I’m feeling some deja vu over all this TikTok ban drama. BOI, anyone?
Or the entire tax code from one presidency to the next, for that matter. (I saw that IRS commissioner Werfel resigned on Monday. Here we go…)
Yeah, we get it, TikTok creators. The tax (and marketing) industry feels your pain.
Here’s what happened:
- August 2020 – Trump issued an executive order to impose a ban on TikTok operations in the United States, citing national security concerns over the China-owned social app.
- April 2024 – U.S. Congress bans TikTok. The law forces ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, to sell its stake in the app or be cut off from the U.S. market, with a deadline of Jan. 19 to comply. Appeals ensue.
- Jan. 17, 2025 – U.S. Supreme Court rules that the ban is NOT unconstitutional.
- Jan. 18, 2025 – TikTok goes dark for users as the parent company Bytedance deactivates the app in the U.S. The app becomes unavailable for download in Google and Apple app stores.
- Jan. 19, 2025 – In a flip-flop move, incoming President Trump assures Bytedance he’ll work to fight the ban. The app is reinstated, becoming available again for U.S. users.
- Jan. 20, 2025 – TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew was in attendance at the presidential inauguration. Afterward, President Trump signed an executive order to delay enforcement of the ban for 75 days.
We’ll see how this saga continues to progress.
But really, why should you care? Particularly if your tax firm marketing doesn’t involve TikTok? (A few of you are, but most aren’t.)
Because similar situations happen with every Google algorithm update: 1) Google changes the rules, 2) businesses watch their rankings and clicks plummet, 3) everyone scrambles to pivot, and 4) winners and losers emerge. This literally happens on repeat.
The losers in this cycle have watched their primary revenue streams flatline overnight because a platform like Google or Meta holds all the cards.
That’s a problem.
So this TikTok drama is a timely reminder for business owners like you — that a smart tax marketing strategy is one that is DIVERSIFIED.
Here are three ways to know if your tax marketing is diversified enough to survive major shifts like these:
1) You’re not dependent on one marketing platform or media to fund your operations.
2) You have a balanced online presence and are well-represented across the digital spectrum.
3) Your business (or your marketing agency) is watching traffic trends to keep you visible where your ideal clients are searching — so you can pivot without panic.
If you want to become more diversified this year, we have a proven service, strategy, and framework that’s helped thousands of professionals in our industry avoid panic moments like these.
As a multi-business owner and steward of the marketing of hundreds of tax businesses, you can guarantee I’m motivated to make marketing work in 2025 (and beyond, obviously).
I’m working to keep all of these businesses panic-free during TikTok bans and Google updates and whatever new annoyance Meta wants to force upon businesses.
