white sweatshirt with jar design sits casually on beige floor. Text reads: Jar of Sunshine Sweatshirt, $45. Mood is relaxed. Merch is mindful from FacetHub for burnout creators.
SPONSORED POST: Thank you to FacetHub for supporting Marketing Tips and mindfulness in their merch. We are happy to partner with them and The Nerd helps out with designing some marketing manager merch! Be forewarned... some of our creators wear tinfoil hats but they mean well.






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